About Me

For as long as I can remember, I have always wanted to tell stories through the medium of animation. My love for story started really early in my life. Unlike the other kids in my neighborhood that would go home, sit down and have dinner with their parents, my sister and I would find ourselves having dinner at an empty theater. We would eat our sandwiches while we watched our parents rehearsing a play on stage. My dad was an amateur clown and my mom was an aspiring theater actress/director. I remember being backstage with my little sister memorizing the entire play by heart. I knew their parts so well that sometimes when the actors would forget their lines, I would whisper to them what they should say. My early education in stories didn't only revolve around theater but it was also highly influenced by film. My dad was fascinated by movies. As a kid, he made my sister and I watch countless movies which, looking back on it now, I am not so sure a kid should have watched. My parents had the strange notion that it was okay for kids to watch sex scenes but violence was forbidden for our young eyes. Pulp Fiction was not allowed, but Fellini's Casanova was okay to watch.

My love for stories led me to Fine Arts in UFMG (Brazil). They had a Film and Animation department, and I knew I wanted to be a filmmaker. It was a good decision because I was not only drawing, but I was also exposed to photography and documentary filmmaking through my undergraduate studies. After graduating in Brazil, I decided to come to the United States to learn more about animation and filmmaking. I eventually ended up enrolling at Texas A&M's visualization laboratory, a place very far from the background I grew up with as a child. I didn't take a straight path towards my aspiration to become a story artist. I was afraid of not getting a job in story/art, and I thought that a technical position would be an easier route to break into the animation industry. I was wrong. That was not my passion; I am passionate about story. People spend two whole hours in a movie theater experiencing a range of emotions through fictional characters and imaginary worlds, all created by a team of talented, passionate individuals. I want to be part of a group that brings exciting and emotional experiences to an audience.