I am the Sr. Motion Designer / Animation Director Agencies call when they need somebody who takes ownership of a project and leads a creative team to transform a client brief into exceptional content. If you need somebody who can clearly explain abstract or complex ideas and tell compelling stories that inspire people to act, let’s talk. My growth mindset, entrepreneurial spirit, and empathetic leadership style make me a valuable addition to your team.
I grew up as an artist, drawing, painting, sculpting, and was a big LEGOs kid.
I got my passion for storytelling from my dad. He’s a really good storyteller.
And, I knew I wanted to study animation when I saw the first Toy Story film.
I thought, “Ooh! That! I gotta do that!”
Then, at the beginning of 2002, I felt like something wasn’t quite right with me physically.
I’d been a competitive swimmer my whole life, so I knew what I was supposed to feel like.
But, by August, they still hadn’t figured out what was wrong with me.
I had lost 50 pounds and had sunken cheeks and eyes. I looked really pale.
Then, I started to get really bad headaches.
So, my parents took me to go get an MRI in Walnut Creek.
We were waiting around for another appointment when my pediatrician called and said he was going to drive up from Pleasanton to come talk with us.
We saw him walking up with this big envelope, and you could tell he’d been crying.
And, he brought us into a small meeting room.
I remember I was sitting knee to knee with him in this big, U-shaped chair when he pulled out the results of the MRI and said, "Karl, you have two brain tumors."
(WTF?! Really!!?)
It felt like I got punched in the chest. Everything sounded like the adults from Peanuts for the next two weeks, just, “WAH WAH WAH.”
But, I got so much help from my friends and family. People I barely knew were giving food, gifts, and other support. My high school even adjusted my schedule and got me a tutor so I could graduate on time.
So, it really inspired me to give back and help as many people as I could, because I would have been dead if it wasn't for all the help I got.
And then, in undergraduate school - as I was studying animation - there was a big Student Digital Art and Design competition.
They had this big screening at the end with about 1,000 people in this auditorium. I knew maybe ten people in the room.
But, when everybody laughed at the joke in my animation I was like, “Oh my god, that's so cool! I can connect with people and have a bigger impact with animation and storytelling!”
So, after grad school, I started my company, Squash and Stretch Productions.
I learned a lot over the 8 years I ran my business. But, in Feb. 2023, I made the call to pivot from my business.
I'm always looking for opportunities to collaborate and make a positive impact as part of a creative team.