Where are you from originally? What’s your Origin Story?

Born and raised on the north side of Jacksonville.  I was in the Army for 7 years and studied business administration for 2 years at Georgia Military College before returning to Jacksonville. I discovered my passion for video editing while making random YouTube stop motion animations, so after researching local schools and programs, I decided to switch majors and pursue the digital media field at FSCJ… well FCCJ at the time.

Why are you pursuing a degree in Digital Media?

My pursuit of the degree is for a sense of self-accomplishment.  It is a goal I set for myself and have had an amazing time while achieving it.  I also sought to receive formal training in the fundamentals and structure of photography, videography, and design.

Who inspires you the most and why?

A very good question and one that is not easy to answer.  I actually took quite some time to think of that one person, but I came to the realization that there was no single person that inspires me.  The truth is that I’ve always been inspired by all those I come in contact with.  From fellow students that I compare projects with to improve my craft, professors that provide constructive criticism to improve my designs, other artists and designers that I always use as a measuring stick to determine where my level of skill stands in comparison, and finally the random friends, family, and clients I’ve helped with all sorts of projects.  I guess collectively they have all inspired me to be better and more creative with all of my designs.  To continue to push myself to learn more of the programs and techniques I’m familiar with along with new ones that may improve my process.

What do you do off campus?

Write, game, freelance, animate, design, photograph, film, as well as collaborate with like-minded individuals with a common goal in sight.

What work are you most proud of?

That would definitely have to be my animations.  The channel’s fan base grew quite large before I stepped away to focus more on local projects and life in general.

Interesting facts about you:

During my random life adventures, I’ve traveled to the Philippines, South Korea, Toronto, Malaysia, Dallas, San Diego, Los Angeles, Pasadena, all over Florida and Georgia, and spent an unexpected night in New York since LaGuardia decided to cancel my flight home at 9pm that one time.

I have an action figure collection that I started in ‘07 that has grown over 300 strong.  It is comprised of 95% Transformers, but also includes Marvel, DC, Star Wars, Gundam, and random figures from various shows/games made by Figma and Figuarts.

Favorite Book / Movie / Series / Video Game / Comic?

Now that is a really long list, but I’ll try to keep it short and recent:

The Legend of Zelda, Dragon Age, and Smite.  Any Christopher Nolan film, Marvel, and DC.  I’m just a sucker for giant robots and superheroes. I’m a fan of Transformers films for what they are and what they were meant to be, although, the films pale in comparison to the character development and story lines in their numerous animated series.

I don’t watch a lot of television due to Netflix, YouTube, Twitch.tv, and DVR’s.

What are your future goals and aspirations?

Seems to be quite common, but my goal is to become a film director and writer.  When I was a kid I found it hard to focus because everyday life just seemed boring compared to the worlds I saw on television.  I’m an 80’s baby, so I grew up on Transformers, Thundercats, Silverhawks, MASK, G.I. Joe, Voltron, the list goes on, but going to school, doing homework all seemed so mundane when I could be off saving the universe in a giant transforming lion (oddly enough, the original Voltron cartoon narrator is Peter Cullen, legendary voice of Optimus Prime).  Anyway, I would often drift off into these faraway lands and imagine I was there in the fray, battling alongside the heroes to foil the bad guys’ plans and save the day.  As I got older I began to create my own worlds and one day I realized that I was pretty good at it and kept at it.

One thing you wish you could share with others is…

Definitely would be my most successful animation, “Arcee in Wonderland”.  It has reached over 5 million views and averages 50k a week, according to YT analytics for whatever that’s worth.

Our featured students are student-selected. Once a student has been featured, they nominate the next student to be profiled. Come back next month to see who’s been picked!
Have any questions? Please contact Professor Liz Murphy Thomas at Liz.Thomas@fscj.edu