Dan Rodney has been a designer and web developer for over 20 years. He creates coursework for Noble Desktop and teaches classes. Dan also writes scripts for InDesign (Make Book Jacket, Proper Fraction Pro, and more) in his spare time. Dan teaches just about anything web, video, coding, or print-related (and more): HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Figma, Sketch, After Effects, Premiere Pro, Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, SQL, Power BI, Data Visualization, Project Management, and more. You can find Dan on X (Twitter), LinkedIn, Facebook, and at danrodney.com.
Subjects taught by Dan Rodney:
Graphic Design, Web Design, Web Development, Motion Graphics, Video Editing, JavaScript, Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, SQL, AI
Animator - Editor - Educator
Jerron has more than 25 years of experience working with graphics and video and expert-level certifications in Adobe After Effects, Premiere Pro, Photoshop, and Illustrator along with an extensive knowledge of other animation programs like Cinema 4D, Adobe Animate, and 3DS Max.
He has authored multiple books and video training series on computer graphics software such as: After Effects, Premiere Pro, Photoshop, Illustrator, and Flash (back when it was a thing).
He has taught at the college level for over 20 years at schools such as NYCCT (New York City College of Technology), NYIT (The New York Institute of Technology), and FIT (The Fashion Institute of Technology).
PERSONAL QUOTE
Welcome to my creative corner! I'm Jerron Smith, a seasoned Motion Graphics and video creator with a passion for teaching and crafting appealing narratives. With a dynamic career spanning over three decades, I've ignited screens, mentored minds, and turned pixels into emotions. As a lifelong learner, I have become certified by Adobe Systems Inc. as an Adobe Certified Video Professional, which is an Adobe Certified Expert in After Effects, Premiere Pro, and Photoshop and Illustrator. Through these experiences I believe I embody the spirit of perpetual learning and innovation. Join me in the realm of boundless creativity and let's collaborate to bring your visual dreams to life! Connect with me and let's embark on a journey of storytelling through pixels and imagination.
EDUCATION
MA in Communication Arts, New York Institute of Technology
BA in Art Education, Queens College of the City University of New York
KNOWLEDGE BASE
Animation & Motion Design, Video Editing, Photography & Videography, Audio Recording & Editing, Rich Media Creation, Project Management, Communication Design History, Media Convergence & Integration, Team-working & Collaboration, Illustration, Web Design & Development, Generative A.I.
PUBLISHED WORKS
Lead Author: After Effects Digital Classroom (John Wiley & Sons)
Lead Author: Premiere Pro Digital Classroom (John Wiley & Sons)
Lead Author: Photoshop Elements 7 Digital Classroom (John Wiley & Sons)
Contributing Author: Illustrator CS4 Digital Classroom (John Wiley & Sons)
Contributing Author: Flash CS4 Digital Classroom (John Wiley & Sons)
Contributing author: Dynamic Learning Photoshop CS (O'Reilly Media)
Contributing author: Dynamic Learning Flash CS3 (O'Reilly Media)
Contributing Author: Adobe Photoshop Elements 3.0 Classroom in a Book (Adobe Press)
Contributing Author: Adobe Premiere Elements 2.0 Classroom in a Book (Adobe Press)
PARTIAL CLIENT LIST
(Just some of the companies I have had the pleasure of working with over the years)
MTV Networks, AFLAC, Medicus Life Brands, AQUENT, Microsoft Corporation, Penguin Putnam, The Black Family Channel, Literary Living LLC, WNET, ECKO, Adobe Systems Inc., Liz Claiborne Inc., Dyson, Latitude Films LLC, Liberty Travel, New York Daily News, Playstation, National Geographic Channel, Discovery Networks, NewBury Comics, MFC Studios, Ned Stevens, BBC America, The Judge Group, ABC's The View
Subjects taught by Jerron Smith:
Motion Graphics, Video Editing, Graphic Design, Premiere Pro, After Effects, TableauCourses taught by Jerron Smith:
After Effects Bootcamp, Premiere Pro Bootcamp, Motion Graphics Certificate, Video Editing, Video Editing & Motion Graphics, Audition, After Effects Advanced, Cinema 4D, Tableau Bootcamp
Art Yudin is a FinTech enthusiast who has a great passion for coding and teaching. Art is the founder and CEO of Practical Programming (a Noble Desktop partner company), a leading training company for aspiring developers and data scientists. Currently, Art develops financial services software and leads classes and workshops at Practical Programming in New York and Chicago.
He is the author of several coding publications including "Building Versatile Mobile Apps with Python and REST with React and Django."
Eugenio Solis de Ovando, M.A. is a Senior Design Instructor at Noble Desktop with more than 20 years of experience in digital graphics and design. He has provided services to advertisement agencies, newspapers, magazines, graphic design agencies, photography studios, universities, editorials, printers, and others.
Eugenio has advanced skills in photography studio, photo retouching, infographics, editorial workflow in publishing, digital color management, prepress, web design, virtual and augmented reality, and virtual productions.
