Creative Cow Leader: Rick Dolishny


	COW Leaders : Rick Dolishny

Creative COW Forum Host

Rick Dolishny
www.dolish.com
Toronto, Ontario Canada

My creative background originated in live theatre. I co-designed sets and lighting with my father for a number of musicals in the Windsor, Ontario market through my high school years. In 1985 I was lucky enough to travel to Orlando, Florida, to participate in the Cultural Exchange program at Walt Disney World's EPCOT Center. There, I learned about live performances, hand-built computer-assisted lighting rigs, and worked with some really great people and very cool "toys". When I returned to Canada I decided the entertainment industry was where I wanted to be. I was interested in computers but there were no computer animation courses to speak of at the time, so I enrolled in the Media Arts Program at Ryerson, in the first year of their now famous Media Arts department.

Around my third year Pixar's Tin Toy came out and I was hooked. Finally, a discipline that combined the entertainment skills of theatre with my love of cinema! I bought a computer and some 3D software and set to work. Unfortunately I also bought a bunch of graph paper because the earlier 3D programs had no interface. I was using Videoscape, which became Lightwave eventually, and my first film Two Bits went on to win a number of awards and recognition across North America. Back home, though, I ended up failing my third year because, if you can believe it, the cartoon wasn't shot on "film". It was video only. (I appealed that decision and eventually won).

I've served as Director of the Toronto Digital Image Festival (1994-2001) and President of theToronto Animated Image Society (2002-2003). I host workshops in 3D character design, modeling and lighting.

Lately I've been doing a lot of work as a Broadcast Designer, working with Designers and Directors to design and develop a "look" for new TV shows and networks. From 2000-2003 I worked at the Second City which was a dream gig - working in a live theatre environment with great people and cool toys! In July of 2003 I took a new posting at CTV as video editor and motion graphics designer for the highly ratedeTalk Daily show.

You can find Rick Dolishny hosting in Creative COW's Discrete Edit*ors forum.