Employee Spotlight: Carmen Strianese III

Each month, we feature one of our talented TJM team members. Meet one of our artists/sales assistants: Carmen Strianese III!

What's your full name?

Carmen Strianese III

What do you do at TJM and how long have you worked here?

I am currently an Artist/Sales Assistant working in TJM Promos' only patch-exclusive department, run by the talented and charming Tim Allison. My other duty is being in charge of the official TJM complex nightly shutdown protocol. As of this August, I will have worked for TJM 6 years. Maybe I'll get a cake.

What's your favorite aspect of working at TJM?

The people and the atmosphere are great here. I think most people have wild horror stories of some other places they have worked on their resumes'. Life is too short not to enjoy where you work, and as for enjoying your job, this place takes the cake. And there is the cake reference again.

What are your hobbies/interests outside of work?

I enjoy a good amount of  "geek"  things, including Japanese anime, Marvel movies, and retro arcade gaming. The western New York NHL Buffalo Sabres, are also something I still follow, even though I'm now living in Florida.

Just one other note is that I have a Journalism degree from Buffalo State College. I had an internship with the Niagara Falls newspaper, which was my only time to shine in the journalism world. To be honest, I had one class in magazine/newspaper design that was my springboard into graphic design. The newspaper internship allowed me to work info graphs and computer images around news stories. After that, a few design and sign shop jobs helped me get my job I now hold dear.

My writing is something I should get back into, instead of staring at my Xbox on weekends.  I also have large background in 80's music. Duran Duran was so good a band, they named it twice.

Tell us a little about your family.

After living in West Seneca, NY for most of my life, my family bought a home in The Villages. The Villages are the largest retirement community in the United States.  My father asked if I wanted to get away from the Buffalo snow and live the good life in sunny Florida. I moved down to Florida and got a job, wife and house, all which changed my life.

What do you like most about living in central Florida?

Florida has so many things to do and places to see. I would really like to spend time taking advantage of all the waterways and natural parks we have in the area. My wife leans more toward the adventure parks, but I know of so many cool cities to visit in Florida that I still have not seen yet.

Any exciting things planned in the future?

I am hoping to return to Buffalo for a wedding in my family next year.  I do miss Mighty Taco, which is Buffalo's take on Taco Bell.

Anything else you'd like to tell the world about?

I was the mayor of a Buffalo street for one day. For reasons I have now forgotten, the mayor of the city sent me a letter stating for one day I would be the mayor of Houston Street.  (I lived on Houston Street in Buffalo for my first 6 or 7 years of my life before moving to West Seneca.)  The street had a small parade for me, where I was pulled in a wagon.  I really should've worked on the pothole problem on the street, but really. how much can one do in a day?