Joining The Revolution

Hi everybody,
You convinced me! After seeing all the fun you guys are having on these blogs I decided to sit down and make one myself. I've been meaning to make one for the longest time but just couldn't find the time. So here it is, it's a start at least, you'll have to give me some tips on how to work this thing, like how do I link to your blogs and everything so I can see your sites all at once in that side bar??
Googles great, they got all kinds of useful gadgets and applications. Ive been wondering how to get all my pictures up without having to do it one by one, and turns out google has a great album application called Picassa that just uploads all your stuff in one shot. Pretty cool. I'll have to brush up on my html and see what else I can do with these blogs.

These blogs seem to be a great way of keeping in touch with each other, and I know I can improve that area :) . I'll keep you posted on what I'm doing here in Provo and keep up the good job on your blogs, I love the pictures! Congratulations to all, I can't believe how many babies there are! I can't believe all the former babies who are now responsible older bwuddas and sistas! And then there's Moken! and Mokette!!!and Mom and Dad of Arabia all the while are crossing the desert on camels! Craziness! Thanks for the goodtimes!

-Doug

This Just In!

[for the short version read the last paragraph :) ]

Over the past couple months I've been slaving away like crazy trying get films done, put demo reels together and land jobs, occasionally catching glimpses of the sun and a few hours sleep... but it's all about to pay off. Part of this has to do with a small part time job I got on campus with the help of some friends who work there. I get to do 3d animation for The center for Instructional Design. They make educational software and animations for schools and professors at BYU and around the country. Anyway this was great opportunity for me to get some actual job experience in my field, and in general as this was my first job ever! With this job I'm able to put something other than landscaping over the summer and two year volunteer service in Argentina on my resume when the internships came around:)

and they did... It's the end of the semester now and everyone's sending out their demo reels and trying to land jobs at the big studios, and we're talking some really good people, I'm competing with Seniors and Super Seniors, not to mention the Juniors in my class and a few phenomenal sophomores. I tried with Pixar (Cars) but couldn't get an interview spot. Dreamworks (Shrek) only wanted one of our guys but Pixar made him a better offer. Digital Domain (iRobot, Titanic) took one guy. Sony Blue Sky (Ice Age, Happy Feet) took another. My roommate got picked up by EA Los Angeles (video games). I was pretty much resigning myself to staying on campus all summer working on projects when about two weeks ago I got a call....and then another!! The first was a video game company called Avalanche that just got bought by Disney to make all their movie related games. They invited me down to their studio in Salt Lake. It was pretty cool to see an actual game studio. I got to talk to their texture artists, see the software they use and some of their new projects their working on. They seemed pretty cool, but I haven't heard back from them. It was still pretty neat just to get a second look and see their studio though.

I had another chance though. My old roommate and good friend Mark Christensen ( you may have saw him during April conference, President Monson spoke about his family) He wrote me a letter urgently telling me to send my demo reel. He works at EA Games and he put in the good word for me, but they needed a demo reel quick because they we're about to fill up all the internship positions. EA (Electronic Arts) is the largest video game publisher in the world. It's been my dream to work at a video game company since I was 4 and breaking ricks commodore 64 trying to play skate or die and bard's tale, watching Jim and Chris beat Mario brothers and doing the turtle trick when the Nintendo first came out, Dave bringing home random video games throughout the year, playing mike round after round of Sega golf and fifa soccer, Susie beating me at Rad Racer (and nothing else;) and Mark always there to try out new games with me. This was my break! I frantically put together all my latest stuff and sent it off.

I received no word for several weeks. Then out of the blue I got an email from the head recruiter at EA. He was impressed and wanted to set up a phone interview with the Heads of their Salt Lake City branch! It went pretty well and last Friday they called back to let me they we're really excited and that wanted to know if I would accept an internship offer!!! I did a jig and then told them no...... hahaha yeah right!! I couldn't believe it! They said they really liked my reel and heard lots good things about me, I guess they even talked to my professors who told them how I wasn't really even in the animation program but I just kept coming and working hard so they couldn't make me leave haha! They heard I was getting offers from other studios also and they we're concerned about losing me. They really wanted me to come there so they said they're going to offer me 16 dollars an hour (I am only making 11 right now and could only hope to get 12 at the other place). They're going to pay for my gas and/or house me if I choose. They're going to let me work directly on real games and give me mentored training. Best of all (and if they had just said this and nothing else I would have said yes!) they're going to give me any 5 games i want! as well as an employee discount to buy any other games for $10-20 , for friends and family too, so if you need any games I can hook you up!
WHOOO HOOO!! I'm excited!! Prayers and hard work. I'll tell you what.

I'm going down this afternoon to their studio to check it out and seal the deal. Wish me luck!

Wow. That was a long post. I'm pretty quiet in person but when I start typing watch out... I guess I could have just said " I got an internship at EA!" and left it at that but that's no fun! Besides i need something to fill upthis blank page :) Later all!

-note I just got back from the studio and its a go, I start on May 21st! They also said California in July is not a problem, so save me a fun island on the porch and I'll see y'all at the beach!

-Doug