What is your name and your current occupation?
Flash Animator, Digital Photographer, 3D Modeler.
What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
FIFA certified soccer official
What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?Safety Training Animations for LAX, Sony Picture Studios and Etihad Towers in the UAE.
Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business?
I am from Iowa, and always wanted to be in Illustration or Animation…loved Robotech as a kid.
What’s a typical day like for you with regards to your job?
Currently no day is typical, but generally I wake up, work really hard on my art work all day, go to bed, and dream of working on my artwork really hard.
What part of your job do you like best? Why?
I love creating things that look cool and getting paid doing it…who wouldn’t?
What part of your job do you like least? Why?
In house politics and bad communication from client to artist
What kind of technology do you work with on a daily basis, how has technology changed in the last few years in your field and how has that impacted you in your job?
Adobe CC is my life line. I also use Maya and Max on a regular basis…but pen and paper are still my trusty steed.
What is the most difficult part for you about being in the business?
Job insecurity and low pay, in a city that is very expensive to live in.
If you could change the way the business works and is run how would you do it?
Rules to make sure clients pay the studios and other related companies as work progresses, instead of when work is completed.
In your travels, have you had any brushes with animation greatness?
I have met many amazing animators in the 4 years I spent in LA..they are everywhere.
Describe a tough situation you had in life.
Just left my job to move to OKC, only to loose the house we were going to get, leaving me homeless, jobless, and my computer rig in storage while taking care of my wife and newborn. (run on sentences are tough for me as well…)
Any side projects you’re working on that you’d like to share details of?
about to start a small series of kids stories to be animated, about me baby boy.
Any unusual talents or hobbies like tying a cherry stem with your tongue or metallurgy?
I can only snap with my pinky and thumb.
Is there any advice you can give for an aspiring animation student or artist trying to break into the business?
Work really really hard, and LISTEN TO THOSE WHO HAVE MORE EXPERIENCE.
