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Xavier Ruffin is a Milwaukee, raised creative powerhouse—filmmaker, designer, and co-founder of Cynosure Creative Agency. From experiencing homelessness in his youth to building a bold, culture-forward agency working with brands like Netflix and Amazon Prime, Xavier’s story is one of resilience, vision, and voice.

In this raw and insightful conversation, Xavier opens up about:

• Discovering creativity as survival and identity

• Gaining early access to art school at 13

• Balancing corporate design work at Kohl’s with passion projects

• Creating Mad Black Men as a response to erasure in design history

• Co-founding Cynosure CA and working with Spike Lee’s She’s Gotta Have It

• Building authentic visual storytelling for global brands

• Navigating client feedback, protecting creative integrity, and leading with empathy

Whether you’re a young creative trying to find your lane, a designer wanting to make a cultural impact, or a founder seeking to tell more meaningful stories—this episode will fire you up.

🎯 This episode is for you if:

• You want to build a creative career with intention and integrity

• You’re navigating representation and identity in the design world

• You’ve ever been told “you don’t belong” and need a reminder that you do

• You’re curious about transitioning from freelance to full agency ownership

• You want to know how to keep your art authentic in commercial work

📌 Resources Mentioned
– Cynosure Creative Agency: https://cynosureca.com
– Mad Black Men web series
– Clio Awards
– MIAD (Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design)
– Amazon Prime’s THEM
– Adobe Creative Suite, Blender

🎧 More Podcast Episodes
https://bio.site/ArtSchoolGraduatePodcast

📲 Connect with Xavier Ruffin
Instagram: @xavierruffin
Website: https://cynosureca.com