"Disney/Star Wars Corporate Retreat" Wins Best Narrative Short at Animation Block Party 2013!

"Disney/Star Wars Corporate Reatreat: Director's Cut" won best narrative short at the 2013 Animation Block Party in Brooklyn NY.

Links about this news:
http://animationblock.com/about.php

http://www.animationmagazine.net/events/history-of-pets-wins-abps-top-prize/

So far one important thing has been left off these exciting news items and that is the name of my co-writer, co-producer and co-director: Ethan Smith. This win was just as much his as it was mine but only my name has appeared in this publicity. I'm working to correct that. In the mean time, you read it here first.

And if you haven't seen the film yet, here it is....

Some Concept Art for you...

A few months ago I took classes at a great place called Studio Arts which gives further training  to working professionals in the Animation Industry. This place was a G-d send and came in to my life at exactly the right time. One of my favorite classes there was 'Concept Design 101' taught by the great Alex Ruiz. 

I'd always wanted to be a concept designer and Alex showed us a lot of really great techniques. Here are just a couple of the designs I did under his tutelage.

The Orange Creamsicles of the Mojave Desert.

Rough sketch of Sasquatch strolling through the woods. 

 Final version. Even though I'd put a lot of detail in to it, Alex suggested I make it a lot darker once I told him what I was going for. I was trying to capture a specific moment here. A split second in the dark where you say to yourself "Did i just see what I think I saw?"

A futuristic/Alien/Cubist structure

More to follow soon.....

2012 Year in Review

It's been a very busy, fun year filled with great projects, collaborators and friends. It's been quite a roller coaster ride that I hope will not stop any time soon. My producing partner/Roommate/friend Ethan S. Smith and I made a bunch of stuff for Yahoo's new content site:Sketchy and on my own I did some political Animation for a Funny Or Die exclusive. Check them all out below.

Here are some of my favorites...

The Booty Call

Prawn Stars

Goodbye CSI:Miami

Obama Romney Rap Battle

Rabbi Burger

Elmo Speaks Out

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Christmas

I hope the coming is year will bring great success and wonderful surprises to everyone reading this. Onward and Upward. I'm grateful to and for everyone I've worked with in 2012. If you're reading this, I'm grateful for you too!

Cartoonbrew Entry

On Cartoonbrew today they made a whole entry out of a silly comment I made yesterday. Check it out by clicking on the title of this entry...

My new Reel- Shorter Sweeter and more to the point...

Mickey Mouse in Gurs

A few years ago on a trip to Israel, I went to the Holocaust Museum: Yad V' Shem. One of the final exhibits I saw was in the children's section where they had illustration from this book: "Mickey Mouse in Gurs: Published without permission from Walt Disney".
It was drawn by a guy named Horst Rosenthal who was a French Jew imprisoned in the Gurs Interment camp. I wanted to buy a copy for all of my animation friends to bring back as gifts but there weren't any for sale. When I got back to the states, I asked some cartoon historians about it but no one had heard of it. I also looked on line for references to it or information about it every so often but nothing ever came up- until recently. Click on the title to see the link.

Fire Eater and Sky Diving Joe the Lucky Fish