Jonathan Weiss has joined First Arriving as an Animator and Motion Graphics Artist. Weiss brings over 17 years of design experience and almost 10 years of experience in the fire service. Weiss will focus on using his animation skills in video production projects, which will diversify the content First Arriving will be able to create for clients. His experience in the fire service will provide clients with the right custom creative solution for their recruitment and marketing needs.
After Weiss released his short film, “The Call,” which highlighted the volunteer fire service and has been viewed more than half a million times, First Arriving actively sought to bring Weiss onto the team. “It was a personal statement piece and I expected it to vanish into the great void that is the internet,” Weiss said. “It took off like wildfire and spread.” With Weiss officially on the team, this is exactly the type of custom creative solutions First Arriving will continue to provide for clients.
“We have been fortunate enough to collaborate with Jon on a handful of projects this year and from the jump we were impressed with his talent for animation and his passion for the fire service,” First Arriving Director of Marketing Nicole Newville said. “He is the perfect addition to our multimedia team.”
Weiss has been working as a full-time freelance animator since 2007. He earned his MFA in narrative animation from the Design & Technology program at the Parsons School of Design in New York in 2007. Weiss started working for his local fire department in 2010 and currently serves as the Fire Chief. In his spare time, he is a fire service instructor at the Vermont Fire Academy. Weiss enjoys the opportunity to work with First Arriving to use his professional experience in animation and volunteer experience.
“First Arriving has given me the chance to make use of my two very different skill sets,” Weiss said. “I never thought it would be useful as an animator to speak firefighter.”
