“My big break didn’t come until I was 28,” he said.
今天Mata实现了他的梦想。 Mata是达拉斯帕尼尼美国的艺术总监，指导NBA和NFL顶级新秀的照片拍摄。 Mata’s dream began in West Texas. “It all started at UT Permian Basin,” he said.
上大学对玛塔来说从来不是个问题。 
“My parents made it clear early in grade school that going to college was a must,” he said. “I was the first in my family to attend college, so the idea of moving away from home was a little scary. UT Permian Basin offered me a chance to stay close to home and close to a strong network of friends and family.”
When school began, Mata’s advisor encouraged him to take a few art classes. “I had always loved art, but never thought about it as a career,” he said.
天意使然，玛塔获得了一笔奖学金，去上艺术课。
“My advisor, Pam Price, suggested I give art a chance,” Mata said. “澳门博彩官网 introduced me to the world of graphic design. 我上的课越多，我就越爱上它。 我很幸运能与这么多媒介合作。 I learned to draw, paint, sculpt, print, make and design under one roof.”
That love for graphic design eventually landed an internship at Fossil – a great opportunity that led to even greater opportunities down the road.
“I was lucky enough to get a contract job with Donruss Trading Cards, that was eventually sold to Panini America,” Mata said. “After the sale was complete, they landed an exclusive license with the NBA. 我很快从一名合同工变成了一名全职设计师。 A few years later, I was promoted to Art Director.”
Mata says surrounding himself with people who work hard pushed him to do the same, even when he saw other people getting their ‘big breaks.’
“I had friends and family reminding me that my time was coming,” he said. “As difficult as it is, try not to compare your story to someone else’s. Talent is talent and if you work hard, it’s amazing the opportunities that come your way.”
Mata’s work was recently featured in The Houston Chronicle and Voyage Dallas.
他告诉《达拉斯航行》杂志，除了在帕尼尼为NFL和NBA工作外，他还是一名自由插画师，为阿迪达斯、Intercom、百事可乐、HBO和赫伯·莱斯特等客户工作。
他甚至有机会用广告牌把勒布朗·詹姆斯吸引到达拉斯小牛队。
照片中，詹姆斯身穿牛仔队球衣，头戴牛仔队帽子，在牛仔队主场比赛中获得了一套很有吸引力的套房。
马塔告诉《纪事报》说：“我所做的一切都没有这么多人谈论，这很好。” “仅仅是人们的谈话就能让你做白日梦，尤其是如果你是某个特定球员或球队的粉丝，或者可能会得到NBA最好的球员。”
Mata says none of his success would have been possible if it wasn’t for the faculty at UT Permian Basin challenging and encouraging him every step of the way.
“It’s been a great ride so far and it all started at 澳门博彩官网,” Mata said. “I’m thankful for my professors pushing me everyday.”
