FEATURE Today, he is living his dream, putting his creativity into projects related to sports, another of his passions. He painted murals around D.C. for the Washington Capitals’ “All Caps” campaign ahead of the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs and for the Ravens. His mural is on a moveable wall at the NFL stadium and has become a popular selfie spot for fans.
Katie Mariko Murray
In the fall of 2020, Corrado painted a mural at Angry Orchard’s cider house in Walden, N.Y.
I N M ALUE ARTS
Matt Corrado created a piece of artwork for GC, featured on our back cover.
Matt
IN TH
Inspired by comic books, cartoons, hip hop, skateboarding and graffiti, Matt Corrado ’01 has spun his passion for graphic art into a widely acclaimed business with clients that include the Washington Capitals, Baltimore Ravens, Angry Orchard and private art collectors.
film, d n a ts r a l a u ting to vis c a d n a y d e m azzling d From co re a i n m lu a Counsel d o o G e v ti a re c r ywhere. e v e s e c n ie d u a
Nicole Emanuele
CORRADO
Corrado’s work was recently featured on the national stage when he designed a golf bag for PGA player Jordan Spieth and appeared in a television commercial for the Pebble Beach Pro-Am Tournament. The project was part of a promotion for AT&T, Spieth’s sponsor. “It was unique for golf. The bags are usually pretty straightforward, and this one really stood out,” says Corrado, whose art is colorful and eye-catching.
Larry Langton
Corrado always loved art and wanted to be an artist. “I knew from the time when I could first hold a crayon, when I was about five years old. I didn’t really know how to do it, but I figured I’d keep making things and see where it went,” he says. At Our Lady of Good Counsel High School, he enjoyed art classes and illustrated posters and flyers for the school newspaper.
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THE COUNSELOR
Visual Artist
“Teachers would ask me to do things like that because they knew I had that ability,” Corrado says. “I even did a commissioned illustration of the school – a pen and ink drawing – that the school used for marketing. That was when I knew I could turn this into a career.” After studying illustration in college, Corrado returned to the D.C. area and took on design jobs doing illustration and graphic design for various clients. Eventually, he reconnected with Good Counsel classmate Freddie Carlini ’01, who had a background in digital media and web development. “We were in a band together and kept in touch,” Corrado says. The two started working together and eventually formed Bright Light Media, a graphic design and digital media company in Kensington, Md. The two are cocreative directors. Many clients have been GC alumni or referrals from alumni, especially when the studio first opened, he says.
“It’s on their iconic barn. It brings some Brooklyn flavor and city vibes up to the orchard. You don’t expect a graffiti art popup mural to be on the side of an old barn,” Corrado says. He loves putting his art anywhere – on objects like basketballs and chairs, or on walls and canvas. “I always loved drawing and painting, especially pop art,” Corrado says. He splits his time between creating fine art, commissions and murals, and sometimes digital media, photography and illustrations. This year, Corrado also visited GC to speak to students in art classes and share his work, at the request of fine arts teacher Nick Clulow. “With the arts, there are so many kids who are interested in it – any kind of art, visual, theater, music – but it’s not always easy to see how there’s a career path. Any time I can share my story and help them understand how they can turn that into a career, it’s really worthwhile,” he says. Corrado always had an entrepreneurial mentality. “Six or seven years ago, I started to draw and paint more to consciously develop the style I work in now. It’s a very pop art, graphic style with repeated elements like colors, drips and patterns,” he says. “I made more of a conscious effort to develop my own style that people could recognize. I wanted people to see my work and know it was me.”
“That network has been a strong base for building the business with Freddie,” Corrado says.
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