MARK SHOOLERY
SHOOLERY DESIGN

Mark Shoolery was born and raised in California. He studied film history at San Francisco State University and (inspired by Disney's "Fantasia") animation and design at the California Institute for the Arts, where he received a B.F.A. in 1984. After college Shoolery spent two years at Capitol Records working on album packaging and then freelanced for other record labels and several ad agencies handling film and TV projects. It was during this period that he learned what he calls the "craft" of entertainment design. "There wasn't any course in how to art direct a photo shoot," Shoolery asserts. "You either had an eye for it or you didn't. I had a lot of great instructors, and my background led me right into it." Eventually Shoolery became senior art director at The Walt Disney Company. He says of his time there, "We worked around the clock at a breakneck pace; basically, it was boot camp. I look upon those three years as my graduate degree in marketing and advertising." In 1996 Shoolery founded Shoolery Design, one of the most highly recognized entertainment print design and advertising firms in Los Angeles. The company has created award-winning ad campaigns for numerous major studio and independent motion pictures, including "Walk the Line," "Silent Hill," "For Your Consideration," "The Cooler," "Inside Man," "The Grudge," "Diary of a Mad Black Woman," "Open Water," "Saw" and "Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King."

Was graphic design your first career path?

I grew up with Warner Brothers' "Loony Tunes" and Disney's movies in the 60's, and decided that my first career would be animation. I had a very vivid imagination and loved the notion that I could bring it to life on film. I made several shorts for my senior year in high school that secured my admission to CalArts, Disney's art school, where many of the best animators taught. I eventually realized that my attention span was far too short to draw a subject repeatedly. I found the graphic design program to be a highly satisfying alternative, because it addressed my innate desire to communicate visually but challenged me to do it in the most economical way. Ironically, years later, I landed a job at The Walt Disney Company's marketing division designing movie posters.

What talents do you wish you possessed?

I always thought being an architect would be especially gratifying. Maybe it stems from a desire to transcend the temporary nature of printed matter and create structural works that leave a legacy, something permanent.

When you have a deadline, do you start right away, wait until the last minute or switch back and forth between projects?

The deadline-intensive nature of entertainment advertising makes me a natural multitasker, although I've been guilty of procrastinating until the last minute in the hopes of a forced inspiration. Ultimately, it's always better to anticipate and plan, but sometimes you need a gun to your head for a little extra inspiration. Honestly, any talented designer ought to be able to work on multiple projects at the same time.

Which project in your portfolio are you most proud of?

Last year Crispin+Porter asked us to design posters for Burger King's "Whopperettes" campaign, which was something very different but lots of fun. (Thanks for the cover, GDUSA!) "Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" comes to mind as a particularly satisfying achievement, but it's hard to pick a favorite. I'm proud of all the movie campaigns we've produced. We're privileged to be contributors to the visual landscape of global pop culture. When any of our campaigns are posted internationally, it's an indescribable high.

Where do you turn for inspiration?

When I'm stuck, I always turn to the publication Lürzer's Archive, which features advertising from Europe. It always contains original, highly conceptual solutions that would never be found in U.S. ads. It's smart advertising.

What is your worst habit?

I take myself way too seriously. And I finish other people's sentences. I've really got to stop it.

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