Musical Version
(Start Brady Bunch theme music in your head now) This is the story…of a creative employee…who was illustrating and designing stuff for Uncle Sam! He finished college…climbed the corporate ladder…got married, had some kids, read a book called “Purpose Driven Life, quit his comfy job and went out on his own…(end theme music).
What an exciting adventure it’s been so far! That corny intro (sorry about that and thanks for reading on) captures the essence of how Timbuktoons began!
Quick version
July 2003
Launched Company
January 2004
Launched Scripture Shorts V1
March 2006
Moved to Augusta, GA from MD to launch studio and prepare for first hires
May 2007
Hired Creative Director, Sean Copley
July 2007
Ramp Up! Contract with Writers, Curriculum Developers, Animator, Sound
Designer
November 2007
Re-launched Scripture Shorts Product Line
Not-so Quick Version
From the desk of Todd Hampson (owner and founder, Timbuktoons LLC)…
From my earliest memories, I loved to draw and create images from my imagination. I drew vast armies of lizard men and (during the Star Wars craze of the late 70’s) lots of Wookies, Jedi Knights, and Jawas. I always loved the art of story telling…especially visual story telling.
My love affair with the creative arts carried me to study Graphic Design at Corcoran College of Art then on to University of Maryland where I received my degree in Art (drawing/illustration concentration) with a minor in Art History. I entered corporate America and worked in various visual media positions (including intern, graphic designer, lead designer), the last of which was as Operations Manager of a design/printing/photography unit for a large federal agency.
I was making a good living, but wasn’t doing nearly as much of the creative stuff that had invigorated me throughout my college and professional career! Meanwhile, while watching….I mean “studying” cartoons we had purchased for my kids (specifically Veggie Tales and Pixar movies) I realized that’s what I was born to do! (I was 31. Call me a late bloomer.)
I looked into going back to college, but that was pretty much impossible since I was supporting a family and working full time. So, I dove into every animation website I could find, and bought every animation book and training video I could get my hands on (and my credit card to purchase…don’t worry I already paid it off). My wife even scored a trip to Big Idea studios in October of 2002 (Tracey, I love you!) and I recieved a 3 hour tour (not the Gilligan’s Island kind. Ok, enough w/ the TV Land rerun analogies.) That completely solidified what I wanted to do! I just didn’t know how. Was I to work for someone else? Start something of my own?
I spent a year learning all I could, developed some concepts myself, and even worked with a career counselor for a few months to help me come up with a game plan. Then I read a new (at the time) book called….”The Purpose Driven Life”, by Rick Warren. I knew God was preparing me for something and sensed He would speak as I studied the principles in the book, but I had no idea how fast He would move!
The book is a 40 day study and on day ONE I had no intention on making any immediate career moves. ON DAY 40 I had to make a decision whether or not to accept a part time contract position I had been offered, and start my own company. I started a company:
• July 2003: Started TNT Studio LLC (precursor to Timbuktoons)
I prayed thru and developed a business plan that called for making short cartoons for use in ministry, which would lead to offering animation as a service, which would lead to developing an animation series. I produced the first short (Plank In The Eye) and in July of 2004 showed it to a friend who told me about 2 large children’s ministry conferences they were going to in the winter and asked if I wanted to join them. That lead to the development of 5 more shorts and the first DVD volume. Another good friend helped with planning and developing the lesson plans. (Thank God for friends!)
• December 2004: Started Timbuktoons/Launched Scripture Shorts V1
I paid “tuition and dues” with volume 1. I took a large chunk of my retirement investment to fund volume 1 and naively thought I’d recoup my cost at the 2 conferences. (Business Fundamentals 101 anyone?) Boy did I learn some lessons!
God kept us afloat thru 2005 and even helped me use those lessons to develop several more products by January 2006 where I went back to those conferences and had a much better experience. I even started doing animation and character design as contract work (including a few spots for the Discovery Channel’s Myth Busters program.)
So, with the first 2 components of the business plan reached, and with a ton of prayer we decided to take another step of faith…
• March 2006: Relocated from MD to GA/Lauched Studio
I could no longer be the insane animator in a basement studio (it’s pretty funny when your wife tells her friends, “My husband makes cartoons in the basement for a living.”) and sensed God leading me to launch a studio in preparation for the next step. For a number of reasons and thru months of prayer God led us to the Augusta GA area.
We’re closer to our clients and other contacts, closer to Nashville, and Atlanta (where some pretty neat things are happening), closer to several good animation schools we plan on partnering with, and the price for leasing space is much more ‘do-able’ in GA than in the DC Metro area.
• Summer 2007: hired first full-time staff person
We hired Sean Copley as our Creative Director to serve primarily in the areas of print/layout design as well project management for Scripture Shorts and our client work. We have also brought on many contract workers to help with writing scripts and curriculum as well as sound design and animation.
Join us in praying for direction from (and complete obedience to) Our Lord. Stay tuned and see how history….I mean “His Story” unfolds.
I’m sure it won’t be boring!
