Matt T. Simpson

It wasn’t until after my first year of college that I heard about Clemson’s graphic communications program. A few years in and I knew this is where I wanted to be. My first internship was at a small local print shop call Screen My Tee. I primarily worked in design and images alterations but I also spent get quite a bit of time on various print equipment. Though Screen My Tee was a fairly small company I grew a lot from my experience there. I worked very closely with the owner on a day to day basis. This meant not only did I learn how to do my job but I also learned a lot about management entrepreneurship and customer service. I still think of my old boss as a mentor and a close friend.

Not even a full year later I began my second internship with Rooted Brands. At first glance they seemed like a similarly sized business as my old employer and Screen My Tee, however, when it comes to marketing companies especially those with an emphasis in online marketing looks can be very deceiving. They were in charge of a variety of companies marketing. It ranged from small local businesses to national chains all the way to international companies from the other side of the planet. This allowed me to experience a plethora of different situations, from meeting face to face with owners of billion dollar businesses, to handling social media for 30 locations of a single company, to researching internet and media culture across the world. Since completing my degree I have found steady work as a freelance designer and social media coordinator, and most recently working as a contract production artist for Tyson Foods.

On a personal level I am a self-motivated and outgoing person who loves working with people of all backgrounds and learning through experience. A few summers ago I moved back to my home state of Colorado where I worked as a white water raft guide and camped in the wilderness for a little under four months. I was involved in many student clubs at Clemson university. Among those i was the founder of the Clemson Smash Gaming Club, which is a student organizations that hosted video game tournaments and cultivated a friendly yet competitive scene throughout the Southeast. What started as a group of my close friends turned into an organization with over a hundred members that hosted some of the largest e-sports tournaments in the south east and competed on a national level.