Pittsburgh Innovates

IKM Incorporated—Architects, Planners & Interior Designers is a Pittsburgh firm that offers architectural, planning and interior design services to companies in the mid-Altantic region. The firm has three staff position openings: architect I, project manager and architectural intern III & Illustrator.
 
The architect position is a full-time registered position and requires a professional with experience on institutional-type projects. The project manager should have 8-12 years of project management experience and a degree or master’s degree in architecture. The intern, full-time, is for an architecture grad on the path to licensure with three to five years of experience.
 
Social Media Information(SMI), developers of B2B information solutions for companies, is hiring two: a lead software developer and sales executive for their office on the North Shore. The firm is looking for a programmer to lead its development team on day-to-day coding for the front and backend systems that power SMI’s data-gathering and analysis systems.
 
The ideal sales professional will generate leads and new customer revenue targeting small and medium-sized business customers. Inside sales or field-based selling experience is required, plus a B.A. or B.S. degree.
 
West Penn Allegheny Health System is hiring a senior data analyst, quality and patient safety. The job entails facilitating activities to improve patient safety and the best clinical outcomes within the hospital setting. The provider seeks at least five years of data/business analysis experience.
 
UPMC on the South Side is hiring a systems analyst, intermediate report writer who will help support the Acceleration Epic Initiative Dept. This involves experience in analytical and or programming and IT experience.
 
The Resumator, which helps companies with their hiring needs, is hiring a director of customer success, director of product management and a sales intern.
 
Pittsburgh life sciences company Omnyx is advertising four positions: regulatory affairs specialist, principal scientist, principal quality engineer and project compliance and purchasing.
 
Wrtier: Deb Smit

Cranberry-based TrueFit is gearing up for major growth following the news that the firm has acquired downtown-based Gist Design.
 
Bringing two Pittsburgh companies together really is a true fit, as the name implies. TrueFit assists companies by bringing disruptive new innovations and products to market. Gist is all about the creation of beautifully designed products, says Christopher Evans, vice president of TrueFit.
 
“This speaks to the collaborative nature of Pittsburgh. It’s a great win,” he says.
 
Gist, founded in 2002 by a team of designers from CMU’s School of Design, has worked with some of the world’s leading technology companies including Samsung, Precor and Kodak. 
 
The two companies have worked together on several projects. TrueFit tapped Gist’s design and research savvy on projects with BodyMedia, recently acquired by Jawbone, and Watson Institute in Pittsburgh.
 
We found that we were comfortable working together in the tech space, especially mobile apps and commercial web applications, Evans says. Going forward, the firm plans to focus on opportunities in the healthcare tech space.
 
TrueFit, currently based in Cranberry Woods, plans to move and expand its downtown footprint; hiring is expected. The company will keep the TrueFit name and its message of innovation. The firm plans to open new offices in key cities around the country.
 
“This is the beginning of a period of tremendous growth if we play our cards properly,” says Evans. “This really just scratches the surface of what we can accomplish. It’s a wonderful opportunity; we are very committed to the region.”
 
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
 
Writer: Deb Smit
Source: Christopher Evans, TrueFit

The Pittsburgh Technology Council’s 5^th Annual Design, Art and Technology (DATA) Awards celebrated, as it does each year, the intersection of art and technology design with a lineup of the region’s most creative startups.
 
This year's event gave off a surreal glow, although maybe it was the fog machine and the light filtering through the stained glass windows into The Priory’s Grand Hall on the Northside.
 
“It’s a great event for showcasing innovations with an art twist and sharing it with a wider audience,” said Paul Fireman of Fireman Creative whose firm took away a DATA in the Media Arts category.

“There were a lot of companies this year that I hadn’t heard of and that's a good thing because it means the group of participating companies is growing.” 
 
New this year was an interactive element that allowed the public to vote and determine the winners, along with a jury of experts.
 
The public voting was an important piece, said Audrey Russo, president of PTC. It not only encouraged engagement with civic and business leaders but gave the artistic and creative communities a voice in the process.
 
