After discovering Macromedia Flash while working on an art project combining film, photography, animation and audio, Robert soon realized there was a need for more comprehensive documentation of its capabilities. In 1998, not many people had even heard of Flash and publishers were wary of the limited market, but IDG Books Worldwide, Inc. (now Wiley Publishing, Inc.) committed to doing the Flash 4 Bible. The rest, as they say, is history. After studying and working together for five years in Toronto, Robert Reinhardt and Snow Dowd established a multimedia consulting and design company in Los Angeles in 1999, called [the MAKERS] (www.theMakers.com). In addition to work for entertainment companies, [the MAKERS] has done work for independent artists and nonprofit organizations.

Robert Reinhardt—With a degree in photographic arts, Robert takes a holistic approach to computer applications for the creation of compelling multimedia. Since January 2000, in addition to design and content creation through [the MAKERS], Robert has worked with the Content Project (www.contentproject.com) in Santa Monica, California. As a Director of Multimedia Applications, Robert has led various assignments including multimedia data analysis applications for Nielsen’s Media and Entertainment division and creating interactive advertising for Warner Bros. films Dreamcatcher, Kangaroo Jack, The Matrix: Reloaded, and Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines.
Robert continues to teach and write about Flash. In addition to this book, he is the coauthor of the Flash MX 2004 ActionScript Bible (Wiley), as well as Macromedia MX: Building Rich Internet Applications (Macromedia Press). He has developed and taught Flash workshops for education centers in California, including Lynda.com and Art Center College of Design, as well as doing on-site training and seminars for clients in the United States and Canada. Robert has been a regular featured speaker at the FlashForward, FlashintheCan, and SIGGRAPH conferences.

Snow Dowd—Snow initially collaborated with Robert Reinhardt on multimedia, film, and photography-based installation projects while earning a BFA in Image Arts at Ryerson University. During this time, she was also the production manager for Design Archive, one of Canada’s preeminent architectural photography studios (www.designarchive.com). Working with renowned photographers and an exacting international client base of architects and designers helped her gain a deeper appreciation for architecture and industrial design. She also learned to love color printing, but the novelty of darkroom chemicals quickly faded. Fortunately, multimedia design offered a rewarding alternative to the health hazards of traditional photography.
Now fully immersed in digital production, Snow is able to synthesize her background in visual arts and communication theory with an ever-expanding software toolkit. Focusing on content architecture and interface design, Snow strives to make print and Web projects that are beautiful, functional and memorable. A recent challenge was designing a Flash interface for a project to deliver legal information to remote Navajo and Hopi communities. The content is available in three languages, online as well as through touch-screen kiosks hosted in the offices of DNA People’s Legal Services, a nonprofit legal services organization.