Artist Statement

My whole life I have been obsessed with the art of storytelling, no matter the genre, media, or subject. I acquired a great sense of self when I was young; I knew I enjoyed creating things. I would always try to get my friends or cousins or the other neighborhood kids to perform some sort of skit, routine or video with me. Growing up I wanted to be an artist, then a comedian, then an actress, then a director, then a singer - and although the answer to the "What do you want to be when you grow up?" question has changed over time, they've all generated from the same passion: storytelling.

 I think my desire to entertain stemmed from two things when I was a child: Being an attention-seeking middle child, and having dreadful insomnia. As the middle kid, I often played the role of peace-keeper and the comic relief - the one that interjected with a joke or humorous observation when tensions were high. I believe I learned that skill because my insomnia kept me up all night watching re-runs of great comedy shows like "Gilligan's Island", "I Love Lucy", "Three's Company", "Cheers", "The Cosby Show" and "The Brady Bunch", then as I got a little older, "Full House", "Seinfeld", "Friends" and "Roseanne". All of these shows helped shape my love of comedy and sitcom-style writing, and overall helped me to create humor from ordinary, every day situations.

 My biggest influence throughout my life, however, has been Walt Disney. He is by far one of the greatest storytellers of all time. His ability to tell stories and create media that has been enjoyed for generations by people of all ages is something that has inspired me as a media maker. I think that one of the most important qualities in being a maker of media is to be adaptable. Personal interests change, society's interests change, technology changes, and in order to be successful you need to be willing to adapt with it.I want my media to be seen as something that can be enjoyed in anytime period, that can be enjoyed by everyone, that entertains people in a positive way.

"We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths." Walt Disney