Combining employer meet-and-greets, question-and-answer sessions, opportunities to share resumes, and a keynote by design historian Gökhan Ersan, PCA&D’s second Virtual Career Day April 21 is designed to be much more than a sit-and-watch-a-Zoom-presentation event.

Instead, the goal is to be useful. Eye-opening. Educational. A gateway to internships, mentorships, fellowships … and jobs.

“One year after the pandemic began, this is a moment of continued transition and uncertainty for employers across the country,” Dr. Christopher Wagenheim, PCA&D’s Registrar and Career Success Advisor, says in an introduction to the event. “As such, we wanted to create an environment that allowed (students) to connect with as many potential employers as possible” and showcase talent, knowledge, and skillsets. For the employers and speakers, Wagenheim notes, a virtual career day gives them the chance to see the “depth and breadth of PCA&D creativity, ingenuity, design thinking,” and making skills.

SPEAKERS LINEUP

Keynote Speaker Gökhan Ersan: Ersan’s design history scholarship produced articles, review articles, and book chapters on political iconography,  regional and national design languages, product design, and industrial production. Moreover, his activities across design and textual scholarship have been recognized in his having been invited to serve as an advisor to Victor Margolin’s World History of Design, Volume 2, 2013. Consequently, he was invited to participate as panel chair and commentator for “Image / Text / Tech,” at the Society for the History of Technology (SHOT) conference, 2015, Albuquerque. You can find him at gokhan.ersan.org/

Carly Cerquone: A VFX artist, motion graphics designer, and motion picture engineer, Cerquone currently works as a VFX artist for Cantina Creative. She has previously worked with RIT production Services and RIT SportsZone Live as both a motion graphics artist and a live graphics operator respectively. Some of her VFX/Design projects include Spider-man: Homecoming, The Fate of The Furious, and Central Intelligence. You can find her work at carlycerquone.com.

Karen Dardarian: Dardarian is a merchandise manager at Paper Source and a part-time lecturer in Fashion Marketing Innovation at Eastern Michigan University. She has additionally worked with Plum Hollow Country Club and apparel and accessory trade shows. Discover more about her experiences here.

Mike Hawthorne: An adjunct instructor in PCA&D’s Illustration department, Hawthorne has been nominated for both an Eisner and Harvey awards. Some of his clients include FOX Films, Universal Studios, the 76ers, Marvel Comics, Illuminatio, Epic Games, DC/Vertigo, Dark Horse Comic, IDW Publishing, and more. He’s currently an exclusively Marvel artist, best known for his work on Deadpool and Spiderman. See his work at mikehawthorneart.com/.

Monica Miller: An esports specialist and advisor to PCA&D’s Esports Team, Miller focuses on building a personal brand to help gamers see their potential and grow into their true selves. Working with and for young adult gamers to help them uncover their passions and true potential is something that she feels fulfills her. You can find out more about her experience here. 

Crystal Mills: An esports writer and editor for over 10 years, she has worked with organizations such as OpTic Gaming and provided freelance work for companies like Esports Insider, The Loadout, Benzinga, and the Score. She has explored the business side of the industry with Esports Insider, and the financial side with Benzinga; provided long-form content with Supernyx; and advocated for women trying to break into the industry. As a Women in Games Ambassador, she created other forms of content, has created a gaming podcast called Power Level, and streamed a variety of titles on Twitch. Learn more about her here.

Justin Phillips: PCA&D’s Coordinator of Virtual Learning & Artmaking, Phillips’ work explores meanings and nuances that are embedded in his formalist mixed media works where he incorporates elements of drawing, painting, and collage. He employs a range of creative methodologies such as chance elements, intuitive mark-making, conjuring rhythms, erasure, as well as personally established rules and systems. You can find his work at justinphillipsart.com/

Matt Roop: Roop is a New York City-based graphic designer currently working with the creative agency &Walsh. See his work at matthewroop.com/.

Lauren Schouten: The Philadelphia-based illustrator and textile designer currently works as a print designer at Anthropologie and previously worked with Piece & Co., Printfresh Studio, and La Colombe Coffee Roasters. See more about her work and experience here.

James Ward: Currently the Senior Animator at Sony Pictures Imageworks, he received his diploma in Advanced Character Animation Studies from Indiana University. Some of his most recent projects include Connected in 2020, Love, Death, and Robots: Lucky 13 in 2019, and Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse in 2018. He was awarded the Sony Imageworks Applause Award in 2013 for his work on Edge of Tomorrow. For more information on his works, visit his IMDB page. 

Douglas Witmer: A Philadelphia -based artist, Witmer is internationally known within the field of reductive geometric abstraction. His work is part of numerous museum, corporate, and private collections internationally, and has been the subject of exhibitions at the Cornell Fine Arts Museum at Rollins College; MoMA PS1, The Curator Gallery, The Painting Center, New York City, and many others. Find his work at douglaswitmer.com/about.

EMPLOYERS

The majority of these participating businesses are seeking people to fill internships, part-time, and/or full-time positions.

Clark Associates: A quickly growing company that services the food industry, Clark Associates has over 4,000 employees and over 3,500 products available for its customers.

Community Action Partnership of Lancaster: CAP is Lancaster County’s largest anti-poverty organization, helping low-income families move toward economic empowerment.

Compass Mark: A science-based addiction prevention agency for Lancaster, Lebanon, and Chester counties, Compass Mark is looking to expand on its visibility in those communities.

Get the Picture Corporation: Based in Pennsylvania since 1987, GTP Corp. focuses on designing and operating state-of-the-art digital photography systems for the theme park, tourist, and retail industries.

Lush Bazaar: A Lancaster-based ethical fashion brand and homegoods brand focused on sustainable fashion and handmade products, Lush Bazaar is a woman-owned and POC business. 

Mural Arts Philadelphia: Mural Arts Philadelphia is the nation’s largest public art program, dedicated to the belief that art ignites change. For over 35 years, Mural Arts has united artists and communities through a collaborative process, rooted in the traditions of mural-making, to create art that transforms public spaces and individual lives.

Mystery Egg Games: An indie video game company working together across the globe, Mystery Egg released its first game through Steam Greenlight and is now working toward its first Kickstarter.

The Photo Review: Publishing since 1976, The Photo Review is the second oldest nonprofit photography publication in the country after Aperture. The Photo Review journal contains exhibition reviews, essays, portfolios, interviews, and book reviews.

Pyrotek FX: Pyrotek Special Effects is a global full-service provider of live special effects including pyrotechnics, flames, lasers, atmospherics, confetti, and water effects. They have extensive experience with close proximity and live entertainment applications of effects with clients including Taylor Swift, Shania Twain, Lady Gaga, Metallica, Slayer, Bruno Mars, Post Malone, and The Killers.

Schell Games: The largest full-service education and entertainment game development company in the United States, Schell Games since 2002 has created interactive experiences on every platform to enrich the lives of players of all ages.

Webstaurantstore: This company carries 300,000-plus unique products including large equipment, countertop appliances, dinnerware, textiles, consumables, and more. Its photography teams create the images for webstuarantstore.com as well as the marketing images for The Restaurant store locations, and it collaborates with its design team and 3D team on larger projects.

Whitethorn Games: A game publisher and studio located in Erie, PA, Whitehorn’s products are available worldwide on all consoles.

Graphic: Zorina Eckman ’21, Graphic Design