Tom is the founder of 34th Street Entertainment and its parent company The Todica Group, LLC. He is in charge of all development and final approval for all projects. Tom also acts as Executive Producer and Producer on all films produced by the company. The company is multi-faceted dealing primarily with the entertainment and recreation industry in developing new film projects and different entertainment packages. Tom formed an alliance with Rick Reinert, Leo Sullivan and Floyd Norman in order to provide the finest in animated film production. In 2015 Tom brought in Ron Booth to head the live action division of the company. His many awards include a special award presented by the Ambassador of the Dominican Republic; a special award for services rendered to Delta Airlines; a special service award presented by the Huntington Beach pan American Parade; former member of the President's Circle for the California Institute of the Arts; former member of Laguna Hills Rotary Club and recipient of the Paul Harris Fellowship award; a founder of the Segerstrom Center For The Arts in Orange County; awarded the Order of the Silver State by the State of Nevada and numerous awards and letters of recognition. Tom is also a former member of the Friars Club in Beverly Hills, California.
Diana is an Associate Producer on all of its films. Diana also works with the approval and design of projects that are produced through 34th Street Entertainment, Inc and works directly with charitable causes that benefit from a portion of the profits. Throughout the years Diana has worked with children in different areas including school and church groups. Diana will be extremely instrumental with our association with St. Jude's Children's Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee and other charitable groups. Diana and Tom have been married for 48-years.
Ron Booth, another industry pioneer, began his entertainment career when he founded Mont Blanc Productions with world-renowned extreme sports director/cinematographer, Didier LaFond. Mont Blanc’s mission was simple and complex: to introduce “extreme” sports to the U.S. market and to excel in the genre of action adventure film and TV production. In 1991, Ron and Didier pitched Reebok a groundbreaking commercial concept: Skysurfer. The concept became reality. Booth led his team to creating, producing and directing what became one of Reeboks most successful commercial campaigns. Skysurfer went on to win numerous international awards including Best Commercial at The New York Film Festival, and it began a tradition of “extreme sport” advertising that thrives today. In addition to their successful commercial ventures including Mountain Dew, Coca-Cola and Nike, Ron’s team created numerous sports related syndicated TV series. Together they achieved a landmark success creating Extreme (James Brolin) – first one-hour dramatic extreme sport series (Universal Studios and ABC Television). His syndicated T.V. series “The Extremist’s” had a five year successful run. He also partnered with award winning filmmaker Rob Bruce, Andrew Wainrib, and LaFond to form an action/extreme sports Production company called AXTV inc. AXTV inc will continue the mission started with Mont Blanc. AXTV produced an event film for the Red Bull, the popular energy drink maker, for ABC television for the Fall of 2002. Ron’s personal and professional passions began to mix as his desire to pursue life affirming entertainment projects grew. Ron partnered with Namesake Entertainment to secure the film rights to the best selling Left Behind book series. The phenomenal series has sold over 70 million copies. Ron is Executive Prouder of the most successful film franchise serving the growing family and faith market. Ron has also Executive Produced other independent features including Hometown Legend. Ron brings to the company a wealth of experience and a strong commitment to family entertainment. He is married and lives with his wife and two children in Marina del Rey, California.
Michael Dodds is a California based businessman committed to contributing to any area in which he’s working in the very best ways especially with kids and our military. He has been a real estate broker and developer for over 40 years with well over $1 Billion dollars in real estate sales before the year 2000 including the sale of the world famous Pebble Beach Golf and Country Club. He assembled such projects as the largest parcel of downtown Los Angeles property consisting of 12.5 Acres with 41 different owners, the world’s largest wind energy park as well as one of the largest solar parks. Dodds acted as general manager with Former Chairman of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Ray Watt, multiple world-class master planned equestrian and golf course communities including Bell Canyon Estates in Woodland Hills, California, San Diego Country Estates aka San Vicente Country Club with full Thoroughbred and Western equestrian facilities, and Fairbanks Ranch and Rancho Cielo both located in the prestigious community of Rancho Santa Fe, California. Dodds was a partner with Jules Berman and President of Jules Berman Development with projects such as Lake Arrowhead, Huntington Harbor and 3600 Acres on the ocean north of Santa Barbara known as El Capitan Ranch and State Park.
