Machinima.com

If you are a huge fan of gaming, you are no doubt already familiar with MACHINIMA.COM, the internet's number one destination for up to the minute information on all things video game related.

And if you have been watching all of their informative gaming news segments on the YouTube channel for a while, you may have noticed that these guys talk about all of these technological breakthroughs, and amazing fantasy environments while sitting in front of backdrops such as a park, a parking lot, and even, er...the office bathroom stall. Well, the powers that be noticed the same thing, and decided to level up on their production value. I was thrilled that they decided to call me to help them do it!

Photo 1: We started with INSIDE GAMING DAILY, hosted by Adam Kovic. The show is formatted like a late night talk show, so we decided to create a set along that theme. Adam wanted it slick and modern, yet not distracting from the guests or the monitor, which would most often be the focus point of the segments.

I wanted to give the channel some bold color, so I presented this layout, using the black and red of the Machinima logo. I thought that emblazing the walls with the giant M would keep the show branded, while being subtle due to most of the camera angles never revealing the entire letter.

Photo 2: This is the final set. Adam decided to add some chairs, so guests could sit during the interviews. The greatest challenge of the Machinima sets was getting maximized shootablity in very compact spaces. These sets re located right in their offices, and even though they have quite the impressive spread, it was still pretty hard to get "late night talk show" style sets into standard size corporate offices!

But it all worked out, as you can see in this episode. It's a relatively simple set, but I definitely think it changes the whole vibe of the show. Maybe you've already seen this episode, and that's how you ended up here! they give my blog a shout out at 4:50!

Photo 3: Next up was RESPAWN, a series of segments hosted by Scott Robison. We started with INBOX, where Machinima responds to fan mail. Scott, know to the gaming community as MR. SARK, wanted to go old school on this one. He pulled his inspiration from the classic The Hudsucker Proxy, focusing on the 1930's style mail room. He wanted clutter, earth tones, and a sense of good ol' basement dust.

Photo 4: Luckily, the designated space fore this permanent set already had a "Freddy Krueger was here" vibe. The very back corner of the office was straight brick and mortar, and decades of exposure had it aged down pretty well. I didn't plan on showing off much of the brick work in the final set, but it was comforting to know that if the guys ever decided to go for a really wide shot, the news room would look out of place surrounded by brick.

Photo 5: One of the main features Sark wanted on the set was a functioning vaccum tube. Well, semi-functioning, at least! I inspected the working models used at Home Depot to get rid of large wads of cash at the registers, and decided that making an airtight seal to get the proper suction was just a little out of our reach time and budget wise. Luckily, mail DROPPING IN was more important that mail flying out, and everyone can afford gravity!

I ultimately ended up going with all clear acrylic for the tubes, because I felt that most of the fun was in seeing the canister arrive. There are lots of little details in this set, and I'm sure it will grow and expand even more as the guys settle in and riff off the environment. I'm certain you are already a Machinima fan, but I hope my contribution makes your daily video game news fix even more enjoyable. Oh, and stay tuned! There's more to come!

2012 New York Toy Fair

If you are like me, then you understand that the concept of toys is not something that was dismissed when our birthday candles started hitting double digits. Toys help us learn and grow as children, introduce us to sharing, and the understanding of ownership and value. Some people decide to put their toys away at a certain age, while others embrace them all their lives. I am one of the lucky, even spoiled, few who get to have toys be part of their everyday job.

In addition to the film work I do, I often have a side project that involves the designing and manufacturing of toys and collectibles. It is these projects that bring me to the New York Toy Fair each year. The annual convention is trade show for manufactures, developers, buyers, and press to meet and exhibit their wares. It is the largest toy industry trade show in the world, lasting for 5 days during the second week of February.

Photo 1: I am originally from New Jersey. I grew up on the opposite side of the Hudson River from New York, so close I could see the Statue of Liberty every day. But I left for California to pursue my dreams, and now I've lived in LA for majority of my life. There are many differences between the East and West coasts, but as I landed in JFK, I was suddenly reminded of the most obvious: weather! It had been a long time since I'd seen snow, and worse, since I had to wander around in temperatures lower than 56 degrees! It was 24 and snowing when I got in, and of course, you can't forget that wind chill factor. Damn you, Hudson Hawk! This is how my East coast trips go: land. Hey, it's New York!... What time's the flight back to LA?

