MacDirectory magazine is the premiere creative lifestyle magazine for Apple enthusiasts featuring interviews, in-depth tech reviews, Apple news, insights, latest Apple patents, apps, market analysis, entertainment and more.
Issue link: https://digital.macdirectory.com/i/1451520
out junior high and high school. That was lucky and really helped me to find my focus in design. I always recommend that people starting out get some real-world experience as soon as they can. It’s a big industry and figuring out what you want to focus on as early as possible can be a huge advantage. What was the turning point in your career? I’ve had a few moments throughout my career I would say are turning points. The first one was after I had graduated from the Pasadena Art Center. I had set up an interview at Stan Winston’s. It’s funny, I literally just called in and was able to set it up — You never know until you try. Anyway, it was an amazing experience and I was hired on the spot by Stan Winston himself. That was a big moment for me because it was the moment I realized that, at the very least, I was good enough to get my foot through the door. Another turning point was years later when I got the call to work on Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and having the honor of working on the bat suit. Batman is my favorite character and to have had the opportunity to work on four of the suits through Batman v Superman and Justice League was another dream come true. However, one of the biggest turning points for me was getting the call to work on Guardians of the Galaxy in Marvel’s Visual Development department (a big thank you to Andy Park for that)! I’ve done, I think, about 10 Marvel films, but that was the first. It was an incredible experience. I designed a couple of background aliens and the Sakaaran soldiers. I learned a lot on that project and it paved the way for me to work on Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. In those films, I designed the Outriders, Chitauri Gorillas, Proxima Midnight, and contributed to the designs of Corvis Glaive and Cull Obsidian. Lastly, I designed Thanos’ Warrior look for Endgame. The insanely talented Ryan Meinerding designed Thanos for Infinity War. After Endgame and its tremendous success, I’m still a little dazed and I hope it marks my next turning point. It’s very hard for me to imagine working on another film that will have that kind of impact, so right now along with continuing my work as a concept artist, I am really pushing my writing and personal projects.