Scott Witthaus brought his passion for production, creative problem-solving, and professional experience to over a thousand Brandcenter students since he started in 2007. Students have left his Visual Storytelling and Portfolio Development classes with new perspectives, skills, and confidence. While his retirement is a considerable loss, our community gained so much from his dedication and expertise across his 17-year tenure.
Witthaus has over thirty-five years of professional experience in all aspects of the production industry, including experience in post-production, live television, editorial for agencies, and senior management positions. Witthaus was recruited to the Brandcenter in 2008 with the insistence that he keep editing professionally to bring the latest trends into the classroom. In the years since, our students have greatly benefited from his knowledge, keen eye, and endless desire to learn more.
Fellow Brandcenter faculty member Holly Hessler (Copywriting, 2009) says it best:
“Scott is an amazing example of what you want from a creative leader. He’s endlessly curious, passionate about his craft and, most importantly, he truly cares about his students. He listens to ideas earnestly and with great heart for collaboration. But know this, if you’re heading down the wrong path, Scott will not hesitate to set you straight. And we love him for it!”
Holly Hessler
His legacy is built on valuable life lessons imparted both inside and outside the classroom. In addition to his technical prowess, Witthaus imparted the value of collaboration to his students. Teamwork is crucial in the ad industry, and he encouraged students to remain humble and focused on making the work better. Witthaus also taught students that part of collaboration is staying true to themselves. Witthaus championed the idea of the “healthy skeptic,” the person in the room who voices their opinions and asks questions in line with their moral compass.
Witthaus’s perspective on new technology also leaves us with an important takeaway. He has always embraced new tech in production and loves that the medium continues to be more accessible to learn and produce. As we head into an era of generative AI, Witthaus encouraged students to explore the technology with an open mind and to use it as a tool with its own strengths and weaknesses, like any other software. Even as the tools become easier to use, Witthaus always emphasized that the idea behind the final product is equally as important as how good it looks. As he has told many, many students—concept before visual execution.
We wish Scott all the best in his retirement and as he looks toward his next adventure.