Photo 2: I don't hate New York, I just don't belong there. I think cities are like flavors or music or anything else. Some people love chocolate, some people swear by vanilla. There is no reason why, or maybe there IS a reason that is so scientific that I would never be explaining it in my art blog, but everyone has a yes/no checklist, and cities are on it! I grew up in the Tri-State Area always feeling like an outsider, and it wasn't until I got to LA that I really felt like I belonged. I always hear people saying they were born in the wrong time period. I believe I was born on the wrong coast!

NYC is fun to visit, though. Where else in the world can you see Disney films and 80's classics reinvented as live theater!?!

Photo 3: It was finally time to go to Toy Fair to set up. In past years, the different companies I attended with introduced their products in different ways. My sculpture house, Legends in 3 Dimensions, used to have a private suite at a fancy hotel where I would set up a gallery, and offer wine and cheese to potential buyers. The economy was better back then! Art Asylum had a showroom in the Toy Building on 5th Ave, a skyscraper actually dedicated to toy manufacturer showrooms year round. One year I converted the space into the deck of the Enterprise to display the new line of Star Trek figures Digger created, and another year I made it into the Bat Cave. Need I say why?

This year marks the first time I officially set up camp on the floor at the Javits Center. Imagine San Diego Comic Con where every booth was represented by someone's favorite toy store in the world! As far as the eye can see, if there is a toy that will be available next Christmas, orders were being taken for it at Toy Fair!

Photo 4: Of course, I snuck away from the booth a few times to see as much as I could. There was no way you could see EVERYTHING unless you were a buyer or press, and even then, people were telling me they had to plan an exact route or they would miss whole sections in the time they were allotted. It was like a city of toys. Even the space above our heads was filled with spectacle, like this fifteen foot plush dragon!

Photo 5: Dinosaurs may not have ruled the Earth since million of years ago, but they sure ruled Toy Fair! There were dinosaur toys on display everywhere.

Photo 6: No, really, everywhere! I think as a kid I had the basic t-rex, stego, bronto, pterodactyl combo available. Now there are insanely accurate representations of every species know to have existed! Tiny die cast versions, giant PVC versions, plush, kits, full size wooden skeletons, animatronic versions, dig site recreations, even the newest Sea-Monkey craze that lets you hatch your own Trilobite, so you can have a real prehistoric creature as a pet!

Photo 7: Not all the giant lizard toys were based on science fact. The King of Science Fiction himself was well represented! As always, I took a fair share of pix to show my producing partner Sheri Bryant all of the new Godzilla stuff she will HAVE to have in the upcoming year!

Photo 8: The range of toys is fascinating, especially when you see everything in one space. There are toys for everyone, and then there is the competition between designers to capture the boys and girls markets. Some manufactures that tend to skew towards one group have branched out to appeal to the other. I believe Lego may have captured the Felicia Day demographic with this "bake set".

Photo 9: If you have no interest in building cup cakes that you can't eat, there is always things that shoot things! These bow and arrow sets by ZING! are super safe and super fun. Many of the manufacturers had working demos that buyers and press could play to get a feel for the toy. Getting people to try it isn't a problem. But when a toy is this cool, getting them to stop is!

Photo 10: Some designers decided to try and split the difference, putting things girls love into categories usually reserved for boys. By introducing us to the DAUGHTERS of the classic movie monsters, Mattel hit a home run with Monster High. I was particularly thrilled to see this modern "Groovey Ghoulies" type twist have such a presence at Toy Fair, because my good friend America Young does many of the voices on the show the dolls are based on. I was there the day she did her voice over audition recording for what she thought was "a little internet cartoon". It might have been at the time, but now the girls from Monster High have Barbie scared to death that she may no longer be the toy Queen!

Photo 11: Really, Spawn!?! 20 YEARS!?!?! That brings back memories. The very first Toy Fair I attended was with McFarlane Toys. I worked on the YoungBlood line, and Todd brought Rob Liefeld and I out to do press stuff for the launch. I made the giant BadRock walk-around suit and painted up an actor to look like Chapel. We walked the streets of NY and handed out McFarlane Toys promos, because nobody knew anything about it! Man, have times changed!

