The pace of the city, the twinkling of the skyline after dark, the rush of the subway morning commute. It’s not for everyone.
Mat Bryant would take clean air and open space any day over life in New York City and has returned from the “Big Apple” as interactive project manager at Martino & Binzer in Avon.
“I really enjoyed living in Hoboken and loved the idea of working in Manhattan, but after coming back to Avon, it’s really beautiful and everyone is friendly,” he said.
The former political science and history student now works with clients to set up Web sites and ensure their messages come across on the Internet.
“I see what the client is looking for, see their marketing ideas and who their audience is,” Bryant said. “My role involves supervising the designers, presenting the product to clients and working with copywriters and the developers to build the site.”
The Avon resident spent most of his childhood in Texas outside of Austin but chose the University of Connecticut for his undergraduate degree. His family followed and settled in Wallingford. Bryant graduated in 2005 and took stock of his options before moving on to law school.
“I grew up watching CNN and the news… I wanted to make a difference and contribute to society,” Bryant said. “I felt torn after graduation but decided not to do law school right away. I might like to go that route someday but right now I like working on the Web.”
He went to Manhattan and became project manager at BlueBeginning.com, a place where Bryant said he gained his work ethic.
“It was just a crazy place,” Bryant said. “I would stay from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. until the job was done and I think that helped me get this job. I appreciate working here in an organized team which allows me to be creative.”
The 24-year-old also took advantage of experience he gained as president of the all-male student a cappella group at UConn, The Conn Men.
“I was in charge of our Web site and organizing events, getting people to support and fund us, things a PR person would do,” Bryant said. “I got to see what business can be like and became very involved in copyrighting and licensing when we recorded a CD. That became a stepping stone for me.”
Bryant has kept music a part of his life, singing and recording as a musician in his spare time. Though only at Martino & Binzer since June, he feels comfortable with the people he works with and the job he’s doing.
“There’s always going to be something to learn because no day is ever the same,” Bryant said.
Emily Boisvert is a Hartford Business Journal staff writer.
