When I was in college I built 70 foot high silos for a living during the summer.  Very dangerous but paid well so I could go to art school  9 months out of the year without having to work.  This probably helped me to learn to live with taking risks, which the animation industry requires.

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?

Rescuers Down Under (clean-up) Pinky and the Brain (storyboard) 101 Dalmatians 1996 live-action release (storysketch)

Well, I was teaching live-action and television production at California Lutheran University and I developed Bells Palsy, which paralyzes half of your face.  I couldn’t teach anymore and had a friend who worked as an assistant at Disney.  He told me about the program there and the test you had to take to get started. I sat for a few months straight practicing in-betweening, took the test at Disney and started there on Rescuers Down Under.   The hardest part was learning to sit for 8 hours straight a day.(I earlier had a B.A. in art but got interested in filmmaking at the end of my B.A., so went for a Masters in Film and Television production at the University of Iowa.  I made documentaries for PBS in North Carolina and Iowa and taught live-action film for years, but never utilized my art training.  When I came down with the Bell’s Palsy,  I decided to utilize the drawing skills and subjected myself to a grueling self-training, re-introducing myself to my drawing skills.  Thankfully, my face healed completely, and my new career was launched.)Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business?I am from Minnesota, but moved to California to attend The American Film Institute as a Producer Fellow, which was still part of my live-action film work.

Unless there is a tight deadline, I spend about 3 to 4 hours a day doing the “business side” of running my business.  Emails, marketing, bidding on jobs online, networking and looking for opportunities.   Then I take a break, go for a walk, and come back and start the most highly creative part of what I do, drawing.  A lot of my work is hand-drawn, even when it comes to Flash animation, and then it is scanned into the computer for painting and line clean up. This usually lasts about four hours, then I go into the computer mode, which requires less creativity… this also lasting about four hours.  So on a regular basis I am working around 12 hours a day.

The drawing.  It is the time when I feel that the creative abilities are used to their best.

The marketing.  It is somewhat tedious, but has to be done.
What is the most difficult part for you about being in the business? The finacial instability.  You have to keep money in the bank because clients pay in sporadic ways, and projects are always variable.

Windows PC, Flash, Photoshop, Illustrator.

Met June Foray at the Union Christmas Party!  Was instrumental in shaping the end of 101 Dalmatians (1996) with Stephen Herek directing.
See my profile on IMBD   http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0975075/

Animation in general is tough, but very rewarding.

Is there any advice you can give for an aspiring animation student or artist trying to break into the business?

Never give up! If you are truly supposed to be doing this, it will work out.