The big question is, and Rob, this ones for you, when are we doing the YoungBlood anniversary statue!?!? Those characters have always been favorites of mine. The designs were cool, the story was groundbreaking, and it will always have a nostalgic feeling for me since Extreme Studios was my first major parlay into comics. When I decided to start Legends in 3 Dimensions, Rob was also kind enough to give me YoungBlood as my first official license. That BadRock statue is still a favorite. Which begs the question again...Anniversary statue, anyone? Comment below if you think its a good idea!


Photo 12: Another big stir at this year's Toy Fair was the 20th anniversary of Power Rangers. Now that Saban has the franchise back, it's bigger and better than ever. (Although we all know it will never be BIGGER or BETTER than Power Rangers SPD!!!) Seriously.

Saban made a huge announcement about the future of the Power Rangers that week. My twitter feed was abuzz with rumors that I was at Toy Fair to be part of that announcement, but alas, it was not true.

Photo 13: I don't even know who these guys are! No, this year, I was at Toy Fair to introduce the new collectible company I started with my partners in Chicago.

Photo 14: And here it is! No, not Lego. In the back. to the right. Yeah, that's us! FLOPPETS!

Photo 15: I joke, but our little back aisle space actually worked out really well. We were at a major cross roads, so if you were cruising the floor from any direction, you HAD to pass us.

Photo 16: The trick was how to get people to stop as they passed by! Our method was simple: SWAG! I designed this commemorative 2012 Toy Fair Floppet specifically to give away at the show. We did a one time run of 1,500, and with the exception of the handful I had in my pocket when I got back to LA, we gave them all away!

The reaction was great, although it was not uncommon for people to reject the offer for a Toy Fair Floppet. Much to our joy, 9 out of 10 people turned back around and decided they wanted it. After hearing our pitch, many of those same buyers became our biggest customers!

We were just a small start up company buried in the midst of huge industry icons, but a lot of love and care went into our product, and our efforts were not overlooked. Even as a designer of Floppets, I couldn't tell you why people are so attracted to them, adults and kids alike, but people love them! We were chosen as one of the Top Ten Hottest New Toys at Toy Fair, and we were called the next craze in kid's toys on the national news!

Photo 17: The show days were long, and Team Floppets talk to hundreds of people per day, so when the floor closed, we were all anxious to explore the city and excitedly discuss all of the amazingly positive feedback we were getting for our product. Above, me, Gilly, Ron, Ilyse, and Rich warm up and get ready to eat non-convention center food!

Photo 18: If you know me well, you are aware that I am NOT a foodie. I dream of the day when meals will come in pill form so I can down them with a Pepsi and keep on working. But, despite the fact that I'm a California lifer, there are certain East coast foods that I miss on a daily basis. The first is probably the most cliche, but believe me, it's the truth! There is no better pizza than in New York. Granted, there are a few killer places in Jersey, and the best I've had in years is specifically in Brooklyn, but stray too far down the turnpike and it's all downhill from there.

I saw a line of people outside this pizza parlor on 47th street, so I figured it was worth a try as I made a supply run on my lunch break. I was shocked to find that they were only charging a dollar a slice! It also made me smile to see that the counter was lined with only cheese pizzas, and toppings needed to be requested. Anything other than pepperoni or mushroom would get you a weird look, too. As it should be!

Photo 19: Another favorite is Carvel Ice Cream. It's just one of those chains that, despite it's popularity, just never made it all the way across the country. Growing up, a birthday didn't count if you didn't get a Carvel ice cream cake. Luckily, a few stores actually carry Carvel cakes here in LA now, so that's one less thing to cringe about when my birthday rolls around. It still gave me a warm and fuzzy feeling to see actual Carvel shops, though.

Photo 20: I'm certain this is listed amongst the greatest mystery of the modern world, but why Dunkin' Donuts isn't on the West coast confounds me. I would not have survived my high school years with them. If anyone could get the corporate offices to open a few shops in LA, I would be eternally grateful!

Photo 21: New Yorkers may take this for granted, but being in LA for so long, I forget how tall everything is in Manhattan! I mean, like fall over backwards trying to see the top of the building tall. It really is spectacular.

