{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Cheers & Tiers: Design Leadership Tales Retold","title":"030: Terry Marks & Brien Thompson of AIGA Seattle","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":3521,"description":"Terry Marks and Brien Thompson have been fixtures in Seattle’s design community for decades, though they’ve never served on the AIGA board at the same time. They take turns. Terry got pulled in by Jesse Doquillo despite not even being a member yet, and Brien accidentally launched his recruiting career at a Vegas conference after Terry forged him a badge to get into the parties.This is a conversation about how relationships trump resumes, why Terry’s face ended up on the AOL homepage for impotence when he was 30, and what it means to build community when applying to 14 jobs gets you exactly one response. Also: how Brien built an entire staffing firm (Haystack Creative) on AIGA connections, and why the answer to “are you busy?” is always the wrong question.Key TakeawaysRelationships are the lingua franca of everything: Jobs, clients, careers—all of it comes down to who knows you and how much they care.AIGA was the only channel before online: National conferences and leadership retreats were how you met people and built your network across the country.Forge ahead (literally): Sometimes getting someone into the parties requires a trip to Kinko’s and some creative Photoshop work.Imposter syndrome is universal: Even self-taught designers who end up speaking across the country started out thinking they didn't belong.Volunteering is networking: If you’re looking for work, volunteer at events—you'll meet people and get in free.The job market is brutal, but it’s not you: Applying to hundreds of jobs with no response isn’t about your portfolio, it’s about the market.Key Moments in This Episode06:00 – The forged badge story: How Terry got Brien into Vegas AIGA parties via Kinko’s and Photoshop10:00 – Meeting Michael Bierut with laryngitis: When Terry couldn’t talk and didn’t recognize one of the Michaels14:00 – Taking turns on the board: How Terry and Brien have never served at the same time, and why that might have saved Terry’s marriage22:00 – Erik and Brien’s origin...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/fRTE46TBHbhBelcFPNhk4XdGpc9OMvYRuOAUT6lBkhM/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS8xZTdk/YjAzMjhmMTE2ZTc1/YTU4N2RjMTQ3ZTY4/ZDM1NS5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}