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MEET ART DIRECTOR

Nick Velardi

I’m a cartoon drawing, tall tale weaving, Muppet aficionado, goth punk weirdo from Philly masquerading as a stable and professional adult. Please don’t tell my bosses.

PATH TO SPITBALL

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    CAMP COUNSELOR

    One of my first jobs; I was a high school freshman inexplicably given responsibility for kids just a few years younger than me. I got to teach arts and crafts, on a clear trajectory to a distinguished design career, and choreograph an end of summer dance routine, on a clear trajectory to being a shameless ham.

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    JANITOR

    I spent my 17th and 18th summers buffing floors and cleaning classrooms in my high school with three of my best friends. We proudly got our work done in the first hour of every day, and spent the majority of our time searching for ghosts in the boarded up school bell tower and swinging from the auditorium ceiling.

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    GRAVE DIGGER

    I worked my way through college digging 6 to 10 foot holes and... filling 'em. This was the second best job I've ever had (after Spitball of course). Plowing with an ATV in the Winter, planting flowers in the Spring, beautiful scenery in the Summer and Fall, and very quiet clients.

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    EDUCATION

    TEMPLE UNIVERSITY & THE PENNSYLVANIA COLLEGE OF ART & DESIGN

    I graduated a Super Super SUPER Senior after exploring English, Graphic Design, and finally Illustration majors, receiving my BFA in 2013 from PCA&D. My Van Wilder journey through 2 schools paid off big though, as I now make a living writing, designing, and drawing every day.

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    CREATIVE SOLUTIONS DESIGNER

    I led the North American creative arm of the Accelerated Solutions Environment (ASE) at Capgemini. My job was to inject creativity into our collaborative and custom-built Design Sessions and workshops. The ASE is where I learned how to live-scribe, a visual collaboration tool we use here at Spitball.

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    SPITBALL

    ART DIRECTOR

    I started at Spitball in 2016 as a Designer, but since then have had the opportunity to stretch my creative muscles far beyond the title: branding companies, designing websites, writing commercials, animating, painting, voice acting, and eventually leading our incomparable creative team.

BETCHYA DIDN'T KNOW NICK...

WROTE AND ILLUSTRATED A CHILDREN'S BOOK CALLED "THERE IS NO MONSTER IN YOUR ROOM"

Spoiler alert: There absolutely is!

BETCHYA DIDN'T KNOW NICK...

CAN POP A MEAN WHEELIE IN A BACKHOE

Bring me a backhoe and I'll prove it.

BETCHYA DIDN'T KNOW NICK...

SPENT MY SALAD DAYS PLAYING IN BANDS FROM CHURCH BASEMENTS TO THE WARPED TOUR

Ask me about my stage diving.

RAPID FIRE SPITBALLS

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    Gonzo the Great

    My role model

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    Profiles in Eccentricity

    The podcast that's always on

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    Signs

    This movie still scares the hell out of me

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    Harley Quinn the tarantula

    The most unique pet I’ve ever had