Chris MIHAL

What was your very first job?

My first job was designing the front page and special projects for a newspaper in Phoenix, Arizona that went to a half million subscribers daily.

Please describe, in your own words, what your job is and what work it entails.

My job is directing a group of highly creative colleagues to visually convey the message and stories produced daily at Variety in print and online. This includes a weekly magazine along with supplemental special issues, variety.com and it’s social media outlets. 

How did you discover that the creative world was right for you? Was there a time in your life that you credit to this discovery? What was there train of events that brought you to where you are today?

I couldn’t hit a curveball. 

In all seriousness, I think I always knew I wanted to be in a creative field. That combined with growing up near Chicago and being surrounded by different media, those two ideas came together into something I was passionate about.

In your constantly growing and expanding industry, how do you find inspiration to keep your work fresh, innovative and relevant?

For me, I find inspiration in people. Whether it’s the brainstorming process to solve a problem, working with a new artist or photographer or talking through something over a beer at the bar; collaboration is what keeps me going week to week. 

If you had to pick one piece of work or project that you are most proud of, more for the creative work and innovation it required, rather than its recognition or industry “success,” what would it be?

It is probably our Emmy supporting actor covers with Aaron Paul, Allison Williams and Christina Hendricks. What began as a solution to putting three subject on a cover that weren’t photographed at the same time, ended up becoming these beautiful pieces of art by Peter Hapak that resulted in three of our most memorable covers to date.