The Laer Files

Here, you will find almost everything you wanted to know (and not know) about me.

You have been warned...


Born

Mount Sinai hospital (Toronto, Canada) in 1967. The first and only Canadian of the all German Adlon family. Raised in Bramalea, Ontario, eventually moving to downtown Toronto for film work.

Education

Completed highschool with an honours diploma, and then completed a four year film/television production university program, receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.

Siblings

No brothers or sisters, and as a result, spoiled rotten.

First TV/Film Industry Job

Colourizing the first few episodes of Gilligan's Island at the Tintoretto studios.

Places Visited

Germany, Holland, Hungary, Vienna, San Fransisco, South Carolina, Florida, British Columbia, Montreal, Cuba.

First Big Break

Being convinced by my best friend, Andrew, to join him in an animation studio (despite me having no experience, training, and having thousands of trained animators competing with me). Despite that, they took me in (based on the creativity shown in my mixed-media portfolio), and soon I was animating the computer generated segments of the Beetlejuice cartoon series, creating animations for MuchMusic, and various commercials. I soon also was introduced to the SoftImage 3D modelling/animation software, as well as node-based fx/editing software.

Languages Spoken

English, German, a hint of Spanish, and about two words of Hungarian.

Instruments Played

Keyboards/Piano, electric bass guitar, and I can pick up pretty much any instrument whose notes are 'distance based'. I once played a double bass in Cuba, and would love to try a celo and saxaphone. I seem to be hopeless at guitar, though.

Favorite Foods

Ice cream (especially on waffles), my mom's spagetti, chocolate, authentic weiner schnitzel, pizza (mushroom, onions, pineapple), sushi, among others.

Favorite Movies

Blade Runner, Swingers, Fight Club, Seven, Deer Hunter, Lord Of The Rings, Spinal Tap, Monty Python's Holy Grail, Jacob's Ladder, Ghost Story, Die Hard, Dawn Of The Dead (original), The Thing (John Carpenter version), Chitty-Chitty Bang Bang, among many others.

Boxers or Briefs

Started with briefs, but had a boxer phase (which ended soon due to the boxers always bunching up), and finally settled on boxer-briefs.

Most Obscure Talent

Undisputed armpit fart king. I also used to be able to walk, run and jump on my toes (in my red hightop sneakers).

Favorite Places

Sitting on rocks, listening to the waves crash in, or in a canoe up north.

Favorite Activities

Cuddling, creating things, laughing with friends.

Guilty Pleasures

Chocolate milk.

Best Qualities

Ability to teach myself skills quickly, finding efficient creative solutions (fx work), romantic.

Worst Qualities

Jelousy, hesitation to unknown things, opinionated, and an occasional violent temper towards electronic equipment.

Fears

Heights (more like an amplified sense of gravity), injury and centipedes.

Proudest Accomplishments

Went through life without any substance abuse or criminal record, worked on the Beetlejuice cartoons, and being backstage with Mr. Bungle.

Biggest Regrets

Taking authority/rules too seriously, completely missing my teen years due to doubts and low self-esteem, frequently not making use of the opportunities/resources I've had.

Things That Move Me

The power of beautiful music, sad movies, and the loving glance of a girlfriend.

Unfinished Goals

Releasing an album of my music, publishing my artwork or writing, finshing some of my short films, finding a wife to spend my life with.

Major Injuries

Fractured collarbone as the result of being hit while riding in a taxi, and slamming my thumb in a door (causing it to swell and lose the nail), having my skull split open by a thrown rock in grade one.

Things I Find Annoying

Wasting time figuring out technical issues, the short lifespan of modern electronics, dogs that continually bark, cryptic Microsoft Windows error messages, shaving, sorting socks, crowds that continually shout 'Wooo!!!!', overplayed commercials, contemporary music, and the stubborn cough I get about every October.

