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MEET THE ENTREPRENEURIAL EXCHANGE PANELISTS
Oriana Anholt—Interactive Designer
(BFA Industrial Design 1997) Oriana is Co-founder of mediumbold, a Boston-based design studio specializing in creating immersive,
internet-based solutions that engage consumers while responding to real business needs. The company concentrates primarily on extending client brands
to the Web, as well as across multiple channels of communication with identity and print solutions. The "medium" in mediumbold, Oriana strives to bring order
and a healthy dose of reality to the sometimes chaotic interactive design process. Before founding mediumbold, Oriana was the Director of Information
Architecture at Razorfish, Boston and the Senior Design Planner at internet strategy and design firm TSDesign. She has led design and design analysis projects
for clients such as PUMA, 3M, BankBoston, Estée Lauder, Chanel, Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, and Compaq.
www.mediumbold.com
Caroline Ballou—Jewelry Designer
(MFA Jewelry 1986) After studying painting and printmaking at Middlebury College and RISD, Caroline Ballou returned to RISD to study jewelry and Metalsmithing
where she earned an MFA. Caroline took easily to jewelry as a third dimension to her art; her family has been one of Rhode Island's most important manufacturers
of fine jewelry for five generations. After graduating, Caroline began working in her own studio to produce limited edition pieces, hosting private shows and
exhibiting in art galleries. Currently she directs the Design Department at B.A. Ballou and creates her own line of contemporary jewelry. She works in 18k
and sterling and uses a variety of unusual stones and textures to create a sophisticated collection of rings, earrings, necklaces and bracelets.
www.ballou.com/welcjprd.htm
Michael Brandt—Interactive Designer
(BFA Graphic Design 1997) Michael is Co-founder of mediumbold, a Boston-based design studio specializing in creating immersive,
internet-based solutions that engage consumers while responding to real business needs. The company concentrates primarily on extending client brands
to the Web, as well as across multiple channels of communication with identity and print solutions. One of those rare people who understand both the big
picture and the details, Michael ensures that everything we do at mediumbold is held to the highest standards. Having spent many years as a print
designer before transitioning to interactive design in 1995, he knows that traditional design considerations are just as relevant online as they are in print.
Conversely, he understands that designing for interactive media requires a new way of presenting information and a different set of tools. In
his 15+ years in the design industry, Michael has led design teams in the completion of projects for clients as diverse as PUMA, Clinique, Chanel, Dupont,
3M, and Fidelity Investments. Prior to founding mediumbold, Michael was Design Director for Razorfish, Boston and TSDesign. Michael began his design
career at Jack Lenor Larsen, a textile company in New York City.
www.mediumbold.com
Drew Katz—Gallery Owner
(Industrial Design 2001) One year after graduating from RISD's Industrial Design department, Andrew Katz opened Gallery Katz in Boston's South End. His goal was to
create and run his own business, remain connected with the art and design community, and help young artists and designers launch into the
challenging and often times intimidating fine art field.
Within his first year as a gallery owner, Katz, now 24 years old, has established himself as a serious Boston dealer, exhibiting works that
include paintings, photography, sculpture and furniture. Since its creation in May 2002, Gallery Katz has helped jump-start the careers of
many other RISD alumni. Collectors, dealers and other gallery visitors have viewed the work of over 20 RISD graduates and faculty. Although it
was not his intention to represent such a large number of RISD artists, he admits that some of the strongest artists that submit work to the
gallery happen to have Rhode Island School of Design somewhere in their resume.
www.gallerykatz.com
Peter Lawrence—Architect
(Architecture 1974) Peter Lawrence is chairman and founder of Corporate Design Foundation and a management consultant. He has taught about design at Babson,
London Business School, and Boston University School of Management. For eight years, he developed and was director of the Design Management Institute (DMI).
In 1985, he established Corporate Design Foundation whose mission is to improve the quality of life and effectiveness of organizations through design. The
Foundation achieves this by conducting research, developing teaching material and working with business school faculty to introduce design into the business
school curriculum. The Foundation publishes @issue: The Journal of Business and Design with sponsorship from Sappi. He received a degree in economics from
Lafayette College and a degree in architecture from the Rhode Island School of Design.
www.cdf.org
Michael McPherson—Graphic Designer
(MFA Graphic Design 1979) Michael McPherson is a partner and creative director at Corey McPherson Nash, a creative services studio in Watertown, Massachusetts,
that specializes in brand identity, print design, and interactive design for emerging businesses and clients in professional services, education, health science
and entertainment. Michael's work has received numerous national and international design awards from periodicals and professional organizations. He is a contributor
to design and marketing periodicals, including Design Management Journal, ID, and Fine Print, and he has served as a juror for a number of design competitions. He
has been a featured presenter at numerous professional organizations and he serves on the Council of Advisors for the Design Management Institute and the Board of
Advisors for AIGA Boston. Michael has taught at RISD, Massachusetts College of Art, Art Institute of Boston, and Northeastern University. In 2001 he was the
recipient of the prestigious Fellows Award from AIGA Boston for his outstanding contribution to the Boston design community. Michael has an MFA in graphic design
from Rhode Island School of Design and a BA in philosophy from Reed College.
