Are you a trained or self-taught animator?

If I can be considered an animator at all it would have to be self-taught.

Where are you located or based?

Near Phoenix, Arizona

Do you have an online portfolio or link to your work?

http://www.digicel.net

What's your favorite animation (tv show, short, feature film)?

Early Warner Bros. Cartoons

What or who influenced you to started animating?

I always loved animation but the availability of software to help me do it is what really got me started.

Do you work in the industry or create animation as a hobby?

I started our working for an animation software company (AXA) and I liked the advantages that computer software offered but none of the software out there, including AXA, let animators work they way they were used to so I started a new company and developed DigiCel FlipBook, which is what the animators used to make Enchanted, The Simpsons Movie, Curious George, and several movies before that.

Tell us a bit about the software and hardware used in your creative work.

I use DigiCel FlipBook on both a Mac and a PC laptop with a Wacom tablet for drawing and a miniDVCamcorder for shooting stop motion.

Where has your work been showcased on television, internet, film festivals, mobile etc?

I have a few screen credits but most of work is for testing our software although I have a few ideas in mind for movies I want to do if I ever get time.

Any projects we can look forward to seeing from you in the near future?

My current projects include FlipBook 6, which will have more painting features and much easier camera moves to make panning and zooming a piece of cake, a new stop motion program that's really easy and helpful, a storyboard program with some really cool features and a series of drawing and animation lessons for beginners that we're working on with a highly respected animation teacher that has taught some of the greats.

Can you recommend an animation film or animation book that every animator should see/read?

Richard Wiliam's book is great for experienced animators, but beginning animators can get a lot out of online lessons and lots of practice.