Mick Lauer The Head Designer
Head Designer & Vice President
Ahoy! I design things. All sorts of things. Like computer internet stuff and printed color on paper stuff. I like computers and I like to draw. So I do them both now for a living. And I smile.
Connect with Mick on Facebook | Linkedin | mick@artistupgrade.com
Katie Willis The Associate Designer
Graphic Designer & WordPress Specialist
Howdy! I also design things. All sorts of things. Under the guidance of the awesomely outrageous duo, Mick and Alison, I am the newest member at ArtistUpgrade and I am very excited to be on board! Graphic design and performance are my passions; my position at ArtistUpgrade combines them both. Katie happy!
Follow Katie on Twitter | Linkedin | katie@artistupgrade.com
Alison Moehnke The Boss Lady
President & Owner
Hi! I want to personally welcome you to the world of ArtistUpgrade: A world that has had my undying love and undivided attention since the spring of 2008 when ArtistUpgrade was just a glimmer of an idea. I take an active role in the day to day operations of our company, consulting with clients, scheduling projects, maintaining quality control, and, most importantly, making sure our customers are happy. You can contact me with just about any question you might have regarding your web or graphic design project.
Connect with Alison on Facebook | Linkedin | alison@artistupgrade.com
Chelsea D'Aprile The Project Manager
Office & Project Planner
Hello there! Welcome to the wonderful world of ArtistUpgrade! I joined the team on September 1st, 2010 as the Project Consultant and Office Manager. Not only am I responsible for implementing and maintaining effective organizational office procedures, but I am also quite privileged to work closely with our clients and guide them through the ArtistUpgrade experience, from inquiry to the design process to the completed project! I’m another friendly member of the team who is always available to answer questions. I am thrilled to be a part of this company, and am grateful - and lucky - to work with Alison and Mick, two incredibly selfless, hardworking, and deeply caring people (and, of course, creative geniuses as well!).
Connect with Chelsea on Linkedin | chelsea@artistupgrade.com
About ArtistUpgrade
Our Mission is to develop the most professional, effective, personalized websites and print materials for creative professionals, entrepreneurs, and small businesses looking to increase exposure and expand career opportunities. We do this by developing websites and graphics that are tailored to each unique client's wants, needs, and career goals.
Get To Know ArtistUpgrade - The Personal Story
Mick and Alison, founders of ArtistUpgrade, are two actors who have been living and working in New York City since 2000. In January 2008, Mick took a touring acting job with TheatreWorksUSA performing in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. After three months of touring, Mick got back, needed another gig, and was determined to hit the ground running by auditioning for anything and everything in sight.
His quest was simple: to get himself known. And so he began submitting to everything on Actors Access, Backstage, Craigslist, Actor’s Equity and any other way he could find to promote himself and expand his career options.
Mick soon found that many casting directors wanted reels. Many theatre companies wanted his headshot and resume. It became a time consuming and daunting task to attach all these files in individual email submissions. And even then, he didn’t even know if the files he was sending were ever being opened or viewed. It occurred to him that it would be more efficient and professional to have an easy-to-navigate website that included all of these elements: elements that would appear with a simple click of a button.
With a website, he could send out infinite submissions in a day, as opposed to 10, without wasting extra time or money. He began looking online for actor website options and quickly found that they were either way too cheap, looked cheap, and didn’t do what he wanted them to do, OR they were way too expensive, still looked cheap, and didn’t do what he wanted them to do. But his trials in searching for options didn't stop there...
A lot of site developers were using Flash™ which frustrated him. He explained, “Flash is cool, but when I send a link, I have 5 seconds to get my audience. When I have a 10 second Flash™ intro, I’ve already lost them before they even see me!” So Mick did what any exasperated actor who knew graphic design would do: he came up with a site that did everything he needed, quickly and professionally. As time went on, he kept submitting, refining, tweaking, and perfecting his model of a personal, professional, effective website that could showcase his talents and promote his career. It wasn’t long after that when Alison, his wife and fellow actor, realized that Mick’s design not only had the potential to further his own career, but had the universal capacity to promote the careers of artists everywhere.