www.cmndesign.com
Kelly Murphy—Illustrator
(Illustration 1999) Kelly Murphy was born and raised in Massachusetts and graduated in 1999 from the Rhode Island School of Design. Since graduation she has
worked a multitude of different jobs, but freelancing suited her best. Kelly developed a mixed media style where color, light, and atmosphere propel her creative
thinking. With a portfolio mainly geared for the children's market, she has worked for such clients as Candlewick Press, Henry Holt, and Co., Houghton Mifflin
and Co., Farrar Straus and Giroux, and Simon and Schuster. By the end of November 2003, she will have three books published, and two more on the way. If you
would to see more of her work, please visit www.kelmurphy.com
Stuart Murphy—Illustrator
Stuart J. Murphy majored in illustration and graduated in 1964. He has long been active in alumni activities and is a member of RISD's Board of Trustees.
Stuart has spent most of his career working in the field of Visual Learning—how children gain information from diagrams, charts, graphs, pictures, and
other visual stimuli. He has served as Art Director of Ginn and Company, a Boston-based publisher, and was cofounder of Ligature, Inc., a design and editorial
firm dedicated to developing high quality educational materials. For the past twelve years he has been writing children's books. He is the author of the
MathStart series, which is published by HarperCollins and includes a total of 48 books, each of which teaches a math concept in the context of a story with
lots of visual support. His contract was recently increased to 63 books and he is also currently working on a number of related projects.
www.stuartjmurphy.com
Bruce Rogovin—Photographer
(Graphic Design 1982) Bruce Rogovin holds a BFA from Rhode Island School of Design. He has been in numerous one person and group exhibitions in and around
the Boston area including the Fuller Art Museum, Rose Art Museum, and Broomfield Gallery. He has been a commercial photographer in Boston for 15 years,
and specializes in conceptual illustration for many companies including IBM, Fidelity, State Street, Dean Witter, etc.
www.rogovin.com
Phil Seibert—Interior Architect
(Interior Architecture 1967) The Stubbins Associates, Cambridge, MA
www.tsa-arch.com
Zack Stratis—Filmaker
(Film 1987) Zack Stratis is an award-winning filmmaker based in Los Angeles, California and Cambridge, Massachusetts. He has worked in film since 1987 in Los Angeles,
Boston, New York, and abroad, for both major studio motion pictures and smaller personal artistic projects.
Zack's first feature film, Could Be Worse!, described as a "zackumentary musical," premiered to critical acclaim at the Sundance Film Festival in 2000. After
a successful year of exhibiting at national and international film festivals, Could Be Worse! had a 10-week run at the Stuart Street Playhouse in Boston, MA.
Could Be Worse! is a heart-felt portrait of the Stratis family that actually stars Zack's real parents and siblings in a unique mix of documentary, narrative, and musical
genres that are a testament to his pioneering and creative spirit. Emanual Levy of Variety writes: "[Could Be Worse! is] a breath of fresh air amid the glut of
cinematic portraits of dysfunctional families." While accompanying the movie, Zack has shown a talent for interviews, panel discussions and audience question and answer
sessions. The latter often turn into group therapy sessions about family and are warmly moderated by Zack's humor and sincerity. In 1997, Zack was chosen for
representation by the non-profit organization, The Center for Independent Documentary. Additional support for his career has been expressed with grants for
Could Be Worse! from the LEF Foundation in 1997, 1998, and 1999; the Puffin Foundation in 1998; the Boston Foundation in 1997; and major donations from
FlightTime.com in 1998 and 1999. Zack's previous documentary film completed in 1993, Midburb, an offbeat slice of hometown Americana, has been recognized with
numerous awards, including a CINE Eagle Award, Best Documentary at the Humboldt International Film Festival, and the New England Film and Video Festival's Judges' Special
Distinction. Zack's first short film, his senior degree project at the Rhode Island School of Design, ...and a song and dance, is the prototype for Could Be Worse!,
and won First Prize at the Festival De Belfort, France, Second Prize at the Marin County Film Festival, and Special Jury awards at the Humboldt and Ann Arbor Film
Festivals.
In addition to his personal work, Zack's other film experience includes positions as second assistant director on the feature film Time to Kill (shot in Spain,
Kenya and Zimbabwe), production assistant on the feature films The Firm (Paramount Pictures) and Glory (Tri-Star Productions), production assistant for
Outlaw Productions in Los Angeles, and office manager for the American Society of Cinematographers in Los Angeles.
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