Along with my passion for design and small business, I also make good use of my free time, when I have it, doing the things I love. I play the guitar and I used to play in a band that played some awesome metal music but we eventually all learned that the metal music was a bit of an acquired taste for small venue shows. Before we all grew up and got real jobs, we made a sweet music video and you can find it right here on my site if you look hard enough.
I love all board and action sports, but my passion is wakeboarding. I grew up spending summers at Lake Berryessa, wakeboarding every day and making lifelong friends while doing so. It was a little slice of paradise, where everyone had waterfront properties and drove around in golf carts. During a couple of the summers, I ventured into the competition scene of wakeboarding. Although I met some great people and created countless amazing memories, I eventually veered away from contests and focused more on freestyle riding . I later had some issues with my knee ligaments attempting to retire from the sport, but after a 2006 knee surgery, my new ACL was easily persuaded to try again. In 2005, I made the Hyperlite B Team as a member of the NorCal Hyperlite Wakeboarding Team. The NorCal Hyperlite team riders are some of the most talented and awesome people in this area and I am learning from every one of them.
Besides wakeboarding, I also love to snowboard, skateboard, and I am currently in the process of learning how to surf. If you have ever tried it, you know what I am going through. It takes me twice as long to paddle out and I just get drilled by waves the whole time I am out there. I have a lot of great friends that are really good at surfing and they don't seem to cut me much slack but I am sure it will pay off someday. When I'm not doing any of the previously mentioned activities, you can most likely find me working or attempting to catch up on sleep. Eventually I hope to get back into the 8-hour sleep schedule, but for now, five will just have to do.
I went to school at California State University, Monterey Bay where I started my design journey. I was able to turn a hobby of mine into a career by using the tools and techniques I learned there. It was an amazing experience and I would recommend CSUMB to anybody. Most of my classes had less than 20 students in them, so I was able to get quality help and attention from the professors. I believe this hands-on experience is what's missing from other CSU campuses. I was taken under the wing of Pat Watson who had an eye for creativity and hard work. He worked me to the bone, and at times I thought he was more machine than human, but his ideas and motivation inspired me during, and well after, graduation in 2008.
I started freelance work for the most innovative water sports company in the industry, H.O. Sports, shortly after graduation. I have loved the company's wake products from the beginning and I have a deep respect for all the people I work for. Freelancing was a cool ride at the time but I had to start looking for a full-time gig to get me off the payroll as a line cook at a restaurant. Believe me when I tell you that although I love cooking and eating (which was mainly what my job consisted of), it had the unfortunate effect of leaving my belly fuller and wallet thinner than I liked. Two weeks after my job search began I got a call from a company in Palo Alto, CA called mSpot. Its niche is cell phone applications and the people are a ton of fun. I started out as a production assistant and it felt great to finally be out of college and a part of the professional working world. The only catch? I was still living in Monterey which equated to one hell-of-a commute! I was out of the house at 4:45 AM and got back at 8:30 at night.
I soon learned that with Wi-Fi I was able to use the endless train commuting hours to teach myself web development and advanced 3D techniques. After I had a full toolbox in web design and development, I gathered some contract web development positions. After about a year I stepped up to a graphic design position at mSpot and I made the inevitable move to Campbell, CA with my girlfriend of five years, Kathryn.
We live right upstairs from a breakfast place in downtown Campbell and enjoy the delicious aroma of bacon every morning. We are right in the heart of Campbell's historic downtown and are just a five minute walk from restaurants, bars, and the light rail station, which makes my daily commute just under half an hour!!
Since the move I have continued to learn and take on many more web, design, and 3D jobs, with the ultimate goal of starting my own graphic and advertising agency. If you are still reading this, I admire your perseverance…I am sorry to ramble, but I'm excited about all the projects I have going on and couldn't help but share! Hit me up at jeffpearsall@gmail.com if you need some design work done or just want drop a line.