At 19 years old, with school behind me and a passion for making movies, I made the natural choice to join the Army. The ads made it look so cool. After a gap year of crawling under barbed wire and jumping out of helicopters, it was time to find a real job.

North Sydney College of TAFE ran a two year course on Film & Television Production at the time - hands on practical training with cameras, lighting, studio operations - so I was drawn to that!

In the late 90s, digital animation tools were emerging. Studios were integrating them into their toolsets and to me this was my way into the film & tv industry.

My first job was compositing animation at Yoram Gross Film Studios on the kids TV series Tabaluga. I then spent a few years at commercial studio Filmgraphics, who at the time were still using traditional paper timing-charts and shooting under a rostrum camera, through a sheet of glass, photographing one hand-painted cel at a time!

This experience with traditional technique proved invaluable as I carried that experience into learning Maya and After Effects. Around 2003, I switched into the freelance arena, working at more studios than I can recall. Engine, Resolution Design, Zspace, Montage, XYZ Studios, Projekta, Halo Pictures (ok, I can recall quite a few).

As I had to hit the ground running on new projects every few weeks and integrate at studios with different workflows, I quickly learned to create in a variety of styles - realistic, minimalist, textured and kinetic infographics.

I settled down for a few years when I found a full time role as head of graphics at Beyond Productions. In addition to animating on the Mythbusters team, I oversaw in-show graphics, effects and titles for TV. Chasing Nature, Hoopla Doopla, Damage Control, White Rabbit Project, Wild But True, Lock & Load, Taboo, History Hunters, Steampunks, Prototype This, Weaponizers, Monster Bug Wars and Selling Houses.

Longform projects like TV shows have a unique need to pump out content every few days and rely on systems being set up early on, as opposed to commercial projects, where you work with clients to craft 30 seconds over 4-6 weeks. By now I was pretty experienced with both approaches.

I completed a 6 month contract as senior animator on The Checkout, ABC's consumer affairs comedy program, which to this day I regard as my favourite ever project! And I completed a Bachelor of Arts in Animation & Game Design, in the spirit of doing life completely backwards. Why not, right?

Currently, I create animation and motion-graphics direct to client - assisting with script and storyboards when needed. I have a hand in all tasks - script, editing, voice-over and music. Or I can slot in with a creative agency / production company on a defined brief. I've worked for clients in Australia, the UK, China, and the US.

It's fair to say I bring experience and technical creativity to a project. I'm results-focussed in a range of styles. Get in touch if you have a project I can help on, or a senior / lead role you want to fill with someone who has animation experience.

And if the role includes jumping out of a helicopter, I promise you, you won't find anyone more qualified.