Dave Baker ’11

Film & Media Arts

Biography

After earning a degree in what was then called Media Communication and Systems in 2011, I moved to Washington DC where I started my career in healthcare marketing. After a few years in the industry, I transitioned to a leadership role at a creative agency, BitterSweet Creative, where I now work with a range of companies and nonprofits across an assortment of industries. I have the privilege of leading creative teams to deliver design and branding, video, and digital projects to our clients. Our work has gained recognition and awards including W3, Webby, Telly, and Muse awards. In addition to our client work, we invest in our nonprofit, online magazine, BitterSweetMonthly.com and other projects, producing stories, film festivals and products that Reject Cynicism, Defy Apathy, and Celebrate Good. Over the past decade, I’ve had the opportunity to travel for many of our stories, visiting more than 30 countries. I love creative operations and working with team members, designers, directors, photographers and other creatives to bring new projects to life. In my free time, I enjoy traveling and renovating homes with my wife Erica, and two sons, Coen and Elias.

What were some of your most valuable experiences at Taylor?

My most valuable experiences at Taylor included my semester abroad with the Irish Studies Program in 2012 and finding 'my tribe' in the media program. The countless hours spent on production projects for classes like Documentary Filmmaking, Producing for Clients, and Narrative Filmmaking were incredibly formative for me and gave me invaluable career experience.

How did your classes or interactions with professors at Taylor impact your growth?

My classes and interactions with professors formed a vocational foundation for my career. I'm grateful to be in the creative field in a leadership position and my time at Taylor helped prepare me with tools to succeed and real professional experiences that created a strong foundation to launch a career. I feel incredibly lucky to have had professors that were not only interested in me passing a class, but who genuinely cared about preparing me for my next phase of life after graduation.

How can Taylor graduates use their unique Taylor education and its liberal arts foundational core as an asset in your discipline?

In many ways, my job as a manager of creative services and communications requires me to be a generalist and have a wide range of knowledge to support the variety of work and topics I encounter for clients. Taylor's foundational core gave me a strong base to build on in my professional career and allows me to converse with clients, employees and contractors from a posture of empathy and curiosity.

What advice or encouragement could you provide for Taylor students in your vocational discipline?

Whatever you do, never stop creating for yourself. It's easy to get trapped in the work grind for other people – especially in the "creativity as a service" industry. Creating outside the compulsory context of a paycheck will keep you curious, inspired, and motivated.