Alumni

Jonathan Gitlin

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.

Categories:  Digital Media Alumni