Trevor Mower
Chief Creative Officer
OMEGABYTE 3D
Milestones
My road in life took a while to figure out.
I was always artistic, but I didn't do well in high school at all; I barely graduated.
I asked myself, "What's going to get me a high-paying career I'll love for the rest of my life?"
I didn't know how I'd get to that career, but I decided to take a big first step towards animation.
I went to Collins College; it wasn't challenging, but I learned from amazing, old-school animators.
At my first job, my boss told me, "If someone better than you comes along, they'll get your chair."
I worked there for eight years and no one took my chair; that trial by fire defined my work ethic.
Keep following my journey
Education
High School
Bachelor
Animation
Collins College School of Design and Technology
Animation
Collins College School of Design and Technology
Career
Chief Creative Officer
I create innovative and futuristic 3D architectural visualizations for my clients.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Art
Design
Helping People
Day to Day
I work from home exclusively, so they'd see me communicating with my partner and getting my tasks for the day. Then I'd work on 3D modeling, design, lighting, texturing, etc. on a wide variety of different software platforms. Basically, they'd see the overall process of me taking flat, 2D files of construction drawings (and/or drone footage of a construction site) and building these 3D models out of essentially nothing; I bring my clients' visions to life.
Skills & Qualities Beyond School
98% of my training came from real-world experience. I subscribe to a lot of online programs and resources (by top visualization names like Peter Guthrie, Ronen Bekerman, Grant Warwick, etc.) Those can teach you theories and techniques, and then it's up to you to put them into practice through experience.
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for high school students
1. Know your artists; there's always going to be someone better than you that can inspire you. Look at professional work and get inspired to work hard and someday beat those guys out for jobs. 2. Go to a school where you'll be challenged, especially if you already know that design is something you want to pursue. You want to have peers who align with your way of thinking and will push you to get better. 3. Know your programs. Find the outlet you want to focus on (for me, it was animation).
Recommended Education
My career is related to what I studied. I'd recommend the path I took:
Bachelor
Animation
Animation
Hurdles
The Noise I Shed
From Peers:
"You don't deserve respect or credit for this work."
At my first job, I had a supervisor who was downright mean and critical. Looking back, it was probably out of jealousy; I was fresh out of college and coming into his realm, and outperforming him. One of the most frustrating things he did was consistently take credit for my work. However, as much as he was "negative noise," that was a huge motivator for me to stay humble and just keep pushing, and to prove to anyone who challenged me that I could do anything and do it well.
Challenges I Overcame
Unemployment
Unemployment
When the economy bombed a few years ago, I spent about 10 months unemployed and had to crash at a friend's house. But instead of giving up, I spent the entire time working like crazy on improving my portfolio. Eventually, I got hired as a supervisor.