And so, with the dream of transforming the way artists are seen and get seen, on June 4, 2008, Mick and Alison gave birth to one of their most glorious creative endeavors to date: ArtistUpgrade.
To Sum It All Up
Since that very first website was developed so many years ago, our clients and services have expanded to include voiceover talent, singers, models, educators, theatre companies, small businesses, and entrepreneurs. Our services have also evolved to include exceptional graphic design for business cards, postcards, cd cases & labels, brochures, email signatures, letterheads and more.
We’re a small company that prides itself on dedicating our resources towards developing quality products, exceptional customer service, and innovative ideas for every client. Whether you’re an actor or small business, voiceover talent or entrepreneur, we invite you to explore our website, browse through our design portfolio, and explore the world of ArtistUpgrade.
We bring to the table our knowledge, experience, and loads of creativity to ensure that every project meets your needs and exceeds your expectations. Our services are continually evolving with every project to ensure you get a design that not only looks great, but also meets your specific wants, needs, and goals. Should you need something you can’t find on our website, please contact us and just ask!
Thanks for visiting ArtistUpgrade.com!
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David Goldberg
Edge Studio Director
"Trust ArtistUpgrade! We did and now we totally rely on them for our graphics, our website, and all things creative. Its not just that they're creative and meticulous artists: They are smart how they approach things: Everything is considered - branding and effectiveness are paramount, and their execution is simply terrific (and exciting!) to watch. You will not be disappointed. We encourage anyone to use them."
Visit www.edgestudio.com
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Bob Luzum
President of Accurate Component Sales, Inc.
"...ArtistUpgrade exceeded my expectations! To be sure it required a quite a bit of effort on my part to ‘paint the picture’ of what I thought I wanted. However, there lies the true reason I am giving this testimonial. Alison and Mick were able to envision what I thought I wanted into what I really needed to get across to existing and potential customers. In the end, they listened, envisioned & responded – and I couldn’t be happier with the end results! And, since launching our new site sales are up 20‰."
Visit www.accuratecomp.com
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Donna Ross
Actor & Singer
"For anyone who's considering going with ArtistUpgrade..this is what I would say..If you are looking to work with people who truly care about making you happy, giving you a product that represents you as an artist and capturing who you uniquely are then don't consider going anywhere else or with anyone other than ArtistUpgrade. It was a wonderful collaborative effort every step of the way. Thanks again Mick, Alison and Chelsea. It was amazing working with you."
Visit www.donna-ross.com
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Dorothy Faux representative
Actor
"Thank you very much for all your efforts on Rawson's behalf in building his website. You were both thoughtful, helpful, professional, fast and a pleasure to work with. Mick, you did great design work, working with photos that had lots of personality but lacking great quality and your idea to use them as polaroids was brilliant. I think the site reflects Rawson's personality and look, is stylish and easy to navigate. We look forward to continuing to work with you."
Visit www.rawsonfaux.com
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Mara Junot
New Orleans Voice Talent
"Alison & Mick at ArtistUpgrade are two of the most amazing people I’ve ever worked with. They are friendly, professional, with thorough attention to detail and a creative style that just makes websites pop. My website was custom-tailored to my needs and branding goals, and I couldn’t be more satisfied! Phenomenal work!!! I recommend the team at ArtistUpgrade for any professional in the acting industry who wants a clean, professional site designed specifically for the needs of artists in the media."
Visit www.marajunot.com
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Randye Kaye
Connecticut Voice Talent
"If you ask me, I could write a book...about ArtistUpgrade. They designed my logo, business card,and brand-new website - all while helping me with branding concepts, SEO, site navigation, and more. The whole team is creative, fun, efficient - and boy do they know their stuff! And, oh yeah - very patient and responsive with me, my multiple business facets, and my endless questions. Love them!!"
