I'm a self-taught animator with over 38 years of experience in studios large and small. I have been a writer, director, storyboard artist, previs artist, studio owner, actor, voiceover artist and teacher.
I have spent over 25 years teaching at animation schools and colleges including Okanagan College, Animation Mentor, VanArts and the Animation Workshop in Denmark and I've been a guest lecturer in numerous schools.
I am currently writing and publishing a series of 26 books on advanced animation techniques and developing an online course to help animation hopefuls break into the industry with solid instruction, mentoring and love introductions to studio decision-makers.
Work History
Supervising Animation Director
Bardel Entertainment
August 2016 - Present
Freelance Animator
New Machine Studios
May 2016 - August 2016
Animation Supervisor
Axis Animation
April 2016 - July 2016
I supervised the cut scene animation on a complex AAA game.
Animation Supervisor
Bardel Entertainment
October 2015 - January 2016
Vancouver/Kelowna
Animation Supervisor on DC Superhero Girls in the Kelowna and Vancouver studios.
Freelance Animator
New Machine Studios
January 2015 - August 2015
Vancouver, Canada
Head of Animation
Zoic Studios
January 2012 - February 2015
Vancouver, Canada
Animation Supervisor for Once Upon A Time, Once Upon A Time in Wonderland, Falling Skies, Wayward Pines, The 100 and all episodics at Zoic Studios.
Senior Animator
Image Engine
April 2009 - December 2011
Vancouver, Canada
Senior animator on District 9, The Thing, Battleship, Twilight: Breaking Dawn, Immortals, Hayabusa, Safe House, SSX Deadly Descents, The Losers, and Stargate Universe
PreViz artist on Ceasar - Rise of the Apes, The Thing, Twilight: Breaking Dawn and Twilight: Eclipse
Experimental Animation on The Thing
Mentor
Animation Mentor
2005 - January 2011
Online mentor for animation students with the California based animation school, AnimationMentor.com I have mentored classes on short film creation, storyboarding, physics and body mechanics and acting.
Freelance Animator
Leviathan VFX
May 2010 - September 2010
Vancouver, Canada
Animated robot character "Tiny" in 2 episodes of Eureka.
Animated a flying sleigh and reindeer for Christmas episode of Eureka
Owner
The Forge Studios Ltd.
1998 - August 2010
The Forge Provided 2d and 3d animation services to customers for feature films, tv, commercials, games products and more. With our team of highly experienced professional animators, modelers, and other artists, we were involved in many exciting projects - from Disney Interactive games to the pilot of the Resistors, a fully animated series in Ireland.
The Forge produces PoseAmation - royalty free generic 3d animation for use in Daz Studio, Poser and many other 3d packages.
Senior Animator/Previs Animator/Storyboard Artist
MGM Stargate Universe
February 2009 - April 2010
Vancouver, Canada
3D Lead
Bridge Studios - Stargate In house VFX
February 2009 - March 2009
Vancouver, Canada
3D lead on the new Stargate Universe series.
VFX artist/animator
Zoic Studios
October 2008 - February 2009
animator/3d generalist at Zoic, which seems to be the vfx home of every cool tv show on the planet! (and features too!)
Animator
Rainmaker Entertainment
November 2006 - January 2008
Vancouver, Canada
• Created visual effects from storyboard to final 3d on the award winning TV series Stargate Atlantis -using Lightwave
• Animated digital replacement faces for feature film, “Blades of Glory” –using Maya
• Animated 3d hornets for the feature film, “Case 39” –using Maya
• Created growing jungle for Magnum Ice Cream ad – using Paint FX in Maya
• Animated 3d bison for TV ad –using Lightwave
Animation Instructor
The animation Workshop
2002 - 2005
Viborg, Denmark
Taught modules an the Animation Workshop in Denmark on the following topics:
• Dialogue, covering the fundamentals of convincing dialogue; the theories and techniques.
• 3D animation, covering the fundamentals of physics, timing, acting and design for students that were making their final project.
• Poses and Gestures, concentrating on how to study people to build a mental library of character traits and how to apply that knowledge to animated characters.
3d artist
The Element
November 2002 - December 2002
Dublin, Ireland
Animator for 2 television commercials
Content Supervisor/Animator
Smith Micro Software (Curious Labs)
2001 - November 2002
Dublin, Ireland
Supervised a team of content creators and created poses and animation for Poser 5 and Avatar Lab.
Content Supervisor/ Content creator
EGISYS AG
January 2001 - September 2001
Tübingen, Germany
• Animation and 3D modeling supervisor for EGISYS and its subsidiaries, Curious Labs and Curious Labs Ireland. Created the animation and supervised the modeling content for the CyberOne Awards
• Created the web avatar character “ThreeDee”.
Animator
Filmkameratene AS
September 2000 - October 2000
Stockholm, Sweden
• Traditional animator on feature film, “Karlsson on the Roof”.
3D Texture artist
Windmill Lane
July 2000 - August 2000
Dublin, Ireland
• Stargate SG-1 – Created texture maps for valley destruction scene in episode entitled, “Scorched Earth”.