Carl Berg began his entertainment career with the Disney Corporation. Carl is a singer/songwriter, entertainer, producer, musical director and project manager. Carl started by forming a folk quartet entertaining at coffee houses in Southern California. Disneyland contacted Carl to have a group entertain lines expected for the opening of the new Submarine ride in Tomorrowland. The Yachtsmen Quartet was hired and entertained crowds for six years. During this period, Disneyland loaned out group to Sea World in San Diego, performing at both parks their first summer. They also performed in Las Vegas at Freemont Hotel and Tour Southern College and Universities for four months. At Disneyland, the group was featured on a live television show called The Bennie Goodman Show. The Yachtsmen also hosted The Disney Hootenanny, a weekly show on the Tomorrowland main stage featuring the biggest Folk stars of the time. Disney produced an album “The Yachtsmen Quartet”. The group also appeared in Disney movies “Those Callaway’s” and “Merlin Jones” featuring Annette Funichello and four television shows on “Wonderful World of color” hosted by Walt Disney. The group left Disneyland to be the featured act in The Casino de Paris Theater in Paris France for two years. While in Paris, they were opening act for The Beach Boys concert in Paris. The group released two albums and were featured on a live album recorded at The Casino de Paris show. The group also performed on numerous TV shows in Paris, Amsterdam and Berlin. The group disbanded upon completion of their contract in Paris. Carl was hired back to Disneyland as Supervisor in Entertainment Division responsible for all Disneyland Entertainment, including live bands, dancers, parades, fireworks, guest entertainers, special events and premiers. During this time, Carl was assigned to another division and went on road as operation manager for the first tour of “Disney On Ice”. Carl returned to Disneyland as Entertainment Manager for next six years. He left to become Entertainment Director at a brand new animal park” The Japanese Village and Deer Park” in Buena Park, CA. Carl was responsible for all live shows including the Bear Show, Sea Lion Show, Karate and Bird Show and Japanese Tea Show. After the park closed, Carl was hired as Entertainment Booking Agent for the Hungry Tiger Restaurants hiring entertainment for restaurant lounges nationwide. After three years, Carl decided to become independent producer and writer. With two other friends, they produced and wrote an audio Animatronics Bird Show for the Benihanna Japanese Restaurant in Hilton Hotel in Las Vegas. The birds and trees entertained the customers as they were waiting for their tables. Carl then produced and directed another Audio Animatronics Bird Show for the Banamex Pavilion in another Theme Park on outskirts of Mexico City, Mexico. Carl then returned to Disneyland for a third time as a Project Manager for the Entertainment Division developing budgets and coordinating development of new rides and special events, working with stage managers, choreographers and construction managers. After retiring from Disneyland, Carl became Director of Christian music at the Yorba Linda Presbyterian church for 5 years. Carl has held the responsibility as Project Manager for many different themed projects all over the world. He brings to the company an abundant of experience in entertainment and construction to insure successful ventures around the world.