“We are continually pleased and surprised, with the breadth and number of individuals, and organizations, that actively participated,” said Russo. “The rapid proliferation of the expectation of democratization of information reminded us that wider voices are an imperative."
  
The 2013 winners were:
 
i-CON: Apps & Information Architecture Award – Highmark + United Concordia: Chomper Chums

Next Generation: Kids & Creative Technology Award – The Center for Creativity: TransformED

Maker: Design & Art Award – Teletrix: Radiation Training Simulators

Media Arts: Interactive + Multimedia Award – Fireman Creative: Ricky’s Dream Trip
 
Joystick: Gaming Award – Schell Games + Yale University: PlayForward

Student Award – Carnegie Mellon University: Floria

People’s Choice Award – WQED Multimedia + SLB Radio Productions: iQ Kids Radio

Writer: Deb Smit
Source: PTC

Local government goes open source with a nationwide event that will be held the weekend of June 1-2.
 
The Pittsburgh version is Thinkathon, part of the National Day of Civic Hacking, an event that will bring together software developers, entrepreneurs and interface designers to collaboratively build and invent new solutions from publically released data.
 
It’s not much different from the codefests, hackathons and innovation events that go on in our region, explains Paul Burke, cofounder of innovation consultancy and commercial accelerator ThinkTiv.
 
What sets it apart is it draws on the government’s robust database, which will open the door for the creation of new cool tools we can all use.
 
“There’s a lot of buzz around data initiatives calling for government to open this up and make it available,” says Burke. “The city and county’s goal is to go faithfully into this process and build bridges that will improve the region.”
 
The weekend is shaping up around several ideas. Among them are the creation of mobile apps and online tools to provide logical solutions for transit. Another is a platform that will assist the parks department with inventory control and/or tools to reserve public resources.
 
Another idea is to generate a solution around bike routes. Or a consumer services solution that takes a fresh look at previous platforms that have been developed to help the Public Works department identify potholes, plow streets or manage the parking meters.
 
Thinkathon came about out of a collaboration between Mayor Luke Ravenstahl's office, Allegheny County, Pittsburgh DataWorks and BuiltinPgh and RustBuilt.
 
Burke is joined in the undertaking by Kit Mueller. Both are co-founders of Rustbuilt and BuiltinPittsburgh, organizations that are working cooperatively to encourage the growth of the region’s innovation community.
 
Mueller, from Sewickley, and Burke, from upstate New York, met over a cup of coffee in Pittsburgh and decided to join forces and begin looking for ways to support the region’s growing startup community.
 
The event will leverage the expertise and entrepreneurial spirit of those outside federal, state and local government to drive meaningful, technology-based solutions for federal, state and local government, says Burke. It also offers participants a chance to work with other creative thinkers and be a part of a nationwide effort to improve government through technology. 
 
We want to make sure Pittsburgh has an opportunity to shine alongside the other participating cities across the county, says Mueller.
 
Writer: Deb Smit
Source: Paul Burke and Kit Mueller, Thinkathon

Each week Pop City reports on the latest in company and hiring news.
 
Safaba, a tech company that uses machine translation to help global enterprises localize and transcend the language barrier, is hiring four in leading product development, project delivery, marketing and sales. The positions include: sales lead, research scientist, senior software engineer and senior MT software engineer.
 
Carnegie Speech, developers of software that assesses and improves the pronunciation of non-native English speakers, is looking for a software engineer to help develop and maintain its language teaching products.
 
The Environmental Charter School in Regent Square has openings for 20 positions, many for teachers. ECS especially needs a bookkeeper and office manager. Note that applicants are urged to apply by May 15, which is today! Click here for further information.
 
Powercast is developing radio wave energy, harvesting technology that is breaking new ground in the remote and wireless power industry by increasing the efficiency of converting radio waves into DC power over a wide operating range. Powercast is hiring an electrical engineer.

