It’s been a while since I’ve made a blog post and for months things have been gradually slowing down on this site. With that I’ve decided to let you all in on what’s been happening on my end since the year started.

At the beginning of the year I get very serious about developing a blogging schedule, a social media schedule as well as a podcast recording & release schedule. At this time I had been working for about 4 months part time at a retail store. Around February I picked up another part time job working for Future of Story’s Story Arcade. This was an opportunity to essentially be an usher for 8 VR experiences at in Manhattan. There I learned a bit about what goes into creating some of the films and various experiences. Most importantly I was inspired to think even bigger about the various ways VR/AR & animation can intersect in creating new projects and experiences. As you can imagine working two part time jobs in different boroughs, with two different schedules 6 days a week made it challenging to keep up with my blogging schedule.

Also since January, my DiverseToons panel has continued to grow. We were at Westhill high school, Kids Comic Con, The Mill, Black Web Fest, Made In NY (twice) and went back to Blerd City Con few weeks ago. We have 3 wonderful interns and just launched our website diversetoons.com. It’s been a year since the panel has launched and it has been an eye opening and humbling experience. We have two panels coming up in the fall which can be found at diversetoons.com/events. We want to continue to grow and expand DiverseToons.

I’m still looking for full time employment. At times I feel as if I’ve just about exhausted all of my resources in NYC to find an opportunity in production management in an animation / tv/ film studio.I’m not shy to post online that I’m looking for work nor have I been stubborn to solely looking for opportunities in NYC or within the animation industry at this point. As I mentioned I have been learning a lot about VR & AR as well as gaming. I believe they are industries worth looking in to. I went to the Game Developers of Color Expo in Harlem the past weekend and I was truly inspired by the indie games and by the panelists that shared their advice and experiences.

Lastly, this summer I applied for a teaching artist position at a camp on a whim. I’ve been told before since I did not have professional experience working with kids that I would not be qualified for a bunch of opportunities so I did not expect to get this position. I have been teaching stop motion animation to 3rd, 4th and 5th graders for 6weeks. This experience has been humbling, eye opening and has allowed me to gain further clarity about how to move forward in my career. The kids have been a source of inspiration and encourage me to be present in the moment(s) in front of me. I’m grateful for this experience and I highly doubt that I’ll continue to teach in this capacity. Check out a video of all the films that were made below.

Life Update 01

Animation Highlight: If You Fall

Vacation Illustration