Joe Alfuso, an accomplished composer and classically trained guitarist, has participated in every aspect of the family entertainment industry—from film & television to theme park & stage. He has a 25-year association with the Walt Disney Company, Universal & Anheuser-Busch for whom he composed and produced hundreds of musical scores for a wide range of markets in the U.S., Japan, Europe and Latin America. In 1984 Joe served as conductor of the Crystal Cathedral Symphony Orchestra in Garden Grove, California, where he produced and conducted five seasons of classical, operatic & popular concerts with talent such as pianist, Roger Williams, Alan Glassmann, of the Metropolitan Opera & renowned organ soloist, Frederic Swann. Joe was Senior Music Arranger for the Walt Disney Company for 10-years where he collaborated with entertainment teams from theme parks in Anaheim, Orlando, Tokyo & Hong Kong. He composed shows for The W.D. Cruise Lines, W.D. Special Events & W.D. Creative Entertainment. Joe’s original movie scores include The Oogieloves and the Big Balloon Adventure, with Cloris Leachman, Christopher Lloyd & Chazz Palminteri, Shoot Or Be Shot with William Shatner and Harry Hamlin and the classic western, The Outsider, giving him the chance to write in one of the most favorite genres of any composer. As orchestrator, Joe contributed to a number of successful movies, including The Perfect Storm, How The Grinch Stole Christmas and Premium Rush. Joe currently is Music Director / Conductor at the world renown Teatro Amazonas Opera House in Manaus, Brazil for the state of Amazonas’ annual production of “Concerto de Natal - Glorioso!”, conducting the Amazonas Philarmonica Orchestra, Amazonas Coral and a cast of 3,000. Joe composed for, conducted & recorded the London Symphony, National Symphony, Slovak National Symphony, Seattle Symphony & Amazonas Philharmonic Orchestras. He has worked as arranger / conductor for notables such as Dionne Warwick, Betty White, Michael Feinstein, Arturo Sandoval, Toni Braxton, Kathy Lee Gifford & Peabo Bryson.
It is with deep sadness that we have to announce that Rick passed away on November 6, 2018. Rick was a very dear friend for over 35 years and the company will not be the same without him. Rick was 93 years old and still active until recently. He and his wife Carol were married for 66 years.
It was a Disney film that first stirred Rick Reinert’s passion for animation. Forty years later, Rick produced and directed his own Disney film, “Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore,” the fourth animated featurette starring the classic A.A. Milne As a boy growing up in Cleveland, Rick saw “Pinocchio.” The Disney classic so moved him that he set up his own drawing board in the basement of his family's home and spent long hours in quest of the Disney ideal. "I don't know if we'll ever see anything like 'Pinocchio' again," Rick remarks. "But that has been my dream all these years, to make another film like that one. It's Disney's Masterpiece, as far as I'm concerned." Rick made his first trip to Los Angeles in 1944 to work for MGM on Tom and Jerry shorts. From 1945-47 he served in the Army's New York City photo center, where he animated Armed Forces training films. Returning to Cleveland after the war, Rick found work in the burgeoning television business. He was art director for the stations owned by Storer Broadcasting, a job that included animating black-and-white station logos and show openings. In 1960, with three fellow employees, Rick formed his own animation studio. The business flourished, primarily with industrial and corporate clients. "At one time we were doing public service announcements for practically the entire medical profession -- the American College of Surgeons, the American Medical Association, the American Dental Association, the veterinarians, the anesthesiologists...We were so busy we had 75 people on staff. And I had to train every one of them myself." The corporate accounts were financially gratifying, but Rick still felt yearnings as an artist. This inclination was further spurred on by his periodic visits to Los Angeles, when he would meet with his friend Chuck Jones, one of the best of the Warner Bros. animators. "Chuck kept telling me 'Come out here and do your thing!' Then on one of my trips my brochure got into the hands of a Disney executive. I had a meeting with him and he told me he could give me some work if I ever moved to Los Angeles." Rick disbanded his Cleveland company in 1979, moved to Los Angeles that same year and began producing and directing educational media for Disney. He has produced “Winnie the Pooh” and “Orange Bird” films and over 20 filmstrips for the Walt Disney Telecommunications and Non-Theatrical Company. “Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore” was his first theatrical effort. ABC/TV NETWORK: (Animation – “The Bollo Caper,” a 30-minute special, based on the book by Art Buchwald) (Animation - Four 30-minute specials starring “Capt'n. O.G. Readmore,” a character designed by Rick Reinert and in cooperation with the Library of Congress, to encourage and promote reading) (Animation - A 60-minute animated, musical special for ABC/TV entitled “Kingdom Chums - The Original Top Ten”) THE DISNEY CHANNEL: (Animation - 2 1/2 minutes of Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse openings and promotions) (Animation - An 8-minute educational film entitled, “Winnie the Pooh Discovers the Seasons”) (Animation - A 12 minute educational film entitled, “Orange Bird,” with original characters designed by Rick Reinert) DISNEY STUDIOS – Burbank, CA (Animation – “Winnie the Pooh and a Day For Eeyore” a 30-minute theatrical featurette) (Animation – Four 6 minute animated films, featuring Donald Duck, for Epcot Center at Walt Disney World in Florida) PRECIOUS MOMENTS (Animation – Four 30-minute specials featuring the “Precious Moments” characters)
With Floyd Norman, Leo heads our animation division.