Photo 22: On the complete opposite side of the spectrum, with all the looking up I did, I forgot about one of my childhood paranoia. The streets of New York are lined with grates, vents, subway entrances, and trap doors that lead to basements below the stores that are always left wide open for deliveries. I get knots in my stomach when I walk on them. I've never actually seen anyone fall down one of these, but I certainly don't want to be the first to do it! I'll just walk around that hundred year old rusty grating suspended twenty feet above an active subway track, thank you.

Photo 23: The beauty of New York is that everywhere you look, there is something to see. If you look around enough, you are guaranteed to see something weird. I've been a city boy all my life, so while a man washing his horse may not be unusual to most, it was totally bizarre to me. Especially on the west side!

Photo 24: Speaking of West Side, Manhattan is famous for that story along with countless other phenomenal musicals. It is an absolute must to take in a show while visiting the city. And what better hit for a group of geeks to see than Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark.

(crickets)

This blog is my forum for showing art techniques and sharing my adventures, and I tend to avoid any criticisms or opinions that may alienate my readers, because everyone has the right to an opinion, but you don't necessarily need to be subjugated to mine. I'll make an exception this time, because I just can't not warn everyone. No doubt you are also a Spiderman fan, and it would just be impossible to not go see this for yourself. But if you are expecting to be wowed by Broadway's finest musical theater, or can't wait to have Bono and the Edge's catchy songs hooked in your brain, well, honestly...you won't.

Having done all kinds of film work involving stunts, I have to give props for the utterly jaw dropping aerial work that takes place right above (and actually IN) the audience during the last 30 minutes of the play, but I'd be lying if I said that getting there was an enjoyable ride. There is no shame in a true comic book fan having this show on their bucket list, but I must implore you to reserve a second night out on Broadway to experience actual theater. West Side Story has to be on stage somewhere!

Photo 25: My partners and I were only in New York for 5 days, so there really was only so much ground we could cover. For selfish reasons, I dragged everyone out to what locals would consider "a tourist trap". But, it's a tourist trap I helped deign, so I wanted to see how the place was holding up! Jekyll & Hyde's, right across from Central Park, is a haunted theme restaurant where the dusty antiques come to life and talk to the patrons. There are live shows that happen every half hour, and the maze like venue has interesting artifacts to discover at every turn. I made a bunch of them, including sculpting parts of this giant Egyptian head that hangs in the main parlor.


Photo 26: After dinner, we cruised through Times Square. It's just like in the movies. It really is like no place else. You see things here you would never see in any other part of the world.

Photo 27: Like this guy. And they say LA is weird!

Photo 28: Toy Fair ended, and I was off to Newark to catch a plane home. The show was a huge success for us, and I am so excited about how much Floppets will grow in the next year. I'll keep you up to date as to where you can find them, and what new designs and licenses we will be shipping out. But do me a favor if you can: if your local stores aren't carrying them, ask if they could! Most retailers that don't have them just don't know about them, or aren't sure if anyone would be interested. Your interest could make the difference, and having product in those store will help us grow. The more we grow, the cooler the products we will be able to make. It will be worth it, I promise!

I have to go feed my Trilobite now, so, until next time...

2012 IAWTV Awards in Vegas (alt. title: Winner! Winner! Chicken Dinner! )

If you have read any of my Dragon Age: Redemption blogs, you know that the show was a challenge, and getting to the finish line was very trying. I am so honored to be able to write this entry now knowing that the effort was worth while, and people embraced and enjoyed the work we did.

At the end of last year, I was nominated for two International Academy of Web Television Awards: Best Production Design, and Best Make-up FX for Dragon Age: Redemption. I was invited to the ceremony in Las Vegas last week, along with friends, co-workers, and fellow nominees from DA:R and The Guild.

The awards were being held during CES, the largest consumer electronics show of the year. People were traveling into Vegas from all over the world for the event, which made it even that more exciting.

Photo 1: As usual, I am in the middle of a heavy work load, so I could only afford to spend a single day in Vegas. It was unfortunate, because so many of my friends were there for the awards AND the trade show, and there were parties and events happening all week. But all was not lost, as the 24 hours I spent there were WELL packed with adventure and excitement. I know that what happens in Vegas is supposed to stay in Vegas, but I don't think any mobsters will take me out if I share the experience with you...

