I was born in Burbank California June 3, 1979 at St. Joseph’s hospital. I grew up in the San Fernando Valley, Palmdale, and Burbank. Now I am back in the good old San Fernando Valley currently residing in Valley Village.
As a small child it was apparent that I was gifted in the visual arts. From the time I could remember I was drawing when and wherever I could. That included using my mother’s lipstick on her bedroom floor. As I grew older I continued my fascination with the arts, which for a young child coming into puberty was comic books and cartoons. I still have not outgrown them.
At 18 I took a job as a paid intern at Disney Consumer Products. Six months later I was promoted to a production artist. While at Disney I continued to attend school at nights working toward transferring to CSUN to finish my B.A. in Psychology. I was using Disney as a way to pay for my education. Soon after transferring to CSUN, my focus began to change from Psychology back to art. I started taking life-drawing workshops at Disney studios that were being taught by artists like Bob Kato, Tom Sito, and Glen Vilpuu.
The love for art began to bloom inside my heart once again. I dropped out of CSUN and spent all my time studying drawing and painting, taking classes at The Animation Union in North Hollywood, Ca, The Art Institute in Santa Monica, The Art Academy of Los Angeles, and Art Center in Pasadena. I was now set on making it at Disney as a storyboard and character artist and was being groomed by the director of the apprentice program.
I was a journeyman artist at Disney, moving from production, to character art, to a design position at Disney Interactive. After Five years at Disney I took an Art Director position at a small design firm called Brandtopia and was able to continue my education and work on Disney projects for Buena Vista Home Entertainment. Projects that included Finding Nemo, Kim Possible, Beauty and the Beast, 102 Dalmatians, Lizzie McGuire, and many other classic Disney features and shorts.
In 2004 I helped start a small marketing firm called Rhombus Creative and worked with such clients as Countrywide, Disney Records, and Skill Jam. While at Rhombus I worked with a talented producer named Allen Rhodes and together we created a property called Kiko: The Brave Little Bat. While developing Rhombus and Kiko, I spent a considerable amount storyboarding for music videos for such bands as Radio 4 and Run Run Run.
However, in 2006 my life took a very different road. After spending most of my young adult life living how I wanted to live it, I heard Jesus calling me back to Him. In August 2006, after much wrestling, I answered his call. In November of that year, I walked away from design and illustration all together, or so I thought. I spent the next couple of months living off savings, traveling, and seeking the Lord. In January of 2007 I heard him speak and in March of that year I decided to use my abilities and talent to help others.p I now do design and consulting for several Non Profit Organizations, Churches, and a few companies I think are trying to make a difference.
My time is now spent focusing on discovering God’s will for my life, growing as an artist, continuing my education, and trying to bring to light all the things that pushed me away from the Church. While affecting great changes in the way the Church communicates to the needy and hurting.
I am the youngest of 4 siblings and the son of two very loving and supportive parents.
