One Man's Casual Side Hustle Became an International Phenomenon — And It's on Track to See $15 Million in Revenue This Year Shawn Rubel, CEO of international creative marketplace Vecteezy, wanted to solve a common problem for designers.

Shawn Rubel, CEO of international creative marketplace Vecteezy, has always considered himself a creative person.

Rubel's passion for design led him to study visual arts in college, then join a small agency where he worked as a web developer and graphic designer. It was while working there in 2007 that he launched a side hustle to give himself a "creative outlet" and address a common issue facing designers.

"As a designer, I know vector art is expensive, that designers work with a tight budget and they are often poorly compensated for their work," Rubel explains. "These were problems I could solve. I started with a website that provided free brushes for Photoshop."