Meet Vitali and Owen, the dynamic duo who represent two parts of a whole: one leads the visual identity of SimplyCast and the other brings it to life through scripts and codes. One is a seasoned industry designer with years of experience and knowledge. The other, a budding co-op student from Dalhousie University who develops code with the same vigor as he does bars of music.
A native of Belarus, Vitali originally studied and become a biologist with a specialization in genetics and Gestalt therapy after attending Belarus State University. Despite enjoying a few years in the field, he always found himself pulled back to design and digital media. Taking the time to learn programs such as Photoshop, which at the time were just emerging, he found himself working at a Fortune 500 agency and even held his own business before deciding to move to Canada with his family.
"I've always found myself drawn to the western world," Vitali said when asked about why he chose Canada. "I applied for SimplyCast and love it because after working in advertising and marketing, our platform feels like the next evolutionary step. It feels good to be a part of it."
Since joining the company in June 2017, Vitali works day-to-day as a UX Designer in charge of designing everything from web pages, brochures, social media imagery, and even animated video. At the core of his role, he is responsible for maintaining the visual identity and integrity of the SimplyCast brand.
Vitali's counterpart joined the SimplyCast team in January 2018. Owen came as a co-op student from Dalhousie University where he is studying to become a developer. Having gone to programming summer camp when he was younger, his interest in development grew as he learned to create video games. If he's not writing code, you can often find him busking at the Halifax Farmer's Market where he brings his love for music to life. As he started his projects, it became very apparent he was a man of many talents.
"I liked how freedom and trust is given to those at every stage of the hierarchy, including me," Owen said when asked about what he enjoyed most about SimplyCast. "Even for me, I was trusted to make decisions based on my knowledge and expertise."
Through demonstration of his skill in web development, Owen was assigned to the design team to help bring Vitali's designs to life. Taking on the task, and even learning a new content management system called MODX, his aptitude for quickly learning new technologies became clear in his project's success.
As a team, Vitali and Owen represent what every co-op experience should aspire to deliver: hands-on work where students can learn from seasoned industry professionals, while the team lead themselves gets to learn about emerging technology and techniques from the student. Not only does each person benefit, but so does the company as a whole from getting an extra set of hands and another perspective that helps drive internal and external innovation.
If you're a co-op student looking to learn from a few industry leaders, or a seasoned professional who sees the value in working with up-and-coming talent, visit our careers page.
