News

2-2-10- Over the holidays I helped to clean-up and animated a 30-second commercial for New York's United Federation of Teachers in time for Martin Luther King Jr. Day!  It's been airing on basic channels all across the nation (even during Obama's speech!), and only now has it been uploaded to YouTube!  You can view it here, and I also added a link to it in my Animation section!

01-02-10- 2010 already!  I added new observational drawings in Observational Drawing section of the Portfolio page, as well as a new Jack Magic one-shot comic, "Pere Noel Day", on the same page!

Coming to festivals this year, through Casque D'Or Films, will be a series of 1-minute animated shorts called Queer Pet Adventures.  Like the Flash series Queer Duck, this will aim to share appreciation for the gay and lesbian culture, while still being universal in its story, humor, and message.  I designed, animated, and edited the entire series myself, and worked closely with the head of the company, Veronique Courtois, through to completion!  Be sure to check on her website often to hear new updates and schedules for venues! :)  Also, stop by my Portfolio page to see never-before-seen screenshots from the series right now!

Queer Pet Adventures, characters, names, and related are (C) 2010 Casque D'Or Films.  Do not reuse images without permission from the owner!


12-28-09- I suppose there won't be a new update past New Years', so Happy New Year!  Go 2010!

Want to know what I've been working on behind my secluded room for the last six months?!  A new series of shorts for a California studio that will be submitted to festivals!  It's being produced by Casque D'Or Films!  More news to come...


12-14-09-  I know my site does not have a links page, but I think it's time I mention my brother Erik here.  Erik is currently working just outside Chicago, IL as an actor and teacher with his girlfriend Megan.  You can read his site here and his blog here!



12-9-09- Happy Holidays! :)  I worked on this for the past month on my freetime.

I attended a John Dilworth presentation planned by ASIFA East held at the School of Visual Arts' theatre yesterday.  John, as some of you may be aware, created and executive produced CN's Courage the Cowardly Dog years ago, and he has not lost his touch ever since.  The presentation was among the most colorful and involved ASIFA has ever planned, complete with a guy in a Courage costume, an SVA band, many many animator cameos, and even the voice of Courage himself.  His latest shorts 'Life In Transition' and 'Rinky Dink' were screened.

I also finished a freelance project that last SIX months just yesterday, and I will announce it here very soon!

11-23-09- Added new piece of character design and concept for another story idea I have.  I may flesh these characters out more as the days go by. 

I made some Holiday cards that I linked to on my other sites, and which you can buy on both Cafepress and Zazzle!  :)

In other news, I have been pretty busy with job searching... and for my birthday, I had to cope with the new operating system I decided to get for my birthday, and all the problems that came along with it.  I have wanted to use this form as a way to talk about animation news, but I have fallen back on that.  In short, I saw Where the Wild Things Are, and Fantastic Mr. Fox, which were both very good.  The Cat's Piano I mentioned earlier became an Academy Award nominating runner! :) 

Get ready for an original animation featuring my Jack Magic characters in a holiday greeting soon, as well as a Christmas comic!

10-29-09- I realized that companies usually look for ONE SINGLE REEL to get a picture of your best work, while I always had several reels by studio or personal project.  To remedy the situation, I give you the Ultra Reel 2009!  :)  It covers both my best personal projects, as well as the best of my studio work!

10-26-09- Animation Collective, the independent animation studio in New York City that I have been working with for a long time, is in a deal with Handmade Films to be acquired by them for a $12 million backing, according to AnimationMagazine.com .  What this means about my current employment relationship with them is yet to be revealed- I don't even know if I'm going to return.  But I wish them luck with this new venture. 

In other news, I updated my old Cafepress account with more holiday cards.  Buy em now while it's still that time of year!  :)  I know I don't have a section on this new site for a Store link, but one day, I may even revive the account with new stuff and add a link.  I am also trying to find other services that will also use my designs, and create more exposure!

10-12-09- Follow Derrick Fish's Dandy and Company this entire week for 5 daily strips I created for his Total Chaos Guest feature!  It's starting today!

10-11-09- I've added a brand new video: The Foxy Scrambler, which is my entry into Nickelodeon's '15-Seconds-To-Fame' Animation Contest.  This version on my site is actually 20 seconds, to make the text appear clearer.  Now that the date for Nick's finalist list has come and gone, it's a good bet that I didn't get in, but that means I can upload it online!  It's also on my YouTube account!

9-22-09- That was quick!  The open drawing slides work after all!  

AnimationHutlogo

My 2006 Senior thesis Mime For A Day has been uploaded to the brand new animation community called AnimationHut.tv (similar to YouTube, but WAY smaller), established by long-time animator Bill Pressing.  Many have already joined the site and uploaded videos.  Unlike YouTube, it is only for animation, JUST started, is NOT backed by a major company, and is personally monitored by the administrator. I hope it grows into a healthy community. Mime For A Day is covered on the site's blog too!

9-21-09- Some observational figure drawings were added to the Portfolio section.  Check them out.  So far, I'm trying to figure out what's wrong with the coding, because you can only view the first one, after which follows the Norm & Cory comic 'Torn A' Plenty', instead of the succeeding drawings, so hang in there.

9-11-09- I observe the 8th anniversary.   ...of 9/11.

...

Okay that's that! 

My friend James Sugrue spent the past year making a holiday-themed short that he entered into FOX's Aniboom Holiday Contest!  You can vote simply watching the short, which automatically count as one vote!  Git him up the list!

Back in August, I decided to enter Nickelodeon's 2009 '15-Seconds-of-Fame' Animation Competition on a whim.  You can see the entry here.  Entries were closed on September 8th, and they are in the judging stage now.  I may delete it if Nick actually selects it for the next round.

9-04-09 I made a painting for my brother Erik's 24th birthday TODAY!  He's getting by as an actor in Illinois, and his last job JUST ended, so visit his site!

In other news, as you all know by now, Disney bought Marvel Comics for 4 billion dollars!  I see this as something pretty unimportant, but it was quite a shock when first hearing about it.  Crossover jokes are too tasty to ignore, but they are just that: jokes. 

Also, I recently saw "The Cat Piano", a short film directed by Eddie White and Ari Gibson, which blends beautiful hand-drawn animation to a very definite mood.  The other is the non-budgeted "Santaman" project, which is basically a Santa version of Batman, and was entered into the 2009 FOX Aniboom Holiday contest!  Both are well worth your time!

8-27-09- This main page has replaced the old one, making this site officially live!  I also just added a  account for my videos as an alternative for viewing the Quicktimes files, which need to be loaded before playing.  Explore, make suggestions about how to improve the site, and don't forget to read the resume for hiring!

8-24-09-

The Hooked-On-Phonics animation I helped to complete at Flickerlab has now been publically announced on AnimationMagazine.com .  Funny, in that I personally never knew their Learn To Read lessons weren't being produced anymore before approaching Flickerlab!

8-22-09- I added a few new still pieces in my Portfolio page above, one of which is fan art.  I also added my first personal storyboard, 'Overdue'.

8-22-09- Welcome to the new layout!  This is a test to see how the new format works. It will take me some time to get used to editing the site this way, but I will get it eventually.  In the meantime, look around and explore.  There are many places that need work, so don't worry if you run into a dead link or an awkward-looking page.  This format is brand new.

I have to thank Neil Orians for the hard work in designing the new look for the site! The link to his own site and his work are below in the disclaimer.