November 12, 2016

Meet Monterey Hills Art Director: Scott Myles

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Scott Myles.

Scott, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I started my creative career with art lessons from my great aunt Florence. She’d buy me art supplies as a young kid and teach me color theory, etc. She’d amaze me with her travel sketchbooks from China and other places—just blowing my mind with her rough sketches and incredible stories about people she’d never see again, but whom had become a part of her life and then mine.

Then came art classes in high school, college, first jobs in NYC, second, third, etc. I’ve always been fortunate to be able to jump from one field to the next ie: cosmetics packaging, licensed character garments, and merch, publishing on both the marketing and book design side, educational toy/games design, creating my own ice cream company in NYC, illustration, even a recording session with Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson—just a lot of great experiences.

I’m currently in the publishing world at Disney Publishing. It’s amazing being a part of Disney where storytelling is so integral to their brand—it seems like full circle to me, back to my Aunt Florence just telling stories.

I also take on private branding clients. I like to focus my branding projects on small businesses. As an ice cream entrepreneur, I have seen and felt how hard it is out there to start and grow your own company. So many small businesses feel that branding is just a logo and website. They don’t consider how important it is to know their unique value and where they fit into the larger scene. They are often too tired to pay enough attention to all of their touch points or really explore their company’s values. I help them understand these are the things that will help them not only grow, but really decide the direction they grow towards. I try to give them a chance to stand up to the big guys.

Has it been a smooth road?
The 90’s were smooth-ish. I mean there were more jobs to get, especially when I was at entry level. It was a luxury to be able to try so many different things so easily.

My move to Los Angeles in 2007 was a different story. I came here for my wife’s career, and I was plopped down in a town where a lot of my experiences didn’t translate. I had no connections, and I was completely burnt out from my full-time day job and then also running 5 Boroughs Ice Cream every minute in between. Many of the freelance connections I had cultivated over the years in NYC started pulling jobs in-house due to the economy. It was rough.

Feeling discouraged at the time, I eventually decided to try something new, and I got a job with the 2010 census bureau. It totally shook things up for me—one of the best things I ever did! Not only was it necessary financially, I also met my best LA friend at that job. It was tough because I was not so sure that design was my passion anymore. But, giving myself some distance from it and literally knocking on stranger’s doors day after day, and experiencing local life in LA that I had had no reason to do so before, started igniting the sparks again. I started feeling a connection to my new home. After that I got back into the game and started getting placed through a temp agency as a production artist, just to get my foot in the door. One thing led to another and eventually I was back in the corporate design world again.

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
There are huge shifts going on in the industry these days! Technology, of course, is changing how brands interact with the public, but consumers are also more savvy than they have ever been. We’ve all seen behind the curtain at this point, and although many strategies still work, ie: “sex still sells”, the definition of what is sexy is changing. Brands need to work harder to find more honest ways to connect with their consumers—especially when huge brands like BMW outright lie to consumers. The biggest trend I can see is a continued push for even more transparency and honesty with both products and what these companies stand for—this is the only way to gain trust with the public. Know your audience and speak honestly to them.

What would you say has been the biggest challenge for you over the course of your career?
The biggest challenge for me is networking. It’s never been my strong point, but it’s so important to a career.

What advice do you wish to give to those thinking about pursuing a path similar to yours?
Hmmm, my answer relates to your previous question—networking. I’d recommend that people do their best to meet others in the field. Even if you have a great online presence, it’s often face time with another human that keeps you top of mind.

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