Bossa Nova Robotics, a Carnegie Mellon spinoff, which recently pivoted its focus from robotic toys to personalized robotic products for the world, has three openings in R&D for an embedded software developer, localization/ navigation scientist and software engineer.

Aethon, a leader in autonomous mobile robot delivery technology in healthcare, is looking for an electrical design engineer to help develop advanced robotic vehicle electronics, controls and systems for autonomous mobile robotic vehicles. 
 
EDMC, a provider of post-secondary education across a wide range of careers, is hiring a director of business analysis and reporting, someone with strong computer literacy skills and experience with financial software programs.

Think Through Learning, a provider of online math tutoring for students, is hiring two math editors and a content development intern.

Have hiring news? Email Pop City and include the career links. Check previous Pop City listings too!

Writer: Deb Smit

Strip District-based 4Moms was the setting for the Innovation Works annual meeting last night, a celebration of milestones achieved by the region’s early-stage investment firm.
 
The largest crowd ever—500 by all estimates—milled about the headquarters of the growing high-tech, baby gear company, now at 88 employees. The treat of the night was a tour of the digs and a sneak peak of what’s to come: a robotic car seat, a lighter weight stroller and an infant chair with the gentle sway of a mother.
 
Those of you who believed that startups could fuel the region’s economy are here tonight, Henry Thorne of 4Moms told the crowd. When small companies grow into large companies and succeed, jobs are created. 
 
The theme, “Made by Entreprenuers,” told the story of some of Pittsburgh’s brightest new companies. Apply for a job today and chances are the listing is generated by The Resumator. IBM’s data analysis efforts are taking place in their Squirrel Hill office, once the startup Vivisimo. threeRivers 3D is making strides as one of the nation’s highest volume manufacturers of 3D scanners. FutureDerm, an AlphaLab startup, sold out of its first product in just three weeks.
 
“We have to feel really good that Pittsburgh is on the right track,” said Rich Lunak, Innovation Works CEO and president. Especially with a company like 4Moms that is building a consumer brand that may one day rival Apple.
 
Prior to the meeting, Lunak shared a major announcement. A new alliance has been formed in the region to commercialize technology coming out of the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) with several collaborative partners. Lab research will be conducted in Pittsburgh; the alliance will be headed by NETL and Michele Migliuolo, commercialization alliance manager with IW. 
 
Looking back, this was a good year for job growth and revenues earned by the current crop of companies, Lunak reflected. New products were launched. Strategic partnerships are underway that include a new manufacturing accelerator, AlphaLab Gear. 
 
Looking forward, the agile hardware sector will be a real strength for the region. While software and Internet companies are a strong sector locally, expect energy and advanced materials to make their mark, he said.
 
Among the other highlights:
 
IW invested $4.8 million in technology companies in 2012. By comparison, IW invested $4.9 million in 2011 and $4.6 million  in 2010.
 
IW’s seed fund and accelerator companies accounted for 65% of all Pittsburgh companies raising venture rounds, and were successful in attracting nearly $209 million from VCs, angels, corporate/strategic investors and other sources.
 
Of the follow-on funding, $99 million (45%) came from venture capital and the other largest share of $73 million (35%) came from angel investors.
 
583 jobs were created in the region and retained attributed to IW assistance.

Watch the Innovation Works video. Read the 2012 Annual Report here.
 
Writer: Deb Smit
Source: Innovation Works

Educational games should be fun as well as instructive, which is what Digital Dream Labs is all about.
 
Founded by an ambitious trio, all grads of Carnegie Mellon Entertainment Technology Center, the team got its start in the museum space with an interactive table installed at the Children’s Museums of Pittsburgh and Houston. The startup is currently in Innovation Works' Alpha Lab. 
 
“Our initial goal was to build a game that would be, one day, the Nintendo of museum gaming,” says Matt Stewart, co founder of the company. He is joined by Justin Sabo and Peter Kinney.
 
The team is in the throes of creating a consumer version of its museum game. To move it along, they have launched a Pilot Program for Pittsburgh, giving local kids, ages four to 12, a chance to offer feedback and purchase it at a discounted price.
 
