Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Chrissy Manzione. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Chrissy, thanks for joining us today. So, what do you think about family businesses? Would you want your children or other family members to one day join your business?

Family businesses can be incredibly powerful, or fall apart from lack of accountability. I think it depends on the discipline the current head of the business imparts on you. For me, I grew up watching my mom build something that truly influenced my entire life. AM Design was started in a garage in 1992. With beginnings as a corporate and pharmaceutical branding and illustration studio, we now offer branding design and illustration as well as web design, print and digital media and animation. This wasn’t, and still isn’t, an overnight success; we have worked extremely hard to get to our current level, and we’ve sustained growth the last 30 years due to the high level of creativity my mom has demanded from first, my cousin, when she worked for her, and now myself. I remember being 12 and scoring a comp for a client… the cut was so bad, and the critique was even worse– “If you weren’t my daughter, you would be fired.” Ouch, but that’s not to say the good work isn’t celebrated! My mom is my biggest fan, and my harshest critic, and I think a family business needs that divine balance to really flourish. We bounce ideas off each other constantly and being able to learn and grow in a sort of old-school meets new-school headspace really is a pleasure. I couldn’t imagine being more joyful about my work anywhere else.

Chrissy, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m Chrissy! I have too many ideas in my head and cherish every second I get to create. I grew up absorbing design and good music in my mom Cathy’s studio, AM Design, which we now run together. I’m a massive game enthusiast and originally went to school for game design, double-majoring in computer art and animation at the School of Visual Arts (shout out to John McIntosh! Hi JMac!). While I didn’t graduate, I continued a self-taught path, focused on graphic design, illustration and animation and put myself out there through networking to bring a wonderful new group of clients to AM Design. One of my most recent and honestly mind-blowing projects was designing the entirety of the Never Ride Stock Experience at the New York Auto Show. If you visited 1-D Hall at April 2022’s Auto Show, every banner, every piece of marketing, every graphic, that was me! Rob from NRS is one of the greatest people to work for– making his vision a reality for the inaugural NRS Experience was exhilarating, and we’re hard at work for next year’s show!
I’m most proud of my ability to connect and get excited about the things my clients need to represent. When I receive a project, I deeply value the trust that’s been given to me to bring it to life and make something everyone is proud of. I feel that I set myself apart by really listening to your needs and never taking a cookie-cutter approach to a task. If there is one key thing to know about me… I just care a lot about people. I love to put my best self forward every day in the hopes I can put a smile on others’ faces.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

There is no better moment for me as an artist than seeing the art in action. I cried when my good friends and clients’ food truck was up and running (La Tortuga, Staten Island! Amazing tacos!). The labor, communication and finalization coming together… it’s such a rush! I never get over that. I will say, I am a detriment to myself in that I sometimes get so absorbed in a project that I forget to bill. So maybe don’t do that! I really love the process of creating and getting to make cool stuff all the time, and for it to always feel new and fun… that makes this career beyond amazing.

Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.

Before we (my mom and I) joined forces, I was freelancing a lot on my own. Up until December 2021, I was actually a full-time retail employee, working in tech since 2010. There have been multiple sleepless nights pulling 40 hours here, 40 hours there, balancing both my creative endeavors and retail career. The biggest thing for me was getting myself to a point of debt reduction where I could afford to take a chance on me. I’m thankful for my family, boyfriend and close friends, who have always understood how hard I work. While I’m still in retail, it’s only part-time, and I have seriously great clients to thank for their business and referrals, which allowed me to get to this point! While I’m definitely working just as much, my time is way more focused on art, which is a blessing.

Contact Info:

• Website: am.design is coming by end of 2022!
• Instagram: @chrissymanzione

Image Credits
Frankie Torres