| Lynda Weinman | |
|---|---|
| Born | Lynda Weinman Hollywood, California, USA |
| Alma mater | Evergreen State College, Olympia, Washington, 1976 |
| Occupation | co-founder lynda.com |
| Spouse | Bruce Heavin |
Lynda Weinman (born in 1955) is an American business owner, computer instructor, and author, best known for the company she started with her husband, Bruce Heavin, the multi-award winning online software training web site, lynda.com.[1]
Weinman, a self-taught computer expert, worked in the film industry as a special effects animator, and later became a faculty member at Art Center College of Design, UCLA, American Film Institute, and San Francisco State Multimedia Studies program teaching computer graphics, animation, interactive design, and motion graphics. She is also a published author and writer.
Weinman is married to her company co-founder Bruce Heavin. Heavin is the co-author of her books coloring web graphics and coloring web graphics.2.
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Weinman graduated with a degree in Humanities from The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington.[2][3][4][5][6][7]
A year after graduating from The Evergreen State College, Weinman opened two retail stores, Vertigo on Melrose, and Vertigo on Sunset in Los Angeles. They closed in 1982.
Weinman worked for Dreamquest and as an independent contractor doing animation and special effects. She worked on several major films, including RoboCop 2 (1990),[8] Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989),[9] and Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989).[10]
Weinman attributes her initial interest in computers when a boyfriend brought home an Apple II, and she taught herself how to use it by reading the manual. Her computer skills have all been self-taught.
Weinman taught digital media and motion graphics at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, CA from 1989 to 1996. Her book designing web graphics, published by New Riders in 1995, is often credited with being the first title to discuss web authoring technologies from a visual design perspective.
Weinman was co-founder with husband Bruce Heavin of the Ojai Digital Arts Center[11][12][13][14] in Ojai, California in 1999.
The lynda.com Online Training Library[15] is a learning platform that teaches a growing range of computer skills in video format to members through monthly and annual subscription-based plans. The company was founded in Ojai, California and has since moved locations to Ventura and Carpinteria, California, where it currently employs over 200 full-time staff members and over 140 teachers who earn royalties from their shared revenue model. The company website was created in 1995, and the company incorporated in 1997.
lynda.com evolved from its original conception as a free web resource for Lynda’s students, to the site for her books on web design,[16] to the registration hub for physical classrooms and conferences,[17] to an online virtual knowledge library,[18] where today, members can watch software and technology courses in several categories (3D and animation, audio, business, design, development, home computing, photography, video, and web and interactive design). The company also produces documentaries about creative professionals.
lynda.com is used by many high-profile businesses, such as Disney, Google, and Adobe. It also has several academic clients, including Princeton University,[19] Indiana University,[20], Brigham Young University[21], and MIT.[22]
lynda.com and United Digital Artists Productions, Inc. (UAD) cofounded the Flashforward Conferences[23] and the Flash Film Festival which first took place in 1999. The Flashforward Conference was the first event in the world focused on Macromedia Flash, and 14 events were held in San Francisco, New York, London, and Amsterdam, serving over 20,000 attendees over six years. The Flash® Film Festival presented over 200 awards to top-designed Flash sites and applications, to winners from over 30 countries. The conference is currently on hiatus.
Weinman has authored or co-authored 16 books. She has also authored numerous magazine articles, including:
Weinman is the namesake and benefactor for the 'Lynda Lab,'[36] the Experimental Effects Lab in the Center for Creative and Applied Media (CCAM) at her alma mater, The Evergreen State College. The Foundation has a pledge from Weinman and husband Bruce Heavin to establish an endowment supporting equipment in the CCAM. Weinman and Heavin have also contributed to scholarships at Art Center College of Design, as well as an ongoing endowment for additional scholarships.