When I first realized that I wanted to work as an artist in theme parks, I was about 15 years old. Having lived in and about the Los Angeles reign, I went to Disneyland, a lot, I loved the creativity of Disneyland—who knew it would take me twenty-five years before I would become a significant contributor, and help to “Make the Magic”.
I started sculpting in high school. It was a natural form of artistic expression for me. My creative inspirations ran the gamut, but my primary interest was manipulating the human face. Make-up Effects was a natural path for me to follow. I got my start at the age of twenty, working for Roger Corman. At the “School of Corman” one does a little bit of everything. For myself, this included Rotoscoping, working in the model shop, assisting in the Camera and Art departments, and eventually finding my way into make-up. Particularly, special effects, prosthetics, monsters and dead things. My career as a Special Effects Make-up Artist flourished for fifteen years. Notable projects included my skills as Key Artist for several of the “Nightmare on Elm Street” franchise films, the “Critters” franchise, and the H.P. Lovecraft cult-film “The Unnamable”.
When I experienced my first digital “morph” in the 1988 film “Willow”, I saw the writing on the wall. The digital world had arrived! I taught myself Photoshop and never looked back. I’ve always been fascinated with special effects. Star Wars became one of the biggest influences in my early career. Yes, I know everyone says that, but it’s appropriate to give credit where credit is due!
So here I am today; a cross platform “Digital Ronin” with an emphasis in media production for various theme parks. Most recently Ive been working with Warner Bros Studios Tours on the widely popular “Horror Made Here”. I’ve managed projects and installed multiple video projections for Walt Disney’s Imagineering at Tokyo Disneyland, Tokyo Disney Seas, Euro Disney Paris, Disney World Florida, and Disneyland, Anaheim, Hong Kong, & Shanghai – including such favorite attractions as “The Pirates of the Caribbean”, “The Haunted Mansion”, “The Little Mermaid”, “Peter Pan”, “Space Mountain” rides and many more.
I love the work that I do. And I’m always thinking of exciting, cutting edge ways to push that magical envelope, and to give theme park visitors a truly memorable experience, urging them to keep coming back for more!