Visit www.vo.randyekaye.com
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Larry Zeug
East Coast Voice Talent
"Can't say enough good things about you guys. You did a great job, you were fun to work with and your response/turn around time was excellent. Thank You."
Visit www.larryzeug.com
Pat Patterson
Actor & Producer
"Mick was able to translate my "you knows" as I attempted to describe my needs ad wants into tangible, stunningly creative answers to my desires for my website. Alison was always available to answer my questiosn and explain the process. I couldn't be more impressed."
Visit www.patpatterson.biz
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Beth Mensinger
D.C. Voice Talent
"I loved working with ArtistUpgrade. It helps to have true professionals who can collaborate, take a rough idea and run with it to develop a strong brand -- all without being offended or 'bothered' by suggestions or edit requests. Thank you, thank you, thank you for all of the suggestions, support and encouragement!"
Visit www.voicesbybeth.com
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B.P. Smyth
Tennessee Voice Talent
"It has been an absolute pleasure working with you ... The website design exceeds my expectations. I am absolutely thrilled with it, and I can't wait to show all my current clients and include it, of course, in my marketing attempts. I am looking forward to working with you and Mick in the years to come."
Visit www.bpsmythvoice.com
John Jacobs
NYC Voice Talent
"To adapt Winston Churchill: "Never in the field of websites and print materials was so much owed by so many to so few". I could not imagine working with a more creative and professional team than Alison and Mick."
Visit www.johnjacobsvoice.com
Simone Schmitz
Actor & Model
"I love how easy you make it to have a website that truly reflects who I am and what I do.I've shown my new website to all kinds of different industry folks (photographers, make-up artists, other models and actors and producers) and they all loved it!"
Visit www.simoneschmitz.net
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Roxanna Brunell representative
Composer
"ArtistUpgrade provides clients exceptional service, on-target suggestions, a sharp and quick understanding of what you need as a client, they're a very professional and competent team, no question is too small therefore the process is a pleasure."
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Lisa Junco
Actor & Voice Talent
"Thank you Alison and Mick for your creativity and professionalism. It was a pleasure working with you. I received excellent marketing materials at an exceptional value on a very timely basis. I have already referred you to my 140 something Facebook friends!"
Visit www.lisajunco.com
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Sharon Maguire
Actor
"You guys are the shit!"
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Stuart Stone
Casting Director
"Your work is AMAZING AND SO CREATIVE! BEST work I have seen in a long time."
Visit www.commercialacting.net
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Shashone Lambert
Actor
"The whole process was great, even for those who aren't computer literate! I love my website. It's professional and yet it still captures my personal style. I truly believe it's something that puts me one step ahead."
Visit www.shashonelambert.com
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Jeigh Duran
Voice Talent
"I am very happy with the experience I had with ArtistUpgrade, and would recommend it to anyone who doesn't have a gazillion dollars to blow on a website. Both Mick and Alison were professional, kind and patient, very responsive and efficient. If you don't know much, no problem, they are glad to help you through the process."
Visit www.jeighduran.com
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Suzanne Obolsky
NYC Voice Talent
"Is it possible to marry a website design company? If so, it's time to choose a china pattern! ArtistUpgrade not only provides exceptional quality work, but also exemplary customer service, truck-loads of personality and a keen sense of what makes you look your best. If you want to make your product memorable, I would highly recommend ArtistUpgrade's services. Branding has never looked or felt so good."
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Simon Cregan
Singer
"I'm not being dramatic here, but the site is sensational. I'm estatic about it. It's better than I imagined it would be, what else can i say? It's wonderful! And believe me I don't get excited by much at all! A Big thank you to [Mick] and Alison for the parts you both played in the building of it."
Visit www.simoncregan.com
Laura Butler
Actor & Singer
"ArtistUpgrade exceeded my expectations. This truly is a wonderful company. All artists should have this kind of experience when building their website!!!"
