I grew up in Illinois, always known as the artist in my class. When I moved to Indiana for high school, I got to try out some new technologies - namely,
Photoshop, Illustrator, AutoCAD, 3d Studio Max, and a variety of video editing tools. Of course I already knew I wanted to be an animator, or involved
in the animation field in some way. At Purdue University I specialized in animated computer technology, learning primarily in Maya. After graduating, I enrolled in Animation Mentor online animation school, where I honed in on acting and body mechanics, again primarily in Maya.
Once completing my formal education, I was hired to work on the Emmy-Winning Sesame Street segment “Abby’s Flying Fairy School” produced by a company based in New Jersey called Speakeasy FX. There I learned Softimage (XSI) in three days on the job, and ultimately preferred its intuitive design compared with other softwares. During production of the 26 eight-minute episodes over three years, I grew in technical prowess not only in animation but also in working directly with the director, editor, and producer. Due to my eager and adaptable nature, I gravitated toward producing, which I began to do professionally once my husband and I moved to Austin, TX. My attention to quality and detail, friendly follow-through nature with clients, and organized management ability have made me well-suited as a producer, particularly in the animated video niche. I spent six months commuting every week to collaborate on commercial work with the accomplished studio Janimation, Inc. in Dallas, TX, and later found an opportunity in Austin to continue long-term contract work with the solution-oriented, award-winning Invodo, Inc. (where I am still employed today).
I have never lost my love for animation and have recently supervised animation in two independent short films -- one, a live action / CGI blend piece, “Danny and the Wild Bunch,” made the rounds in the 2014 and 2015 festival circuits, winning “Best Short Film” at Las Vegas Film Festival (2014), “Best Animation” at the Catalina Film Festival (2014), “Best Animated Short Film” at Asheville Cinema Festival (2014), and “Best Fantasy Short Film” at the Beverly Hills Shorts Festival (2015). The film was also nominated for official selection at over two dozen other festivals, became a Vimeo Staff Pick and was recommended by Gizmodo and i09. A small batch of us also worked together with Robb Rugan again on an animation pitch for a full-length feature film, which was presented in January 2016 and is currently in the process of getting green-lit for production with Robb at the helm as director.
Another short film, “One Per Person,” recently completed in 2016 after 5 years in the making, and is also bound for the festival circuit. This fully-animated short involved a much larger team and pipeline, as well as a successful Kickstarter campaign, and we look forward to its worldwide release.
I constantly look forward to new collaborative opportunities in animation, remotely or onsite. Looking forward to hearing from you.