Digital Media

Ryan Uy - Graduate
FIDM Digital Media Program
Digital Media Editor, FIDM Productions

"What I wanted was to have a career doing something I really like, and I enjoyed being in an artistic environment, creating," says Ryan Uy, full-time Digital Media Editor at FIDM Productions and a FIDM Digital Media Grad. Ryan studied both Fashion Design and Graphic Design at FIDM before getting his Digital Media degree. "I remained studying at FIDM for those four years because I realized that at FIDM you can learn what you want/need to learn in the most efficient manner possible. You get right down to it, hands-on and everything. Every class that you take directly relates to your end goal, so there aren't really any frivolous courses you have to go through."

Ryan also appreciated FIDM's well-equipped campus. "With the Digital Media Program, the technology available to students in the classrooms is always top-of-the-line and up-to-date with what's being used in the industry," he says. "You're working on the most current computer hardware and software that the professionals use." He says of his instructors that "they not only taught me the important tools and skills I needed to be well-versed in the industry, but they also shared their experiences and brought insights as to how it really is out there in the business world."

What do you enjoy most about your work?
"The best thing about my work is that it's so multi-faceted that I can be as creative as I want doing many different things. Putting video together, I get to be a storyteller. Mixing music and sound, I get to be a musician. Creating graphics, I get to be an artist. On top of that I get to design the look and navigation when authoring DVDs. I'm doing all that, and more. Everything I do today working for FIDM is essentially what I learned going through the Digital Media Program."

How do you think your FIDM degree will help you in your career?
"With the needs of the industry gearing toward people who are more well-versed in all parts of post-production rather than specializing in just one aspect of it, that makes me - as well as any other graduate of FIDM's Digital Media program - that much more in demand."

Please Note: The information contained herein was confirmed at the time of original publication.

Jonathan Gitlin - Graduate
FIDM Digital Media Program

Just a few years ago, FIDM Graduate and L.A. native Jonathan Gitlin was contemplating going to law school to become a lawyer. "I was working for a market research firm after college and randomly did a flyer for some wine we were promoting," explains Jonathan. "I soon realized that I loved design, but I never thought it would lead to a career in Visual Effects and 3-D Design. I had always thought it was outside my reach."

After graduating from Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, California, he obtained a BA from UC Santa Barbara. Jonathan did his research and chose to attend FIDM to pursue a Professional Designation Degree in Digital Media. In this program, students take classes such as Digital Composition, Editing, 3-D Modeling & Animation, and CD/DVD Authoring. Jonathan was the 2005 FIDM Designer of Tomorrow Scholarship winner, and received the Outstanding Digital Media Student award at his 2006 graduation.

Prior to graduating, Jonathan started an internship with Create Advertising, a Los Angeles-based company that specializes in movie trailers and television spots. He was thrilled when his internship turned into a job offer by Create Advertising. "The best part of my job is that it doesn't really feel like a job," he says. Jonathan's first large project was creating motion graphics for the film Zoom, starring Tim Allen and Courtney Cox Arquette. "It hasn't really hit me that so many people will see my graphics," he says prior to the film's release. "There will be no greater feeling when I see them on the silver screen and cheer at the top of my lungs."

Even though Jonathan is now creating motion graphics for big studio films, he attends events like Career Connections at FIDM, to give current students advice and pass on the lessons he has learned already. "The head of the Digital Media department, Gene Le Brock, told me I would learn more than I ever could imagine in my first year out of school," Jonathan adds. "He could not have been more right. You are bombarded with so many projects that it quickly becomes a sink or swim situation." Luckily, Jonathan was not only prepared for this exciting career, but he is swimming to success!

Please visit www.jonathangitlin.com to see more samples of Jonathan's work!

Please Note: The information contained herein was confirmed at the time of original publication.