Photo 2: I hitched a ride with Knights of Good associate Lindsey Koens. The awards didn't start until evening, but people got Lindsey paranoid that we would get stuck in massive traffic and miss the fun if we left too late, so she convinced me that we needed to leave by 6:30am! I talked her into 7:30, since I knew that it was going to be the longest day ever! Needless to say, the hour difference was irrelevant, as we arrived in Vegas around 11:30am, hours earlier than we needed to be! It was about this time we realized that our hotels wouldn't even let us check in until 2pm, so it was off to lunch!

We ate in the Venetian, at a restaurant that overlooked the canals. If you have never been to Vegas, it is both cheesy and miraculous at the same time. The above photo was taken inside the hotel. Like, literally INDOORS! Everything is a fake replica of Venice, including the sky!

Photo 3: I don't drink or gamble, so I am not drawn to the obvious appeals of Vegas. But I have to say, every time I arrive there, I am in awe of the scope and grandeur that the city provides. I know it pales in comparison to all of the real structures they are emulating, but the effort is astounding. If you want to see hints of all the wonders of the world in a single weekend, Vegas is worth the trip. Plus, they have all you can eat prime rib for $15.99!

Photo 4: I guess some of the casino bosses started to finally take note of the rising geek culture! I was surprised to see the huge quantity of genre themed slot machines as I walked across the floor to get to my room. It was like Golden Apple Comics opened a casino! I saw Star Wars, BatMan, Terminator, James Bond, everywhere I looked was one of my favorite franchises begging me to drop quarters. I might have done it, too, if the jackpot yielded Micromachines or Legos! But I needed to get dressed for the show, so I only paused long enough to take this photo for my best friend, Sheri Bryant. She is a huge Godzilla fan, and someday she needs to have this one-armed bandit in her collection!

Photo 5: Believe it or not, even with 2 nominations looming that night, the most nerve wrecking part of the whole event was getting dressed! The invitation asked for "cocktail attire", which I assumed meant a suit. I am not a suit person, but I felt the occasion commanded it. I wore a tie, which was highly uncomfortable to someone who spends every day in a Star Wars tshirt! I figured I didn't want to be too far out of character, so I accented with this T.I.E. clip. Get it!?! Cause it's a twin ion engine fighter clipped on my.... alllrighty, then.

Photo 6: Award ceremonies are funny things. When you get nominated, you're like, "That's cool." The day gets closer, and people ask you about it, and you tend to not think about it much more than that. At least I try not to. Then you arrive, and with each passing moment, as you see stars on the red carpet, and tons of news reporters and photographers, it starts to sink in. And your stomach twists into knots. The possibility of winning becomes as terrifying as the more likely reality of losing. I definitely started getting nervous.

Luckily, my wardrobe fears were put to rest when IAWTV award nominated Guild costume designer Kristen Ingram was impressed with my jacket. This photo may be the very moment she was saying it! Kristen is the best, and the costumes she created for The Guild season 5 blew me away!

Photo 7: Another comforting factor was that so many friends were there. I got to hang out and catch up with everyone as we waited in line to be interviewed on the red carpet. Technically, it was a BLUE carpet, so if I start calling it that, you will know what I mean!

Vu Bui and I reminisced about how it had only been a few short months since our last Vegas adventure, putting MineCon together. We were excited to both be wide awake this time around! Actually, Vu took all of the pictures with me in them that I am posting in this blog. Except of course, for this one, since he's in it!

Photo 8: His brother, Lan Bui, took that one! But now Vu is taking this picture since Lan is in it. And so am I. Get how this is working?

Photo 9: After the Blue carpet run, we all went inside the theater to be seated. I sat next to Felicia Day and Jeff Lewis, which was a highlight of the evening. Jeff asked me if I had an acceptance speech prepared, and, honestly, I didn't! I'm always afraid that the more I focus on winning, the more it will hurt if I lose. It's not like sports, where winning or losing is based on your performance in that moment. I put all my effort into the show back when we were filming, and what's written in that envelope is based on peoples reaction to what I did at that time, and nothing I do at this current moment can change that. Oh, I think I'm gonna puke.

Sorry, that was a tangent on what was running through my head after Jeff asked that question. Thanks, Jeff!

