Bio
I grew up in a small town in Northern California called Occidental, surrounded by majestic Redwood trees, vast farmland, and a mighty ocean. Alfred Hitchcock’s film: The Birds, was filmed in front of the Catholic church I attended with my family.
As an only child, I often looked to my parents and grandparents (who lived next door) for guidance and inspiration. They shared their passion for books and films, allowing my imagination and interest in storytelling to develop. I started writing books before I could write, drawing pictures and asking my Mother to write down the words for me. After watching the original Star Wars trilogy, I became fascinated with filmmaking. From age 15 to 25, I wrote, directed, and edited 10 short films and 3 feature films.
I moved to Vancouver, Canada after High School and majored in Asian Languages & Cultures at the University of British Columbia (UBC). I also became certified to teach English through UBC’s Faculty of Education in association with Ritsumeikan University. Having classes and a teaching practicum in Kyoto, Japan, was one of the highlights of my studies.
Traveling and working in China, Japan, and South Korea during my twenties particularly inspired me. From 2011 to 2013, I worked in Vancouver and Seoul to produce 17 videos for the Korean design company: rabito Co. Ltd.
From 2013 to 2014, I worked as an English language teacher at a college in Downtown Vancouver. This encompassed leading classes in reading, writing, grammar, listening, public speaking, and examination preparation. My students came from all over the world and their English proficiency ranged from very limited to upper-intermediate. I am proud of the fact that all of my students who took the Cambridge Business English exam passed and received certification.
Around this time I began to miss filmmaking and became curious about Visual Effects. What exactly are VFX and who are the people that make them? This is a question I later produced a short video to answer in 2024, seen below.
After a year of training, I graduated from Lost Boys School of Visual Effects in 2015 with a diploma in Advanced Compositing. Upon completion of a practicum at Hydraulx at the end of my studies, I was one of the first Compositors hired by Vitality Visual Effects. I wrote multiple sections for the company’s staff handbook explaining how to use the variety of in-house software.
Movies & Shows I Worked On:
My Showreel:
After 2 years of working as a Compositor at Vitality VFX, I returned to education in February 2017. I had the pleasure of teaching 10 classes of Compositors, working as a Compositing Instructor at Lost Boys School of Visual Effects for 4 and a half years.
In June 2021, I self-published a children’s picture book: Sleepy Baby Samurai and the Magic Painting, after 7 months of collaborative work with one of my favourite illustrators: Duha Lee.
One month later, I returned to the VFX industry as a Compositor. After working for Crafty Apes and Industrial Light and Magic (ILM), I joined ReDefine/DNEG as a VFX Trainer in April 2022. After working on multiple episodes of 4 streaming shows and 2 years of work as a studio trainer, I decided to embark on a new venture.
In April 2024, I joined Alpha Chromatica, an online VFX school, as a Co-founder and Lead Compositing Instructor. This allowed me to work again with my mentor, colleague, and friend: Ganz Ramalingam. He also happens to be an incredible artist and an extraordinary teacher. Working together with a small dedicated team, we have big plans to grow this company and make a positive impact on the global entertainment and education industries.
It has been a fantastic journey so far and I’m deeply thankful for the people who have mentored and supported me along the way.
I live in Vancouver, BC, Canada, together with my wife, two sons, and dog.
Fun Facts
- I love desserts – they are my weakness.
- Hired to tour 3 factories in China (metal, wood, and ceramics) to film the manufacturing processes for product designers.
- Wrote, produced, and directed a secret agent themed dinner theatre event for 4 actors and 34 guests at a fine dining restaurant in 2018.