Antonio Cicarelli’s (’03) graphic and motion design work can be seen everywhere from movie screens to online ads to home televisions through streaming services like Netflix. After graduating from CU Denver’s Digital Media Design program, Cicarelli turned a passion for art into a successful entrepreneurial career. In addition to navigating a steady freelance career, Cicarelli co-founded Radley Studios in 2010. This year, the College of Arts & Media (CAM) is recognizing Cicarelli as its 2024 Distinguished Alum.

“As most CAM students do, Antonio grew impactful collaborations with diverse artists to achieve award-winning results and together with creative collaborators, he took an entrepreneurial path and launched a highly successful company,” writes Joann Brennan, interim co-dean of CAM. Additionally, “his creative expertise in motion graphics, photography, digital imaging, use of technology, brand development and more, reflects the BFA curriculum which requires students to take courses across a variety of art practice areas and art history,” she says.

Antonio Took a Circular Path Back to Art

Before coming to study at CU Denver, Cicarelli received an associate degree in mechanical design from Red Rocks Community College. A Denver native, Cicarelli also spent a brief time studying finance at MSU Denver. Both pursuits, he sees now, represented an attempt to deny the artistic bent he had had since childhood for the sake of establishing himself in a “viable career.” After taking his training in mechanical design to work a fulltime job in engineering, Cicarelli found his work unfulfilling and decided to go back to school to complete a bachelor’s degree.

He was hearing many positive things about CU Denver’s arts program and decided to find out more. Cicarelli recalls one faculty member in particular, Professor Kent Homchick, welcoming him and connecting him to current students in CAM. Cicerelli was drawn to the community in the college and recalls the “energy was incredible.”

Realizing he had it wrong about art not leading to a viable career, Cicarelli looks back at his experience at CU Denver with fondness and is grateful for the opportunity to develop his skills in what he describes as a “terrific environment.” From supportive teachers to supportive students, to the labs and equipment, Cicarelli found his stride in CAM.

During his studies at CU Denver, Cicarelli learned about an internship at Liberty Media. He had the opportunity to work with the company’s promotion team for the television network Starz. This internship really opened Cicarelli’s eyes to the possibilities of eventually working in the entertainment industry. Thanks to the encouragement of his mentor in the Visual Arts department, Michelle Carpenter, Cicarelli had experience using an at-the-time new program called After Effects, which helped him in his internship. Even the career designers at Starz didn’t have experience with the new program, but it soon became clear the industry was moving toward using this software and gave Cicarelli a leg up at his internship.

Graduating During an Economic Downturn and Building Up a Client Base

When Cicarelli graduated in 2003, he had trouble finding work right away. Little by little, though, he began building a client base in Denver doing freelance work. Still, Cicarelli knew that if he wanted to grow his career, he needed to expand his job search out to California. A steady freelance job with a company in California eventually led him to other California studios and more regular work there. After living in Colorado his whole life, Cicarelli moved to California and supported himself by working on freelance projects involving marketing and commercials for different companies.

In 2010, Cicarelli co-founded Radley with colleagues he had met working on other jobs. As someone who has always been entrepreneurial, Cicarelli says “founding a company can be extremely rewarding but also difficult.” His partners at Radley bring skillsets he doesn’t have, but also come with a need to collaborate and compromise. Radley’s client list includes companies such as FXX, the NFL Network, and Netflix. While the company does a lot of branding work, they also work on more complex projects. For a promotion campaign for FXX, for instance, the Radley team was called upon to draw characters from the Simpson’s and Family Guy for use in commercial spots to promote the shows. 

Cicarelli is particularly proud of a project undertaken by Radley Studios for Netflix called “Unnatural Selection,” a documentary exploring CRISPR technology. As the documentary's production company, Radley worked with some “really talented directors” who traveled the world interviewing scientists using the DNA-altering technology. Radley designed all the infographics and motion graphics that explain the technology within the documentary. The project was educational, informational, but also entertaining in the way it was done, Cicarelli explains. “I was able to put out a product I was really proud of,” Cicarelli says. Radley’s work on the project was recognized by Stash Media, a magazine that archives exceptional motion graphics.

In 2017, Cicarelli’s work took him to a place he didn’t expect to go: Into a disaster zone. While doing branding work for a nonprofit organization, Cicarelli was given the opportunity to join two aid workers on a trip to Puerto Rico, just two short weeks after Hurricane Maria flattened much of the island’s infrastructure. Cicarelli, a fluent Spanish speaker, took pictures for RMF as the group visited hospitals and distributed much-needed supplies. The impromptu trip represented an opportunity for Cicarelli that was “unexpected yet fulfilling.”

The career success Cicarelli has enjoyed hasn’t tempered his love for art or learning. “I am always trying to learn something new, even to this day, after doing this all this time. I’m still trying to develop myself as an artist, I have never stopped,” he says. He looks back on his time at CU Denver with fondness and is honored to be thought of as a product of the design program and among distinguished alumni. “The university gave us all the tools we needed to succeed, and it was up to us to make the most of that time. When else in your life are going to have that time in your life to develop yourself as an artist?” he asks.