Photo 10: The IAWTV Awards are new, and this was the inaugural ceremony. The Chairman of the Academy took the stage to present the brand new, never before seen award. He warned us that it was extremely heavy, and should only be held by the bottom. The relevance of this was not understood until you actually attempted to hold one! Even with the warning, recipients were shocked at the weight all night as they pulled it from the podium.

He also informed us that the award currently had no name. In hopes that the IAWTV awards some day join the ranks of the Oscars, the Emmys, the Tonys, the Golden Globes, and so many other prestigious statues, he encouraged us to tweet suggestions. I'm not sure if this is still open, but if you have a good idea, send it there way!

Photo 11: The awards ceremony went very smoothly, and they kept things moving at a very fast pace. The live audience was shown an introduction video that asked winners to keep their acceptance speech as brief as possible. No one is as much of a pro as Felicia as she accepted her first award for Best Writing. She makes it look so effortless!

Photo 12: Of course, she gets a lot of practice! Here, Felicia accepts her second award, this one for best Female Performance in a Comedy Series.

Photo 13: And...her third acceptance speech. This time it was for the Guild's web design. At one point, Felicia actually got played off mid-speech! The show technicians raised the music as a cue for her to wrap it up as she thanked everyone involved, and she joked about it. She also joked that everyone was probably sick of her by the third award, but apparently, the Internet cannot get enough Felicia Day!

I am very lucky to be involved in the work of such an amazing and talented person as Felicia. I'm sure many feel that she has won so often based on popularity, but I cannot stress enough how authentic Felicia is. Her ideas have transformed the industry, her scripts are the rock solid basis for the show loved by millions, her work ethic is uncompromising, and the team she has assembled is made of the most talented, most kind hearted people I have ever worked with. When I see Felicia accepting awards, I don't view it as accolades for a single accomplishment, but rather for what she is doing for entertainment as a whole. All my life, I have dreamed of "a better way", and I feel like she is paving the road towards it.

Photo 14: Finally, the block of categories came up that included Best Production design. As they showed clips from all the nominated shows, the butterflies in my stomach got more and more chaotic. It was like the battle around the second Death Star in there. I just kept reminding myself that, win or lose, all that matters is that I was there. But then they announced Dragon Age: Redemption as the winner, and my head spun. Jeff Lewis gave me a hearty pat on the back, and Felicia gave me a big hug. As I approached the stage, the realization that I had NOT prepared any kind of a speech really hit home.

Photo 15: It's amazing how many thoughts can run through your mind in a few short seconds. it felt like I was standing in front of that podium for an eternity before I could even speak. My biggest fear was rambling and getting played off, so I made the conscious decision to keep it short. But what to say in my "short" speech!?! I had to pick through all the topics in my head, and try to link them together in a way that made sense. As I was speaking, it didn't sound very coherent to me, but I must have been on autopilot, because I was later assured that it made perfect sense!

There were so many things that I wanted to talk about. Things that made winning the awards so important to me. I wanted to talk about the hardships of trying to create what we created for the little time and money we had. I wanted to give examples of the intense commitment my crew gave to the project. I wanted to site all the times people said that what we were trying to do was "impossible", and how I felt that this award proved that wrong. But it all seemed like too many words, and things that every nominee in the theater had also experienced.

I wish I could have said something profound, but, I choked! The single most focused thought I had was how grateful I was to have this opportunity, and it made perfect sense to thank the people who gave it to me. I thanked Felicia and Kim Evey for letting me helm the project, and even more so for letting me do what pretty much freaked everyone else out: take control of multiple departments, and be responsible for almost all of the show's physical visual aspects. In essence, Kim and Felicia took the risk of putting all of their eggs into MY basket! It was a task I waited a lifetime to achieve, and I am forever in their debt for allowing me to go for it.

I thanked BioWare for giving me such amazing source material. I wanted to talk about the concept of being a designer for a project based on an franchise like Dragon Age. I've mentioned this before, that as Production Designer, my goal was more to honor the existing designs than to reinvent them. The challenge, in my mind, was that there was no flexibility. A Templar sword in the show had to look exactly like a Templar sword in the game, with no exceptions. The work they did at BioWare was so perfect, we needed to bring it to life in its perfect form. So the term design is very interpretive in this instance.

