A brief bio
I was born and raised in North Carolina. I became a Christian at the age of four and an actor at the age of eight; I probably started singing shortly after I learned to talk, as there was always music in my house. I grew up with a deep love of the arts; that love eventually became a driving passion, one that lives with me to this day.
I am also passionate about helping people to discover who God made them to be and to achieve the dreams that God has placed within their hearts. I do that by using the gifts and talents God has given me, the skills and abilities I have developed, and the knowledge and experience gained from my own journey through life.
I believe in the power of story. I learned to read at the age of three, and I have absorbed thousands of stories over the years from books, movies, television, plays, musicals, songs, dances, and other forms of storytelling. I believe each of us has a story to tell, and my job, as an actor, singer, dancer, writer, director, designer, filmmaker, instructor, or speaker is to ensure that our stories continue to live on and touch other lives.
For that reason, I not only founded Polestar Studios, but also Lady Steel Ministries. Please feel free to browse both sites; if there is a way that I can work with you or your company, church, or business, I’d love to hear from you.
Polestar Studios
I began freelancing as a graphic designer in 1993. Over the years, as I continued to develop and expand my skills into other areas, my business identity needed to expand as well. In 2006, I brought my creative interests together under the umbrella of Polestar Studios.
I chose the name Polestar Studios to honor several sources. First, the Pixar movie Cars was my inspiration to return to my childhood dream of acting in stories that I wrote and putting those stories on the big screen (or the small screen, i.e., television). Thus, Polestar is a reference to Lightning McQueen, the hotshot rookie racecar who becomes a star in his quest for pole position in the race for victory. (Sharp-eyed designers may notice that the font used for the Polestar Studios logo is the same font used for Lightning McQueen’s name.) My thanks go out to John Lasseter, the late Joe Ranft, and the dozens of others who made that movie possible.
Polestar is also a name for the North Star, the unchanging point of light in the sky that millions have used for millenia while searching for direction. Many creativity experts over the last few decades have encouraged readers to find their “true north“ — the guiding light of a dream or passion that points the way to lifelong purpose. Polestar Studios is home to my “true north” — my passion for the performing arts — and the design work that I use to fund that passion.