Our Roots
Sprout Creatives was germinated by graphic and website designer Paul Starkey in February 2007. The name Sprout came from the nickname my step-father, Jack King, called me when I was a little kid. Jack is also the person responsible for introducing me to the world of Apple Computers. I remember that glorious day when he brought his Apple IIe to our house. I became an Apple geek ever since the first keystroke. This was back before the mouse was invented and you were faced with a small green screen with a blinking DOS cursor. It's incredible to see how far the computers and the graphic design industry have come.
The development of my design skills parallels the advancements of the graphic design in the digital age. One of my college graphic design professors would always try to get us to practice old methods of producing designs by hand, so to speak. I always thought to myself, why? With the knowledge that using the computer as a graphic design tool was going to be the way of the future, I kept developing my computer design skills as the design applications continued to progress.
Upon graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Graphic Design from Salisbury University in Salisbury, Maryland, I landed a job as entry level graphic designer for The Maryland Coastal Dispatch in Berlin, Maryland. After two years, I took a position with the Ocean City Today newspaper and eventually became Art Director of the newspaper for the next four years. Next, I was provided with the opportunity to become the Creative Director for a start-up hotel marketing and management company. Innteractive Hospitality was looking to publish a full-color glossy magazine to be placed in hotel rooms throughout the country. In addition to the exciting magazine experience, I was given the opportunity to work with website design and internet marketing, including pay-per-click and email marketing. I left Innteractive Hospitality to pursue more challenging opportunities with the Carl M. Freeman Companies as the real estate divisions Graphic Design & Marketing Specialist. Sadly due to the slumping real estate market and corporate cutbacks, I was laid off after 8 months of work.
So Sprout Creatives was germinated in February 2007. People always say, "Things happen for a reason." So, what is Sprout Creatives. For me Sprout symbolizes youth, being fresh, and growth.
Top photo: That's me pictured with my step-father Jack in 1984, on the back steps of our new home,the day we moved to Ocean City.
Second photo: That's me hugging my mom on the night of my graduation from Salisbury University in 1992.