Visit www.laurabutlernyc.com
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Brooke Baumer
Actor & Comedian
"ArtistUpgrade is a team of fantastic designers. Not only are their ideas fresh, but they are top-notch professionals when it comes to customer service. They work efficiently and quickly to guarantee you get the product you want. Highly recommend them!"
Visit www.brookebaumer.com
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Diana Rodriguez
Actor & Singer
"I love my website, and have already seen results! I can't believe the difference in response between sending a generic myspace link and sending potential clients/collaborators to my artistupgrade page. I have spoken to people at all levels of the music business who felt frustrated at how much they pay for websites they aren't happy with. Alison and Mick consistently listened to what I wanted in the process and then showed me something better than what I asked for. I feel confident that I am sending out a professional image that represents who I am as an artist, and I know I can trust this team to help my website grow with me!"
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Mike Markham
Voice Talent & Ring Announcer
"The team at ArtistUpgrade is extremely knowledgable and great to work with. They really take care of you. They aren't just about hooking you up with a website. They'll help you keep things updated and fresh throughout your career. Whatever you need from marketing materials to web design, they've got you covered. They really care about their clients and they know exactly what you need as an entertainer/actor/VO talent. Lots of people can design websites but Artist Upgrade can help you build an image to form and further your career."
Visit www.ring-announcer.com
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Cynthia Shaw
Actor+Singer+Voice Talent+Musical Director
"I booked a independent film, and the producer said I had an 'excellent' website that made it so easy for him to find out about me. He loved that my reel was so easily accessible. He was just lavish in his praise of the website. Congrats and thanks!"
Visit www.cynthiashaw.us
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Elizabeth Holmes
California Voice Talent
"I am SO impressed with ArtistUpgrade! Their skill, their taste, their professionalism, and their rates are all exceptional. They exceeded my expectations every step of the way. I'm thrilled with the results! Highly recommended."
Visit www.holmesvoice.com
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Patty Aicher
Actor & Voice Talent
"ArtistUpgrade is by far the most professional company I have ever worked with. I am proud and excited to launch my site and have gotten 100% positive feedback. I feel very lucky. Thank you for all of your hard work!"
Visit www.pattyaicher.com
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Leslie Becker
Actor+Singer+Writer+Coach
"ArtistUpgrade delivers the most sophisticated, customized website service around. From the process for uploading your content to the final result, these guys are at the top of their game! I would and DO recommend ArtistUpgrade to everyone in the creative arts! You won't find a better way to be seen, showcased and presented to the world! Artist-Upgrade rocks!"
Visit www.lesliebecker.net
David Bridel
Actor+Writer+Director+
Choreographer+Clown"ArtistUpgrade made the experience of building the site easy and fun. I'm delighted with the result and I intend to recommend you to all my friends and colleagues."
Visit www.davidbridel.org
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Lee Gundersheimer
NYU Drama Faculty
"Actor websites are the wave of the future. We (NYU Drama) have just developed our own Tisch Online Portfolio program for just this reason. ArtistUpgrade, founded and run by two of our alums, creates websites that are clean, thorough, and professional."
Visit Lee's Tisch profile
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Chelsea D'Aprile
Actor
"ArtistUpgrade creates completely unique websites for each client - the personal attention given to the website is incredible, and each visual design is specially created for the client. I think every artist, actor, model, voice-over talent, musician, and performer should know about ArtistUpgrade. Having a website is crucial for marketing, and ArtistUpgrade is the best at creating a unique, visually elegant, and professionally built website. And all at an affordable price! 5 stars!"
Visit www.chelseadaprile.com
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Sarah Tancer
Actor+Singer+Voice Talent
"ArtistUpgrade rocks! Alison and Mick are quick, responsive, friendly, patient (it took me forever to upload all of my materials-but the minute they got them they were super quick to put them together). They also are super quick with edits when you have them. The design work is stylish, clean and professional and I've received tons of positive feedback from everyone who has viewed it. I love my website. I feel super confident sending potential clients there and most importantly I've booked jobs from it. So hooray for ArtistUpgrade!"
