I received my BFA in Animation from the University of the Arts in 2013. Since then, I have participated in four Reanimated Collaborations, and I was credited for animation, cleanup, digital ink and paint, and inbetweens on the 2016 film Desert Mirage.

I enjoy working with digital media of all types. As a child, I constantly wanted to be on the family computer, doodling in Microsoft Paint, surfing the web, and playing games. In middle school, I had my first taste of web design with Freewebs.com. I recorded song parodies in Windows Voice Recorder, and eventually learned to write my own MIDIs. I attended Animation Stewdio, a summer camp run by UArts professor John Serpentelli, where I was introduced to the world of animation. I knew right away that this was something I wanted to pursue.

From that point forward, creating digital media was a hobby of mine. I would create short Flash cartoons for school projects, create remixes of video game songs to share with my friends, modify game graphics and create rom hacks for fun, and share the comics I drew during class on my Freewebs site. In 2007 I began attending Central Montco Technical High School in the Visual Communications course. I learned to use Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and even Dreamweaver. In 2009 I attended the SkillsUSA State Conference, where I placed 8th in the Web Design competition. I left the program with a basic understanding of working freelance, a decent portfolio, and proficiency with the Adobe software that I still use today.

At University of the Arts, I relearned everything from the ground up. I practiced figure drawing, cinematography, and writing. I gained proficiency with Adobe After Effects, and built my first two short films in the form of my Junior and Senior theses. I collaborated with other classmates on three different internships, led by John Serpentelli. While at UArts, I gained a better understanding of the kind of work I most wanted to do: character animation. I enjoyed practicing walk cycles and lip syncs, and I tried to incorporate those as much as possible in my work.

In my senior year, my roommates invited me to attend a local event called 8static, which is how I became involved in the chip music community. Every month, 8static held a show, consisting of a DIY workshop, open mic, and three main performers. Chip music (commonly referred to as chiptune) is any kind of music that utilizes old soundchips, or other old hardware. 8static shows featured artists of all types. From solo artists to bands, from Commodore 64 to Sega Genesis; all sorts of acts were welcome. With help and encouragement from my roommates, I purchased a license for LittleSound DJ (LSDJ), ordered a used Nintendo Game Boy and a flash cartridge, and started composing my own chiptune under the name Shyabeetus.

After graduating from UArts, I kept practicing animating. I started making short loops for my tumblr blog until I had enough material for a demo reel. In 2014 I was contacted by director Michael Fredianelli of Wild Dogs Productions, to work on the production of Desert Mirage. I worked on several Reanimated Collabs, and even developed someone’s Youtube channel intro.

When I wasn’t creating visual media, I was making music. I kept writing chip music, trying to find new ways to make my Game Boy make unique sounds. I was featured on several collaboration albums, and even organized a couple of my own. In 2016 I joined the Youtube community SiIvaGunner and started making content for them, too.

Which leads us to… Now! Thanks for taking the time to read about me. I hope that you enjoy everything my site has to offer. If you have any other inquiries, head on over to my contact page!