Business Outreach Chair

Jay Ganaden runs a commercial photography studio serving Graphic Designers, Retailers, and Advertising Agencies. That’s the official pitch anyhow. The truth is Jay is curious about a lot of things, including Design.

Jay sought out AIGA to help answer a nagging “big picture” question of how an image contributes to or reinvents a Brand. In doing so, he found an amazingly fun, charismatic, open, and collaborative culture who were interested in sharing ideas on running a Design business, and exploring the Design profession’s boundaries and growth.

Jay serves as the Membership Chair, and in Summer 2008 will take on another Board term as Business Outreach Chair. He’s a Connector from Gladwell’s Tipping Point, a relentless networker at AIGA events, and will probably invite you to his hundreds of connections on LinkedIn. Jay also started the unofficial AIGA SF Facebook group and makes random updates to it for fun.

It wasn’t always this way. Jay graduated from the Red McCombs School of Business at University of Texas in 1995, and immediately pursued a career in Management Consulting. It was a great ride that took him through the abundant feast of the dotcoms. In 2002, he “took the red pill” and decided to become a Photographer. Today Jay shoots campaigns for GAP, Cost Plus World Market, Sephora, Sharper Image and several Design studios.

Jay and his amazing wife Cindy, have a beautiful daughter Ava Blu, a snugly Boston Terrier Penny, and together live in the sunny hills of Oakland. In addition to running a commercial photography studio, Jay also teaches at Academy of Art University, runs the SF Chapter of Flashes of Hope, and tries to race bicycles for Metromint Cycling when he can.