We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Marisa Torres. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Marisa below.
Hi Marisa, thank you so much for agreeing to open up about a sensitive and personal topic like being fired or laid-off. Unfortunately, there has been a rise in layoffs recently and so your insight and experience with overcoming being let go is relevant to so many in the community.
Five years after landing my dream job as a concept artist at Nickelodeon Animation, I was unexpectedly laid off. I was very lucky that almost immediately after graduating university, I was accepted into Nick’s trainee program and stayed there for the majority of the next half decade. This made the layoff feel like quite the blow. Over the last two years, the animation industry as a whole has been hit quite hard with mass layoffs and cancelled projects, which added to a lot of my anxiety about my sudden loss of work. As I have in the past when I’ve wrapped on a production, I immediately began searching for work and reached out to all my usual contacts but this time it seemed that no one had any upcoming work. With what felt like no other option, I decided to refocus, take a leap of faith, and start a new company with my partner. In late September of last year, we officially launched Roomy ATX, a design house based in Austin, Texas. Given both my partner and I’s experiences in the entertainment industry, we were excited to build something true to our community here in Austin, making thoughtful, meaningful, and intentional design accessible to everyone. Since launching, it feels like a rocket taking off! With several design contracts, branding deals, immersive experiences, and a retail line, we never imagined such an overwhelmingly positive response. Venturing outside of my comfort zone and creating my own business was definitely one of the hardest things I have ever done. It took sweat, tears, and a lot of hard work, but the payoff has been unlike anything I could have imagined. The independence of working for myself, the amazing connections I’ve made within my community, and the feeling that I am actively contributing to my city, has made it all well worth it.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
After years of working as a concept artist in the Hollywood animation industry for companies like Nickelodeon, Disney, Lego, Warner Brothers and more, my partner and I decided to start our own design house called Roomy ATX. Part of what led us to this decision was a very strong belief we both share that good design should be accessible to everyone. We wanted to bring meaningful design into our community as a means of connecting through art and beauty. Our work focuses on what we call the three C’s: community, connection, and culture. We use the most of our backgrounds in character design, environment design, color styling, background paint, theme park design, visual development art, and art direction to develop original and engaging imagery across a variety of projects. Within our first 6 months, we have proudly landed several design contracts with businesses across the United States to create unique branding materials and eye-catching posters for promotional events. In true Austin form, we have also collaborated with local bands to create appealing designs for show flyers, event posters, merchandise, and even band logos. Currently, we are working on concept artwork for a super exciting new immersive experience which is expected to open in South Austin later this year. If you’re in need of some good home decor, you can also find our retail line of fine art prints on our online store or in local stores like Clover + Maven and Parker & Scott.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Three skills I find extremely important as a professional artist are: determination, communication, and reflection. Art is famous for being a difficult field to find success in and although it is definitely challenging, it is also incredibly rewarding. In school, I had my portfolio ripped apart countless times during grueling critiques and I have lost out on tons of jobs I wanted so badly, but with each rejection I worked harder and harder until I started to slowly see my dreams realized right in front of me. In the industry, I have found that communication is such an important tool. Whether you’re working on a book, film, or TV series, a large scale production is always a team project. The ability to communicate with kindness and clarity is something that will keep you working simply because people enjoy working with you. I have found that to be a saving grace in my own career, as the majority of my animation gigs came from past coworkers who recommended me. Lastly, reflection is something I think is important for every artist. Your artistry is a skill that you have to nurture and build. We are never done growing as artists and part of that growth comes from the ability to reflect on our journey, emotions, and thoughts. Reflecting on these things and allowing them to come through in your art will keep your work meaningful and allow you to always stay present.
How would you describe your ideal client?
Our ideal client is someone who is bold in their mission and committed to their community. We hold strong values in our work and we enjoy working with clients who do the same. Our style is inspired by timeless mid-century design, the fabulous “weirdness” of Austin, the many cultures that make up our city, bold color and graphic shapes. Whether it’s through branding, themed experiences, or consumer products, we use these tools to playfully deliver a story with the same attention to detail that we have previously brought to the multimillion dollar studio productions we have worked on. This process is often a fun and collaborative experience between the Roomy team and our clients. Clients who have a strong vision often provide the best direction and working together to realize that idea is always exciting! In the future, we look forward to working with several more brands here in Austin, across the country, and maybe even the world!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.roomyatx.com
- Instagram: @roomy.atx
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