Aaron Alden

Experience

• 

  Self-Employed

  Jan 1984 - Jan 1984

  Bait Salesman

  Dug up earthworms & caught crayfish at the local lake and stored them in my toybox. Advertised my services to local fisherman with a sign in the front yard "Crawdads, Worms $1.50." Ceased operations soon after the toybox got so stinky it had to be destroyed.

• 

  Rocky Mountain News

  Jan 1985 - Jan 1987

  Paperboy

  "I want my two dollllaaaaaaars!"

• 

  Golden Dragon

  Mar 1987 - Mar 1987

  Busboy

  They fired me after 3 days. I was not meant to bus dishes. Also, I was 12.

• 

  Time Magazine

  Jan 1989 - Jan 1990

  Telemarketer

  Specialties included: calling right as you started dinner, accidentally addressing grown men as "ma'am", asking to speak with the family member who passed away last week.

• 

  Sticks & Stones Fanzine

  Jan 1990 - Jan 1991

  Editor In Chief

  Editor of a straight-edge punk fanzine. Photocopied and sold / stolen in local skate shops. Editorial highlight: an interview with ALL (formerly Descendants). I also made concert flyers and cassette tape covers for bands around this time. I didn't realize design was a career yet, I just thought it was fun to cut and paste photos and type (literally with scissors & glue).

• 

  Domino's

  Jan 1992 - Jan 1992

  Delivery Driver

  I left high school after my Junior year to start college early. I needed work. I was playing in a goth band and smoke machines aren't cheap!

• 

  Thomas & Perkins Advertising

  Jan 1993 - Jan 1994

  Graphic Designer

  My first ad agency. The foot in the door that changed everything. I was hired because I was one of a small number of people who knew how to use a magical new tool called Adobe Photoshop, which had just begun to be used in professional studios.

• 

  Swoon Design Studio

  Jan 1994 - Jan 1996

  Founder / Designer Director

  My first company, started at age 20. Entrepreneurial hustle at its finest. Worked on various design projects for early tech, fashion, and outdoor companies. This was the dawning of the Macromedia days. My business card was a floppy disk with an interactive presentation (We're talking 3, maybe 4 jpegs with smooth fades, groundbreaking stuff for the time). This lead to several "Interactive CD-ROM projects" for clients such as Donald Trump (back when he was only a sleazy real-estate guy), the infrastructure dept for the State of Qatar, and The Telluride Bluegrass Festival. What a mix! Things were going great until I got involved with a group of dot-com millionaires who literally called themselves "The Bro Network." They assured me, "The Bro Network takes care of it's bros." But they did not pay their printing bills and that put me out of business. Important entrepreneurial lessons were learned. Show less

• 

  Barnhart CMI

  Jan 1996 - Jan 2000

  Art Director

  Worked on ad campaigns for numerous "internet boom" startups, retail, fashion, and outdoor brands. Proud to have served as Captain of the Barnhart Yacht Club. Awards / Press: The One Club, Denver Ad Federation (Best in Show), Lürzer's Archive, Print Magazine.

• 

  KBS (kirshenbaum bond senecal + partners)

  Jan 2000 - Jan 2005

  Art Director

  Creative concept development of award-winning national broadcast TV and print campaigns, developed some of the first (ever!) experience design / brand activation campaigns for Target, Liberty Mutual, JetBlue, Revlon, John Frieda. Awards:Art Directors ClubMinneapolis Ad Fed (Best in Show)

• 

  Robot Repair

  Sept 2004 - Jan 2022

  Co-Founder / Creative Director

  Co-founded an industry-leading creative company specializing in original music, sound design, and interactive / experiential media. Partnered with the world’s largest brands, ad agencies, & entertainment companies to work on global brand building campaigns, award-winning commercials, films, immersive XR, activations, media art projects, video games, podcasts, and social media. Developed innovative creative strategies, tech solutions, and effective competitive workflows. Lead multiple teams and bi-coastal offices (with nearly zero turnover) built a global network of freelance artists, and maintained decades-long client relationships, with constant commitment to create hyper-modern work. Select Client List: A24, Acura, Adidas, Amazon, Amex, Apple, AT&T, Audi, Best Buy, Blackberry, BMW, Bank of America, British Airways, Buick, Cadillac, Carvana, Chase, Chipotle, Chrysler, CitiBank, Comcast, Coke, DirectTV, Disney, Dodge, Dr Pepper, EA Games, Ebay, FX, Gatorade, GMC, Google, GuiNness, HBO, Honda, Hummer, Hyatt, Hyundai, IBM, Ikea, Infiniti, Intel, J Crew, Jaguar, Jeep, JetBlue, John Frieda, Kia,Knoll, Kohler, K-Swiss, Land rover, Lexus, LG, Lincoln, LL Bean, Macys, Malibu, Marriott, MasterCard, Match.com, Mercedes, Microsoft, Motorola, MSN, MTV, Napster, NASCAR, National Geographic, Nationwide, NBC, NFL, NHL, Nike, Nissan, Olay, Old Navy, Panasonic, Pepsi, Playstation, Porsche, Ralph Lauren, Rockport, Smirnoff, Snapple, Sony, Sprint, Staples, Starbucks, Subaru, Sysco, Target, Tencent Games, Time Warner, Toyota, Verizon, VH1, Virgin, VW, Xbox, Zappos Show less

• 

  Freelance

  Jan 2005 - Jan 2010

  Freelance Creative Director

  Creative Direction & Creative Technologist consulting on interactive tech and web3-adjacent strategies

• 

  Self-employed

  Sept 2005 - now

  Media Artist

  Working in generative / interactive digital art and physical installations with experimental tech, light, sound custom software and code. Currently exploring interactive light art and inventing new methods of combining real-world data with generative algorithms to create infinitely evolving works of art.

• 

  ΛΛRTIFΛCT

  Jan 2024 - now

  Creative Director

  Building generative digital & physical installations, exploring experimental interactive tech through AI, photogrammetry, code, TouchDesigner & microprocessors to make meaningful, resonant experiences. Recent focus: complex networked generative light installations, audio-reactive synesthesia, and using real-world data sources to create new genres of interactive art.