My name is Scott Burnham. I am an experienced Art, Creative and Marketing Director located in Detroit, MI with skills in all areas of Graphic Design, Photography and Digital Media fields, as well as in marketing and advertising. Throughout my years of experience, I have had many opportunities to create and develop a wide variety of visually appealing art pieces. My work has helped dozens of companies market their identities and campaigns not only in their community but also on a national level and the World Wide Web.
After graduation from high school in 2000, my talents led me to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. While there on an internship I had earned, I studied animation as an Imagineer. After completion of the program and returning to Michigan, I went on to get my Associate Degree in Graphics Design (Media and Communication Arts). Shortly thereafter I acquired a co-op position at a well-known Flexible Spending Accounts Firm (FSA) in Troy, MI as a key designer; the position soon became a full time job. While in this position, I took a venture at an entrepreneurial path and launched a graphic design company. After six short months of success, I started a web design company and merged the two together. One of my biggest clients still today, I-fusion Technologies, had multiple other businesses that allowed me to network and reach out to others.
While successfully operating my own business and continuing to work a full time job, I had every intention to go back to college to continue my education and the search for a position that would further challenge my abilities. In 2004 I was introduced to the Art Director at Rock Financial and was hired in as a project coordinator for the newly opening Troy branch location, thus delaying my academic studies. Rock Financial, a Quicken Loans company, was the fastest growing company in the Detroit area and quickly became Michigan's Largest Mortgage Company. Within six months, I had been promoted to Senior Designer and my career began. Three short months later, David Hall, Senior Vice President and Spokesman for Rock, promoted me yet again, this time to Art Director. At only 22 years old, I was the youngest person in the company to hold a director's position. The next four years were some of the best times in my life. In August of 2005, I married my high school love Jennifer Roberts and we welcomed our son Jacob into the world April 2007. I was growing my portfolio and taking huge steps towards my next endeavors. With the hardships of the economic times, Rock Financial closed their doors in spring of 2008. I was among a few that were chosen to stay and continue to work for Quicken Loans, however several months later more cuts were necessary. I continued to freelance and get energized for what was yet to come.
As a skilled professional, this field fuels my life. Inquiring to learn more and gain knowledge in areas I hadn't mastered yet, I chose a path back to college in September 2008 to study at the International Academy of Design and Technology (IADT). While attending IADT, I secured a full time position as the lead designer for a new and upcoming product in the retail market called WellnessMats. My wife and I also announced the birth of our beautiful baby girl, Victoria. Eager to change the company’s direction and take it to new levels, in a few months time, I had built an entirely new brand identity and business plan, complete with e-commerce web presence that successfully launched in November of 2009. Today, WellnessMats is the leader in the anti-fatigue mat category and can be found in over 900 high-end retailers across the US and Canada, including Williams-Sonoma, CHEFS Catalog, Frontgate, Macy’s and Sur La Table just to name a few. Since the launch of WellnessMats and successfully building the marketing strategy, the company has seen profits that were unthought-of and is continuing to grow on an international level.
I am extremely proud of my accomplishments thus far while adding a Bachelor in Digital Media to my portfolio. I am unsure as to where my talents may lead me in the future, but as I’ve enter into my thirties, I can only hope that the next 10 years of my life are as challenging and rewarding as the last 10 years has been.
If you’re in search for a creative someone, I am always willing to advance as a professional in seeking a position where I can continue to demonstrate my leadership abilities, while contributing my developed graphics, marketing and technical skills…my name is Scott Burnham and I eat, sleep and breathe the creative world.