Animator
Monster Animation
May 2000 - June 2000
Dublin, Ireland
• Traditional animator on the Madonna Music video, “Music”
Animator
TerraGlyph
1999 - April 2000
Dublin, Ireland
Character animator on Help! I'm a Fish!, Duck Ugly and other projects.
• Animated entire “Joe’s transformation” sequence in "Help! I'm a Fish!" as well as many other sequences and individual scenes.
Traditional Animator
Scarecrow
December 1998 - January 1999
Dublin, Ireland
Animator
Rich Animation Studios
September 1997 - January 1999
Dublin, Ireland
• Senior animator on “The King and I”
• Animated bridge fight sequence and other various scenes from the feature film, “Scarecrow”.
Traditional Animator
The King and I
September 1997 - July 1998
Dublin, ireland
Traditional Animator
Hades Challenge
November 1996 - August 1997
Vancouver, Canada
Animated cut scenes in a Playstation game
Traditional Animator
Aladdin Math
November 1996 - August 1997
Vancouver, Canada
Animator
Creative Capers Entertainment
November 1996 - August 1997
Dublin, Ireland
• Traditional character animator for several cd-rom games and storybooks for Disney Interactive, including:
-Hades Challenge
-Hercules Animated Storybook
-Aladdin Math (also designed Bizarrah character)
-Hercules Heroquest
-Little Mermaid
Animation Director/Animator
Natterjack Animation
1994 - November 1996
Vancouver, Canada
Animation director on several sections of Werner 2, commercials and several Disney animated storybooks and interactive games.
Traditional Animator
Mulan Animated Storybook
June 1996 - August 1996
Vancouver, Canada
Traditional Animator
Hercules Gamebreak
June 1996 - August 1996
Vancouver, Canada
Traditional Animator
101 Dalmatians Gamebreak
March 1996 - June 1996
Vancouver, Canada
Traditional Animator
Hercules Animated Storybook
March 1996 - June 1996
Vancouver, Canada
Traditional Animator
Hunchback Gamebreak
December 1995 - February 1996
Vancouver, Canada
Traditional Animator
Hunchback Animated Storybreak
October 1995 - December 1995
Vancouver, Canada
Storyboard Artist
NOA Network of Animation
January 1995 - March 1995
Vancouver, Canada
-Mutant League (television series)
-Prince of Atlantis (television series)
Animator
Bardel Entertainment
1986 - January 1995
Vancouver
-Toonstruck (computer game) Animated “Spike the Clown” sequence and “Scarecrow/Carecrow” sequence
-Mars Moose (interactive game)
-Land of Google (television special)
Animator
Bardel Entertainment
1986 - 1995
-Toonstruck (computer game) Animated “Spike the Clown” sequence and “Scarecrow/Carecrow” sequence
-Mars Moose (interactive game)
-Land of Google (television special)
Animator
Walt Disney Television Animation Australia
1992 - 1994
Sydney, Australia
Character animator on A Goofy Movie, The Return of Jaffar, Aladdin (tv), Bonkers (tv), and Quack Pack (Donald Duck tv series)
Animator
Sullivan Bluth Studios
1989 - October 1992
Dublin, Ireland
Senior character animator on several fully animated features and live action reference actor for the character of Prince Cornelius in "Thumbelina".
Traditional Animator
The Pebble and the Penguin
April 1992 - June 1992
Dublin, Ireland
Traditional Animator
Babar: The Movie
April 1988 - March 1989
Vancouver, Canada
Animator
Gord Stanfield Animation
January 1985 - March 1989
Vancouver, Canada
-The Babar Movie
-Grandbillie (Television special)
-Strawberry Fields (Unreleased animated feature by Michael Jackson)
I co-founded and operated this top performing animation service studio with a high caliber team of professionals.
Freelance Animator
Mind Over Eye
December 2015 - January 2016
Freelance Animator
New Machine Films
February 2015 - August 2015
3D Character animation on the following features The Wizard's Christmas1 and 2, and Tales of the First Nation.
Freelance Animator
Eh-Okay
August 2015 - February 2016
Animator
Sullivan Bluth Studios
1989 - 1992
Character Animator
Sullivan Bluth Studios
1989 - 1992
Character animator on Rock a Doodle, Thumbelina, A Troll in Central Park and the Pebble and the Penguin. I was also the live action reference actor for Prince Cornelius in Thumbelina.
Animator/ Content supervisor
Curious Labs
2001 - 2002
Supervised a team of content creators and created poses and animation for Poser 5 and Avatar Lab.
Mentor
Animation Mentor
2005 - 2011
Owner
Cobblestone Media
September 2011 - Present
At Cobblestone Media, I am producing a series of children's book apps for the iPad and iPhone market. The stories include high quality painted illustrations and classical animation.
Animation - 3D, 2D, cartoon, hard surface, digi-double, and traditiona
Freelance
August 2015 - Present
I'm looking for some new freelance animation work! If you have some animation that needs to be done - creature, 3d cartoon, digi-double, hard surface or even traditional 2D, have a look at my demo reel, read some of my recommendations, then give me a shout! I'd love to hear from you.
Previs animator
Proof Inc
March 2016 - March 2016
Vancouver, Canada
Previs Animator
Proof Inc
January 2016 - March 2016
Vancouver
Previs animation for a popular live action adventure franchise