Favorite Bands

Mr. Bungle, Peter Gabriel, Dayglo Abortions, Faith No More, Nine Inch Nails, Aimee Mann, Matthew Goode, Living Colour, Dead Can Dance, Beatles, among many others. My mp3 collection goes from hard-core punk, to movie soundtracks, to almost forgotten tunes from the '80s and '90s. Pretty much anything except contemporary pop [...violent shiver and painful gag...] and country... well, except for some Johnny Cash and a few odd ones.

Favorite Movie Soundtrack Composers

Graeme Revell (The Crow), Basil Poledoruris (Conan), John Williams, Eric Serra (5th Element), Danny Elfman.

Favorite TV Shows

Family Guy, Gordon Ramsay' Kitchen Nightmares UK, Vision On, Muppet Show, The Daily Show, Kitchen Nightmares, Top Gear.

Favorite Video Games

Painkiller, Age Of Empires, Arma2, Flight Simulators, Grid, Battlefield2, Dungeon Master, Sea Battle (Intellivision)

Sounds I Like

Thunder, rain outside my window, piano, a loud, chunky distorted guitar riff, the meow and purr of a kitten.

Things I Think Are Stupid

Breast implants, people who buy every techno gadget that comes out (despite them having all the previous ones still), the current definition of 'beauty'.

Things That Have To Go

Reality shows, Seinfeld, Everyone Love Raymond, Bling Bling rap videos, Internet Explorer (due to their continual disregard for HTML rules), Swiffer, Mr Clean and E-Harmony commercials.

Things That Really Effected Me

The death of Jim Henson, animal suffering.

Things That I Find Really Funny

The little triangular smiles of the South Park guys, several scenes from Team America, and the little kid muppet from Sesame Street.

Favorite Cartoon Characters

Calvin from Calvin and Hobbes, Eric Cartman, and the guy with the big nose and mustache from Pink Panther.

Celebrities I Think Are Attractive

Maggie Gyllenhall (Donnie Darko), Maria Tess, Jenny Agutter, Bridget Fonda (best smile), Sharon Costanzo, Sean Young, Amy Wynn, Kari Byron, and Blair Butler, among others.

Favorite Muppet Moments

The I'm Going For A Ride segment, Bert singing Doing The Pigeon, the Imagining Shapes segment, and the SuperGrover segment where the two little kids are fighting, and one says 'Mix it up!'.

Favorite Smells

French vanilla, lemon, and freshly sharpened pencil crayons.

Favorite Ice Cream Flavours

Strawberry, although I like many others.

Scariest Movie Seen

Ghost Story, The Eye and Sixth Sense.

Biggest Startle Jump Reaction During A Film

When Indy triggers the spike trap at the start of Raiders Of The Lost Ark. I jumped up in the theater and swore.

Coolest Film Effect Sequence

The heart attack sequence in The Thing, the huge swarm of bugs attacking the base in Starship Troopers, and the troll battle from Lord Of The Rings.

Favorite Disney Rides

20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, Pirates Of The Caribbean, and Snow White's Scary Adventures (ridiculously nasty!).

Favorite Kareoke Songs To Sing

Wooly Bully, The Lion Sleeps Tonight, House Of The Rising Sun, and Angels (Robbie Williams).

Songs I Always Sing Along With When They Play

If I Were A Carpenter (John Holt), Fisherman's Blues (Waterboys), Weapon (Matthew Goode Band), and Mad World (Tears For Fears).

Coolest Celebrity I Met

Mike Patton (Faith No More/Mr. Bungle)

Favorite Novel

Interview With The Vampire (which struck me with it's frank and disturbing cruelty and vivid imagery) and the Lord Of The Rings books.

Pet I'd Like To Own

Hedgehog.

Pet I'd Least Like To Have

Snake.

Favorite Car

57 Corvette, convertable Porsche, BMW Z8, the classic Mustang muscle car (...at least visually).

Favorite Artists

Gustav Klimt, H.R. Giger, Normal Rockwell, Patrick Woodroffe, Jim Burns.

Blonde, Brunette or Redhead?

Any and all of them. It's not the specific traits, but the sum of the parts... Same goes for body type and race.



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