AS WE CREATE – Details, episodes & analysis

While perusing his next adventure after high school, Richard Sachs traveled abroad to work for Witcomb Cycles in London. Having earned the trust of the companies family, he helped bring the brand to America. As bicycle racing became more popular here in the states, Richard went out on his own and he shares the mindset behind Richard Sachs Cycles and the unique value of a craftsman.

Emily Russo's creative path began after taking one look at a commercial design portfolio in high school. After she finished art school, Emily shares what she learned working at a small boutique agency and how that influenced her own design studio. We also talk about her time at the US Tennis Association and her current role at Blue Buffalo.

Michael Fielder enlisted in the Navy after high school and that lead to a camera being put into his hands for the first time. We talk about the early days of his career working at the Magnum offices and various newspapers, as well as his ongoing personal project, Working Journal.

Suzanne McKenzie is an entrepreneur, strategist, and designer. A brand has the ability to have social impact and Suzanne shares how her understanding of this came to be. We talk about her time in advertising at Arnold, starting a foundation in memory of a loved one, and how Able Made is creating things responsibly while supporting city-youth empowerment and health education. 

Andrei Kallaur is a designer and creative director.  The design of train cars developed a fascination with typography and color that Andrei has to this day. We talk about his early influences of skateboarding and graffiti culture as well as his career which has included roles at  New York Magazine, The New York Times, and Google.

Michael Ashtrachan is an illustrator, animator and founder of XVIVO. Ever since he could hold a pencil, Michael has been drawing and sketching. His commercial career started with illustration, though once the tools for animation became accessible, it became his primary focus. We talk about how he got into medical animation and the influence art and creativity has in science.

Jillian Cusano and Rosanna Karabetsos are professional dancers and core members of the Dance Collective. For centuries, dance has been an art form often reserved for the elite, whether in the audience or performing. We talk about the evolutions of their careers and their intentions beyond the stage to make dance more inclusive and accessible for all.

In the golden age of rock and roll, Gerard Huerta's career started at CBS records creating artwork and logos for bands such as AC/DC, Willie Nelson, Blue Oyster Cult, and many more. After leaving CBS to start his own studio, his work expanded to create logos for many iconic brands such as Nabisco, Swiss Army, and Pepsi. We also talk about some recent personal work, which was inspired by his love of guitars.

Art was present in Amy Gorreck's life from an early age, but it wasn't until she attended Portfolio Center that she was able to fully understand the world of graphic design. Amy talks about working for Martha Stewart, starting her own design studio, and her recent love of collage.

Karl Maruyama is a designer who's love of drawing was inspired by underground comics and auto culture. After deciding to purse a path in graphic design, Karl moved to the east coast and had an amazing career. We also talk about his current role as creative director for the Piston Foundation.