Leo Sullivan is the President/CEO of Leo Sullivan Multimedia, Inc. a California S-Corporation. Prior to incorporating his company, he was owner of Vignette Films Multimedia a sole proprietorship and president of Vignette Films, Inc. Leo produced and directed educational films/filmstrips, training films (U. S. Navy), public service films (Health, Education, and Welfare), and 35mm slides for various educational film companies with distribution nationwide. Produced videocassettes: Afro-Classic Folk Tales Volumes One and Two, Afro-Classic Mother Goose, Afro-Classic Bible Stories, Black Profiles, and Blue Jay in the Desert (a video about the Japanese Americans internment) for general and institutional consumers. Established a 501(c)3 tax exempt organization (http://www.LSM Foundation.org) to train underserved youth in the new media technology with emphasis on animation and game development.
Internet/Emerging Media- Published website Afrokids®.com. A website that helps build children’s self-esteem, cultural heritage, and future through visual media. Also, websites honoring the Tuskegee Airmen and their contribution (http://www.tuskegeeredtails.com and http://www.tuskegeeredtails.net). Developing and publishing game applications and e-books for the mobile media.
STUDIO MANAGER Managed animation studios for Pacific Rim Animation, Hong Kong and in Peoples’ Republic of China – Shenzen, and Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines. Oversaw all phases of production on animated television shows and theatricals for Thailand, Spain, France, Canada, Australia, Germany, Ireland, and the U. S. A. Between the two studios, he managed 35 supervisors who were responsible for over 900 employees. Also, he was responsible for establishing layout departments and training animation personnel. In the U. S. A., managed studio for Tom Carter Productions’ “Huck’s Landing” where he hired and nurtured some of the leading directors and producers who went on to professions at other top studios.
DIRECTOR/ANIMATOR/STORYBOARD ARTIST Go-fer, animation in-betweener, animation assistant at Snowball Animation Studios, Ed Graham Productions, Ruby Spears, Dale Robertson, and others. Warner Brothers, Filmation, New World, Hanna Barbera, Richard Williams, Campbell, Silver, Cosby to name a few. Leo worked inside studios and outside of the studios as a freelance artist.
