Creativity has always been a part of who I am, and I’m grateful my mom recognized that early on. When I was young, she sent me to a summer art camp with my grade school best friend. It wasn’t anything fancy, but the teacher there nurtured my love for drawing and painting, and that spark stayed with me. In high school, I’d often skip gym class to spend more time on art. My art teacher, Mr. Davis, played a huge role in shaping my future—he introduced me to digital art, letting me experiment with Corel Painter and RayDream Studio on his old Mac in the art supply room. That’s where my passion for digital creation really took off.

After high school, I took a detour into automotive repair for a while. I’ve always enjoyed working with my hands and figuring out how things work, which probably explains my fascination with cameras and lenses. But eventually, I realized my heart was in art, so I signed up for art college on a whim and dove in headfirst. I powered through without breaks, graduated early, and even earned honors.

My first job in the industry? I showed up in a suit—big mistake. I was sweating buckets and even dropped my massive portfolio in the street. But that job kicked off what’s now been over 20 years of an incredible creative journey.

I started as a Flame assistant, rotoscoping everything from McDonald’s hamburgers to Nintendo characters, and worked my way up to becoming a Creative Director and Department Lead at studios both big and small. Looking back, I’m proud of the work I’ve done, the challenges I’ve tackled, and the amazing friends I’ve made along the way. This industry has given me so much, and I’m excited to keep pushing forward.