|
Show Student Judges  Chris Valdez A creative in the business world and an entrepreneur in the creative world, Chris brings design, marketing, interactive prowess, and big new ways of thinking and collaborating to businesses in Houston. After spending most of the past decade on either the agency front or client-side as open source community programs manager for an international Fortune 500 tech manufacturer, Chris counts among his achievements six ADDYs for his work as a copywriter and art director. Chris oversees strategy and creative at Primer Grey | a marketing design team, and has worked with companies and organizations such as HP & Intel's 24|7 Creative, AIDS Foundation Houston, American Heart Association, Bacardi USA, Dell, Houston Dynamo, Houston Habitat for Humanity, L'Oreal USA, and OPOWER. Chris is a native-Houstonian (though part chilango), and keeps focused and balanced by supporting and collaborating with the community. A dedicated volunteer, Chris has given his time to AIDS Foundation Houston, Houston Cinema Arts Society, Habitat for Humanity, Houston Interactive Marketing Association and Museum of Fine Arts Houston. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Hispanic Family Initiative and is a Harris County court-appointed advocate with Child Advocates, Inc. He’s a fan of dive bars, fine restaurants and developing countries, and when not working can usually be found in any of these places (with his two dogs, when they let him).  Cynthia Stipeche Cynthia is an award-winning design professional with over fifteen years of experience in everything from brand development, immersive retail experiences and all things design. After receiving her Bachelors of Fine Arts from the University of Houston, she entered the field as a print designer and eventually found her way into the world of digital design and technology. As a strong advocate of end-users, Cynthia brings years of experience as an information architect and web usability expert to Six Foot. Her ability to develop comprehensive IA and UX strategies has garnered the attention and engagement from Fortune 500 companies seeking all-around better foundation principles. She is a true believer in the idea that good usability should transcend age, geography and culture. Outside of the office Cynthia enjoys spending her time drawing, painting, sewing, perfecting her “healthy” margarita recipe, and jumping into the nearest available swimming pool.  Jill Hunter Jill Hunter is a commercial and editorial photographer based in Houston, Texas. Her favorite subject is anything travel related, although on a regular day, she can be found photographing fancy jets to tiny homes made out of shipping containers. Her work has appeared in numerous national publications and most recently was featured in KLM's inflight magazine, the Holland Herald.  JoAnn Takasaki Six years after making the jump from Web project management to freelance writer, JoAnn Takasaki is still amazed that she can actually make a living from writing stuff and dispensing sage advice (also known as consulting). Who knew? Her 15 years of hard-won experience in the Web world, working with designers, technologists, and marketers gives her a unique competitive edge amongst writers. JoAnn's Web/marketing clients include Microsoft, Sony, HP, the World Bank. She's also worked with numerous design/interactive studios including Axiom Design Group, Savage Brands, Idea Interactive, Michel Godts eDesign and Spur Interactive. And her editorial client list includes Ink Publishing, AOL's City's Best, Travel Post Monthly. Editorial work that she does for WCities.com is syndicated to travel, hotel, and airline sites such as Yahoo! Travel, Orbitz, American Airlines. At one time, JoAnn was once an ADCH board member and the Editor of Slant magazine.  Wyn Bomar Wyn believes that good design can make the world a better place. She launched her own design firm, Wyn Bomar Design, in 2007. After being pushed into graphic design by her parents, she switched her major 7 times before finally settling on a Liberal Arts degree. Then, she turned right back into the designer she was meant to be. Wyn Bomar cut her design teeth for almost 20 years, first at Miller, Judson and Ford, then at Judson Design. Her work has been honored locally and nationally. Working from her light-filled attic studio, she stumbled into book design. Wyn finds great satisfaction in branding, publication and packaging design and values the client as collaborator. She is married to designer Morgan Bomar of Bomar Design, and together they parent their two teenagers. |
|