Animator/Layout Artist/Designer – NBC TV Special “Hey, Hey, Hey It’s Fat Albert”
Director/Animator – Original Soul Train
Animator – TV series – Gladys Knight & the Pips/Eddie Hendricks/The Honey Cone/ Bobby Hutton, Triangle Tangle, Malice in Aqualand, the Fast-Paced Chase Race, The Piranha Plot, There’s No Heel Like El Eel, Jabberjaw, I Am the Greatest aka the Adventures of Muhammad Ali, C B Bears, The Final Challenge, Doomsday, Super Friends: Rest in Peace, The History of Doom, Challenge of the Super Friends, Scooby’s All Star Laff-A-Lympics aka Laff-A-Lympics aka Scooby’s All Stars, The Lord of Middle Earth, Terror at 20,000 Fathoms, the Super Friends Meet Frankenstein, The Planet of Oz, The World’s Greatest Super Friends, The New Shmoo, The New Adventures of Mighty Mouse and Heckle and Jeckle, Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo, Casper and the Angels, Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids, Flash Gordon: Chapter Twelve: Tournament of Death, Chapter Thirteen: Castaways in Tropica, Chapter Fourteen: The Desert Hawk, Chapter Fifteen: Revolt of the Power Men, and Chapter Sixteen: Ming’s Last Battle; The Flintstone Comedy Show – Bedrock Cops Captain Caveman, Dino and Cavemouse, Flintstone Funnies, Flintstone Frolics, Pebbles, Dino and Bamm Bamm, and RV Fever/Birthday Boy/Clownfoot/Fred Goes Ape/Flying Mouse/Ghost-sitters; and, ABC Weekend Special-Stanly the Ugly Duckling; Pinocchio and the Emperor of the Night; Space Zoo; The Good, the Bad and the Clumsy; Night of the Bronco-Tank; Brave Starr; Strength of the Bear; New Texas Blues.
Layout Artist – Richie Rich; Pac-Man- Nightly Nightmares/The Pac-Mummy, A Bac Case of the Chomps/Goo-Goo at the Zoo, the Pac-Love Boar/The Great Power-Pellet Robbery, Chomp-Out at the O.K. Corral/Once upon a Chomp, and The Abominable Pac-Man/The Bionic Pac-Woman.
Director/Sheet Timing Director – The incredible Hulk – The Return of the Beast; the Fantastic Four; Ironman; Dumb and Dumber;
Animaniacs – Draculee, Draculaa/Phranken-Runt, Hitchcock Opening/Hearts of Twilight/The Boids, Meatballs or Consequences/A Moving Experience, Roll Over, Beethoven/The Cat and the Fiddle, and De-Zanitized/The Monkey Song/Nightly Night Toons.
Producer/Director - Spunbuggy Works national TV commercials – Clairol Herbal Essence, Hoover Iron, Conoco Oil, G. E. Dishwasher, Chicago Tribune, and Excedrin.
Commercials for Jamaica, West Indies television- Royal Bank, DG Ting, Grace Tomato Ketchup, Quench Aid and Shelltox.
Story Board Director/Artist – Transformers – Super God Robot Force, The Transformers, The Return of Optimus Prime: Part 1 and Part 2, The Face of Nijika, The Burden Hardes to Bear, and Call of the Primitives, and others. My Little Pony and Friends- The Prince and the Ponies, Somnambula Part1 and Part 2, The Ice Cream Wars, Flight to Cloud Castle Part 2, and many more. Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventures – The Apple Doesn’t Fall Far From the Phone Booth, Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure in Babysitting, It’s a Bogus Day in the Neighborhood, Goodbye Columbus…and America, Leave It to Bill & Ted, and others.
Writer – Slimer and the Real Ghostbusters – Dog Days and Special Delivery Instructor – Art Institute of California-Orange County. Instructed classes in digital animation and 2D animation.
Development/Animation- Developed and animated the character (Walt) that inter-relates with a giant female robot for the California Science Center, Los Angeles CA titled BodyWorks.
Awards- Timing Director for Tiny Toons. Twice honored by the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame in Oakland, CA (1979 and 1991). His works have been displayed in the San Francisco Cartoon Museum and the Los Angeles African American Museum. The University of California, Los Angeles interviewed him on video tape for their archive of animators in the twentieth century plus invited Leo to lecture to the U. C. L. A. Animation Department students.
With Floyd Norman, Leo heads our animation division.
Leo Sullivan is the President/CEO of Leo Sullivan Multimedia, Inc. a California S-Corporation. Prior to incorporating his company, he was owner of Vignette Films Multimedia a sole proprietorship and president of Vignette Films, Inc. Leo produced and directed educational films/filmstrips, training films (U. S. Navy), public service films (Health, Education, and Welfare), and 35mm slides for various educational film companies with distribution nationwide. Produced videocassettes: Afro-Classic Folk Tales Volumes One and Two, Afro-Classic Mother Goose, Afro-Classic Bible Stories, Black Profiles, and Blue Jay in the Desert (a video about the Japanese Americans internment) for general and institutional consumers. Established a 501(c)3 tax exempt organization (http://www.LSM Foundation.org) to train underserved youth in the new media technology with emphasis on animation and game development.
