Aaron Washington, an art and design faculty member for TROY Online, has signed with Epic Games as a Brand Designer. Epic Games, a premier interactive entertainment company and 3D engine technology provider, operates the popular online video game and gaming platform, Fortnite.
When Washington was a teenager, he made a list that consisted of the companies he wanted to work for as a professional creative designer. As with many kids, the top of the list consisted of world-renowned brands like Marvel, Epic Games, Disney, DC Comics and Industrial Light & Magic.
“Working in entertainment is a wild ride, especially as a creative designer,” said Washington. “You hope, but never know, where you may work next, especially if you’re a gun for hire and working contract to contract. When I was laid off from my previous full-time role, I went to work for FedEx’s in-house corporate narrative team, making simple branded PowerPoint presentations that weren’t nearly as challenging (or as fun) as designing t-shirts of Earth’s mightiest superheroes. However, you must be grateful for any gig that comes along, and so working there for nearly a year served as a bridge and a great opportunity to keep the bills paid until I was blessed to be contacted directly by Epic. That’s right, they contacted me. The moral of the story is really to never give up on your dreams and continue to hustle and put yourself out there. I was very active on LinkedIn, even with four kids, and that’s where I was approached by Epic. It’s not enough to just make cool stuff; you have to put yourself out there. It’s only after you promote yourself that you can start to see jobs falling into your lap, just like this one did,” Washington added.
When Washington’s previous employer laid him off, he searched for new opportunities and landed at TROY’s online design program, which was recently ranked #1 in the country by Forbes Advisor. Washington has taught many courses, including digital illustration, motion graphics and digital drawing.
“It’s because of our incredible faculty, like Aaron, who are all extremely talented, that makes our online program special,” said online program director Chris Stagl. “When you enroll in the design online program, you are learning from some of the best creatives I’ve had the honor to work with. I could not be prouder of Aaron, and all that he’s accomplished and this new gig with Epic Games is going to be a perfect fit for his skill set and interests.”
When he’s not working on designing elements for Fortnite and teaching his online courses
for TROY, Washington stays busy with his wife and four kids, all under the age of five. Washington holds a Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design and is completing his Master of Fine Arts in Creative Advertising.
