Vinson began his broadcast career on a Quantel Paintbox at the Weather Channel in 1996, but opened his own home-grown studio in 2000. That same year David met his future partner, Chris Tomberlin, on a Digital Voodoo tech support call. The rest is...history in the making. Vinson’s career is the fulfillment of what desktop video futurists were promising in the early 90s: the emphasis on the artist, not the facility. It’s all about empowerment, quality of work, and quality of life.
Unlike many graphic designers who discovered a career in motion graphics through computers, Vinson is a classically trained artist who spent many years working with traditional materials before jumping on a computer. He studied art in the United States and abroad to earn his BFA and was introduced to computer graphics while learning to set type on a classic Mac. This collision of art and computers helps explain Vinson’s layered design sense—half seamless visual effects and half multi-leveled collage drawn from many influences. But long before computers were on the scene, Vinson developed a passion for movies and visual effects. Like most American kids, he was enthralled by the early work of Lucas and Spielberg. “When I was nine, my dad bought me the illustrated screenplay to Raiders of the Lost Ark. I studied the special effects plates near the back of the book. I was always asking myself ‘how did they do that?’ Next time you're at Outpost's Atlanta office take a look. It's on his shelf to this day.
David has worked on freelance projects over the years for ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, TNT, DirecTV, CN8 The Comcast Network, The Weather Channel, Adobe Systems, Red Giant Software, MTV, Tropical Smoothie, Southern Progress, Russell Athletic, Ted Nugent and the Atlanta Hawks. At Artifact Design he was involved in projects for Time Warner, Universal Studios, UPS, The United States Postal Service, Bridgestone, Raytheon Missile Systems, Ford Motor Company, Little Debbie/Walmart, Moe's Southwest Grill, and The World of Coke. His broadcast accolades include 2 Gold BDAs, 1 Silver Promax, 3 Silver Tellys, 3 Bronze Tellys, and a Silver Mark Award. His work has been included on Adobe, ICE, and Discreet's NAB demo reels. He has taught classes at Sterling Ledet & Associates in Adobe After Effects and Apple Final Cut Pro, been a featured demo artist at NAB, Siggraph, 3December, and has been featured in Film & Video, Millimeter, Video Systems, and DCC Magazine. He was also a contributing writer and featured chapter in Studio Secrets: Adobe Premiere and After Effects.
