Meet The Creative Team

Meet the people behind Space Gypsy's end credits.  These are the wonderful people who help huz with our storylines, fix the computers when they go wrong (which happens on a regular basis) or nag..er...er encourage huz into getting the job done!

Current Creative Team:-

Creative Advisor - Gerry Paquette

Gerry started out with a dream of becoming a comic strip artist which led to a career in commercial animation where he got to work on such wonderful projects as The_Raccoons television series, Lynn Johnston's (author of 'For Better or Worse') first animated special The_Bestest_Present and Babar_&_Father_Christmas.

 

During this boom period in Ottawa, Gerry was given the opportunity to set up Canada's 2^nd professional animation training program at Algonquin_College. It was the first of its kind anywhere to incorporate computers into the curriculum.

 

Now with over 18 years of teaching experience under his belt, Gerry is branching away from animation to focus on yet another passion and is actively involved in the Game Development program.

A Note from the author:-

I first got to know Gerry after becoming involved in an online Raccoons fan site called The_NewRaccoons. After reading about his work at Algonquin College, and of his keen interest in encouraging creativity, I decided to drop him a line.

As things were to turn out, we had quite a lot in common.  Apart from a mutual interest in animation and cartoons, we both have an interest in sci-fi.  So, it wasn't long before I introduced him to Space Gypsy.

Gerry has since offered to help with the creative process of the project.  His expertise as an animator is turning out to be quite invaluable with regards to suggestions on how the characters should look.  His experience of working with animation storyboards and children's stories in general is also helping with plot development. 

Above are some of Gerry's concept drawings for Damien & Gemma.  Below is a section of the e-mail he sent to accompany these drawings -

"John Leeson does a fantastic job with the voices and characterizations.  It really allowed me to get to know your characters much better than any description that I'd read.  This served to inspire the attached concepts sketches for Gemma and Damien."

"I felt the characters needed more differentiation in size and body type.  Eye shape, hair tufts and clothing are also adjusted.  I prefer the second version (on the right) which I believe captures Gemma's sultry, smart teen qualities.  She's tall, thin with plenty of curves and sharp features.  Female eyes should be more elaborate than the male characters;  thus the iris.  Damien is short, stocky and with a blunt roundness to his features."

"I also did a Google search on 'Gypsie fashion' in order to capture that feel in their clothing.  The short vests work well on Gemma complimented by the sheer pants.  Damien sports open Hawaii shirts with loud patterns and clashing colours.  The shorts retain his juvenile nature.  The boots are an attempt to make them look more futuristic....not sure if it helps or hinders the design."

"Less detail and realism in terms of their fox look is also needed.  Chuck Jones is the first to point out that Bugs Bunny hardly resembles a real rabbit and there's even less resemblance for the Road Runner."

"So there you have it; my initial take on your characters.  I'm hoping to get around to the rest before school kicks in again."

That's all for now,

Gerry. -

Gerry certainly knows his stuff - and I am quite honoured that someone who worked on one of my favourite animated tv shows has shown an interest in this project.  Now, let's see if we can capitalise on all this creative talent and turn Space Gypsy into something special!

To go directly to Gerry's Raccoons page click here.

Creative Advisor - Mark Smith

I was born on November 10th, 1987 in Dundee, Scotland, where I still work today. I grew up watching many animated TV series, such as 'The Raccoons', 'Alvin & The Chipmunks', 'The Animals Of Farthing Wood' and the SatAM 'Sonic The Hedgehog'. I have been drawing things since I could pick up a pencil; starting with primitive stick men, I soon progressed on to making my own home made comics in the mid to late 1990s - none of which are incidentally still going! The one that stood out above the rest was 'The Guys', which was a poor Beano/Dandy and Cartoon Network rip off. At this time I could only draw people, and not very well! Finally in 2000 I gave up drawing comics in favour of videogaming.

 

I didn't get back into drawing things seriously until 2003. Soon after I turned 16 I rekindled my love interest with cartoons and animated shows that I saw in my childhood, and from that point on I decided that I wanted to draw more cartoony things again, and try and persue a career in something related to animation. So I stopped drawing people in favour of animals, which I thought made more interesting and appealing cartoon characters.

 

After finishing High School I attended Dundee College for two years, where I gained a Higher National Diploma in 3D Computer Animation. In 2007 I started studying Computer Arts at the University of Abertay, Dundee, where I began to learn how to animate in Flash. It resulted in my cartoon drawings becoming a lot more refined than before, and it also meant I could start bringing my own characters to life. In 2008 I made my first proper animated loops and shorts in Flash, my longest and most ambitious of that year being 'An Uphill Struggle', which featured two of my own characters in an original story that combined limited animation with pencil drawn backgrounds.

