Ex-island boy Josh Mepham moved to Vancouver from Victoria in 1995. Once here he traded his baggy knit sweaters and Birkenstocks for better fitting sweaters and Blundstones, then dove head first into the booming animation community. Fifteen years later, and after living in almost every community in Vancouver, Josh settled in Shaughnessy. He lives there with me and our adorable kids, Max (3) and Rory (8 months). Josh is a creative and funny guy who still loves to draw every day. He is proud of all his achievements to date as an award winning animation director, but is even more proud of his amazing family and is never shy to share stories about his kids. Josh has found the perfect fit with his business partners, Greg Sullivan, Vito Viscomi and Kathy Rocchio at their company Slap Happy Cartoons; they're a very talented bunch that share the same twisted sense of humour.
- Naomi Mepham (Josh’s wife)
The Proof
01 My laptop -I love that I can draw right on the screen of this thing; I can get all my work done right there. That's a FIN design my partners and I did for the Canucks. In the background is my son Max's art table. That's where the real creative genius happens.
02 My dog Fergus - he helps me through creative blocks by taking him for a walk around the block. And I help him from not dying when he darts out into the road to chase a squirrel.
03 My Blundstones - THE ultimate Vancouver shoe. Especially for walking Fergus on those squirrel hunting expeditions.
04 Our fridge door - otherwise known as Max's art gallery.
05 Our bathtub - we live in this big 100-year-old house and have a big 100-year-old tub that is very comfortable. Too comfortable actually. Especially in the mornings when you're already running late for work.
06 Our bookshelf - a whole lot of books that never get read and a whole lot of vinyl that my son likes to attempt to play for me but usually only succeeds in scratching the hell out of. There are, however, some great “art of” books on there that come in very handy from time to time when I'm looking for inspiration. And those Time Life - Library of Boating books will come in handy when I decide to build a boat.
07 Fin - How does the Vancouver Canucks keep fans interested in learning proper behaviour and etiquette in Rogers Arena? Start by hiring an animation firm (us), add a "Super Jerk" to the mix (seen in the image), toss in a superhero - Canucks' mascot Fin, blend it all with a large dose of humour and show the animated shorts on the video screen during stops in the action.
08 The Slap Happy gang at a Canucks game - enjoying the fruits (and beers) of our labour. GO CANUCKS GO! (Left to right: Greg Sullivan, Director; Vito Viscomi, Writer & Story Editor; Kathy Rocchio, Producer, Josh Mepham, Director.)
The Questions
What neighborhood do you live in?
I live in Shaughnessy.
What do you do and where?
I'm a director of an animated TV series. I'm also a partner in an animation company called Slap Happy Cartoons.
What are you working on?
We're currently in development on a show we created at Slap Happy called The B.O.O.M. BOYS and we're also producing animated shorts for the Canucks.
Where can we find your work?
slaphappycartoons.com, the ROGERS ARENA video screen, and you can keep your eyes peeled on Teletoon and YTV for shows with my name in the credits. And by the way, you can see some of my work here:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/12489674/Final_Quicktimes_smaller2/FIN_battery.mov
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/12489674/Final_Quicktimes_smaller2/FIN_BOOZE_SEP3010.mov
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/12489674/Final_Quicktimes_smaller2/FIN_EXTINGUISHER_SEP3010.mov
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/12489674/Final_Quicktimes_smaller2/FIN_SKINS_SEP3010.mov
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/12489674/Final_Quicktimes_smaller2/FIN_WATCHOUT_SEP3010.mov
