I began honing my interests back in 1994, before digital media was digital media. Before 'History' palettes, smart objects and shape layers, I was immersed in the early releases of Paint Shop Pro and Caligari Truspace.  Mortal Kombat was all the rage at the time, revolutionizing gameplay and pissing off senators. Like many teens, I was hooked! Not only was this the first game of its kind, it was visually stunning and retained an artistic style that created a world that could stand on its own. With my very small skillset, I mashed favorite characters from other intellectual properties into video game style settings.  Eventually, some of my work circulated on the internet, leading me to take on an even bigger task of creating a web site.

Like any aspiring teenage "dev-signer", I was stealing HTML code left and right from all the cool kids.  After much hammering of square pegs into round holes, I'd birthed my very first website. Environment and inspiration got me started and the challenge of producing a final polished package kept me motivated. I never wanted my design to become stagnent and always aspired to reach the next level.

By way of an introductory computer class in High School, I was introduced to Photoshop.  "Now wait just a moment, you can layer things on top of each other AND add lens flares?!"  The opportunity to design and maintain web sites for our school system was presented to me by way of the instructor.  This was back when HTML was forged in Notepad simply because there were no alternatives.  The same teacher later introduced me to Mike and Mark Bannon, founders of Wreckless Abandon Studios which was located a stone's throw away. 

At Wreckless, I was introduced to software packages like Maya and After Effects, in addition to some amazingly talented people.  Wreckless Abandon specilized in stop-motion animation.  Everything was produced under one roof, from start to finish.  Character rigs and set props adorned desks while quirky artists roamed the hallways.  One of the most memorable projects I worked on was 'A Freezerburnt Christmas'.  I witnessed smoke and flying ice cream bars being added to carefully captured scenes in post-production.  This was the real deal and I tried to soak up everything.  Everything must come to an end, and when one door closes, another opens.  College, here I come!


In the year 2000, there were few schools offering degrees in Computer Graphics.  Springfield College (Springfield, MA.) was one of them, and they were also more my style.  I had checked out RISD and MA College of Art, but felt more at home amongst the crowd at Springfield.  One of their beliefs is that artists must begin from the ground up before delving off into the various outlets of new media creation.  An emphasis on design basics was never stricken from my workload as I painted, sketched, cut and sculpted my way to an array of more specialized classes towards the end of my four years.  Springfield provided the resources and professors but it was truly up to us, as the students, to follow our interests and pursue our passions.  Many hours were logged in the Maya Lab, a Bat Cave of sorts, with the soft hum of computers churning out frame after frame of student-produced work.  Our final task, to create a demo reel to prepare us for the real world.