Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael White.
So, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
One day my father had his face really close to a tv screen because he was fascinated with red, green, and blue patterns. Then he looked up at a bright ray of sunlight coming through the curtains and felt a flash in his eyes. He became colorblind on that day and tells me “…that’s why you’re so good at art and color.”, genetics is making me stronger than him. That’s who I am. Michael White Jr., an Artist.
I grew up in Decatur, Ga. and I used to trace NBA logos (Bulls, Knicks & Hawks) over and over because I love Basketball. Eventually, I figured out that I could draw those logos without needing to trace them. Through repetition, I learned to appreciate lines, curves, and the shape of text. This is how I learned to draw and I was lucky enough to have parents who supported my artistic endeavors from an early age.
I attended Savannah College of Art & Design from 1996 – 2001. This experience would change my life forever. I joined a breakdance crew, fell in love, and made some incredible friends. Honestly, I was a little cocky because I was good at art, but I was quickly humbled by all the talented artists and professors I met. I majored in Graphic Design, but S.C.A.D. “accidentally” assigned me an advanced class for Autodesk Maya. This one class lead me down a path from being graphic designer to becoming a visual effects artist, motion designer, and eventually Creative Director.
After college, I worked as a cashier at Publix, where met a girl name Mysha, who would later become my wife. I landed my first professional job at Tube Creative. Pro Tip: I re-designed Tube’s logo and added it to my portfolio. The owner later told me later that this was one of the reasons he hired me. A friend convinced me that there was more adventure in L.A., so in 2005 I packed up everything and moved here. I sent reels of my work to various companies and was working within days on landing in the City of Angels .
I worked as lead motion designer for a few years, made some new friends and got to know the city. In 2007, I started a company with two friends called SunnyBoy Entertainment. I worked as the Creative Director and created visuals for Disney, DeadMau5, SpikeTV, Alcon Entertainment, Discovery Channel, T-Pain, Will-I-Am and Warner Bros., just name a few. At SunnyBoy, we also made short films and pitched intellectual properties and one of my ideas was even optioned by Amazon. During this time, I created a persona called PeterPanda and made lo-fi beats and visuals on my iPad. I came up the idea for an animated youtube show called and Otaku Taco Truck and collaborated on another youtube show called Politicats. I did these things for seven years and then formed my own company which is HelloTrilly.
HelloTrilly is a kawaii brand focused on anime, video games, cosplay and art. The company is in its infancy, but the goal is to make cute art, toys, clothing for people of color and have fun. It’s inspired by Japanese pop culture, TokiDoki & HelloKitty. I’m currently the Art Director for Beachbody and I also create Esports graphics for Riot Games. I’m working on an illustrated children’s book called Pandora’s Socks. I’ve spent a lot of time designing and creating visuals for other people. Right now, I’m really enjoying creating art and telling stories that I like.
Has it been a smooth road?
What fun is a rollercoaster without its ups and down ? Most of my struggles have come my own emo-indecisiveness, not speaking up for what I want and from people who perhaps can’t except that someone like me ( an African American male ) can actually know what I’m talking about.
One example of this comes from my time as a copy machine operator/ designer at Kinkos. People would come in or call with questions, to which I would give them concise and precise answers. Often they would still need the verification of a manager or someone who didn’t look or sound like me. As a result, I created a managerial alter ego named TOM, who didn’t exist. Tom would answer to the phone at Kinkos with a nasal voice and obnoxiously impatient attitude (sorry not sorry), BUT he would give the same sound Kinkos related advice that I would give. People accepted Tom without question. It was kind of funny but how’s that supposed to make me feel?
In other moments, my struggles came from simply not speaking my mind and being clear about what I want. If was giving advice it would be. Find what you love. Hold on to it. Revel in it and don’t let anything or anyone stop you from doing it.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with HelloTrilly – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
I created HelloTrilly as way to focus on things that I really love: Anime, Food, Video Games, Cosplay and Art. I love going to Anime Expo and Comic Con. I buy posters, plush toys, and stickers, but you don’t often see people of color represented in the art. This is getting better everyday with Blerd Con, Dragon Con and several other expos which bring black artists together.
HelloTrilly’s goal is to make cute art, toys, clothing, etc. for people of color. I wrote a story about black princess for HelloTrilly and eventually I’ll turn it into a graphic novel or comic. I’m looking for partners and collaborators to help me reach this goal.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
Some people say that the best thing about LA is that you can go the beach and hike a mountain in the same day. I agree that it has enough diversity that I can find obscure Japanese art books, African drum circles, graffiti murals, back alley Speak Easies, sushi (especially SugarFish), live music, art galleries, Chicago style deep dish pizza, an old school arcade, all within of each 10 miles of each other. And, don’t get me started on food trucks! Okamoto Kitchen, Kogi BBQ and The Boba Truck are my favorites. Lastly, as an artist and Art Director I like that there’s always work. Everyone has the “next big thing” and I spend a lot of time developing ideas helping them figure out what that thing looks like.
The worst thing about LA is probably the smog and traffic. 4 million people are all trying get where they’re going. I saw a meme that said “You are not sitting in traffic, you are the traffic”. I take the train when can.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.zazzle.co
m/store/hellotrilly - Email: [email protected]
om - Instagram: https://www.instagr
am.com/hellotrilly/ - Facebook: https://www.facebook
.com/HelloTrilly/ - Twitter: https://twitter.com/_
HelloTrilly_ - Other: https://www.artstation.
com/hellotrilly
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