I also thanked my crew. I started naming them, but realized that the list was way too long. I also realized that thinking about all the tireless hours they put into the project to get me up on that stage was about to make me cry. I accepted the award, but the reality of it is THEY are all the winners. Be sure to see the Dragon Age: Redemption blog posts to see how much work everyone did. I wish I had taken the chance to thank Brian Kameoka, who created a network to find all the volunteers who made up the DA:R art department. So many of them had never worked on a film project before, but their passion and dedication broke all limitations of experience and helped form a team that could accomplish anything.

Photo 16: After I recieved the award (which was REALLY very heavy!!!) I exited the stage, and was taken back to the blue carpet for photos and an interview. I have to say, it felt very different to be on the carpet this time. After that, I was brought back into the theater. It was a total relief to sit down, and Felicia was smiling ear to ear, which made me very happy. But then I remembered that I had another nomination, and this time, the pressure doubled. What were the chances that I would win again? And what did that say about my skills if I didn't? Would losing validate everyone that said I shouldn't helm multiple departments? Why I'm telling you all this is beyond me, I'm just being honest. I assure you it wasn't ego whispering in my ear, it was shear terror!

Another factor that made me nervous was the other nominees, of course! There was so much talent represented at the show, and ironically, my Make-up FX nomination for DA:R was shared by one of the competeing nominees! Kim Graczyk was nominated twice in the same category: for DA:R MUFX with me, and her own nomination for The Guild Make-up. If you haven't seen the Guild season 5, check it out and pay close attention to Kim's work. Zaboo's butterfly make-up alone had me nervous that I could lose the award to my own teammate. It plays tricks on the mind!

Thankfully, Kim and I both won for DA:R, and it was very exciting to get to go back on stage. I will admit that I felt a little more relaxed this time, with anticipation removed from the equation. It also helped that my friends, Team Unicorn's Michelle Boyd and Clare Grant, looking gorgeous as ever, presented us with the award. I was still worried about the speech time allowed, so I thought it was only fair to give the stage to Kim. It was moving to see her fight back tears as she thanked everyone. I was so glad that we won together. In all honesty, I thought Kim hated me by the time we were done with DA:R! Like I said, it was a very ambitious, stressful show. But being on that stage together put everything in perspective, and made it all worth it!

I did take a moment to thank actor Doug Jones. His portrayal of the Qunari mage Saaribas really brought my make-up to life. When working on projects like DA:R, it's important to keep in mind that the FX we are creating are merely a tool, and it will always be the story and the characters that the audience connects with. The best make-up FX ever made will still not be convincing if the actor wearing it does not deliver a believable performance. I was honored and privileged to have Doug as my canvas, and I truly believe that when the Academy was voting for this make-up, it was Doug they were awarding! Thank you again, Doug Jones! You are the BEST!!!

Photo 17: The rest of the night was very exciting, now that I was on cloud 9! I was the academy's first repeat winner (Felicia's multi-wins were after, but I blogged out of order for dramatic effect. Oh, Hollywood!!!) and so many of the other winners were my dearest, closest friends. It made the night very special. And entertaining. Felicia and I noticed that Jeff Lewis had been missing from his seat since he accepted his award for Best Male Comedy Performance. He was gone way longer than everyone else had been. But then he appeared on stage to present with Taryn Southern, and hilarity ensued.

Photo 18: For me, the most moving acceptance speech of the night was by Sean Becker, for his Best Director win. Sean had been nominated twice in the same category: Best Directory for a comedy series, for both The Guild and The Jeff Lewis 5 Minute Comedy Hour. He snagged the award for The Guild, and in addition to thanking everyone involved with the project, he appealed to members of the audience, and home viewers via the live stream, to support his fellow nominees in their goal of making the internet the next evolution of entertainment. He stated that pursuing this career meant that there were endless hours, unscheduled work flow, and often little or no pay that usually put strains on relationships, family, friends, and loved ones alike. He asked for everyone's patience and understanding as we all work our way through the uncharted labyrinth that is web television, and he thanked everyone for helping him, and all of us, get this far.

Photo 19: The ceremony ended with the final block of awards, Best Drama and Best Comedy series on the web. It was not a surprise to me that The Guild won, but it WAS very surprising that my hand was grabbed and I was whisked up on the stage to join in on accepting the award. Kim and Felicia thanked as many people as possible for their help in keeping The Guild going, and there are SOOOOO many of them. Felicia always says that internet entertainment is like a family, and we need to stick together and support each other. Standing up on that stage, it did indeed feel like family.

