Jen Pennington ∼ Creative Director
As owner and creative director of Rhizome Design, Inc., Jen brings a unique perspective to the marketing arena. Trained as a fine artist, and graphic designer, Jen’s work reflects her keen appreciation of both disciplines. Her consideration of color and ability to incorporate design elements that push the creative envelope, reflects her conviction that marketing is an art form as well as a business process.
Prior to starting Rhizome, Jen was the Creative Director for Quebecor Interactive, the software arm of the printing giant. Jen has also led seminars for Hewlett Packard’s printer development teams and the Washington State School Public Relations Association. A guest lecturer on art processes for multimedia conferences and a contributor to the University of Washington School of Business outreach programs, her eclectic pre-Rhizome portfolio includes work for Columbia-Tri-Star, Warner Bros., Paramount Pictures, New Line Cinema, Twentieth Century Fox, The Disney Store, Microsoft Corporation, and The Metropolitan Opera House.
Jen earned her BFA with Honors from the School of Visual Arts in New York City. As a fine artist, she has produced and designed professional stage productions for New York’s off-Broadway theater and received the New York Metropolitan Transit Authority’s “Art for Transit” program grant. Her works have been exhibited in galleries in New York and Los Angeles and are held in private collections throughout the United States and Europe.
A designer who is not afraid to get her hands dirty, Jen completed the Forest Stewardship Certification program for property on Whidbey Island she owns with husband, photographer Robert J. Pennington. Once the weekday design tools are put away, you can find Jen trading them in for bigger power tools every weekend amidst the mud, dust and debris while working on their green home project.
Jen is also the marketing chair as part of the leadership board for the Network for Business Innovation and Sustainability (NBIS).
Favorite Color: Depends on the day.
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James McGrath ∼ Web Developer
A native of London, James has made his home in the Pacific Northwest for the past thirteen years, where he lives with his beautiful American wife Jennifer (no, not Rhizome Jen). Having worked for several years in accounting James returned to college to follow his passion for technology. While completing his studies, one of his college tutors pointed him in the direction of a Rhizome internship. He has never left. Drawn to the Internet as a simple and effective outlet for a myriad of creative mediums, James integrates his passion for imaginative solutions with his sensibilities as a technology genius. Always excited by exploring and making use of the latest Web technologies and applications, he is a firm believer in not using technology for technology’s sake. Simple, effective and creative solutions drive his technology for Rhizome projects. James enjoys riding bikes that are too small for him, singing out of tune, long walks, animation in all its forms, spending far too much time on the Internet, and explaining to people that he is not Australian.
James coordinates all Web site design and development, client training and support, on/off site technical support and training, Web database management, and IT support. His skills and knowledge include:
- HTML/XHTML
- Cascading Style Sheets
- JavaScript
- PHP
- MySQL
- ASP
- Flash
- Cross platform coding (PC/MAC) for the Web
Favorite piece of code: phpinfo()
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Robert J. Pennington ∼ Photographer
A photographer who understands both the creative and technical details of his craft, Bob knows how to finesse images to achieve stunning end results. His artistic touch and professional know-how puts even the most challenging projects into perspective, allowing them to flow seamlessly and smoothly through post-production. Bob’s 20 years of experience has lead him to become a well-respected photographer understanding both conventional and digital imaging. His grasp of color management allows images to translate easily from print to Web with the same commitment to color quality. While Bob is a specialist in object-oriented photography, he has a flair for fashion and a keen eye for capturing the elegance of fine automobiles. His personal love of landscapes goes beyond the conventional borders of a photographic print. Bob’s environmental studies have led him to explore the grand scale of panorama and 360-degree vistas imaging.
Bob received his BFA from the University of Utah where his appreciation for landscapes converged with his geographical explorations of the West. Currently, he is a Seattle-based photographer, working with clients such as Bank of America, Eli Lilly, Hewlett-Packard, FedEx, Synrad, Melles Griot, MSN Autos, Butch Blum, SK Food Group and Elegant Gourmet. Bob is co-owner and lead photographer for Rhizome Images, a boutique stock photography library.
Favorite time to shoot: Sunrise