The city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania had one of its most notable years in sports in 1991. The Pittsburgh Pirates Baseball Club won the National League Eastern Division Title for the second consecutive year; The Pittsburgh Penguins Hockey Team won the first of two consecutive Stanley Cup Championships; The Pittsburgh Steelers Football Team bid adieu to legendary coach Chuck Noll; and I decided to jump into the mix and start my own business...

I wanted to combine my love for sports and music with my love for art, photography and digital graphics. As I planned to "double-up" on different marketing concepts, media, and channels of distribution, a name was born with a "double meaning"- Double Play Designs.

As the trading card market was booming in the early nineties, I began offering a "double deal" by combining my detailed pencil drawings with the respective players' trading card for a unique item that collectors loved. In the fall of 1992, I met with the Pirates to make a deal for licensing that required the approval of Major League Baseball and the Players Association. The Pirates loved my work, but MLB declined to grant the license. Without licensing, I could not mass market the product at Pirate home games. In the end, it was a blessing because in 1994 the players went on strike and fan support was at an all time low.

Next, I focused attention on the established and rising stars of the Penguins. Jaromir Jagr was creating fresh hockey magic while veteran Mario Lemieux was in the midst of leading the team to its first of two Stanley Cup victories. Pittsburgh hockey memorabilia was limited at the time (especially items with Jagr) and my drawings became a instant hit. Success! I continued the hockey series for several years, adding other players and products along the way.

In 1997, I added the music industry to my pursuits. I designed two original CD package demos using photos I had taken of my favorite musician, guitarist and Canadian Rock and Rock Hall of Famer, Rik Emmett. After pitching my demos, Rik invited me to design several internet graphics and join the "inner circle" to assist Greg Taylor and Nicole Doughty with the development of www.rikemmett.com. In December 1997, Rik's CD, Swing Shift, was released as my first personal collaborative effort with him. This successful partnership continues today and includes a 2 posters for YAMAHA guitars, "For the Love of Guitar" four-volume guitar instruction book set, header cards, flyers, handbills, and several CD packages.

Then in the summer of 2005, I got my big break in to photography when Pittsburgh Penguin Team Photographer Matt Polk offered me the position of Assistant Team Photographer. I jumped at the chance. For 2 years, I captured once in a lifetime moments and milestones for the Pittsburgh Penguins. During this time, I doubled dipped again, by using my photography and graphic design skills to create custom collages to commemorate Evgeni Malkin's first NHL goal and Mark Recchi's career milestones of 500 goals, 800 assists and 1,300 points.

The story goes on as I continue to work double duty – designer daytime, and photographer at night.