Photo 20: Another big win for The Knights of Good was Shawna Trpcic's Best Costume Design for Dragon Age: Redemption. Shawna is awesome, and I can't wait to work with her again!

Photo 21: The best part of the night was getting to celebrate with my favorite people in the whole world. There is no greater reward that having friends believe in you, and I am glad that their trust in me paid off!

Photo 22: I cannot express the awe and respect I have for these guys. I hope they know that I will always be willing to help out with anything they do, as their vision and style make very thing we do together a joy. There was no doubt that they deserve these awards, and the fact that they BOTH were nominated twice in their respective categories says a lot about their influence on the internet.

Photo 23: Think of any names for the award yet? Here's a closer look at mine and Shawna's design awards. Collectively, Team Knights of Good won 8 out of 13 category nominations, and Jeff Lewis's adds a 9th. Sean Becker joked that we should connect all our awards to build a Fortress of Solitude!

Photo 24: After the ceremony, there was a cocktail party in the adjacent ball room. We all socialized and networked for a while, but then people split up into multiple dinner parties. I went to a fancy dinner with Vu and Lan Bui at some restaurant that had Ferraris and Lamborghinis in it! Then I met up with Kim, Felicia, Brian, and the gang at Wolfgang Pucks in the Venetian Hotel. Later, a smaller group of us broke off to go to the club Tao. I joined Sean, Becca, Lan, Kristin, and pictured, Michelle, Clare, and yes, that is super agent George Ruiz photo bombing in the background. George represents the winners of 12 IAWTV awards!

Photo 25: The club was packed! Even for a Thursday night! It was huge and glamorous, like all things Las Vegas. They told me I couldn't wear my Knights of Good baseball cap. But apparently you could wear a fedora. The reason? Baseball caps are gang related! But smooth criminals are ok?

Photo 26: We made our way to the dance floor, which was shoulder to shoulder. It was fun for a while, but keep in mind that I had my 20 pound award with me the entire time!!! I wasn't trying to be a show-off, I just really had no place to put it! After toting it around for 6 hours, I could barely feel my arms!!!

Photo 27: Sean tweeted this photo with the caption, "Tonite on OUT OF OUR ELEMENT!" No truer words, my friend! And yes, that is again super agent George Ruiz photo bombing.

Photo 28: After a few hours of elbows to the spine, we decided to call it a night. Apparently we closed the place down, as the hotel was pretty empty on the walk out. With the amazing architecture uncrowded, it was much more obvious that Michelle was almost as tall as the columns! All in all, it was the perfect night. The biggest downside was everyone who WASN"T there! Sandeep Parikh, Amy Okuda, Robin Thorsen, Vince Caso, Rileah Vanderbilt, and Milynn Sarley were seriously missed throughout the event.

Photo 29: I woke up in the morning, and would have thought the whole thing was a dream if it wasn't for the award sitting on my nightstand. It felt good to put on a Marvel tshirt and just be my normal self again as I packed everything up to head back to LA. The celebration was over, and it was time to get back to work. I was sad to have to say goodbye so soon...

Photo 30: But I think we left off on a pretty good note. Congratulations to all of my fellow Knights of Good, The Guild, Dragon Age: Redemption and IAWTV award winners and nominees. And thank you for an amazing night.

The first thing I did when I got back to LA was make space for my awards on the mantle of the fireplace in my display room. Standing back to view them, it became strikingly clear that said mantle was packed to the hilt with props and mementos from ONLY internet shows I have worked on. This shrine includes The Guild, Legend of Neil, Dragon Age: Redemption, and other web based trophies. Traditionally, the house mantle is home to the most treasured of showpieces. It was interesting to me that these props have found their way there over ones I have created for such Hollywood staples as Terminator 2 or Jurassic Park: Lost World. I think it is because, as hugely successful as the blockbuster movies are, I have found my participation in these interweb shows, to me, the most satisfying experiences of my career. I think this is because the web offers a direct conduit from us to you. It is pure. And it is ours.

Duh. I probably should have said that while I was at the podium!