 

I am also a bit of a wannabe musician - and am a somewhat indescisive and experimental one at that! I didn't get serious at it until I was 15 and a friend wanted to form a rock band. After quickly dismissing the drums (due to expenses among other things), I took up the bass (but I can also play guitar and keyboards). Ultimately this band became Stu & The Frets, who were a back-to-basics style rock group. We did a few gigs to celebrate finishing High School, before we split due to creative differences in 2005. In 2006, while I was still searching for a new band to play in, I started working as a solo artist as a side project. Originally I was a rock artist, but I soon decided to switch to electronic music working under the pseudonym KFox, which worked out much better for me. In late 2007 I joined a new rock group called The Affiliates, who play 70s/80s influenced rock music, who I continue to work with today.

 

I first got involved in Space Gypsy around New Year 2009 when I was looking for some new challenges involving collaborating with other likeminded individuals, and possibly for the chance to motivate me into refining my animating skills a little bit. One of the creative advisors reccommended Space Gypsy, and soon after that I got in touch with Terry. I also see helping out with Space Gypsy as an opportunity for some work experience, which I am hoping might help lead me to a related career in the future.

Creative Advisor - David Monid

 

Well there's an interesting story of how I became involved with Space Gypsy.

 

It was early 2006 and I had reminded myself of how great a cartoon The Raccoons was. So I ended up joining a Yahoo Group dedicated to them. While I was there I met up with Terry and we began to talk to each other from time to time. One day I checked his Yahoo profile and noticed that amongst the group's he was in, one of them was a Wombles group, now I thought to myself 'Is he a fan of The Wombles because of Mike Batt's music, or was he a Wombles fan in general'? So I asked him the question and I was plesentily surprised to hear that was because he was a fan of Mike Batt's music. Well I then told him that I was a fan of Mike Batt's music, due to his work on the soundtrack to another favourite cartoon series of mine, The Dreamstone and the least popular Watership Down TV Series. So we had two interests.

 

Then amongst the groups Terry was on, I noticed one called Space Gypsy and he told me more about the show and offered to send me a couple of episodes to listen to. I said yes to his kind offer and quite enjoyed what I heard. It was around that same time that I offered to submit an idea for Space Gypsy and he agreed and soon after many sleepless nights later, I came up with a workable idea of an upcoming story that he liked. Soon I had also contributed further to the upcoming story as well as provide some general ideas for other stories that are in the pipeline and that's how I became involved with Space Gypsy. I quite like all of the characters on the show and don't really have a particular favourite in the show since the more I became involved with the show, the more I started to love each character more and more.

 

Another reason why I decided to contribute to the show is because I have autism; a mental learning condition which could effect a person's ability to communicate and how they interact with other people. I had been diagnosed with the condition at an early age and had been to quite a few god schools who helped me to handle my condition, as well as my family, in particular my Mum who helped me out a great deal over the years. I'm also an autism awareness speaker, often doing talks to educaters and parents alike about the condition, how I've coped and what can be done to help. So when I need to be I can be a right chatterbox, which is odd since I am quite shy when I first meet someone for the first time, but by attending all these talks, I'm getting a lot better when it comes to meeting people I don't know, otherwise I wouldb't be a speaker.

 

I do hope that fans of Space Gypsy will enjoy what I've contributed. As Gemma and Damien would say 'Onward and forever on' and 'Keep it mega'.

Meet the Space Gypsy Team – The Technical wizard, DJ Storm Birthplace South Shields, England, Earth. Favourite Space Gypsy character Damien Mini biography I first met DJ Storm at a wedding I was DJ-ing for back in 1999, although our paths had crossed (almost) as far back as 1990.    In ’90 I had just given up my job as resident DJ at a local social club and, unbeknown to me, Storm was my replacement.  Also unbeknown to me Storm had a red Lada car almost identical to mine.  Storm was a bit of a philanderer back then and because his car was often seen outside certain female’s houses, I got the blame!   After the party in 1999 we would meet up occasionally on Sunday afternoons when I was running a market stall at a local car boot sale in aid of Damien’s Trust.  Storm would often buy CDs from me.   I got to know him better when we both signed up as presenters for the WCRFM Radio station in Workington in 2002.   Storm has DJ-ed all over Britain and in a good part of Europe.  He has worked in Ibiza, Germany and the Isle of Man.  He has three dance hits to his credit “Storm Animal”, “Storm” and “Time to burn”.   Storm is a wizard with computers and it was he who programmed the units used for the production of ‘The Space Gypsy Adventures’.  He also coined the catchphrase of ‘Mega’, which Damien uses from time to time.   Storm’s real name is James Kirkbride, although I’m told that he just uses that name on Sundays!

