15 years! (and some things you didn't know about me)

[chluaid]

Wow.. 15 years ago to this day, I sat down at an inbetweener's desk to start my training at Disney. I had come straight from my dusty home town where I had worked on a farm driving tractors, maintaining machinery, irrigating crops, spraying pesticide and chipping weeds. My hair was bleached from the sun, I usually worked shirtless, so my skin was dark and my hands were calloused. I was in great shape without an ounce of fat and a championship stick fighter (double cane, under black belt division).

While I was at Disney, I stayed healthy and active for a while (at the end of 1994 I won my division in the Australian National Arnis Championship in knife fighting) and I set up the first official Australian Jackie Chan Fan Club, with some financial help from Jackie himself. About 8 months later though, my career took over and I had to hand over the leadership of the club to someone else.

From that point on, with my focus on the animation career, I spent more time sitting at a desk than anything else. I never actually got fat (fast metabolism and all that) but I did get soft and white. My hair eventually grew dark and I remember looking at the palms of my hands one day, a little worried why I could actually see tiny veins through the skin. I had never seen capillaries in the palms of my hands before.. this made me realise that my hands weren't made for hard labour any more, they were delicate instruments that were more easily damaged and had to be protected. No more stick fighting

Most of you know that I quit Disney in 2004 to make the most of Brackenwood. Three months ago I also signed up with a personal trainer, so I go to the gym 3 times a week. I'm no longer soft, but I'm still white.. and I'm still sitting at a desk

[Calco]

Im fairly sure most of us here can say that we are very glad you made the change to animation, I for one know you've inspired me to continue with my animations

What did you actually do with the Jackie Chan fanclub?

[chluaid]

Mostly I just kept up to date with all the latest Jackie news (through his manager, Willie) and published a monthly newsletter (printed on real paper!) which I mailed it out to all the members (mailed in real envelopes!). The newsletter also had a mail-order catalogue of JC merch from the Hong Kong store, so through the newsletter, fans had access to stuff they wouldn't have otherwise (this was in 1994-5 so there was no online shop). I used some of my own money for advertising the fan club with fliers (which I handed out at cinemas where Jackie movies were showing in Sydney) and ads in a few martial arts magazines. Some of the magazines were really helpful too, giving me discounts on advertising and helping spread the word. Other magazines and martial arts shops around Sydney were just arrogant bastards and didn't want to help.

[Espen]

15 years! wow, awesome read Adam.

damn time goes by fast, nice going on the personal trainer thingy! what do you exercise most? Chest, shoulder, arms, legs?

[chluaid]

The days alternate like this:

Day 1: Back, shoulders, biceps
Day 2: Chest, legs, triceps

Every session has 20 min cardio and about 10 mins of core/abs.
It's fun but expensive.. I managed to get a bunch of free sessions by doing some drawings for him

[Espen]

awesome


after a real good work out, i find it easier to be creative. what about you?

[chluaid]

yep same here. After each session my mind is really inspired and it seems there's so much creative traffic in there, that I have trouble figuring out which I should do first

[C0mBineD]

you didnt get a gf in those 15 years of work?
:O

[Gray Fox]

I was 10 months old when you started Disney @_@. Kinda creepy thinking I probably grew up watching some things you worked on.  An animator who can beat you with a stick or shank you with a knife? O_o  I guess no one should mess with your copyright.

[Mal]

Jackie Chan fucking RULES!!!

I had no idea you grew up on a farm. This has been a very educational post and I congratulate you for getting hard again.

wait......

[Markham]

you didnt get a gf in those 15 years of work?
:O

He has a daughter, if I remember right.

[the-almighty-ek]

Where was this dusty home town of yours? 

[C0mBineD]

He has a daughter, if I remember right.

if you mean the voice for bing bong I thought that was a niece

[Markham]

That was his nephew.  Adam revealed ages ago that he told his daughter his Brackenwood stories as he wrote them, to see how she reacted to them.

[chluaid]

Yeah my daughter's 10 years old now and is a brilliant harpist (better than I ever was). I don't get to see her much (she lives with her mum) but I talk to her a lot on the phone and on Skype. She has grown up listening to the Brackenwood stories and music and when I told her the Brackenwood feature film plot, she said it was the best story she'd ever heard 

As Markham said, Eli Phillips is my nephew (my brother's son). He was recorded at the age of about 4 or 5 for Bingbong but he's almost 11 now and a talented violinist.