Kiko Doran
I like all kinds of art. I have studied music, graphic design, photography, languages, and business all my life. After High School, I went to music school for two years and studied jazz guitar performance. I should have known then but the instrument that really moves me is the bass guitar. Lately I’m finding a lot of comfort listening to the sounds of Motown and especially the bass of James Jamerson.
Once I realized music was not where I would make my living, I joined the Air Force in order to go back to school for a “real job”. In the Air Force, I was a 3-Star General Intelligence Briefer, Chinese-Linguist, Intelligence Officer, Communication Satellite Developer, Trainer, Flight Commander, Intelligence Analyst, and Combat Targeteer while serving all over the globe. I also earned five medals for two deployments in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). I served 11 years active duty and hold the rank of Captain in the Inactive Ready Reserve (IRR). In 2004, I was named the top Company Grade Intelligence Officer in Air Force Space Command (AFSPC). I left Active Duty in 2007 and have been an independent Marketing and Design Consultant since. In 2009, I started InGroup with two of my high school friends.
I have a Bachelor’s of Science with a specialization in Chinese Mandarin as well as Computer Communications from Wayland Baptist University in Plainview, Texas; as well as a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) from Webster University in St. Louis, MO. As a life-long learner, I continue to take college level courses in Computer Science, Information Systems, Visual Communications, and Engineering. I love pretty much anything with an Apple or New York Yankee logo on it. WordPress is my current tool of choice but I’m constantly trying to push my abilities as a programmer and developer. Check out CS75 from the Harvard Extension Course and you’ll understand the kinds of things I do for fun…
Michael Gurtek
I got my start in New Hope, Minnesota finding myself as an artists assistant for Mello Smello. I always knew I loved to draw and computers but I didn’t know I could do that as a career. Working closely with graphic designers, illustrator and a great creative director gave me a huge push towards pursuing my career.
After several years of studying techniques and theory I found my own style that has landed me several jobs with some great clients. I really feel my career is my true passion. In my free-time you’ll find me behind a camera, tablet, reading up on new techniques and trends, or teaching people digital design. I love what I do and look forward to creating your next project.
Josh Leuze
I have always been a doodler and have a background in traditional art, trying my hand at illustration, painting, printing, photography, and more.
Wanting to make video games, I switched to digital and from games moved into experimenting with animation and video production. After getting my Associate’s Degree in Multimedia Design Technology I did graphic design and layout for magazines, newspapers, and small businesses before switching from print to web.
Over the years I have tried many options for building websites: static HTML, Flash, and quite a few web publishing platforms. Of all these platforms, WordPress stood out to me as the most user friendly option and I began to dig deeper into the code, customizing and developing themes and plugins for projects, releasing my own plugin called Meteor Slides, and getting involved in the WordPress community.
I still like to doodle and work on art projects, usually with my kids these days. I read a lot of science fiction and comics and plan to create my own graphic novel someday.
Jeff Prebil
I enjoy all things creative. I spent a large part of my childhood singing in the Metropolitan Boys Choir. While it solidified my love for a music, it also gave me the opportunity to travel the world and develop a great appreciation for art and design. By the 7th grade I was writing original music, goofy jingles and short films, but it wasn’t until high school that I realized it was less about the music and more about the thought process involved in creating it. InGroup allows me to use my creative passion through the wide range of clients we work with. When my head isn’t swimming, I enjoy writing silly songs with my children about bedtime or changing diapers and spending time with my family and friends.