Previous Creative Contributors:-

Creative Advisor - Justin Teays

Meet The Space Gypsy Team - Creative Advisor - (The Daytrip To Tower City, The Christmas New Arrival), Justin Teays

I suppose I've always been a little shy. Though I've never really been able to communicate my thoughts so well vocally, I have usually managed to get by with sympathy for the common man. I believe in communion as a resolution, as opposed to aggression. I have striven throughout my life to better myself as a humanist, and a gentleman, and hold the deepest respect for both nature and life.

I was born in a city just outside of Detroit, Michigan, U.S.A. known as Ferndale, on January 20, 1981. My father worked at General Motors trucking plants around the metro area, and during his offtime, was a freelance percussionist for hire. My family later moved to Waterford MI, a Detroit suburb, when I was four, where I have lived out the majority of my life since.

My parents were both fans of 60's rock and contemporary jazz, and I began building both an appreciation for music and a sizable record collection at an early age. I kept busy as a kid by getting involved with sports and working on creative writing projects, a few of which would win me some awards.

One adolescent weekend while exploring the house, I stumbled across an old trumpet that belonged to my father, and I later asked him if I could use it to join the grade school band. Eventually I would go on be a part of my schools Choir, Symphonic, Jazz and Marching Bands. While intensely studying music classically at school, I also became interested in forming a rock band at home.

At 13, I used the money I saved from working that summer as a golf caddie to buy my first electric guitar. I started collaborating with my lifelong friend and cousin Nate, and together we grew as rock soldiers. In high school I met up with some good friends and we started a heavy metal project we called Scorch. Taking after my father, I settled on the drums. We stayed together for five years, through and after graduating, with dreams of living on rock music, but due to creative differences, we broke up in 2001.

One month later, America was devastated by terrorist attacks on September 11th. Our world was never to be the same. Suddenly finding ourselves zealous and unskilled, the majority of my peers returned to school for a finer education, while others joined the army.

At the local community college, I took a liking biology and nature studies, and above all, fine art. It was at this time that I rediscovered the animated film and became enthralled by its potential. I had always been a fan Disney films, and grew up on Saturday morning cartoons. After all, what other medium out there could combine story, picture and music so well? After two years of study, my portfolio earned me acceptance at a new and ambitious college in Toronto, Ontario, Canada called The Max The Mutt School of Animation. In the Fall of 2004, I moved there to begin classes.

Living in Canada was a unique experience that was as exhilarating as it was informative. While living there, I studied fine art more intensely than ever at Max the Mutt, while basking in all the culture that Canada’s largest city had to offer. I made a few friends, and even joined a novelty rock band for a brief time. Perhaps the most important lesson that came home with me though was learning how to balance a budget. After one year in Canada, I was officially broke. Having exhausted my savings, I returned to MI.

I am toiling away day by day on various musical projects at my home recording studio in Waterford, MI, U.S.A. ,a.k.a. The Pimpshack, where I also reside. I am rehearsing with a new band as well as making plans to release solo material currently in various stages production.

 

I was a student at Max The Mutt Animation School in Toronto, Ontario, Canada from 2004 to 2005. Plans for me to return to college are still on the radar.

Meet the Space Gypsy Team – The nagging force behind Space Gypsy, Linda Askew   Birthplace Workington, England, Earth. Favourite Space Gypsy character Damien Mini biography:- I met Linda for the first time circa 1989 when I was working as a DJ in a local social club.  We started going out together around 1991 and finally got hitched in 1995. Linda deserves some of the credit for Space Gypsy mainly because she has to put up with me!  There aren’t many wives who would put up with the hours I have to work (and subsequently get out of bed!) without causing a fuss.  Linda basically leaves me to get on with it and, sometimes when I don’t feel like working on the project, she will literally nag me into it – although, I have to say, I don’t take much nagging! She is probably the best wife a creative person could have.  She won’t nag at me if I’m working on my drawings or writing the scripts when I really should be doing something more mundane like cutting the grass!  She’s a diamond (and I wonder if I’ll still be saying that in ten years’ time!)

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