I am a Gen-X’er, who grew up in the New York City neighborhood of LeFrak City, Corona. During my childhood, I was not athletic at all. Instead, I watched more game shows and comedies than most of my peers. In watching all that television, I got fascinated with some commercials. I started to think about what provokes people to make such productions. I realized that the purpose of a commercial is to resonate in people’s mind to hopefully influence them to make that purchase at the critical time. After I have been through some experiences that tested my resolve, I decided to look up the definition of my name, Charles (“strong”) Warner (“warrior”). That is when I realized why I still stand despite my previous pitfalls.
While watching game shows, I picked up a thirst for trivia. I had three influential teachers in my childhood. One math teacher taught me a trick to remember the metric system pattern, which I still use to this day. The other two were history teachers. One of which, fascinated me with so much information on the U.S. Constitution that I am still thinking of becoming a lawyer. The final history teacher ended up being the one I owe for remembering so many dates and facts.
Between 8 years in the U.S. Navy, 5 years in hotels and the remaining years in various other fields of work, my adult life includes 20 years of customer service since I graduated high school. With all this experience, I am circling back to thinking of those commercials I grew up on, such as Fred the Baker and Mr. Whipple and the silly rabbit who did not know that Trix were made for kids. I guess that is why I am motivated to work in this field.
Because of my time as a customer servant, I’ve come to understand how to figure out what people are asking even if they don’t use the proper jargon. While in the navy, I found myself with my friends and their wives, being the translator. Someone has to explain to the civilian spouse, what the military spouse just said. I found that person to be me. It was then that I realized how to become the “translator” in the room. That is why I chose to get into advertising. To explain a product to the client’s audience to influence them to make the commitment is something I find both very exciting and challenging.
While interning at the Official CityStore of New York, I gained a lot of experience with web development. I learned how to make e-newsletters for them. When I interned as the Social Media Assistant for Spanish artist, Angel Orensanz, I increased his Facebook follwing from 205 to over 5,400 in 10 months. My current goal is to be a User-Interface / User Experience Designer, the person who influences you to stay on the website. In my most recent internship at Blank Slate Factory, I tested the responsive design of Brownstoner.com to find your grievances before you do. That is also where I designd a few logos for properties that were owned by the realtor.