John Baum

Throughout my employment history, I have gained an extremely wide range of skills. The common thread is that they each required not only creativity but also an understanding of technically complex tools and techniques. This combination is my greatest strength. That, coupled with a natural curiosity to understand how things work at all levels, allows me to cross department lines and create more unified solutions. This is particularly important as marketing and communications are relying more and more on complex interwoven technologies. I've had experience in nearly all aspects of creative digital content creation. Motion design and animation in After Effects is currently the skill set I use most often, but I'm also well versed in all the accompanying aspects of video postproduction: video editing, color correction, and green-screen matting. Being also a musician, I have a lot more audio editing expertise than is typical. I've recorded and edited hundreds of hours of voice-over sessions. I can edit out distracting background noises, repair badly captured audio, and seamlessly fix stutters. I mix narration, on-screen talent and music so that it all feels integrated and flows smoothly. I can compose and record original music to match a production perfectly. I'm just as comfortable using Photoshop and Illustrator as I am with video tools. I've designed and illustrated logos, brochures, interactive GUIs, booklets, and posters. I've built websites from scratch using the WordPress platform. I take pride in my work and constantly challenge myself to invent solutions above and beyond what's expected. I've learned to appreciate the clients' point of view and can quickly adapt to their shifting needs, while always keeping deadlines and budgets as high priorities. I think one of the reasons I have gravitated to motion design and video is that it encompasses so many different mediums. Animation, design, illustration, photography, songwriting, and audio engineering -- these are all creative skills I have developed and enjoyed.