SMPS Boston Member Spotlight: Will Ragano
Posted on Apr. 18, 2023 / Member Spotlight / Subscribe 0
Our Member Spotlight Blog serves as a platform to welcome new members to SMPS Boston and highlight our established members within the A/E/C community. This week, we're getting to know Will Ragano, Marketing Direcctor/Graphic Designer at Johnson Roberts Associates, Inc.
Name: Will Ragano
Company: Johnson Roberts Associates, Inc.
Title: Marketing Manager/Graphic Designer
Years Involved in SMPS: 3
Why did you decide to join SMPS?
When I started working for Johnson Roberts Associates.
What led you to working in the A/E/C industry?
I’ve always enjoyed architecture — and have been photographing architecture for many years. I considered being a Landscape Architect while at the University of Florida, and took an architecture class but ended up studying music and getting a degree from the Berklee College of Music in Boston. I had been working at George P. Johnson (an Experiential Marketing Agency in the Hancock Tower in Boston), designing for a Google conference in San Francisco when the pandemic hit in 2020. When I saw an ad for Johnson Roberts that summer, I thought it would be interesting to work with architects. It was the peak of the pandemic and I didn’t meet the principals in person for a few weeks. I really enjoy working for a firm that does public architecture. After designing for big banks and big pharma, working for a group of talented, nice people who build libraries, fire stations, and schools feels good. I designed a new website for JRA and am now photographing and making videos for many of our projects, which is very enjoyable. I had never worked on a proposal before, so that was daunting at first, but I feel comfortable tackling them now.
What do you work toward in your free time?
I play guitar in a band called Count Zero (which was featured in Guitar Hero and Rock Band video games, and toured North America with the Dresden Dolls), and record my own music. I do some freelance graphic design for old clients, and shoot lots of photographs (I’ve had several solo shows in Boston). I also create music videos for other bands and experimental art videos for myself, which have been featured in the Currents New Media Festival in Santa Fe, NM.
What are you currently watching, reading, or listening to?
I enjoy a wide variety of documentaries, thrillers, sci-fi, and comedies. I’m currently reading “Futuristic Violence and Fancy Suits” by Jason Pargin, “Happy-Go-Lucky” by David Sedaris and “A New Earth” by Eckhart Tolle. I also enjoy books on Photography/Design/Art/Architecture history. I listen to all kinds of music, from Bartok and Coltrane to Public Enemy and Radiohead.
If you are interested in being featured in an upcoming spotlight or would like to nominate a member, please reach out to Ethan Olkovikas, SMPS Boston Membership Committee Member, at [email protected], or Jenn Robertson, SMPS Boston Blog Manager, at [email protected].
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