Memories for Christmas :)

This was the first year in a few years that my life wasn't consumed with school, so I was able to think ahead a bit more for Christmas gifts for my fam :) I made a few photo books of some of the greatest trips I have spent with my family, click on the books to view them online!

Memories are the best gifts, I think. No need to return or exchange them!

From Chicago to Hollywood!

Happening next weekend....


Above is my "official" certificate of nomination from the AniMazing Spotlight fest, happening next weekend at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood, CA! I am very honored to be up for Best Student Animated Short, yahoo! Wish I could be there to support everyone else's shorts as well!

Happening now.....


Also, this weekend "Tah-Dah" screened at the prestigious Chicago International Children's Film Festival [CICFF] - the only Children's Fest in the world that is an Academy-Award Qualifier! That is trés exciting for moi! My film screened multiple times throughout the fest; yesterday at noon & 2pm, and today at 9:30 am. For more info on the fest and schedules, click here.

An Interview with L.A. Kids Stuff

Imee Perius, from L.A. Kids Stuff, was kind enough to request an interview with me, as my film screened today in L.A. for the L.A. Intl Childrens Festival.

Click here to read the article.

Too bad I'm not down there to check out the fest, I'm sure it would have been a blast!

A Feel Good Film Fest Interview!

The great peeps at Actors Reporter let me know that they posted the interview they did with me on the red carpet at the Feel Good Film Fest this past August. [See above :) ]

It was such a wonderfully trippy experience to be, first of all, on a red carpet at all, and secondly, to have pics taken of me and asked to do interviews! I am so proud of everyone who helped and supported me to finish "Tah-Dah", and I wouldn't have been to any film fests without them!

Festivals continue to abound :)

Since getting home from the Feel Good Film Fest at the Egyptian, I have been able to recoop a bit and catch up on some freelance work - sketches to be posted soonly!

In the meantime, a couple updates re: "Tah-Dah" in more film fests!

The AniMazing Spotlight [see image above] has put up a montage of clips of the animated films to be included in their festival at the Egyptian in November - of which I am included, as well as a few friends of mine from Sheridan - yay Sheridan!

Check out the montage of clips here.

Most recently, "Tah-Dah" has also been accepted into two more festivals, bringing the grand total thus far up to 14! Wowza, I am still amazed.

Sept 24 - Oct 1st in Montreal, QC:

I haven't been included in too many in my Canadian homeland just yet, so this one in Quebec was a nice surprise! I was super honored to make the cut [no pun intended], as they chose their Top 100 films from well over 1000 entries. I've never been to Montreal, so I'm really hoping to make it out for this one.

Sept 17 - 19 in Galesburg, Illinois:

I'm not entirely sure what the Black Earth Film Fest all entails, but I am happy to make their short list of films in any case!

Feel Good Film Fest

Having my film "Tah-Dah" screened at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood as a part of the Feel Good Film Festival this weekend has been nothing short of AMAZING!

More details to come :)

If you want to check out a few more pics from the event, click here.

LA Shorts Fest + "Tah-Dah" crits

My brother Cody and I jaunted down to LA this past weekend to see my film "Tah-Dah" Premiere at the LA Shorts Fest. The films screened at the Laemmle Sunset 5 Theatres on Sunset Blvd in Hollywood. It was his very generous birthday and early Christmas present to me...it was amazing!

A couple quick videos to show our excited experience: [we are obviously related]
Seeing Courtney Cox
Seeing Scarlett Johansson

It was a great experience, besides getting to sit right beside A-list stars like Demi Moore, Ashton Kutcher & Lena Headey, I got to screen and participate in a filmmaker Q & A after my film screened. It was a huge honor to be invited to screen my film among these true Hollywood productions! I met a lot of great people in the Industry, and got some really positive feedback on my film. It was overall definitely worth the trip!

Festival is in November at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood:

The second fest I got some great feedback from was the AniMazing Spotlight - my film was included in the Quarter 3 entries and got feedback from amazing professionals in the Animation Industry all over the world.

Here are some of the comments I received about "Tah-Dah":

Nancy Beiman: [worked with Chuck Jones & a Disney Animation veteran]
"Good sound, interesting design. The animation is good, The style is highly derivative of 1950s Disney design and story but the film is professional looking and pretty to watch."

Bill Dennis:

"Delightful little film. Loved the sound track."

Paul Dopff: [animator & instructor from France]

"Just perfect, with a very good tribute to the UPA style.

very professional creation, visual and sound level together."

