About Eric

Summary
Eric Brown is known for his energy, style, tenacity, and compassion. He’s at his best when bringing each of these together, and he’s been fortunate to hold many leadership roles that call on these strengths. Eric’s enthusiasm for design is matched by his passion for leading creatives to corporate heights. As a firsthand witness to the impact driven by teams with creativity at their core, Eric is emboldened to bring that same value to teams across companies today.

Throughout his 30-year career in leadership roles, Eric has honed the craft of building high-performing, multi-disciplinary creative departments. He’s worked across mediums and industries. He’s held nearly every role available in the creative department: art director, digital director, e-learning designer, experience architect, digital strategist. He remembers – fondly, now – the fears he had as a new leader; among his many lessons learned, he’s found ‘adapt and change’ to be most critical.

As the owner of a design boutique, Eric consulted for brands across the US, including Rockwell Collins, Hilton Hotels, Chick-fil-A, CDC Software, Sea Ray Boats, GeoLearning, and Lucent Technologies. He’s been honored to be both a featured conference speaker and moderator. You’ll find more of Eric’s written work on leadership and creativity on this blog.

Work and life have taken Eric from coast to coast of the U.S., landing him in the Southeast, where he lives with his family today. He loves the balance he finds here; he and his family enjoy the fast pace of city life, the beauty of the mountains, and the serenity of the beach. Eric’s passion to learn extends beyond his vocation. He received his black belt in Isshinryu Karate from Grand Master Angi Uezu and was a private instructor for several years. He’s a learner at heart and is grateful to his wife and children for indulging his many interests in music, reading, writing, percussion, cooking, and painting.

My Toolbox and Specialties Include:
User research
Personas and mental models
Website analytics
Information architecture
Site maps and wire-framing
Search engine optimization (SEO)
Content strategy
Brand development
Business process analysis
Integrated marketing
Leadership and communication
Design Thinking

Where Did The Name WeirdGuy Come From?
Well…long story

Organizational Involvement
I have been active in several professional and technology trade organizations including The Interactive Media Alliance (TIMA), where I served as a Board member, the Alias/Wavefront Users Group (producing, writing, and editing a monthly newsletter), the Adobe/Macromedia Users Group, and the Technology Associates of Georgia (TAG). In addition, I was on the Internet Committee of the NRB where I was a featured conference speaker and moderator. I have also been a contributing writer for the monthly NRB magazine and several blogs on leadership and learning.

Personal Interests
Because I am passionate about training future leaders and serving others, I was a founding Board member of a non-profit charity, Homeless Children International. I have also been an active charter member of North Point Community Church where I has served in numerous leadership and volunteer positions.

Contact
Feel free to contact me here on the blog,
-on my Facebook page,
-through my LinkedIn profile,
-on my Yelp page,
-via my Google+ profile,
-or, on Twitter, tweets away!