In elementary school, Carl Edward filled wide-ruled notebooks with Star Wars fan fiction rather than doing the morning journal entry questions that the teacher put up on the board. He went to Halloween Horror Nights in the fourth grade (without ever having seen a scary movie before). Carl Edward went back to his Catholic school with drawings of the slashers he had acquainted himself with the weekend prior. His rendering must have been decent because Carl Edward was banned from drawing at school. So, naturally, he decided to keep it up.

Drawing was a through-line during his schooling experience. Carl Edward drew on every piece of paper that came his way, much to the frustration of teachers who were just trying to teach him basic math. It was so much faster to illustrate what he wanted to say rather than speak his thoughts out loud.

Then throughout middle school and high school, Carl Edward invested his creativity in theatre and improv performing, basking in live reactions. Laughs were preferred. From time to time, he’d find himself in trouble for “upstaging” costars, adding in unrehearsed bits. During one performance, Carl Edward’s only scene was to enter and kiss the feet of an evil queen, so he brought a Febreze bottle onstage and sprayed the queen’s feet for a solid minute.

When it came time for college applications, Carl Edward hadn’t considered art as a viable option. Yes, he had taken many art classes and participated in art contests, but at his academically driven school, art was not taken seriously as a path for higher education. His interest in art was obvious, but how to proceed was unclear. Rewatching stop motion movies like “Tim Burton’s A Nightmare Before Christmas” and “Chicken Run” helped Carl Edward see animation production as tangible and accessible through the arts he already knew. The handmade quality reminded him that people do this work — and that it’s an art form that can be learned. A clear connection between all his interests was forged. With a month left until submission deadlines, Carl Edward pivoted from an anticipated English degree and pursued animation at California College of the Arts in Oakland, CA.

At CCA, Carl Edward discovered storyboarding. It was the part of the pipeline that resonated most with his previous experiences — a playground in which he could inhabit every character, build limitless worlds, and simply draw a story!

Carl Edward graduated with high distinction and was honored to be the commencement speaker for the class of 2020.

During his last year at college and into the summer after graduating, Carl Edward joined a Berkeley non-profit called Afi Health, where the team created short pediatric videos to inform children of their various medical conditions. As someone who grew up with acute asthma and severe allergies, Carl Edward took this as an opportunity to utilize his learned skills and let medically struggling children know “you’re going to be alright”.

Post-graduation, Carl Edward moved to Sierra Madre, CA. He worked a few random jobs — the wildest as a receptionist for an understaffed dog hotel where a husky named Loki opened gates and doors for his oversized friends.

Now, Carl Edward is an obsessive young adult still with a flair for the dramatic and a knack for the bizarre. He is grateful for family and friends who supported him and for those who discouraged him. Carl Edward will continue his journey as a storyboard artist in the Nickelodeon Artist Program.