Visit www.sarahtancer.com
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Bob Fraser
Actor+Writer+Director+Producer
"Your site is terrific and the product looks superb."
Visit www.www.showbizhowto.com
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Kari Nicolle
Actor
"Before I had an OK website. Now, it's FANTASTIC!"
Visit www.karinicolle.com
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Craig Young
Abu Dhabi Voice Talent
"Where to begin? Alison (and her husband/business partner Mick) have given me the best balance of personal service, value for money and excellent results. ArtistUpgrade 'gets' me as a voiceover artist and I totally trusted them to design the site to reflect me and my business. I was not disappointed. My website exceeded my expectations and the process was methodical, transparent and customer-centric. I'm going back for more!"
Visit www.theaudioanimator.com
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Robert Kim
NYC Headshot Photographer
"ArtistUpgrade provides artists with professional websites that are both completely thorough and extremely easy to navigate. They give you everything you need! The entire industry is shifting towards the internet, no artist can afford not to get on board with this great company."
Visit www.robertkim.com
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Robin Carus
Actor & Model
"I'm always having to look at headshots, resumes, and websites. ArtistUpgrade is a rare service that caringly caters to the professional artist's pocket while beautifully creating a site around personality and individual style."
Visit Robin's Massify profile
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Dawna Perez
Massachusetts Voice Talent
"If any music/VO actors/creative types are looking for a GREAT, professional company to work with, I recommend www.ArtistUpgrade.com. Everyone at ArtistUpgrade is wonderful, and a pleasure to work with!"
Visit www.geminivoice.com
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Dionne Audain
Actor & Voice Talent
"I greatly appreciate you all sticking by me, not giving up, taking a chance on me, and breaking the mold as well. It has been absoulutely wonderful working with you...You guys are awesome and have an awesome company, too."
Visit www.dionneaudain.com
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Valerie Menzel
Voice Talent & Producer
"The AU team is so smart, talented and truly professional. I've gotten nothing but rave reviews on my website...The team at Artist Upgrade are consummate professionals, incredibly talented and a true pleasure to do business with. I highly recommend their services as working with them has been an absolutely wonderful experience."
Visit www.valeriemenzel.com
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David Noyes
NYC Voice Talent
"The entire process, from design to implementation was smooth and professional. I was extremely pleased with the result."
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Bill Brennan
Billy B Productions
"Can a website really be beautiful? Apparently so, because, this week, I have heard that comment three times in response to the site you created for me. For me, the real "beauty" has been working with you. You are really good at what you do and you are very easy to work with. Thanks again for the great job and service."
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Angelica Brooks
Actor+Singer+Voice Talent
"They recently completed my website and I love it. They are professional and proficient. I highly recommend them to any professional."
Visit www.angelicabrooks.com
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Kamran R. Khan
Trilingual Camera & Voice Actor
"Fantastic design skills and service! Artist Upgrade didn't "push back" on anything I requested and made every effort to accommodate my every request or provide an alternative!"
Visit www.kamranrkhan.com
All About Awesome ArtistUpgrade Designer: Mick Lauer
Just about everything you see on this site was designed by one man - this man, to be exact. But Mick's design skills started long before ArtistUpgrade. Mick's one of those "if it can be done, I can do it" sort of guys. Lots of time is spent innovating and creating for the sole purpose of making the ArtistUpgrade family of clients happy, but he does other cool stuff, too. Here you can check out some of his recent non-ArtistUpgrade creative endeavors and get to know more about Mick.
Something Fun
One night, while I couldn't sleep, and I made this video. It went viral and in under a month, garnered over 1.5 million views and was featured on various forums including CNN.com and BoingBoing.net.