His Professional Certifications include
- Master of Arts in Learning and Emerging Technologies
- Adobe Certified Design Master, Adobe Certified Design Specialist Adobe Visual Design Specialist
- Adobe Certified Expert, Adobe Certified Instructor, and Adobe Certified Associate in Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop Lightroom, Acrobat, Dreamweaver, and Digital Publishing Suite.
Subjects taught by Eugenio Solis de Ovando:
Graphic Design, Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, Web Design, Adobe XD, WordPressCourses taught by Eugenio Solis de Ovando:
Lightroom
Garfield is an experienced software trainer with over 16 years of real-world professional experience. He started as a data analyst with a Wall Street real estate investment company & continued working in the professional development department at New York Road Runners Organization before working at Noble. He enjoys bringing humor to whatever he teaches and loves conveying ideas in novel ways that help others learn more efficiently.
Since starting his professional training career in 2016, he has worked with several corporate clients including Adobe, HBO, Amazon, Yelp, Mitsubishi, WeWork, Michael Kors, Christian Dior, and Hermès.
Outside of work, his hobbies include rescuing & archiving at-risk artistic online media using his database management skills.
Subjects taught by Garfield Stinvil:
Excel, SQL, Tableau, Data Analytics, Data Visualization, PowerPoint, Outlook, Microsoft Office, VBA, AI, Microsoft Access
Subjects taught by Brian McClain:
Web Development, JavaScript, Excel, Data Analytics, Data Science, Python, React
Adebayo "Ade" Norman is a Senior Software Trainer with over 14 years of experience in the classroom. He is a training professional with vast troubleshooting/help desk experience and thousands of hours of software training & delivery experience. His specialty is in the In-person/Online Hybrid training environment needed in these new & changing times.
Subjects taught by Adebayo Norman:
Excel
Colin Jaffe is a programmer, writer, and teacher with a passion for creative code, customizable computing environments, and simple puns. He loves teaching code, from the fundamentals of algorithmic thinking to the business logic and user flow of application building—he particularly enjoys teaching JavaScript, Python, API design, and front-end frameworks.
Colin has taught code to a diverse group of students since learning to code himself, including young men of color at All-Star Code, elementary school kids at The Coding Space, and marginalized groups at Pursuit.
Colin lives in Brooklyn with his wife, two kids, and many intricate board games.
Nicole McCullum is the founder of Captivate Designs, a web design and internet marketing company that helps small businesses establish a professional web presence and generate leads and sales online. She has been involved in web design and internet marketing since 2004 when she founded her first business, a real estate school. Having marketed her first business via the internet with great results, Ms. McCullum decided that she can help other business owners get great results from the internet and she parlayed her experience into a web design and digital marketing company.
Ms. McCullum helps her clients get exposure online and increase traffic to their websites through search engine optimization services and training. As a practitioner of SEO, Ms. McCullum has also worked as an SEO Consultant and SEO Trainer. Ms. McCullum has also trained both entrepreneurs and marketing professionals on how to execute a successful SEO strategy.
Subjects taught by Nicole McCullum:
Social Media Marketing, Digital Marketing, SEO, Google Analytics, Google Ads
Michael is a self-taught designer and educator. Since 2016, he has run the independent design studio Weirdo, working side-by-side with leaders at LinkedIn, Bose, KonMari, Lovevery, IntelyCare, and Lavender AI to clarify their unique value proposition and meaningfully engage their customers.
At Noble Desktop, Michael is an instructor for the UX/UI Design Certificate. Until 2021, he served as an adjunct professor at the City University of New York, where he co-created the user experience curriculum for their workforce training program.
In his former lives, Michael covered arts and culture as a journalist, shipped award-winning museum exhibits and educational games as a digital producer, and co-founded the technology bootcamp review platform SwitchUp (acquired in 2018). Raised in Hong Kong and educated in Vermont, he now lives in Queens, NY with his one partner, two cats, and five video game consoles.
Courses taught by Michael Suen:
UX & UI Design Certificate, Figma Bootcamp, , Figma Masterclass, UX Design Foundations
Christophe Drayton is a self-taught, award-winning UX Designer and Educator with over two decades of experience shaping the future of User Experience, Accessibility, and AI.
He has created and led transformative UX education programs at Thinkful, the City University of New York (CUNY) Workforce Development, and Brooklyn Public Library, opening doors for underrepresented groups in tech who secured roles at top companies like Google, Uber, Citi, and IBM. In the past two years, he delivered innovative curricula introducing AI to The University of Phoenix and LinkedIn Learning.
Beyond education, Christophe’s hands-on experience includes pioneering inclusive design systems and accessibility solutions for public and private sector leaders, including CAL FIRE, the Historic House Trust of New York City, Amazon, and One Kings Lane.
Born and raised in France, Christophe brings a wealth of cross-functional and cross-Atlantic industry knowledge that aims to inspire the next generation of UX professionals through their teaching and mentorship.
