Before co-creating Avril 1 Group, Inc., Gerry Souter produced, wrote and directed industrial video, commercial and television programming for 11 years at Motivation Media in Glenview, Illinois, winning 14 national and international awards. Prior to that, he was a writer, producer, international filmmaker and photographer at Motorola Marketing Communications for eight years. His career began with four years of study at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and University of Chicago. Gerry's graduate honors in photography led to newspaper, international photojournalism and documentary film making. Motorola hired him after numerous freelance assignments covering the Arctic, Africa, Europe and the Olympic Games. His work history also includes experience as an art teacher, security officer for the Arizona State Guard and Detective Agency and as an Ordinary Seaman in the U. S. Merchant Marine. Janet Souter studied advertising art four years at the School of the Chicago Art Institute while working nights at the A.C. Nielsen Corporation. She continued her art career as an advertising artist and exhibiting sculptor before returning to college and achieving an Associate Arts degree in fine arts. After several years in the travel industry, she turned to writing short stories and eventually non-fiction books. She joined the Daily Herald Newspapers in 2000 as a news coordinator, editor and columnist, eventually taking up her full time duties as president of Avril 1 Group, Inc. Janet has been a long-time member of the Barrington Writers Workshop and currently chairs the Arlington Heights Fine Arts Commission.