Antonio makes it happen. As the strategist and writer for Firebelly, his dedication to the big picture keeps the studio’s concepts fresh + innovative.

Originally hired at Firebelly for his advertising design background and illustration skills, Antonio is now in charge of new business engagements and strategic development.

Leading the studio’s brainstorms and creative briefs, Antonio believes a "rebellious pursuit of knowledge" and an outsiders’ perspective churn up the best solutions and most exciting possibilities.

His previous experience designing for corporate giants taught him another valuable lesson: hype can never substitute for authenticity. So in an industry that measures success in dollar signs and popular trends, Antonio is determined to prove integrity, honesty, ethics and ethnography are the right ingredients for award-winning design and a viable business model.

Antonio feels strongly about the need for positive male role models in underserved schools and makes himself available to students through groups like Umoja and job shadowing opportunities at Firebelly.

He lectures regularly to nonprofits and startups and has been a featured panelist for the Donors Forum of Chicago, Green America’s Green Business Conference and the Community Media Workshop at Columbia College.

When he's not planning the next step for extending Firebelly's reach, Antonio collaborates with his two closest friends on their t-shirt company, Good Night TV! Started in 2005, the brand mixes socio-political commentary with gonzo irreverence and gives the three designers a sturdy soapbox to stand on.

Antonio earned his BFA in Communication Design from the Atlanta College of Art (now Savannah College of Art and Design) majoring in Advertising and minoring in Digital Video. He is a board member of the Center for Cross-Cultural Design and serves on the XCD Communications Board as art director. He completed the AIGA/Harvard School of Business Executive Education Program in 2007.