Adam Smith

Personal Pronouns

He / Him

Describe what you do for work and how your experience with it has been.

I have been a Creative Technology Director in some form for the past several years. I currently work for The Mill as Director of Experience Technology. While I do try to stay 'hands-on' where I can, much of my day is managing the team and the technology practice across the business. This includes reviewing briefs we get from all of our global offices, making sure our artists are properly assigned to cover all our projects, presenting capabilities to prospective clients.

Creative Technology as a practice has been fairly volatile post-COVID in terms of where client dollars are being spent. However, with the convergence of tools between the Tech Industry and the VFX industry, specifically Unreal Engine, there are endless new opportunities for creating interactive experiences with the fidelity and polish of world-class film productions.

How did you get your job?

Curated Luck. A recruiter from The Mill's parent company, Technicolor, found me on LinkedIn. From there, it was a relatively simple interview process, and I had the job. Over the years, I have tried to keep my digital presence up to date, which has resulted in jobs finding me more often than I've needed to apply for them.

How long ago did you graduate from MCAD?

10+ years

What inspires you/your work?

Most of my work is responding to a specific client brief, but at The Mill, we are often given only a seed of a concept, or a question of "is this even possible?" I'm inspired by frequently working on the leading edge of what's ever been done, and solving impossible briefs for our clients.

How do you network yourself and your art?

I try to maintain an up to date portfolio website (currently being redesigned) and I make sure my LinkedIn profile is up to date. Beyond that, I try to catch up with industry friends as I'm able to, as well as sharing new work as it's released.

What was your experience living in the Twin Cities? Any hidden treasures?

At the time I started at MCAD, Minneapolis was a great place to go to college and start my career. I'm from Waukesha, WI, just outside of Milwaukee, so while I wasn't from a small town, Minneapolis at that time was just a bit more cosmopolitan and certainly a better city for getting into a creative career. Over time, though, the city's size and attitudes can be very limiting, but no place is perfect for everyone. I've lived in New York City since 2017, and thus far, it's been a perfect fit.

Why did you choose the bachelor of science program?

I had initially gotten accepted to MCAD for Photography and even got a small portfolio scholarship. However, the summer before I came up to start my first year (2000), I saw an amazing feature in HOW magazine on the Visualization program. I loved how the curriculum was geared for both the craft side as well as the business side. Out of the blue, I got a phone call from Lester Shen, who was the dean of the program at the time. He encouraged me to switch over to their program. The rest is history.

Favorite project you worked on for a client?

I've been lucky enough to work on several great clients over my 20-year career, but this past year, I played a central role in a TV special for Michelob ULTRA and Williams F1 called Lap of Legends that we created with FCB New York.

Our brief was simple: Develop an experience that allows a rookie F1 driver, Logan Sargeant, to virtually race past Williams F1 legends, in his real car, on a real track. The final deliverable was a one-hour TV special that aired on AMC and BBC America.

Early on, my role was to help pitch our approach to the agency as part of long and complicated sales process. Once we won the job, my role immediately transitioned to leading the development of the augmented reality helmet system that Logan would wear to see the virtual racers around him. I also played an integral role in shaping the narrative around the tech for the film, and I even got to be featured talent in the film itself.

Briefly describe at least one of your internships.

My internship at Carmichael Lynch was the springboard to pretty much everything I have accomplished so far. Back in 2004, Minneapolis had a great ad agency scene, and it was a time when agencies still had web development teams in-house. It was a high-pressure environment with a lot of positive reinforcement that provided the perfect starting point to build a career on.

In my time there I got to work on digital campaigns for Porsche, Harley-Davidson, Northwest Airlines (RIP) and others. Within 3 years there I had been able to work my way up to the role of Technical Lead.

Did MCAD prepare you for life after graduation? In what way?

MCAD absolutely prepared me for life after graduation. MCAD is a very high-pressure environment that really forces you to understand how you need to manage your time, your health, and how you handle stress. In terms of curriculum, the Visualization program gave me great practice in working on cross-functional teams while working with real-world clients.

What is your biggest takeaway from the program?

My biggest takeaway from the program was the soft skills that I have been able to apply to every job I've ever had. The network I was able to build from the program and the classes I took was also a huge asset.