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As of May 31st, 2008, I will have graduated the 4 year Bachelor of Fine Arts program at Savannah College of Art and Design. And, it's a funny coincidence, because if you would have asked me about 10 years ago, I never would have imagined it in my wildest dreams. I was born, on April 18th 1986 in Cincinnati, Ohio. But I spent my early childhood skipping from mischief to mayhem on the quiet, suburban streets of Villa Hills, Kentucky. We moved to Kennesaw, Ga (a suburb of Atlanta) when I was 5, and we've been here ever since.

I have always been interested in technology, for longer than I can remember. A lot of it has to do with the fact that my dad has worked with computers for longer than I have been alive. So from his influence, I began to experiment and tinker to my heart's content. I was also really in to video games, consoles and other emerging technologies, like beepers and portable phones. One of the greatest triumphs of my early life was finding a copy of Leisure Suit Larry on a 5 1/2" floppy diskette and playing it without my parents ever finding out (as a young boy, and if you are familiar with Leisure Suit Larry - this was a big deal).

Fast forward several years later, to 1997. This was the year that Disney/Pixar released Toy Story, and literally changed my life forever. It was at that point, I began to be interested in using my computer skills for art, which started me down the path to where I am today. However, even up into my Sophomore year of high school, I had never really considered art as a career. It was in the summer before my Junior year that my parents mentioned SCAD and after we took the tour, I made the decision to enroll in art school and pursue Animation as a career. However, once I had been exposed to the world of Visual Effects, I changed my major. I had decided that, more so than be responsible with something like the motion and control of a character and assets, I really just wanted to make stuff look cool.

So coming into SCAD without at formal art training to speak of, I knew it was going to be really important to stay focused, and give everything my best effort. Being surrounded by people who had been drawing since they were toddlers, can be a bit distressing, but the harder I kept pushing, the more I began to improve. When I finally started to press into my Visual Effects curriculum, I finally found myself to really be in my element. Since I was fluent with computers, adapting to this type of art was easier for me than some. So I had made a promise to myself; that for every class and every project, I would attempt to do something new, or teach myself a new skill. This led to my early adaptation of mental ray, and an almost exclusive use of it in my work. Eventually, I had found that what I really loved most about the whole process was lighting. There are so many wonderful things about a piece that can come across from good lighting. Not only that, but, the entire mood, feeling, and communication of a piece can change depending on your lighting. With this also can an interest in the effects of radiosity, caustics, and other naturally beautiful phenomena caused by light.

Which brings me to current day; ready to step out into the next phase of my life. I have to say, I've never been so excited, the word exuberant comes to mind. Having the opportunity to do what I love to do every day, is like a dream come true. I'm actively looking for a job in the feature film industry as a lighter and will, as always, bring the fire, passion, and dedication that have become grafted to me, along for the ride.