Courses taught by Christophe Dayton:
UX & UI Design Certificate, UX Design Foundations, Figma Bootcamp,
With more than 25 years of experience in the digital marketing space, J.J. is a seasoned brand strategist and digital marketer who has worked with multiple industries and companies, including American Express, AT&T, McGraw-Hill, Young & Rubicam Advertising and The New York Times. He holds an MBA in Marketing from NYU’s Stern School of Business and has taught marketing strategy courses as an adjunct professor at Pace University.
J.J. is currently the Managing Partner at Contagency, a digital forward agency that specializes in providing expert strategy, visionary design, analytical insight and results-driven execution for brand building and growth. He is also the co-founder of MyEnergyMarket.com, a new energy price comparison website that helps consumers save on their utility bills.
J.J.is passionate about creating value, solving problems, and leveraging technology for positive impact.
Courses taught by J.J. Coleman:
Digital Marketing Certificate, Social Media Marketing, Marketing Strategy
Stephen teaches classes in the Motion Graphics and Video Editing Certificate programs.
In addition to his work with Noble Desktop, Stephen teaches Nonfiction and Fiction Video Production, Motion Graphics, and Introduction to Film Production to grades 9-12 at LREI, a private K-12 school in New York’s Greenwich Village.
In addition to teaching media classes, he runs his own production company, Indian summer Media. Through ISM he works as a freelance producer, specializing in documentary style films.
Stephen holds a B.A. in Classics from Concordia University in Montreal and an MFA in Screenwriting from Columbia University.
While an accomplished professional his most beloved project has been raising his two young daughters, Margaret and Grace.
Subjects taught by Stephen MacGillivray:
Video Editing, Motion Graphics, After Effects, Premiere Pro
Mourad Kattan is an instructor and Program Director for Business, Finance, & Excel at Noble Desktop, teaching classes and designing courses in Excel, finance, accounting, and financial modeling.
Before Noble Desktop, Mourad worked as a financial analyst at Credit Suisse and H/2 Capital Partners. In those positions, he used advanced analytical and financial skills to evaluate a variety of investments.
Mourad graduated from the University of Pennsylvania summa cum laude and is part of the Beta Gamma Sigma honor's society.
Courses taught by Mourad Kattan:
“MBA” Certificate
Cameron is a dedicated and imaginative creative who moves through the universe, leaving behind a trail of artistic innovation.
His passion for creativity has led him to explore multiple facets of the art world, enabling him to grow as an artist and develop a rich understanding of various creative expressions.
Cameron’s primary focus is teaching others to create meaningful and engaging experiences for users. By emphasizing empathy and placing users at the center of their design process, he aims to foster strong connections and produce user-centric solutions.
Cameron’s imaginative and empathetic approach, combined with his dedication to creating user-focused UX designs, is invaluable. His unique perspective sets him apart and paves the way for a more connected and intuitive digital landscape.
Courses taught by Cameron Stevens:
UX & UI Design Certificate, UI Design Certificate, UX Design Foundations, UI Design Bootcamp
David Karlins is a student of and resource for communication technology, culture, and technique. His recent books include Building Websites All-In-One For Dummies (co-author); Adobe Analytics for Dummies (co-author); HTML5 and CSS3 For Dummies; and Adobe Illustrator CC for Dummies. David is a working UI/UX designer and content developer; creator of online courses syndicated through Cengage Learning and LinkedIn Learning; and Adjunct Professor at the City University of New York (CUNY) and New York University (NYU).
Scott Carson started Noble Desktop in 1990 and has been involved with computer graphics since 1986. He began teaching at Parsons School of Design in 1991, and has been training designers, professionals, and career-changers ever since. Scott is also a horse racing aficionado and runs the largest horse racing contest on the internet, PublicHandicapper.com
Matt has directed a network of over 400 Drupal-based e-commerce websites for independent businesses; assisted several companies in migrating from legacy platforms to Drupal, CiviCRM, and Ruby on Rails; helped develop and maintain partnerships with companies including Google, NPR, and Kobo; and presented educational sessions at international conferences. Matt has a Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from the University of Virginia, where he also taught. At Noble, Matt teaches PHP/MySQL. Matt and his wife run their consulting firm, Augment Digital.
Ethan is a freelance graphic artist with over 20 years of experience in design, illustration and production for books, magazines, websites, environments and mobile devices. He has worked for hundreds of clients big and small including: Food & Wine Magazine, Vogue, Adidas by Pharrell, Calvin Klein, Definitely Midwifery and the Climate Land Ambition Rights Alliance (CLARA). You can see more at ethancornell.com and LinkedIn.
Michele is a freelance digital illustrator and graphic designer. In addition to illustration, she's worked on logo, pattern, and product design for a variety of clients, and she’s been teaching at Noble Desktop since 2010. Her work can be seen on products, in magazines, all over the internet, and on the walls of folks with impeccable taste.