The game is expected to go on sale for $100. Beta testers will pay $80. In return for  play testing, beta players will get their name in the game credits and receive a free retail upgrade when the product goes on the market.
 
The toy-to-tablet educational platform calls on players to use logic, sequencing, teamwork and fine-motor skills to master the puzzle through digital action. The skills learned are the basis for computational thinking, says Sabo.
 
The game, tentatively named “Cork the Volcano,” is played as an add-on to an iPad or Mac. The hardware includes a block tray and puzzle pieces. As children play, they learn to write simple programs with the puzzle pieces as they solve logic puzzles. The ultimate goal is to save the island; timing is key.
 
“We’ve been trying to figure out how to bridge tech and education in a meaningful way,” says Sabo. “It will definitely change how people look at educational games for children.”
 
The plan is to build momentum and make a big splash at Toy Fair 2014.
 
Watch it in action!
 
Writer: Deb Smit
Source: Matt Stewart, Justin Sabo, Digital Dream Labs

Image courtesy of Digital Dream Labs. From From left to right: Justin Sabo, Corinne Charlton, Matt Stewart and Peter Kinney. 
 

School projects today certainly aren’t what they used to be. They are way more exciting.

With do-it-yourself robotic technology from BirdBrain Technologies, a CMU spinout, it won’t be long until the stationary diorama is transformed into an action-packed drama.
 
Founder Tom Lauwers is creating kits with all the electronics one needs to build a robot and become an aspiring roboticist. It will take high school projects to the next level.

Originally from San Francisco, Lauwers has spent the last five years working on his doctorate in product design at CMU’s CREATE Lab, tinkering with robot kits and electronics. His goal is to create educationally relevant tools that get high school and college students excited about the world of robotics.
 
His first product, Finch, was a stingray-shaped robot that detects orientation and entertains students while teaching them the finer points of interactive programming. It is currently being used as part of high school science curriculums.
 
The Hummingbird kit is low-cost hardware and software system that allows students to build expressive and communicative robots out of arts and crafts materials. Lauwers points to a project on the table, made from not much more than circuitry and wiring, a few cardboard boxes, foam board and construction paper.
 
“It’s intentionally made not like a toy so people feel empowered to mess with electronics,” he explains “It’s not magical or hard. Once you have something anyone can buy, people will use it in ways you don’t expect.”
 
BirdBrain is manufacturing the kits in China. Many are already being used in public and private schools.
 
The company is one of many up for an award at the 2013 DATA Awards on Thursday night, May 16^th, on the North Side. General admission tickets for $25 are available starting at 7 p.m.
 
Writer: Deb Smit
Source: Tom Lauwers, BirdBrain Technologies

Each week Pop City reports on the latest in company hiring news.
 
What began with creative inspiration—and the purchase of Pittsburgh-based Freemarkets—is Ariba today, a software and IT company with an office in Pittsburgh. Ariba is hiring 12 in a range of positions, including a customer support specialist who can speak Mandarin Chinese.
 
The positions include: IT support positions and engineers, tax analysts, electronic supplier integration manager, staff accountant and several internships in IT support, technical support and customer support.
 
Branding Brand on the South Side, creators of mobile apps that power major retailers in the country, is looking for six people: account manager, director of sales, iOS developer, project manager, software engineer and web developer.
 
Premier Innovations Group, the Strip District importer of private label liquors, including Clique vodka, is looking for web developer to enhance the fast-growing company’s online presence.
 
Oakland-based Wombat Security Technologies is seeking five people for an array of jobs, with immediate need of an experienced product manager to strategically and tactically manage their products. Other positions include a channel manager, technical support rep. software developer and sales associate.
 
SMC Business Council, an organization that pools resources to assist smaller businesses, has two open positions at its Pittsburgh office: a director of the SMC Insurance Agency and a staff accountant for the council. The director job requires a BS in business or related field plus seven years of relevant work experience.
 