Internet/Emerging Media- Published website Afrokids®.com. A website that helps build children’s self-esteem, cultural heritage, and future through visual media. Also, websites honoring the Tuskegee Airmen and their contribution (http://www.tuskegeeredtails.com and http://www.tuskegeeredtails.net). Developing and publishing game applications and e-books for the mobile media.
STUDIO MANAGER Managed animation studios for Pacific Rim Animation, Hong Kong and in Peoples’ Republic of China – Shenzen, and Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines. Oversaw all phases of production on animated television shows and theatricals for Thailand, Spain, France, Canada, Australia, Germany, Ireland, and the U. S. A. Between the two studios, he managed 35 supervisors who were responsible for over 900 employees. Also, he was responsible for establishing layout departments and training animation personnel. In the U. S. A., managed studio for Tom Carter Productions’ “Huck’s Landing” where he hired and nurtured some of the leading directors and producers who went on to professions at other top studios.
DIRECTOR/ANIMATOR/STORYBOARD ARTIST Go-fer, animation in-betweener, animation assistant at Snowball Animation Studios, Ed Graham Productions, Ruby Spears, Dale Robertson, and others. Warner Brothers, Filmation, New World, Hanna Barbera, Richard Williams, Campbell, Silver, Cosby to name a few. Leo worked inside studios and outside of the studios as a freelance artist.
Animator/Layout Artist/Designer – NBC TV Special “Hey, Hey, Hey It’s Fat Albert”
Director/Animator – Original Soul Train
Animator – TV series – Gladys Knight & the Pips/Eddie Hendricks/The Honey Cone/ Bobby Hutton, Triangle Tangle, Malice in Aqualand, the Fast-Paced Chase Race, The Piranha Plot, There’s No Heel Like El Eel, Jabberjaw, I Am the Greatest aka the Adventures of Muhammad Ali, C B Bears, The Final Challenge, Doomsday, Super Friends: Rest in Peace, The History of Doom, Challenge of the Super Friends, Scooby’s All Star Laff-A-Lympics aka Laff-A-Lympics aka Scooby’s All Stars, The Lord of Middle Earth, Terror at 20,000 Fathoms, the Super Friends Meet Frankenstein, The Planet of Oz, The World’s Greatest Super Friends, The New Shmoo, The New Adventures of Mighty Mouse and Heckle and Jeckle, Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo, Casper and the Angels, Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids, Flash Gordon: Chapter Twelve: Tournament of Death, Chapter Thirteen: Castaways in Tropica, Chapter Fourteen: The Desert Hawk, Chapter Fifteen: Revolt of the Power Men, and Chapter Sixteen: Ming’s Last Battle; The Flintstone Comedy Show – Bedrock Cops Captain Caveman, Dino and Cavemouse, Flintstone Funnies, Flintstone Frolics, Pebbles, Dino and Bamm Bamm, and RV Fever/Birthday Boy/Clownfoot/Fred Goes Ape/Flying Mouse/Ghost-sitters; and, ABC Weekend Special-Stanly the Ugly Duckling; Pinocchio and the Emperor of the Night; Space Zoo; The Good, the Bad and the Clumsy; Night of the Bronco-Tank; Brave Starr; Strength of the Bear; New Texas Blues.
Layout Artist – Richie Rich; Pac-Man- Nightly Nightmares/The Pac-Mummy, A Bac Case of the Chomps/Goo-Goo at the Zoo, the Pac-Love Boar/The Great Power-Pellet Robbery, Chomp-Out at the O.K. Corral/Once upon a Chomp, and The Abominable Pac-Man/The Bionic Pac-Woman.
