Michael Kauffmann is a varied creative with a demonstrated history of visual storytelling. He works at the intersection imagery and narrative and has practiced this discipline through the mediums of film, tv, theater and their advertisements.
Art Director | Lindeman & Associates
New YorkDecember 2021 - present
Art Director designing film and tv advertisements for print. Projects start with concept ideation and progress into building designs from unit, stock, studio and AI generated photography. Designs range from movie posters, billboards, digital and various out of home media buys. Duties also include: typography explorations, copywriting, mood boarding, and designing pitch decks for potential new clients. Clients include Apple TV+, Paramount, Neon, Universal, HBO, Disney, Lionsgate, and NBC.
Art Director | Sid Lee
New YorkMay 2021 - December 2021
Head art director for Social Media Department of Sid Lee. Duties included visual concepting, design, brainstorming and leading a team of creatives on different accounts ranging from entertainment to performance marketing. The department also expanded our services to various online retailers. Clients included Netflix, TikTok, Hanes Brand, Warner Brothers Games, and Ebay among others.
Designer | Sid Lee
Los AngelesJanuary 2019 - May 2021
Hired as the first full-time designer in the new Social Media department of Sid Lee. Duties included designing pitch decks to win new business, pitching to clients, setting visual identity for social campaigns, social brand activations, and creating social content on a day to day basis. Content ranged from static designs to video and motion assets. Clients included Netflix, TikTok, Sony Music, Warner Brothers, and Lionsgate among others.
Freelance Designer | WC+A
Los AngelesNovember 2018 - January 2019
Worked in a freelance capacity on Netflix Product Art. This included building original concepts/builds from unit photography, stock, and original illustrations and artwork.
Junior Art Director | Insync Plus
Los AngelesNovember 2017 - November 2018
Worked with a team of designers in the Digital Department. Specialized in designing on-platform art for Netflix's diverse catalog of entertainment. Duties included design, photoshop builds, title design and presentation design. Also worked to adapt theatrical print builds to digital platforms.
Print Production Intern | Insync Plus
Los AngelesJuly 2017 - November 2017
Worked as an intern in the production office of theatrical key art and home entertainment packaging.
Freelance Designer | Independent
2013 - PresentWorked with various clients to build key imagery to represent their mediums or personal brands. Clients included podcasters, theater directors, musicians, film directors, real estate developers, and visual artists. Work ranged from album art, merchandise design, website branding, animation and video production.
Education
University of
North Carolina
School of the Arts
BFA in Filmmaking
Concentration in Film Directing
2013 - 2017
Skills
Photoshop
Typography
After Effects
Photography
Illustrator
Indesign
Deck Design
Photo Compositing
Photo Retouching
Illustration
Mixed Media
Art Direction
Leadership
Communication
Film Direction
Set Design
Casting
Visual Storytelling
Google Slides
Critcism
Writing