After five years of prepping, we arrived in Los Angeles in September 1998 to immerse ourselves in the Dot-Com Boom. We found a spot with a friend in Marina del Rey, set up our drafting table and computer and started to network. Within a year, our first Los Angeles contact, Craig Stephens, introduced us to Jeremy Kidd.
Jeremy Kidd is the grandson of artists Ben Nicholson and Barbara Hepworth. Born in England and settling in Venice Beach, Kidd is a contemporary artist with an extensive collection of paintings, sculptures, installations, photography, and video art.
Every Artist Needed a Web Presence
As technology became more readily available to creatives, many wanted and needed a website. Jeremy saw the Internet as a new avenue to market his art like others. Web development was a niche profession back then, and service providers were few and far between, so it took work for an individual to find someone to work with.
Introducing Craig Stephens
In early 1999, we set up shop in Culver City. At the time, Teejay was a roadie for three Canadian bands, Benjamin, Rockstar, and My Precious Days, putting on showcases for record labels. We took the opportunity to put out an ad to our colleagues in the music scene to produce ten free websites for anyone who needed a site. Craig Stephens called us within a few days and said ten clients could fill the slots. Craig was a writer who served the Los Angeles art scene by publishing artist and gallery bios and reviews for the local art rags.
To get started, he would lead us to others, providing we could first satisfy the needs of one, Robert R. Reynolds. After coffee, we drove to a Los Angeles Arts District warehouse art community and met Robert. Our first assignment was to produce an ad for a magazine to promote an upcoming show and then create a simple website to showcase his art.
Our following introduction was to Jeremy Kidd.
Don’t just do it for me; show me how.
At first, Jeremy was very cautious about our interaction. He didn’t seem unsure about the technology or how the application would affect the quality and sincerity of his work. Unlike Robert, who let us have our way, Jeremy wanted to know every detail of the process. Jeremy didn’t just hire us to build his website; he wanted us to show him how to develop his online media.
Sitting in front of his computer in his studio, we introduced him to all the applications we used to create and publish our work and began training him on coding and other programming tools. In return, Jeremy tutored us on color and design fundamentals.
Over the Holidays, we collaborated and launched his first website in 1999.
Let’s Collaborate Some More
While we continued to serve Craig’s other artists and had a positive experience with Jeremy, Jeremy wanted to get involved in what we were doing and immerse himself in the trade of graphic and web design.
After a few rounds of imagining what such a partnership would entail, we felt a partnership with him would benefit us greatly. Jeremy knew everyone important in Los Angeles and would give us the connections we needed to grow, so we accepted.
Digidome Designs is Born
Jeremy suggested we form an LLC together, where he would be the CEO, leaving us as the CTO. After tossing a few names around, we agreed to Digidome Designs, which mimicked the dome-like, bubble-like shapes in his current artwork and installations.
After developing a brand identity and producing and publishing our print collateral and website, we were ready to market by Fall 1999.
We made a mark in the LA market by serving a dozen clients, including The Automatics, Royal Indian Raj, Auralstimuli, Kiara Hunter, and Lee Curreri, a good friend of Jeremy's from the TV show Fame. We also provided our services to advertising industry heavyweights Deutsch and Jack Morton.
A mentionable achievement was a four out of four-star mention in InternetAudio magazine, the professional guide for to online sound, for the website we designed and published for Jonathan Sola of Auralstimuli. The website built in Macromedia Flash included a virtual, 2-channel synthesizer that offered around 100 drum track versus keyboard sound effects using a 2-octave keyboard layout. At the time, this type of interface was not available online at a website that provided the level of interaction that it did.
Sadly, our experience was short-lived when our country suffered an attack on 9/11. After that event, the Dot-Com boom went bust, and web developers abandoned their projects, like the miners who left the mines during the Gold Rush. The gold was still there, but the money wasn’t.
During our time at Digidome we acquire 33 clients, including Steven Shmerler of SASNet Design who would end up sending us 50+ projects in the coming decades.
Rebirth at the Otis College of Art and Design
During the post-pandemic, Jeremy and I were invited to teach at the Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles. Jeremy would head up a class on color while we led a class of students to learn the applications used to produce digital animations and websites.
Our time there would open up another avenue to extend our career in graphic and website design.
Continued Friendship with Jeremy Kidd and Los Angeles Art Stars
Despite our collaboration ending at Digidome, we remained friends and collaborated on other projects, acquiring more clients and providing services to design, publish, and maintain Jeremy’s website.
We also shared the time spent playing a game of football or soccer on a pitch, as we call it here in America, and playing a tune or two on the guitar. While at Digidome, we often took breaks to kick the ball around at the park to kick a ball around or pull up a chair and our guitars to jam.
While at Otis, there was a massive sports park across the street. It wasn’t long before we joined a few pick-up games.
Jeremy and I also played for several teams, including jerseys and referees. In 2003, we joined the newly formed LA Arts Stars, which comprised fine and graphic artists and played regularly on Saturdays around the cities. With several British compatriots, we had some talent.
Today, we still connect with Jeremy, having lunch together, working on his website, and talking about cars and his home team soccer club Chelsea.
For more on Jeremy Kidd, please visit his website.
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