Director/Sheet Timing Director – The incredible Hulk – The Return of the Beast; the Fantastic Four; Ironman; Dumb and Dumber;
Animaniacs – Draculee, Draculaa/Phranken-Runt, Hitchcock Opening/Hearts of Twilight/The Boids, Meatballs or Consequences/A Moving Experience, Roll Over, Beethoven/The Cat and the Fiddle, and De-Zanitized/The Monkey Song/Nightly Night Toons.
Producer/Director - Spunbuggy Works national TV commercials – Clairol Herbal Essence, Hoover Iron, Conoco Oil, G. E. Dishwasher, Chicago Tribune, and Excedrin.
Commercials for Jamaica, West Indies television- Royal Bank, DG Ting, Grace Tomato Ketchup, Quench Aid and Shelltox.
Story Board Director/Artist – Transformers – Super God Robot Force, The Transformers, The Return of Optimus Prime: Part 1 and Part 2, The Face of Nijika, The Burden Hardes to Bear, and Call of the Primitives, and others. My Little Pony and Friends- The Prince and the Ponies, Somnambula Part1 and Part 2, The Ice Cream Wars, Flight to Cloud Castle Part 2, and many more. Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventures – The Apple Doesn’t Fall Far From the Phone Booth, Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure in Babysitting, It’s a Bogus Day in the Neighborhood, Goodbye Columbus…and America, Leave It to Bill & Ted, and others.
Writer – Slimer and the Real Ghostbusters – Dog Days and Special Delivery Instructor – Art Institute of California-Orange County. Instructed classes in digital animation and 2D animation.
Development/Animation- Developed and animated the character (Walt) that inter-relates with a giant female robot for the California Science Center, Los Angeles CA titled BodyWorks.
Awards- Timing Director for Tiny Toons. Twice honored by the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame in Oakland, CA (1979 and 1991). His works have been displayed in the San Francisco Cartoon Museum and the Los Angeles African American Museum. The University of California, Los Angeles interviewed him on video tape for their archive of animators in the twentieth century plus invited Leo to lecture to the U. C. L. A. Animation Department students.
With Leo Sullivan, Floyd heads our animation division.
Though he prefers to be called a “cartoonist,” few other artists working in animation today can boast a career as varied as that of Floyd Norman. From the 1950s to today, Floyd’s diverse career, insightful viewpoint, and unflinching honesty have truly made him a Disney Legend. Floyd E. Norman was born on June 22, 1935. He once said, “I first recognized Walt Disney’s signature before I could read. I would see that famous signature on books and comics, and I asked my grandmother, “what is that name?” She said, “That’s Walt Disney.” I never forgot that name. I just felt like I wanted to work at the Disney Studio one day.” When Floyd was in high school he managed to get a ride to the Disney Studio one Saturday morning. The studio was closed, but the security guard took pity on him. “I’ll never forget entering the gates of the Disney Studio and just walking down to the Animation Building.” Floyd recalled. “I didn’t know any Disney artists, but I knew the names, because I had seen these names in the screen credits. “I didn’t get a job, by the way, but they were very encouraging – suggested I go to art school. Might be good to learn how to draw, you know?” Floyd returned a few years later, at a time when Disney was not only expanding it was exploding. “The studio was probably the busiest it had been in many years. They were just moving into television. Disneyland was under construction. They were doing feature films, and they were still doing shorts at that time. I don’t think I even saw Walt Disney the first few weeks, because he was so busy. I couldn’t have chosen a better time to start at Disney.” Floyd worked as an in-betweener and animator on Sleeping Beauty, The Sword in the Stone, and The Jungle Book, along with various animated short projects at Disney in the late 1950’s and early ‘60s. After Walt Disney’s death in 1966, Floyd left Disney to co-found the AfroKids animation studio with animator and director Leo Sullivan. Floyd and Sullivan worked together on various projects, including the original Hey! Hey! Hey! It’s Fat Albert television special, which aired in 2969 on NBC. Floyd returned to Disney in the early 1970s to work on Robin Hood, was a layout artist on Wheelie and the Chopper Bunch, an animator on Jabberjaw, character designer and key layout artist on The New Fred and Barney Show, and key layout artist on The Kwiky Koala Show. More recently, he worked on Toy Story 2 and Monsters, Inc. for Pixar and The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Mulan for Disney, among others. He has continued to work for The Walt Disney Company as a consultant on various projects. Floyd has also published several books of cartoon inspired by his lifetime of experiences in the animation industry, including Faster! Cheaper! Son of Faster, Cheaper!, and How The Grinch Stole Disney. “I’m sort of a Disney… kind of a troublemaker,” Floyd says slyly. “A story artist. Animator – tried to be an animator. But mainly writer, artist, and a guy who’s trying to learn his craft. Been doing it now for about 40 years and, just beginning to get the hang of it.”
