iMMi KutSnake
Oi! What better way to start a Bio? Everyone has read far too many to even remember one and alas,...... this one is no more memorable than any other...but if you have read this far, I must have your attention so I better stop crapping on and get down to it....hmmmm.....how far do I go back?

<cheap 80's warp effect to convey hazy memory>

Ok, so my early childhood was dedicated to drawing all my favourite characters, He-Man & Skeletor, Garfield, Transformers, Batman, The A-Team, Taz and so on...I guess I had a passion for drawing from a young age, it just sorta came naturally...I first intertwined my drawing with computer graphics in early high school. One of my mates gave me a copy of Deluxe Paint III on the Amiga 500 in amongst a bunch of adventure games and beat 'em ups... I pretty much got hooked on that program as soon as I used it. It was not long before I had nutted out frame-by-frame animation and began designing graphics for a small local game developer in addition to completing my own computer game in Hypercard on the Apple Macs of the early 90's - all by the age of 15.

I have always loved graphics, art, drawing and music, so when looking for a career path to satisfy my creative urges after my first band dis-banded, it was a no-brainer to get into graphic art and web design.... Problem was, they don't use Deluxe Paint III & IV in production graphics these days....Hmmm....Next was to get myself a copy of Photoshop 6. I began practising myself but such a powerful program needs a bit of dedicated learning so I decided I should get some qualifications. I ended up choosing Melbourne School of Art in Elsternwick to get trained up in Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Quark & friends before landing a full time job at Bookaburra Printing as a Pre-Press Graphic Artist. I learnt the printing trade inside out at Bookaburra over the next 3-4 years churning out books, magazines, posters, stationery, menus, websites and learning the invaluable skill of Pre-Press design as well as printing knowledge often only gained by printers themselves. I was an all rounder often left to run the place on my own. I had the complete trust and friendship of my boss, and that friendship continues to this very day. Bookaburra gave me the solid grounding I would need to forge a sustainable career in a cut-throat and competetive industry. After nearly 4 years with Bookaburra, I took a job at Sensis in the Art team doing ads for The Yellow Pages... I was promptly promoted to Editor and surpassed all Sensis performance benchmarks at the top of my team in both art and editing. After a year at Sensis I realised I was at a crossroads in my career, I felt I had more originality to unleash, more to express as an artist, and a burning desire to start my own design studio...

I decided to leave Sensis, and <drum roll> go it alone! As with most graphic artists, I had always taken small freelance jobs here n there but I had never really toyed seriously with the idea of starting my own business and doing it for real... Well the start was tough, getting regular flowing customers and such, but eventually through perserverence and word-of-mouth, I became known to a large alternative type company in need of a major face-lift so to speak. After a few interviews, we came to an agreement that I would begin on-going contract work for Off Ya Tree in re-designing their website and various other graphic requirements as they arose... Well, this turned into much more than I had ever anticipated, with me re-designing their logo, branding and signage in many of the OYT stores all over Australia!... I still havent even seen some of my work but they tell me it looks HOT! I have had the opportunity to design packaging for numerous products and have even been involved in the naming and marketing strategies of such products. I have been closely involved in the warehouse operations and the managing of the online shops and warehouse ordering systems. This employment is still continuing to this very day over 2 years later and I'm sure it will continue for many years to come. Off Ya Tree was the dream job for me because it allowed me to hone my skills into who I am as an artist today. It gave me experience in areas I hadn't gone before in my career, whilst teaching me valuable lessons in business and sole trading. I owe my last three employers a great deal of respect and gratitude for the opportunities they have given me.

So with a bit of perserverence, some help from Off Ya Tree, and the support of my family, friends and partner, I managed to get KutSnake off the ground and proving to be more than just a supporting side-project... It's the main act.

So now I sit here typing this Bio, I think to myself - that wasn't so hard afterfall!
But, here are some point form facts if that was all a bit hard to follow:

• I am an Expert in Adobe Creative Suite CS4 including Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Dreamweaver, Flash, Acrobat & Premiere
• I Have Certificate III & IV in Information Technology
• I have over 7 years experience in Graphic Art & Multimedia at production level
• 1 Year Melbourne School of Art - Graphic Design
• 4 Years Bookaburra Printing - Graphic Artist / Production Manager
• 1 Year Sensis - Artist / Editor Yellow Pages Print & Online
• 2 Years on-going contract work for Off Ya Tree as a Freelance Artist
• I use both MAC & PC
• I use a Wacom Tablet, a Mouse and a Pencil
• I play bass guitar & backup vocals for Melbourne thrash-punk band
  Common Thread... check 'em out!
• I was born in Tamania but I have only 1 head
• I have survived Tetanus and a Shrapnel Wound
• I have a 10 y.o. Blue Heeler who i've had since she was a pup
• Punks Not Dead!
• My favourite drink is a Becks Beer or Mojto ... (Mojito? maybe Punk IS Dead?)

For more info about KutSnake, feel free to browse the portfolio or contact us should you require our services or just wanna buy me a beer!... Also take some time to check out some KutSnake affiliates in the links section, your site could be up there too one day!!!

- KutSnake