Bill Matthews: [Disney Feature Animation veteran]

"A short (very short) animated film using the flat, designy approach reminiscent of the 1950's style of commercial animation. Rather refreshing departure from all the 3-D computer shorts in this competition; used a jazz-type background for a character playing a cello concerto!! Nice expressions but just as I was "getting into" the idea, it ended. (Usually, I found that editing on some shorts would have tightened up their stories...here, I couldn't get quite enough!)"

Thanks so much everyone!!

Festivus 8, 9 & 10

'Tis the season for film fests! I continue to be overjoyed with the response "Tah-Dah" has had amongst the film festivals! It has been invited to 3 more over the last little while, yayzers! Here they are for the inquiring minds who....inquire.

On Friday Aug 21st in Nevada City, CA:

On August 8th at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood:

In November at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood:

I couldn't have done it nearly as well [or at all!] without Tams helping me colour the last few scenes, and all the Sheridan faculty's help along the way, not to mention all the support of my fab fellow 4th-year-ers!

Yay team!

Fest Numero 5, 6 & 7!

An update from Davis, California!

I am still on my extendedly wonderful vacation touring the better part of California and staying with wonderful friends along the way. I have had so many amazing experiences these past few weeks to honestly last me my lifetime!

"Tah-Dah" has made it into three more film fests, I feel so overwhelmed! I just wish I could be there to see each one screen....hmmm....if only I could get a plane ticket that would be free flights forever.......

Anyhoo, the three fests are:

On July 26th at Comic-Con in San Diego:

My film will be played at the San Diego Intl Children's Film Fest, which will take place at Comic-Con, so that is uber exciting!

On July 24th at the Laemmle Sunset 5 in Hollywood:

On July 18th in PEI:

Yay for film fests! I hope to make at least a couple of them but we shall see. Well, on the road again.....

Fourth Film Fest!

On Aug 7th @ 11am in Hollywood:

Whilst enjoying our jaunts down South [my apologies on lack of posting, but we have been traveling by foot seemingly every waking moment!]...I heard from a fourth film fest that my film,
"Tah-Dah" has been accepted!

Yahoo! [The excitement never ceases for me!]

It's the West Hollywood International Film Fest, or WHIFF. Click on the image above to see their site. Visiting Hollywood this week is extra exciting for me, as in August my film will screen there!

As for our crazy awesome road trip extraordinaire, it has been going fabulously. More pics and sketches to come, but until then here's a few snapshots thus far :)

Moi hugging a HUGE rock formation at the Arches National Park in Moab, Utah.

Tams and I on her 30th birthday at the Arches National Park in Moab, Utah.

Super excited moi up in an air balloon for the first time over the beautiful vineyards in Temecula, California!

Doing some watercolour paintin' at the AWESOME Grand Canyon!

Doc and me, checkin' the time in Universal Studios, Hollywood.

Finished Sheridan? I'm goin' to Disneyland!

Moi rarin' to get going, Tom & Jerry in tow!

Tams is right behind me on her suped up motorcycle!

Tams and I have been planning a grad road trip celebration for what feels like EONS, and now it's almost upon us!!

These last few weeks have been INSANE with getting the film complete, finishing exams, portfolio and other classes, getting prepped for Industry Day, packing up my Oakville life and moving it all temporarily back to Winnipeg...so we are in need of some good ol' fashioned fun in the sun!

We don't have a definite timeline [more like, until the money runs out!], but we plan to see & do as much as we can, maybe visit some studios along the way, I'll paint as much as possible - and most of all, CELEBRATE GOOD TIMES, c'mon! :)

Here's our planned route, if anyone has any suggestions or tips, feel free to leave comments!

Winnipeg > Sioux Falls, South Dakota [Mount Rushmore] > Flaming Gorge, Wyoming > Moab, Utah [Arches National Park] > Flagstaff, Arizona [Grand Canyon] > Anaheim, California [Disneyland!] > San Diego, California > San Francisco, California [Redwood National Park] > Portland, Oregon > Seattle, Washington > Billings, Montana > Fargo, North Dakota > back home to Winnipeg

We leave Wednesday morning, I can't wait!! I'll post sketches along the way!

'The Celestial Ox' got selected for two festivals!

Some exciting news came my way in the last couple weeks, and I thought I'd do a special Ox-update post! The group film I animated on for my 3rd year group film this past year at Sheridan [see group film blog here], entitled The Celestial Ox has made it in two film festivals. Yay Mo-Cap Penguins! [Our studio name. 'Tis self-explanatory if ya think about it.]

It will be screened firstly in Los Angeles at the LA Shorts Film Fest on August 20.08 [SO exciting - wish I could be there!!], and secondly it will screen at the Ottawa International Animation Fest on September 20.08 - we made it as a finalist in the Teletoon Animation Scholarship category.

Me both excited and uber proud of my fellow penguins!