Jessica Tobias
Alumni Profile: Graphic Design
Current Employer: FC Dallas, one of 26 teams that comprise Major League Soccer Position: Creative Manager and Photographer Jessica worked for a few years after high school and came to Penn College as a non-traditional student. She continued to work – sometimes as many as three part-time jobs – during her Penn College days. Her perseverance paid off. After graduating in 2013, she served as a freelance photographer and worked as a graphic designer, web designer and account manager at an advertising agency in Louisiana. FC Dallas hired Jessica to be the team’s graphic designer and photographer in 2017 and promoted her about 18 months later.
Q&A with Jessica
WHY DID YOU SEEK THE OPPORTUNITY WITH FC DALLAS?
I wanted to get back into the sports world. I missed the excitement of going to games and being in the mix of sports. I got to photograph a lot of Penn College sports when I worked as a student photographer for the College. I interned for the Williamsport Crosscutters (minor league baseball team), and I’m still a volunteer photographer every year for the Little League Baseball World Series.
HOW DO YOU PREPARE TO SHOOT A MATCH?
An hour or two before the gates open, we set up remote cameras. I devise shot lists for our interns and other photographers. We meet as a group to go over our priorities for photos and make sure we’re on the same page. Because once the game starts, it’s nonstop. I take about 300 photos during the game. After the game, I usually edit about 65 photos, including photos for various team partners.
DO YOUR MARKETING RESPONSIBILITIES GO BEYOND THE FC DALLAS TEAM?
Yes. We do the creative for the team’s foundation and our USL League One team – North Texas SC. (The USL is considered a division II professional league, a notch below MLS.) We also market Toyota Stadium (a 145-acre multipurpose sports and entertainment facility) and the National Soccer Hall of Fame located inside the stadium.
IS THERE A SPECIFIC JOB-RELATED RESPONSIBILITY THAT YOU PARTICULARLY ENJOY?
I love being a mentor to my two graphic designers and my photography interns. Both of my designers are young. This is their first job out of college, so they’re learning. For the team’s 25th anniversary campaign, I gave them the bones, and it’s been cool to see how they’ve evolved the idea.
HOW DIFFICULT WERE YOUR PENN COLLEGE CLASSES?
Penn College doesn’t go easy on you, and that’s not a bad thing. It’s a good thing because it prepares you that much more for the real world. Once you’re in the real world, you either know it or you don’t, and you need to learn quickly.
WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER MOST ABOUT PENN COLLEGE?
Real-World Ready
Professional sports leagues have faced a gantlet of challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. But thanks to her role with a team that has resumed its season, Jessica has a clear “picture” of the pandemic has impacted professional sports.
Jessica Tobias
Awards
“She is one of the hardest-working individuals that I know,” her nominator wrote. “She is a great leader and a valuable role model to all. Jess demonstrates what it truly means to be a Penn College student.”
Jessica Tobias
Awards
Students capture Awards
“Penn College had another amazing year at the NEPA American Advertising Awards,” said Nicholas L. Stephenson, instructor of graphic design. “Our students produce incredible design that balances form, function and concept; to have that work recognized by professionals is both an honor and a thrill.”
Three gold awards were earned by Pennsylvania College of Technology graphic design students in the 2020 American Advertising Awards. Clockwise (from upper left): Gavin E. Hain’s “The Downtown Dozen” packaging, Kennedy L. Englert’s “Oh Say Can You She” book design, and Madison P. Shrout’s “The Downtown Dozen” packaging.
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