Origin Story
Growing up in Washington State, I loved drawing Disney and Marvel characters, and was completely mesmerized by the Star Wars films and the visual effects that impressed me in each summer blockbuster I saw each year. Junior high school introduced me to digital painting and photomanipulation in Adobe Photoshop, and in senior year of high school I left campus to study film at Highline College and spent weekends at book stores learning about 3d software and the film industry. My best opportunity after graduating was at The Evergreen State College, where I dived deeper into filmmaking and film history, while studying in the graphics lab and designing advertisements for the school paper. Things soon changed in a big way when I saw Toy Story 2 and realized the time had come to more directly pursue a career in animation and visual effects. With only my art portfolio to apply with, I was accepted to the Vancouver Film School, where I attended their 3D Animation and Visual Effects program and was one of three students given the chance to keep polishing my student film after graduating in a festival extension scholarship.
When it came time to enter the work force, I accepted an offer in Chicago to become an video game animator for a startup developer. Working there was energizing and inspiring, and when I wasn't working on combat moves for our fighting game, I took Seven-Star Praying Mantis Kung Fu classes with the other animators, as well as numerous local standup and improv comedy shows, eventually discovering the thrill of writing and performing standup comedy.
Later, I moved out west to join the animation team at Rockstar Games - San Diego, culminating my time there as a Senior Animator on the Western genre game Red Dead Redemption, which went on to become one the fastest-selling and most critically-acclaimed games of all time. It had been an eight-year climb to the top of the video game industry, but film was my first passion, so I was ready to climb the next peak with my wife Tina.
In 2010, I took an opportunity to use my animation experience in a new way, becoming a previsualization artist in the film industry. This field allowed me to leverage my 3D animation experience with my passion for filmmaking and art to create shots and sequences for every kind of entertainment, including films that have thrilled the world. Seeing my first credit on the big screen was a dream come true, and I worked in the visualization field for many years at different studios and visual effects companies while also becoming a father.
After eleven years working in the film industry and the industry shutdowns from the Covid pandemic, I was eventually given the chance to work remotely as a visualization supervisor with the MPC Film company. It was a rare chance to return to Washington and spend more time with my wonderful wife and children while continuing to work at my dream job. Now I look for opportunities to share my knowledge with the next generation of aspiring animators and filmmakers and find expand my knowledge and capabilities within the industry.
When it came time to enter the work force, I accepted an offer in Chicago to become an video game animator for a startup developer. Working there was energizing and inspiring, and when I wasn't working on combat moves for our fighting game, I took Seven-Star Praying Mantis Kung Fu classes with the other animators, as well as numerous local standup and improv comedy shows, eventually discovering the thrill of writing and performing standup comedy.
Later, I moved out west to join the animation team at Rockstar Games - San Diego, culminating my time there as a Senior Animator on the Western genre game Red Dead Redemption, which went on to become one the fastest-selling and most critically-acclaimed games of all time. It had been an eight-year climb to the top of the video game industry, but film was my first passion, so I was ready to climb the next peak with my wife Tina.
In 2010, I took an opportunity to use my animation experience in a new way, becoming a previsualization artist in the film industry. This field allowed me to leverage my 3D animation experience with my passion for filmmaking and art to create shots and sequences for every kind of entertainment, including films that have thrilled the world. Seeing my first credit on the big screen was a dream come true, and I worked in the visualization field for many years at different studios and visual effects companies while also becoming a father.
After eleven years working in the film industry and the industry shutdowns from the Covid pandemic, I was eventually given the chance to work remotely as a visualization supervisor with the MPC Film company. It was a rare chance to return to Washington and spend more time with my wonderful wife and children while continuing to work at my dream job. Now I look for opportunities to share my knowledge with the next generation of aspiring animators and filmmakers and find expand my knowledge and capabilities within the industry.
At the entrance of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences building, where my childhood friend Sean and I saw the crew screening of Marvel's The Avengers in 2012. It was my first screen credit.
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Holding the 'Best VFX' Oscar from MPC for the film 1917. Hats off to the VFX artists whose hard work earned this trophy. I was lucky to hold it on its MPC studio tour even though I did not personally work on the film.
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In a Fisher-Price magazine ad at three years old (I'm the blond one reacting to my husky's wet tongue on Mt. Rainier).
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With Animation Mentor founders Shawn Kelly (left) and Carlos Baena (right) at Siggraph.
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