And finally, radio station WESA is looking for a general assignment multimedia reporter and weekend host, someone who is well informed in a wide range of topics and current events, especially as it pertains to Pittsburgh.

Have hiring news? Email Pop City!
 
Writer: Deb Smit

Bringing manufacturing back to Pittsburgh—and in a bigger way the U.S.—is the idea behind a new hardware and robotic accelerator being rolled out by Innovation Works this week.
 
Alphalab Gear will nurture physical product startups in the same way its nationally acclaimed sister organization, AlphaLab, has strengthened the region’s growing software sector, says Ilana Diamond, director of the new program.
 
The former president and CEO of Sima Products, an international electronics accessories company that successfully exited upon its purchase by New York-based Arista Enterprises, Diamond believes manufacturing companies in the U.S. can be competitive on a global scale if they receive the support they need early on.
 
“We want to do more than just build companies, we want to create a stronger infrastructure of manufacturing here in Western Pennsylvania,” she says. “I absolutely believe manufacturing can be profitable in the U.S. The key is to start in the U.S. and keep it in the U.S.”
 
Following the AlphaLab model, Alphalab Gear will accept seven to 10 companies for each class cycle. Startups will receive $25,000 or $50,000 in investment from IW in exchange for 5% or 9% equity.
 
Companies will receive free legal and accounting services, a membership to TechShop in Bakery Square and access to additional equipment within the Alphalab Gear workspace, a 10,000 square-foot space to be determined.
 
Startups with a robotics focus will receive funding, and possible follow-on investment, from Startbot, a new investment and service firm founded by Josh McElhattan.
 
The former director of business development for Oakdale-based Industrial Scientific, McElhattan encouraged Industrial Scientific to support Startbot as an affiliate program for early-stage robotics companies.
 
“Pittsburgh has a tremendous knowledge base in robotics and advanced manufacturing,” says McElhattan. “We want to combine the real strengths of the region with not just funding but mentorship, guidance and great contacts in engineering, supply and design areas to help companies gain traction.”
 
While the idea of a hardware accelerator program is not new, few have keeping the companies local as a goal, adds Diamond.
 
“Pittsburgh has the perfect ecosystem for manufacturing,” she says. “Let’s start local and stay local.”
 
Writer: Deb Smit
Source: Ilana Diamond and Josh McElhattan, AlphaLab Gear and Startbot

When Rebecca Gaynier launched iTwixie, the mother of three girls hoped to create an online space where girls could confidently and honestly express themselves—and send a message to companies who cater to tween-age girls.

The social media partnership is taking off. Now in its fourth year, iTwixie has established itself as a positive voice in social media for young girls, ages 7-12. The firm recently relaunched its website, which is attracting10,000 unique views a month.  Substantial growth in the next three years is projected, says Gaynier.

For the AlphaLab startup company, the measure of success is about engaging young girls who come to the colorful website and stay for a solid period, long enough to post comments and vote on pressing issues of the day. On average, girls spend at least 10 minutes on iTwixie, which may not sound like much but is actually a lifetime for girls this age.

“It’s a new era for clients in this marketplace,” Gaynier explains. “Kids today are looking at three screens at the same time. We’re getting comments and feedback, which shows they are captivated. That’s what we’re really looking for.”

The power of the iTwixie platform is the candid feedback that young girls offer to companies and services that want to know what they’re thinking. Many of the products out there for tween girls really stink, says Gaynier. As a business, we’re empowering girls to send a message to companies that says this is what we want.

For example, when Abercrombie began selling pushup bikini bras targeted for seven-year-olds, iTwixie girls expressed their disapproval. When asked what kind of bathing they prefer to wear, they confirmed they preferred bathing suits that stay on in the pool and are brightly colored to one that makes them look like a teenager.

“It’s not what girls want,” says Gaynier.

Companies engage iTwixie because they want to send young girls a message and hear back from them. Robert Morris, for example, recently hired iTwixie to organize a series that would send a message that RMU is a magnet school for girls empowerment.

