PC/NYC: Dan De Gloria ’01

On October 29, 2013, in the lead-up to the Winter Olympics in Sochi, the U.S. Olympic Committee took over Times Square for its 100 Days to Sochi event. Emblazoned across seven digital screens was a truly inspired video of Olympic athletes in visual dialogue with the Pilobolus Dance Company.

Dan DeGloria ’01 (visual arts) and his creative studio, Houses in Motion, helped make the piece. “It’s certainly a rewarding payoff to see something you helped create on a grand scale like that,” he says.

VISUAL OVERLOAD

Some may find the digital billboards in Times Square a bit overwhelming, but DeGloria often sees the fruits of his labor.

A graphic designer, compositor, and animator, he worked in the television industry for more than ten years. Nearly five years ago, he and a colleague decided to partner and open their own business. Houses in Motion is their Red Hook, Brooklyn, creative studio, focused on the moving image.

The experience has been exhilarating. “Every day I learn something new; my responsibilities have multiplied, but wearing more hats has been a gratifying experience so far.”

His company has done work for major brands such as Google, the Food Network, and Sephora.

For the clothing retailer American Eagle Outfitter, it creates digital content for the company’s enormous electronic billboards in Times Square. Sifting through huge amounts of supplied footage, Houses in Motion creates mini-stories, which are then synched on the company’s eleven panels to create monumental displays that stand more than twenty-two stories high. “I’m happy to be doing this—creating content for audiences to enjoy. It’s fun and that makes me feel fortunate,” he says.

The NYC Advantage

While amazing things happen in cities all over the world, New York City is arguably a premier place to be.

The value Purchase College derives from its proximity to the city can’t be overstated. Students learn, perform, find inspiration, and land professional opportunities there.

It’s also a phenomenal human resource pool from which to draw faculty who are working professionals in myriad disciplines. And as the ultimate place to network, it’s teeming with luminaries, prospective collaborators, and, of course, alumni.

According to multiple anecdotal reports, “Purchase people are everywhere,” in New York City.

(A version of this story first appeared in the Fall/Winter 2014 issue of PURCHASE magazine.)