— Portal A grew from 10 to 60 employees
— I helped hire our second full-time designer and managed our team
— Design became a critical part of processes in every department, documented and replicated through the Portal A Designer Handbook
— Over 30 projects completed with clients like Google, HBO, and YouTube Originals
Building a design practice at a small studio from scratch was not exactly what I thought I'd be doing at my second job. But it taught me one of the most valuable lessons I've learned as a designer: the hardest challenges are often not about the work itself, but about the people and processes responsible for getting the work into the world.
I realized I thrive when solving challenges around people and process, and am grateful to take the lessons I learned at Portal A with me as I continue to learn how to be a leader and manager in design.