We only work with organizations, businesses or brands who share our mission to empower girls, says Gaynier. Actually, there's quite a few out there.

“There’s a payoff in this,” she says.

Writer: Deb Smit
Source: Rebecca Gaynier, iTwixie

An independent film production company is shooting an extreme pogo sports film in and around Braddock this week with some of the world’s most daring pogo athletes.
 
Be warned, leaping tall walls in a single bound is not for your springy vintage stick.
 
Xpogo LLC, a NYC sports marketing firm, is generating interest for the extreme pogo craze and filming in such far-flung locales as Rio and Hong Kong. So why Braddock?
 
We wanted a gritty, industrial backdrop, says Nick Ryan, Xpogo CEO and a graduate of CMU. Carrie Furnace and Carnegie Music Hall are the perfect metaphor for a sport like pogo that is in the throes of reinvention.
 
As part of the celebration, the film company is throwing Braddock a free-to-the-public community event tonight, May 8^th, from 5 to 9 p.m., with exhibitions by seven of the word’s best extreme pogo athletes. There will also be pogo stick raffles, clinics, BBQ from Kevin Sousa’s Union Pig and Chicken, drink, and music.
 
Like skateboarding, extreme pogo goes well with concrete and walls. The newer air and band-powered sticks are made for height and durability, able to break the upper atmosphere and propel over parked cars.
 
Check out the wild, leaping gnome-like action here.
 
Writer: Deb Smit
Source: Nick Ryan, Xpogo

Each week Pop City reports on the latest in company in hiring news.

Interactive tech company Songwhale is hiring developers, engineers and product managers. Check it out!

The University of Pittsburgh Press is hiring an editorial director, a creative person with at least 10 years of experience in scholarly publishing. A bachelor’s degree is required and graduate degree is a plus. This is a senior executive position.
 
DeepLocal is posting seven jobs including four internships: a part-time copywriting summer intern, visual design intern, mobile development intern and a software engineering intern. Other open positions include: android mobile developer (intermediate), iOS mobile developer (intermediate) and web developer (intermediate).
 
Lunametrics in the South Side is hiring an online media strategist, a content manager to create link bait and other SEO-related content for customers.  The job will involve working with the client’s social media in order to enhance rankings, but also involves several other skill sets. It requires someone who can embrace variety and flourish in it.
 
The World Affairs Council is hiring a program coordinator. The ideal candidate should be interested in international affairs. The position involves planning of education programs for middle school and high school students and teachers on a range of global issues.
 
Calgon Carbon Corp. is hiring an associate field service engineer for its Coraopolis office. The company manufactures and services products that generate high power Ultraviolet (UV) light used in disinfection and Oxidation processes (OX).
 
Point Park University is hiring a marketing and public relations coordinator with experience in marketing, arts marketing or working in higher education. Familiarity with social networking and social media marketing practices is a plus.

Carnegie Mellon University is looking for a media tech specialist for its Academic Technologies Services group, a person who specializes in video production and post-production. Qualified candidates are those able to coordinate all aspects of video production in capturing academic courses and special events.
 
The Pittsburgh’s Mayors Office of Service and Civic Engagement has extended the application deadline for Americorps Vista to May 17th. All positions are a one year service commitment to serve the city’s neighborhoods and youth. 

Have hiring news? Email Pop City and send the online link to the job.
 
Writer: Deb Smit

Growing up, Jay Whitacre had a dream. He wanted to work for NASA, a dream he realized upon receiving his doctorate from University of Michigan when he landed a job with the Jet Propulsion in California.
 
Life was good and the work was exciting, for awhile, he says. Then he began thinking about the global energy crisis and started doing the math. He realized the demand for energy would well exceed the energy the world had in ready supply, he says.
 
With that, research commenced on a sustainable, scalable, cost-competitive energy storage system and Aquion Energy was born. The year was 2008. It came together with assistance from a company in California that agreed to allow the research to take place at CMU.
 
