I have been involved in
animation since 1993 when I decided to persue it as a
career path. I now live in the Santa Clarita area of Los
Angeles with my wife Gloria and our new daughter Abigail
. I was recently an animator on the Omation film "BARNYARD"
due out in 2006. I have a passion for great character
animation and have always enjoyed old Looney Tunes, and
Disney features.
I orginally learned animation
at California Institute of the Arts in the traditional
2D animation program. I graduated there in 1997 and then
went to work for DREAMWORKS ANIMATION
where I was in the effects department doing hand drawn
effects shots like water, fire, props, smoke and lighting
on all their traditionally animated films from "Prince
of Egypt" to "Sinbad".
It was a lot of fun and I met many great people and artists
there. It was such an inspiring atmosphere. My biggest
achievment at that time was being a Rough Inbetweener
(Assistant Animator) on "SPIRIT".
I got to animate one scene for the film. It was so cool
thinking how far I had come and how close I was getting
to my goal. Since then the animation scene in LA has dramatically
changed. I've had to adapt to the new software and bring
my traditional knowledge to animating 3D rigs.
I have really loved getting
to know the new digital tools and the great results they
can give me. I am now animating my first personal short
3D film. I am excited to see how it will turn out and
then I will do another one.
I am also teaching animation
back at CalArts to give back to the industry.
It helps me to learn more as I teach others about animation.
It has been very inspiring to me as a filmaker and animator.
