Samuel Wheeler

Bio
Samuel Wheeler started his career working as an animator for a New Zealand company called Toonz Animation. They produced show's for Walt Disney Television such as Timon and Pumba (an offshoot of the Lion King), The Quack pack (Donald Duck and his Teenage nephews), Pith Possum and Tex Tinstar (the shows from Shnookums and Meat), Redux Riding Hood (the first animated short to be nominated for an academy award) and the only animated episode of Tales From the Crypt, Episode 56 "Third Pig".
Then he moved to Australia for a short time to work on animated commercials and "Petals", a children's series for the ABC.
He returned to New Zealand and began working in magazine production for the award winning LOOP magazine, producing and co-directing the first LOOP CD. Quoted by Greg Saatchi's from Saatchi and Saatchi as "the best thing to come out of New Zealand, Ever!" Eventually he tried his hand at magazine editing for In Unison, a UNITEC student Union publication. He then hung up his journalistic hat to return to animation as a teacher of CGI Animation at Freelance Animation School.
Now he runs his business Nocturnal Customs LTD producing a variety of independent films and documentaries.

Samuel Wheeler CV
Career Milestones
Producer for “The Massive Codpiece” Short Film
Director and Producer for “ Mysteries of the Pacific” Documentary
Screen Technician for OAMM
Big Screen Operations for New Zealand Fashion Week
Screen Technician and Big Screen operations for RAPID at Western Springs Speedway
Screen Technician and Big Screen Operations for ‘The Chiefs’ NZRU Contract
Editor for “Playmates” Short Film
Editor for “A Kiwi Family Christmas”
Cameraman for Rugby World Cup Albany presentation Puppeteer and Puppet Maker for Dead Fools Fiesta music video “Bedroom Eyes”
2011 Director "Valley of the Succubus" Feature Film
2010 3rd prize in the professional special effects creature category at Taupo Body Art Festival 2010
2009 AV Director for the Tauranga Body Art Show
2008 Actor
Carnie in Laundry Warrior
Death Dealer Vampire Guard in Underworld 3
2008 Director
"Sacred Heart" Short Film
"Watch This" Short Film
2007-2008 Body Artist/Animation Lecturer/Multi-media Artist for Nocturnal Customs (Two awards for the costumes from New Zealand Body Art Awards 2007) 2nd prize Special Commendation WETA Special Effects Creature
3rd prize Special Effects Top Marks Mask
March 2004 – 2005 CGI Tutor for Freelance Animation School
NZQA content delivery and support
Curriculum development
Tutor for 2nd and 3rd year CGI animation
2001 – 2004 Editor/Publication Co-ordinator for Unitec Student Union
Editor of In Unison magazine
Directing two In Unison CDs, mastered by Kog Transmissions featuring Del Ray System, Concorde Dawn, Nesian Mystic, One Million Dollars, Tomachi, The Mercenaries etc
1998 – 1999 Designer/Mac Operator/Multimedia Director for Loop Magazine
Cartoonist/illustrator for In Dah Loop, an entertainment page for Loop Magazine
Production, advertising, distribution and desktop publishing
Directed the Loop Selecta One CD for September issue to coincide with their first cover price issue featuring Trinity Roots, Shapeshifter, King Kapisi, Bongmaster, House of Downtown, Twinset, 50hz etc
1994 – 1996 Animator for Toonz Animation
Animation and Key clean up artist subcontracting to Walt Disney Television on such shows as Tex Tinstar, Pith Possum, Quack Pack, Timon and Pumba, Redux Riding Hood, Third Pig (only animated episode from Tales from the Crypt)
Animator for Jungle Fungus "More or Less" Music Video
Animator for Catflap Studios, Sydney. Australia
Animator for Flying Fish Studios, Sydney. Australia
Qualifications
• UNITEC; Diploma in Television and Video Production
• UNITEC; Certificate in Television and Video Production
• A.S.A.; Diploma in Fine Art Majoring in Film-Making
• The NZ Film Academy; Certificate in applied film-making
• ACE; Certificate in Impact for Trainers
Skills
• Direction, animation (all media), editing, camera, lighting, sound engineering, makeup, prosthetics, music, singing, song writing, writing, art, martial arts, sword-fighting, electronics, computer generated imagery CGI and teaching