AT THE TENDER AGE OF 5 I WAS WHISKED AWAY FROM MY BIRTHPLACE OF STOCKTON AND LANDED IN MARIN COUNTY, WHICH WAS TRULY WHERE MY ADVENTURE BEGAN. MY FATHER'S WORK PROVIDED HOUSING FOR US WHICH, ALBEIT GREAT, HAPPENED TO BE AT SAN QUENTIN STATE PRISON. AROUND MY 10TH BIRTHDAY THE AVINA FOURSOME HIT THE HILLS OF CORTE MADERA WHICH GAVE ME THE FREEDOM TO HAVE FRIENDS OVER WITHOUT THEM GETTING FRISKED BY GUARDS.

WHILE MY HIGH SCHOOL CLASSMATES WERE SOAKING UP THE SUMMER SUN IN '97 I WAS BASKING IN THE WARM GLOW OF AN AVID EDITING MACHINE AT ZABIT & ASSOCIATES, MY FIRST INTERNSHIP. IN 1998, I GRADUATED FROM MARIN ACADEMY HIGH SCHOOL, AND WAS INVITED TO RETURN TO ZABIT WHICH WAS NOW XCEED AND ABSORBED AS MUCH EXPERIENCE FROM INDUSTRY LEADERS LIKE SCOTT MEDNICK AS HUMANLY POSSIBLE.

I LOADED UP MY JEEP WRANGLER AT THE CLOSE OF SUMMER AND HEADED UP NORTH TO ATTEND WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY. AFTER BEING SIDELINED WITH A KNEE SURGERY MY FRESHMAN YEAR, NCAA BASEBALL GOT PUT ON THE BACK BURNER. DURING THIS "DOWNTIME" I HELPED TO REESTABLISH THE BETA THETA PI FRATERNITY ON THE WSU CAMPUS WITH 11 OTHERS. AT THIS POINT I HAD DECLARED MY MAJOR OF COMMUNICATION WITH AN EMPHASIS IN ADVERTISING AND A MINOR IN THE FINE ARTS & BUSINESS. MY SENIOR YEAR I WAS HIRED BY WSU PROFESSORS TO ASSIST IN THE DESIGN AND PRESENTATION OF THE SCHOOL'S NSAC (NATIONAL STUDENT ADVERTISING COMPETITION) TEAM WHICH WAS RECOGNIZED AS MOST MEMORABLE FOR THE DISTRICT.

UPON GRADUATION, TAKING THE ADVICE OF A PROFESSOR, I ATTENDED MIAMI ADVERTISING SCHOOL IN SAN FRANCISCO. AT MIAMI AD SCHOOL I WAS ABLE TO FOCUS ON ART DIRECTION SINCE WSU COVERED ALL FACETS OF THE MARKETING INDUSTRY.

CREATIVE INSPIRATION - RAY HARRYHAUSEN, JOHN LASSETER, DON BLUTH, SPIKE JONZE, SCOTT MEDNICK.