On my first day as a User Experience Apprentice at the Nerdery, a tech company in Minnesota, I learned what was expected of me my first week on the job as a new “Nerd”: create and shoot a Meet the Newb video. Enter Mike Ross. Creative director and producer of what became hallmarks of Nerdery culture: Shout Outs (creative ways to recognise the efforts of a team or teammate) and Meet the Newbs (new employee introduction video). In the first week of my career as a user experience designer, along with my fellow newbs, I wrote and performed an original rap. For an entire afternoon, we filmed our video introduction to the Nerdery. It was the strangest, best first week at any job I’ve had — although thankfully it was the beginning and end of my career as a rap artist. The Nerdery wouldn’t be what it is today without Mike.

Get a peek into the most unique company culture I’ve had the chance to work in over my design career, and meet the man who pours his heart and soul into creating it.

In this episode you’ll learn —

how Mike showcases personality through his photos
how he continues to inspire in uninspiring times
the benefits of having a growth mindset
his perspective on the in betweens of 2020 as a black man living in Minneapolis

Check out Meet the Newbs

Le Newb (my personal fav)

The UX Apprentices (my own Nerdery debut)

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ABOUT MIKE
Mike Ross is an award-winning photographer and filmmaker with a professional career spanning 12 years. He celebrated 10 years as the Nerdery’s Video Producer in 2020. Mike is the winner of the 2016 Brand Film Festival Gold Award for Top Row.

CONNECT WITH MIKE
Website
Instagram - Mike Ross Visuals and Instagram - Mike Ross Photo
LinkedIn

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