CURRENT MISSION

to make the most of film festivals as a way to explore the world and meet cool people

ABOUT ME

I work as a designer and animator in London and have made an animation that will be appearing in short film festivals around the world in 2013 / 2014. It's giving me an amazing excuse to travel the world to attend them, and go to places I may never have organised otherwise. Having lived in Sydney for a few years, I'm now back in my home town of London. I'm very keen to return the favour of CS with my spare room in my flat that's really central to London.
I've also been meaning to join CS for ages as one thing I learnt from travelling in Australia is that we're all too set in our ways. We really should be more open to letting new people into our lives. Ohh and while in Sydney I picked up a lovely wife, she's with me in London now, and life is wonderful!

PHILOSOPHY

Well although I'm no spring chicken, I dont feel I've reached a point to have an actual philosophy yet. But I certainly feel that it's my duty to fit as much as possible into every year, and it excites me to see others doing the same!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Well I'm learning as it's so new, but very keen to host and surf...

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

At this point only one actual experience, but it was brilliant. The guest was an inspiration and a joy to have around. And from the chats I've had on CS, it seems full of wonderful and generous people!

Interests

Animation, socialising, cooking, food, drink, ransom walks in random places, cycling and getting out to enjoy the funny little things in life, particularly Village Fete's in never heard of settings!

• design
• festivals
• film festivals
• dining
• cooking
• drinking
• traveling
• cycling
• animation

Music, Movies, and Books

My list of fav movies constantly evolves, but it's fair to say I've always watched older classics. 'All About Eve' blew me away recently, and for modern films 'In Bruges' was unexpectedly amazing. 'Eternal Sunshine...' is an eternal favourite. And if I started on about all the sensational animated feature films from Pixar and others this would never end, but 'Paranorman' was a great recent find!
Music - I'm a big 60's soul fan.
Books - always struggled with reading, but loving Larsson's 'Millennium Trilogy' at the moment.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

This is one of those questions you get in a job interview and never have an answer for! Hmm, I'm less one for being 'awestruck' and more inclined to remember moods and atmospheres, often created by that sense of community. I got kinda lost in China once and just wondered into the best shack to escape the rain, the generosity and hospitality combined with amazing dim-sum will never leave me. My first date with my wife was pretty darn awe-inspiring, but now I'm getting weirdly mushy on a website. The night of my Uni graduation, so many incredible people in one place, really blew my mind. Thats enough for now.

Teach, Learn, Share

I've actually started teaching animation recently in London. As I had always hoped, it's a thrilling experience. Exhausting though - wow!
In relation to CS, well I learnt a lot from just chatting to my last surfer we hosted. Just about how people can view the world, and thus learnt how limited my view was. Cant beat that kind of interaction!

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Canada, China, New Zealand, Thailand, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, United Kingdom