woody woodman (Orlando)

I am a professional storyteller and illustrator with an Americana sensibility. I grew up in Michigan, sitting around the fireplace listening to my grandfather’s tall tales. Those tales were then re-enacted with my brother and sisters outdoors, because when it was sunny Grandma wouldn’t allow us kids to stay inside the house. Evenings or cold and rainy days we would all gather around the kitchen table to further immerse ourselves in the imaginary world; reliving the adventures through drawing pictures.

Four years of active service in the Marine Corps, being deployed all over the world and meeting people of different cultures further inspired my craft. Yet as bullets were flying overhead in the Kuwaiti desert, I figured there has to be a better way to make a living, so after I returned stateside I enrolled in the illustration department of the Ringling School of Art and Design. Working my way through college drawing caricatures at parties and special events gave me an edge over my fellow students. This interaction and observation of people has always come through my work and allowed me to draw quickly to capture expression and settings. I believe that every person has a story to tell, and that by drawing people and settings through expression and exaggeration, I can find honest storytelling. Being able to illustrate expressively attracted the attention of many animation studios.

I was recruited by Disney Feature Animation where I started at the entry position of clean-up animator. Developing my craft, I moved into the story department. This is where I felt most at home working with the world’s greatest storytellers. Working on films such as; Mulan, Tarzan, Emperor’s New Groove, Lilo & Stitch, Treasure Planet and Brother Bear, I honed my skills as an illustrator and storyteller.

I left Disney for the opportunity to create and develop a story that was very close to my heart – an inexpensive CGI animated film Tugger, The Little Jeep Who Wanted To Fly. On that project I developed the characters, wrote, storyboarded and directed the film. This was a story about a little guy with an impossible dream. I am now an independent contractor developing original content and storyboarding for animation studios in need of a talented story artist. I have traveled across the country in my old jeep working for clients such as Disney, 20th Century Fox , and Laika. I’ve also had the opportunity to go abroad to work for Animation Lab in Israel, Aarman in England and the DME Studio in Korea and currently work for Digital Domain in Port St. Lucie FL. All of these travels have enhanced my ability to tell stories by having experienced these unique cultures first hand.

I am thankful and fortunate to be able to use my talents and my life experiences to entertain people by making pictures and telling stories.