Richard J. Kimball - Architect
Richard was originally the main architect in charge of the Huck's Landing Project. He has been responsible for many major projects in the United States including Racquetball World and Health Clubs; Berrenda Mesa Farms; Osmond's Studios; Beverly Enterprises; etc. Richard is a graduate of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA with a degree in Architecture. Richard is married with two children and one grandchild. His hobbies include fishing and boating.
Robert L. Ward - Consultant
Robert has been a consultant for the master planning of the Huck's Landing Project since its inception. He is in charge of all design work for the Universal Studios Tour for California and was the master designer for the Universal Studios Tour in Orlando, FL. He has done numerous consultant work for The Walt Disney Company; Wet 'n Wild; Vision Enterprises; Hilton Inns of America; Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus World; and many other major developments. Robert is a graduate of Florida State University and has also done special studies in Design and Art History in Florence, Italy.
J. Sergio O'Cadiz - Project Designer
Sergio has performed in the capacity of project designer in the coordination of overall design, delineation and composition of materials and colors with several Orange County, CA architectural firms. Additionally, Sergio has performed in the capacity of designer/sculptor consultant for residential and commercial projects in Spain and Japan.
Morgan "Bill" Evans - Landscape Consultant
Bill is a third generation horticulturist and landscape architect. He has spent more than 50 years in this line of endeavor, 20 years of these in the nursery and custom landscape field, specializing in rare plants and new introductions. In connection with this, he has traveled extensively and maintained contacts with botanical gardens all around the world. During 1936 to 1958, he operated one of the most noted nurseries - "Evans and Reeves." It was also during this time he introduced the philodendron, hibiscus and bougainvillea, among others, to California. Bill was the Director of Landscape Design and Chief Landscape Architect for The Walt Disney Company, and he was instrumental in the development of Disneyland and Walt Disney World. He is also a much sought-after speaker and lecturer. He is "an unquestioned authority on all aspects of ornamental horticulture." He is Past President of the American Institute of landscape Architects and has been a member of the Sunset Magazine Horticultural Advisory Committee for 26 years.
Rock and Waterscape Systems, Inc. - Rock Formation Consultants
Rock and Waterscape Systems, Inc. is a highly qualified company concentrating on specialized rock and water landscaping techniques and effects, considered to be the finest in the world. Established in 1976, they have been instrumental in the development of rock formations for San Diego Zoo; Denver Zoo; San Antonio Zoo; Washington D.C. Zoo; Minnesota State Zoo; Henry Doorly Zoo; Disneyland Hotel; Disneyland; Walt Disney World; Hyatt Regency, Maui; Hotel Fontainebleau, Miami Beach; Marriott Hotels; Acapulco Princess; Sir Francis Drake Hotel; Buena Vista Park; Silverlakes; Mission Viejo and many other high quality resorts and attractions.
"It's just as easy to dream big as it is to dream small... and a heck of a lot more fun!"
Tom Carter
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