Disney's Hollywood Studios, April 2012
Born and raised in Mahopac, New York, Michael grew up loving
cartoons. His earliest cartoon memory is of watching reruns of Magillia Gorilla
with the Ricochet Rabbit being his favorite segment. From that moment, he was
obsessed with animation and knew what he wanted to do with the rest of his
life. He was three years old.
Michael taught himself how to draw by copying cartoons off
the television screen, newspaper comics and comic books. As he grew, he learned
more about art through school and books.
In 1994, while in his first semester of college at the age of
eighteen, he got an internship at a small children’s educational software
company doing concept art and animation. Within three months, Michael was
working part time at the company while going to college. As the years pasted, Michael worked in a variety of fields including illustration, animation, game
development, video production, graphic design, puppetry, and education.
Today, Michael works as a freelance illustrator and animator
as well as an educator. As an educator, Michael has developed and taught courses
on the college level to help students become prepared for a professional art
career. He also guest lectures at schools and workshops.
When not teaching or freelancing, Michael enjoys spending his
time with his wife, two cats and his drawing pad.
