Kickstart Spotlight: Dave Chambers
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
Egad! How do I describe my journey and keep it short? It’s more than a little bit but I’ll try. I grew up on Twelve Mile Lake, on Chambers Road (yeah I know. I'm a 7th gen and my family were pioneers in the area) in the Haliburton Highlands, Ontario. A quiet region during the winter and a booming resort area during the summer. We had a long sandy beach out front and lots of woods out back, so I spent much of my spare time exploring, climbing cliffs and trees, making rafts and generally getting into trouble - it was really interesting in spring jumping from ice flow to ice flow as they did tend to flow on you and the water was cold. :)
All I wanted to be was a pilot. My dad had an old Piper Cub float plane and I used to go flying with him, it influenced me a lot. I had some issues though, I was deaf, sick a lot, had severe asthma, physical and developmental issues that were exacerbated by the speech problems - hard to know how to talk if you can't hear people. This made it too hard to become a pilot. Though my hearing was fixed after a number of operations and I was able to overcome most everything except the Asthma it was not to be. I used to draw like a fiend using paper, pens and paint my uncle would to give to me from his company – it was affiliated with Domtar Fine papers. In fact, my extended family all supported and encouraged me in art, something I love them for.
After helping may aunt look after my ailing uncle until he died and at the same time allowing me to go to a good collegiate in York Mills (Metro Toronto) for grade 12 and 13, I went and got a diploma in Graphic design from Georgian College. So, I was all set for a career in art!... so that's why I joined the RCMP. :) Don’t ask me why, and I know it was crazy and I wasn't suited for it – sometimes you do crazy things when you’re young. It was an experience but wasn’t me.
Being a cop was an experience but it wasn’t me. I left that life in 1999 and jumped into a new career before I became too tied to a pension and became totally assimilated into the collective. One day I just drove way out of my area to Capilano U, parked my police car in a no parking zone in front of the admin building, and in full uniform and wearing a gun paid my tuition to go back to college. The rest is history.
I love mechanical things, I work on and recondition cars, jeeps and trucks, I paint and draw mechs, and make things out of wood. I love to canoe and go to my 84 year old rustic cabin in the woods of Ontario with no running water or power, and I love my wife, son and Rough collie to excess.
An interesting side note: in 1984 I got to use first my brother's and then my aunt's 128 MacIntosh to create art with and in so doing became one of the 1st digital artists: https://www.macpaint.org/david_chambers.html Yes, big brother was watching. :)
What is your most memorable job outside of Kickstart?
Most memorable jobs? I worked as a SCUBA diver for 5 months at a company that made docks and wharves on lake Simcoe, Ontario. Working with a jackhammer under water is fun. I worked as both an RCMP Constable and a Deputy Sheriff where I was also a law instructor and industrial first aid attendant. I also had a contract with ICBC to seize license plates for two years. In the middle of the night, without back-up. I learned quickly to relate to people, as my well-being depended on it. Btw, if your dog is barking at 3am there IS a reason for it - there may be somebody stealing license plates right under your window and you shouldn't just tell the poor thing to shut-up. :) Microsoft was an amazing place to work as well after you get past all the security checks.
How many years have you been working in this industry?
Well, I've moved around. I worked in animation, app development, R&D, VR, and Games as a Graphic Designer, Concept Artist, Lead, Outsource Manager and Art Director. So as an 'Artist' it would be 22 years. Though I worked at BCIT as a Technical Illustrator for a year and in graphic design for a bit in Vancouver in the 90's.
How did you get started with Kickstart Entertainment?
I just follow Lais De'el Rei around - it seems we're always on the same shows.
What piece of advice do you wish you had been given when you first started working in this industry?
Always be kind to people and don't take things too much to heart - just flow with it. I had a hard time transitioning from being a cop.
If you could give one piece of advice on how to get through a hard day, what would that be?
'This too shall pass'. Tomorrow will be different and today will end. So, enjoy every breath, both good or bad. If your job allows it, listen to some good Latin music - it makes everything okay. :)
What is the highlight of your career so far?
There's a few: Working at Sony, working at Microsoft R&D, being invited to help a team create a Pentagon mixed reality proposal, working on Tom and Jerry, and ART DIRECTING HOT WHEELS! Yeah! I had a huge collection of Hot Wheels and a lot of orange track when I was a kid, so how could I not love it. :)
What qualities do you look for in a mentor?
Insightful towards needs, patience, empathy.
Who are the fellow leaders you look to for inspiration and guidance?
Byron, Jamie, Bernice, all the production staff, Mei-ing and any of the designers who I have worked with as I value their opinions. They're all great.
What continues to motivate your work, or has that changed over the years?
Hey... it's art! If you've experienced what I have, this stuff shines! I’m like the Golden Retriever of the art world – if I seem distracted it’s because my tail is wagging. 😊
What’s your idea of a perfect Sunday?
On a warm July day on Twelve Mile Lake: Sailing, canoeing and swimming as the wind dies, then sitting on the beach with a good book next to my dear wife, roasting marshmallows over a fire in the late afternoon as the red sky deepens to a purple glow.
I miss that.
What is your superpower?
Endurance.
