10th annual Creative Industry Day set for March 19

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A. Sue Weisler

The 10th annual Creative Industry Day is scheduled for March 19 in the Gordon Field House. Last year, David Utt, then a third-year student in new media design, met with a representative from Carrot Creative in Brooklyn.

The 10th annual Creative Industry Day is scheduled for Thursday, March 19, inside the Gordon Field House, providing companies from near and far the opportunity to meet with RIT’s student design talent in a career fair setting.

The event, sponsored by RIT’s Office of Career Services and Cooperative Education and the College of Imaging Arts and Sciences, will begin with panel discussions at noon followed by portfolio reviews and networking at 2 p.m.

According to Gretchen Burruto, assistant director for Web and social media and career services coordinator, the event’s goal is to offer career-related programming and the opportunity for students to meet professionals from the creative industry, obtain feedback on their portfolios and make valuable connections that may benefit their career.

“Many of the professionals who travel here to attend include RIT alumni returning to campus to represent their companies or share their experiences and advice to our current students,” Burruto said.

Creative Industry Day features a wide range of businesses from large global companies such as Google and American Express to boutique agencies and production houses. Companies from Rochester and New York City and as far away as Minnesota, Colorado and California are scheduled to attend this year, according to Burruto. In all, 70 companies are expected to be here.

Creative Industry Day will begin with two career-focused panels:

• “Networking Fundamentals” from noon to 1 p.m. Attendees will hear from a panel of experts on how to make and use connections a key to career success, with advice about how to build and nurture a network of important contacts.
• “First Impressions Panel: How to Best Present Yourself and Your Work” from 1 to 2 p.m. Panelists will share with students how to be memorable—in a good way—and suggest how to showcase their work most effectively to a prospective employer or client. Students also will be able to gain tips for strengthening their portfolio and polishing their image while hearing advice about establishing their personal brand.

Students on Twitter attending the event are encouraged to use the hashtag #RITCreativity. For more details, call 585-475-2301.