Dale Miller-Visionati, Inc.

Today Gigs at Startups is interviewing: Dale Miller-Founder of Visionati, Inc.

Name: Dale Miller

Company: Visionati, Inc.

Role: Founder and CEO

What is Visionati?

Visionati.com is a virtual creative department. Businesses, brands and agencies can search portfolios for individual creatives or creative teams to hire. In addition, creatives can use the community features to connect with each other. They can find like-minded people to help them, whether it’s for a paying gig or an “off hours” project. Our mission is to break down the silos, to be the single resource reaching across disciplines (art directors, photographers, designers etc) and roles (brand managers, agency producers).

How did you get involved in Visionati?

I founded another company Miller Creative Partners, an artists’ representation firm, specializing in commercial photography. Through my daily work, I was often asked for referrals to other creative types: designers, videographers, illustrators etc. It occurred to me that within the creative community, people were comfortable in their “silos”, and yet there seemed to be a growing need to break through those barriers and connect with others outside of their area of expertise. Visionati provides a place for creatives to find other creatives across multiple disciplines, and a way for brands to find creatives to hire.

What is the best thing about working at Visionati?

I get to meet and work with very smart and talented people. Bringing people together to work on a shared vision is my passion. I also love learning, and working with so many smart people means I’m learning all the time! I’ve been very fortunate to have found great people that took an interest in Visionati from the beginning.

What kind of people do you think are best suited to work at start-ups?

I think it goes without saying that people working at start-ups need energy and enthusiasm. So assuming they have those qualities, what’s really important is being able to maintain them. It takes a lot of hard work, dedication and persistence to keep going and deal with the ups and downs. It’s also important that people set ego aside and be willing to pitch in and do whatever it takes. Roles are less clearly defined at a startup and people need to be proactive and do what needs to be done.