Timothy Poisson ‘92 has become a master of balancing two worlds.
In one world, the business administration graduate has built a successful career in higher education marketing and advancement. In the other, he’s known by his pen name, “Tim Fish,” an author, playwright, and artist for comic books and graphic novels who is renowned for his authentic portrayal of LGBTQ+ characters and themes.
Poisson's artistic contributions recently brought him back to campus after three decades to be inducted into the University of New Hampshire Diversity Hall of Fame for promoting diversity and inclusion through his work.
Studying Business Administration at UNH
Poisson was a self-taught artist when he arrived at UNH and chose to study business administration with a minor in history.
“Business seemed like a practical starting point,” Poisson says. “I enjoyed the upper-level, challenging courses, especially in marketing and organizational behavior.”
While nurturing his artistic talent through a weekly comic strip in The New Hampshire, he discovered a passion for nonprofit work during an internship at the Children's Museum in Portsmouth, where he got his first taste of working in the marketing and advancement fields.
“I knew I didn’t want to go down the same path as so many of my classmates, who were getting jobs at large firms,” he says. “There’s nothing wrong with that path; it just wasn’t my path.”
Building Two Careers
Over the past two decades, Poisson has worked in nonprofit advancement and marketing within higher education, holding leadership roles at Brown University, Dartmouth College, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Yet, as his professional career flourished, Poisson found himself at a crossroads with his art.
"When I turned 30, I realized I wasn't where I wanted to be artistically," Poisson says. "I hadn't invested enough in my portfolio to reach my goals in comics production. That was a personal wake-up call—if I wanted to make it in both worlds, I had to get serious about my art. I shifted from treating it as a hobby to making it a serious side hustle."
Despite early setbacks, including rejection from publishers, Poisson persevered by consistently refining his skills, networking, and building a fan base at comic shows.
Poisson has since become a well-respected figure who has contributed to multiple anthologies and built a diverse portfolio of graphic novels and comics for notable companies like Marvel, Dark Horse, and ComiXology.
With his art, Poison aims to put positivity into the world and provide members of the LGBTQ+ community with characters and situations they can relate to. For example, he recently produced a weekly webcomic called "Please Say It!", focusing on a high school couple facing intolerance in the 1980s.
“The inspiration came in the summer of 2022 when actions targeting LGBTQ+ youth made me feel like the message being sent was, 'You're not wanted.' I wanted to counter that negativity by creating something positive, which evolved into a webcomic set in the late 80s, a pivotal time for LGBTQ+ activism,” Poisson says. “My goal was to inspire activism, not just passive 'clicktivism,' and showcase how the community came together during that era."
Embracing Diverse Experiences
Since his time at UNH, Poisson has continued his education with a master’s in creative writing and a Fulbright Scholarship experience that allowed him to live in Dublin for a year to research Irish history and culture. These experiences, combined with his business education from UNH, have given him a unique edge in both his careers.
“Being right-brained and left-brained has been a unique advantage among my artist friends. I can have different conversations with publishers, editors, vendors, and printers. Once they realize I’ve worked at places like MIT, managing large print jobs, they start to take me more seriously.”
He urges students to be bold and pursue multiple passions.
"Make the most of every experience because your education will apply in unexpected ways. Take a chance, and most importantly, keep doing what you love,” he says.