“Many universities don’t allow this kind of interaction, which I think is a mistake,” Whitacre told an audience at a recent Project Olympus Open House on CMU’s campus. “This is a decade long project, based on speculation and risk. It’s a long drawn out process.”
 
As the research ensued, the need to integrate renewals like wind and solar with the energy grid through an energy storage solution became apparent. The search was on for a system that not only proved to be environmentally adaptable, but promised a long life and was completely reliable.
 
“Energy technology is all about the cost,” he adds. “We had a lot of technical things to overcome.”
 
In April, Aquion announced a $35 million round of venture funding with backing from several investors including Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates who believes in the need for a “battery miracle” to support the growth of renewable energy.  Gates has funded three battery-startup firms to date.
 
The company was also named one of 50 Disruptive Companies 2013 by the MIT Technology Review.
 
The Aquion solution uses seawater and magnesium oxide, creating a utility-scale, temperature tolerant technology that can endure 5,000+ charging cycles with 85% efficiency. The sodium-ion solution makes the batteries environmentally-friendly, minus the toxic chemicals contained in acid and alkaline-based batteries or the problems associated with lithium ion units.

Apparently, it's also edible, according to the Wall Street Journal.
 
With a battery factory underway on the former Sony site in Westmoreland County, Aquion hopes to roll out the first batteries within a year. The plant is expected to generate 400+ skilled manufacturing and engineering jobs. The company headquarters, based in Lawrenceville in an old railcar building, employs 127 people.
 
The dream now? Build it in Pittsburgh and replicate the factory in other parts of the world, says Whitacre.
 
Writer: Deb Smit
Source: Jay Whitacre, Aquion Energy

Jim Rugg was a doodler most of his life, a pastime he figured was a side effect of his own boredom, “an escape hatch from a mundane life in suburbia.”

Then he heard a TED lecture on the art of doodling by Sunni Brown and realized his drawings were a form of inspiration, his own creative processing of the pop culture-saturated world around him.

“I grew up in a small town where culture was the local video store,” he says. “I’m informed by junk culture, toys and old television, old comics and genre movies, professional wrestling, a lot of low-brow junk entertainment.”

Rugg has parlayed his art into commercial successes on several levels. A comic artist, illustrator and graphic designer working in Pittsburgh, his clients include Marvel Entertainment, DC Comics, New York Magazine, VH1. His work has been feted by several national illustration organizations as well.

This month, his fourth graphic novel arrives, “Supermag,” a reflection on the current state of print media, supported through grants from The Heinz Endowments and The Pittsburgh Foundation. It joins his previous book, "Afrodisiac," "The Plain Janes" and "Street Angel." 

But that's not all. In early 2012, Rugg and two friends launched a biweekly podcast on Boing Boing called “Tell Me Something I Don’t Know.” The show features interviews with creatives—comic artists, writers and filmmakers—who discuss their work, the inspiration behind it and the nuts and bolts of the business. 

Rugg’s collaborators are equally accomplished artists from Pittsburgh, Jasen Lex and Ed Piskor. Lex is at work on a graphic novel of his own, “Washington Unbound.” Piskor is the cartoonist behind “Wizzywig” and the upcoming “Brain Rot/ Hip Hop Family Tree,” an exhaustive history of hip hop told through cartoons, soon to be released by Fantagraphics Books.
 
“Tell Me” was inspired by a class offered by Pittsburgh Center for the Arts’ Flight School, which teaches the principals of business to artists, says Rugg. The latest episode is an interview with Jesse Schell, the founder and creative force behind Schell Games.

Many of our guests are connected to our comic world, says Rugg. Their first episode featured Gary Groth, publisher of Fantagraphic Books and founder of the Comics Journal who worked early on with Hunter S. Thompson.

“Each program varies. We’re always looking for people doing something outside the norm, someone coming through Pittsburgh or someone we’ve met,” he says.

Pittsburgh has been very supportive as a community to comics, he adds. “This area has a rich history in comic art, which goes back to Andy Warhol.  Comics are very welcome here.”
 
Writer: Deb Smit
Source: Jim Rugg