“Blog Post Title One”

Like most good stories, this one starts at the beginning . . .

Unlike good stories, this one might fumble the plot, but I promise that if you stick around, there will be plenty of insight and musings to quench your thirst for a good adventure.

That being said, I don’t actually know what beginning to start with! Life is crazy, but we do what we can to enjoy. Let’s begin with a quick introduction.

I’m Stephen Anderson, but you probably already knew that. I have worked in the entertainment industry for several years at giants such as Marvel, Netflix, DreamWorks, Walt Disney Imagineering and more. Currently I’m in games working on the phenomenal FPS game Overwatch at Blizzard as a senior character supervisor. I super enjoy what I do, and I still can’t believe that I get paid to be creative! Definitely a privilege I don’t take for granted.

Beyond my stable day-job, I have two teaching jobs: one at Gnomon (which is rated one of the top entertainment-arts schools in the world) and another at a local community college close to work in Irvine. Teaching is a lot of work, but it has allowed me to help raise the new generation of artists. I’ll go more into my teaching experiences in a later post.

If you have followed me at all on social media over the past years, you know just how active I can be with personal projects. A lot of that stems from needing to keep my portfolio fresh because of how often jobs turn-over in this industry, but the bulk of it comes from my longing to create something new and original.

I have begun making my own toys as part of a personal itch I’ve had since jumping into the world of 3D printing. There are few things as satisfying as holding something in your hands after having made it in a non-tangible digital format. This itch I have is getting the scratch of a lifetime as I have finally taken the dive into manufacturing my first toys overseas. I will finally be able to release my first mass-produced toys into the world this year. I’m beyond stoked.

BEHOLD!

Can you tell I’m excited? Well I am—quite. These are the official prototypes straight from the factory. While I won’t be getting all three of these right away, I wanted to show them off for a quick second. The blue shark (Brucie) is the one that will be coming in the hundreds in the next few weeks. More to look forward to in a future post!

This blog is sure to go all sorts of directions, but if you like random, I’m your guy!

Now, it’s the weekend, and I’d love to stay and chat, but word on the sidewalk is that life happens whether you make it or not. I’m going to go live a little and enjoy some time with the family before the work-week takes over.

Thanks for reading my first ramblings. I intend to do more of these to update you on news, expo plans, toy production and more. Stay tuned, stay hydrated, and stay kind.

SMAARTIST out!