WHAT DO YOU DO?
I’m an animator in both my career path and my hobbies – I currently do a lot of freelance motion graphics out of Atlanta for companies like American Cancer Society, Coca-Cola, Discovery Channel, and Southern Company – to name a few. I’ve also been the head of post-production on two documentaries, and before that, dabbled in news editing and even a few nature shows. On the side, I like to play a lot of tennis, board games and video games with friends, and above all, work on my short films.

WHY ARE YOU DOING IT?
I love to create. I’ve been drawing and animating and just overall creating since as long as I can remember. I’ve got binders of intricate drawings stacked to the ceiling in my parents’ basement from when I was 5. It was never really a question to me – it’s just who I am. If I’ve got a good idea, I’d like to share it with the rest of the world – perhaps let someone see something that will make their day a little brighter – or understand an idea in an entirely new light or from a different perspective.

WHAT / WHO INFLUENCES YOU?
I think that in today’s society, it’s impossible not to be influenced by the abundance of media and ideas that surround us on a daily basis. Inspiration is everywhere you look, you just have to keep your mind open to it. On a more specific note, the legendary artists of our time and before us inspire me the most – and that’s a huge field in itself. Great creators from M.C. Escher to Stanley Kubrick, or John Lennon to Shigeru Miyamoto – the list is endless. The only thing stopping artists of today from following in their footsteps is hard work and determination.

WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS?
On a short term level – I’d love to keep doing what I’m doing. For the next decade, I would love to keep creating short films and animations; anything to do with art. Eventually, I’ve always dreamed of writing and directing films – like a future Tarantino or Wes Anderson. It’s not going to happen overnight of course – but if I had one long-term goal in mind worth obtaining, that would be it.