The Preface
In an age where the anonymous reviewer is held to no general standard of grammar or spelling, an intelligible trolling rant is a common and often eye-rolling occurrence. And when a game is meant as a parody of its genre, and a player playing it doesn't quite get the joke ... well, magic happens.
But the real triumph, is when an epic voice actor decides to perform a run-of-the-mill game review rant ... committing to all its grammatical belligerence.
I present to you, Dot Dot Dot — Animated. I hop uyo enjo it.
The original Newgrounds review:
"...i reley dont wan to say this, but i have to now. this game is so esey. i mean, all you do is hit the spacebar. thats it! how is this an RPG anyway? you cant contrail anything but what it says on the screen! what if i didnt want to buy the potion? what apout quests? all you can upgrade is stranth? there is no way you can lose to the boss at the end! this game is crap! its not even an RPG at all! i mean look at it! in what way is this supposed to be an RPG if you can do quests and stuff? all you do is press one butten the entier time! explain to me! the athore coments al totol lies! is it supposed to be stick dudes? i dont even know how this damn game got the daily 3rd prize, or a rating of 4.26!
pepole think this review is worthles.
go ahead! say it! i dont care! im just trying to make a point here!
blam this piece of crap!!!!
P.S the only reson im giving this a 1 is beacuase the voices where pretty good. but thats it!"
All About Awesome ArtistUpgrade Designer: Katie Willis
Katie joined the ArtistUpgrade team in 2011 and is on board to meet the needs of our clients: voiceover, actor, small business and beyond! She's well versed in WordPress design, logo creation, and of course our one-of-a-kind ArtistUpgrade One Page Voiceover Websites and Signature Actor Sites. Get a quick glimpse of her portfolio below and please don't hesitate to email her with any questions you might have at katie@artistupgrade.com
All About Katie the Creative Connoisseur
Originally from Richmond, Virginia, I am a graphic and web designer by day and an actor-singer-songwriter by night. I am always a super artsy-fartsy nerd. When I’m not tinkering with graphic design, I’m usually in rehearsal, at auditions, at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, playing scrabble, or walking my uber-cool dog, Tony.
At the University of Virginia, I studied Urban Planning and Drama (for my real and dream jobs respectively). In the School of Architecture, I got my Photoshop on. In the Drama Department, I got my funny on. Life was good. Once during a rehearsal for Brighton Beach Memoirs, I designed a poster for the production and everyone thought it was pretty neat. I thought, "Hey now, this is funzies!" So I kept at it. I designed more and more posters for student productions. Then I started designing t-shirts. Then I made my first actor website for myself… and Katie Willis as the freelance graphic and web designer was born!
I moved to the Big Apple in September of 2009 to pursue my acting career and had approximately every part-time job ever. By late 2010, I had left every part-time job ever and was designing for a living. I began wooing ArtistUpgrade because of their very professional and personable websites. In February 2011 we had our first date and it was magical. Bringing a different design perspective to the squad, I hope to round out and diversify the design team.
Under Mick’s guidance, I am continually refining my craft and design skills. I strongly believe in the importance of a web presence for artists. More importantly, I strongly believe in the product and service that ArtistUpgrade provides. I'm very happy to be working with such a talented and passionate group of people!!
Learn more about Katie the actor! www.Actor.KatieWillisNYC.com
Learn more about Katie the graphic designer! www.Design.KatieWillisNYC.com
The Proof is in the Portfolio
Browse Our Portfolio
Original designs for our original clients. Want to see what ArtistUpgrade has created for our clients?
Visit our Web and Graphic Design Portfolio
What We Do For You
Check out our Services
ArtistUpgrade has a unique skill set that allows us to provided targeted marketing campaigns online and in print. Take a look at what we have to offer and learn more about our unique products and services.
Learn more about our Services
The ArtistUpgrade Family
Meet our awesome Clients
We’re only as good as the company we keep. Our clients are the most important part of ArtistUpgrade. Get to know them by visiting our client section.
Learn more about Our Clients