By Chris Worrell

Not everyone gets to grow up and just slip comfortably into the job of their dreams. People with a certain level of tenacity and the right amount of luck can figure out what they really want to be early on and target it, maybe even attain it, but it’s difficult to predict whether or not that passion will remain intact for a lifetime. Many people never get the chance to do what they love, while many people learn to love what they do. Others find themselves on long and winding journeys, either within themselves or across countries, even seas and continents; gaining the life experience they need figure out who they are and how they want to live their lives.

And then, there’s this guy…

Michael Jenkins

Sculptor/Engineer/Digital Artist

September’s Pop Culture Professional is Michael Jenkins, an accomplished 3D sculptor, designer and product engineer who took the scenic route on the journey to his career path, just to fall ass-backwards into a job which had stared him right in the face for years. His life began on an unusual note, as he spent the first few days of his life as Bo Jenkins, but the name didn’t stick.

“I was literally named after Bo Duke, from Dukes of Hazzard, by my Dad of course. A couple days after I was born he came home from a bar, drunk and insisting that my name be changed to Michael. To this day we don’t know exactly what happened or why he came to that conclusion, but here I am. Michael. Not Bo.”

The “Empire” in his trilogy of brothers, Michael had a relatively average childhood, growing up in northern California. He played little league baseball, enjoyed video games and dabbled as a DJ on the turntables. In his teens he discovered a tabletop miniature game called Warhammer 40,000 and it became something of an obsession. Michael spent hours upon hours staring through a magnifying glass while meticulously painting and decorating the miniature game figurines with tiny brushes.

“I kind of absorbed the intricacies of fine detail and character nuances, but it didn’t translate to me as something I could do on the other side. Like, on the creative side as opposed to the consumer side. Nobody told me that it was art and you could do it professionally. Sculpting miniatures is a niche within the larger realm of art, and miniature gaming is a niche within the world of games, so it’s a niche within a niche and it wasn’t the kind of thing that had a specific class or course anywhere.”

Michael graduated high school in 1999 and, like so many others, wasn’t sure exactly what to do with his life. After taking some general education courses at a local community college, he traveled to Canada and studied at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.

“I was studying to be an archivist, if you can believe that… that’s a thing.”

When that didn’t pan out, he returned to California and took a screenwriting course at UCLA. Still uncertain about his future and unable to gain any traction, Michael left the country and ended up in Australia for nearly three years.

“I knew I wanted to be an artist, to do something in the arts, but damned if I could figure out what exactly. I had spent so much time painting and modifying, and even creating my own miniatures with wire and clay, but it never clicked that someone was getting paid to create those characters and create the figurines.”

When he returned to the States and moved to Ashland, Oregon, things started falling in to place. A friend encouraged Michael to start working for a small gaming company, which introduced him to the physical design and character development aspects of game creation.

CW: What did you do there, when you were first starting out?

MJ: I was kind of thrown right in to sculpting and modeling, and I’m pretty much self-taught as a digital sculptor. Everyone was just doing their own thing, not really functioning as a team. Some guys didn’t really care about what they were doing, and some guys thought they were the coolest and too good to work with you. There was an attitude like they were making glorified game tokens, rather than creating characters that add dimension and substance to the games. If they were more self-critical, they would probably have been better artists.

CW: How long did you work there?

MJ: About a year, maybe less. I moved to Washington and managed to get hired at Privateer Press, where I had more resources available to me. I was able to spend more time focused on actual design and creation in a better environment. That was still in the early stages of digital sculpting for gaming, with design software just beginning to be embraced by the industry.

CW: Digital sculpting became the standard, similar to 2D and 3D CAD programs eventually replacing traditional methods of hand-drawn blueprints and schematic design?

MJ: Exactly. For the most part, once we started using Z Brush, we never looked back. It’s really cool to me that I use the same software that some guy somewhere is using to create a video game character, or someone at WETA Workshop is using to animate the individual hairs on some weird beast. It’s a common thread that connects literally hundreds of artistic endeavors.

CW: And how long did that last?

MJ: I was at Privateer for almost three years, and did some pretty cool stuff. It was kind of a thrill knowing that my stuff was out there with Mike McVey’s stuff and Games Workshop’s stuff, selling alongside theirs. Then, after a while, it felt like I had nowhere left to go there, and I wasn’t satisfied with the level of creative input I was getting to contribute, so I quit. I went freelance for about eight months. I worked on some pretty awesome projects, a few crowd funded games that did well on Kickstarter and such.

CW: What are some of the games you’ve worked on?

MJ: Blood Rage, The Others: 7 Sins, Rising Sun, Warmachine and Hordes. The Banner Saga board game… the Dark Souls board game. Widower’s Wood, Undercity, Outlive… Now I’m working on the board game for Resident Evil 2.

CW: Man, that’s a pretty impressive list!

MJ: I looked around at other opportunities, other fields where I could apply my digital skills, and most of those job markets are so crowded. Video games, CG design for TV and movies, that type of stuff… it’s hard to break in if you don’t know someone who’s already in. Then one day I got a call from an old friend I had worked with before, and he told me about Steamforged Games.

CW: Steamforged, the British gaming company?

MJ: Yeah, they’d just had a crazy successful crowd funding campaign, something like five million dollars, and they were developing the Dark Souls board game and opening an office here in America. I was brought in on that hiring wave. I worked on Dark Souls and then we set about trying to create and launch our own proprietary content, but a lot of it never made it past the initial production meetings. Developing original intellectual properties is time consuming and costly, so they decided to go back to what had worked best for them, which was investing in established properties. That’s how we ended up with the RE2 board game.

CW: Personally, I’m a huge fan of the Resident Evil video games, and super excited for the upcoming board game. What can you tell us about it?

MJ: It’s going to be awesome. For more specific answers, you’ll need to look up their press releases. For now, anyway. *laughs* It’s a little nerve racking when you work on something as well known and established as Resident Evil, with such a huge fan base. We’re trying hard to meet or exceed everyone’s expectations. I’m excited to be part of it. It’s going to be pretty amazing.

CW: What traits set you apart from the rest of the pack?

MJ: I don’t consider myself special or anything, I just work hard and I’m passionate about what I do. The industry has grown and there’s a lot of talented artists coming in, lots of competition, but I’ve been doing this for ten years now, so I bring a lot of experience to the table. I’ve been through the ups and downs of development and prototyping, learned the features and drawbacks related to 3D printing. It takes time, and trial and error, to figure out what you can do within the limitations of the medium.

CW: Just because you can draw it digitally, that doesn’t mean it will translate properly to the physical product.

MJ : Right. I’ve seen beautiful, exquisitely detailed models that took hundreds of hours to create, and then they print like a pile of mashed potatoes. I know how to engineer the finished product, along with the artistic side of being able to design and sculpt models.

CW: What advice would you offer someone looking to start a career in digital sculpting?

MJ: Don’t just focus on the art. The art is just the beginning. Focus on being a team player, learning to pool your talents, learn from and apply constructive criticism. Pay attention to what it takes to bring a product from concept through design, to creation and marketability. And always remember the phrase, I believe coined by the Dalai Lama, who said, “Don’t be a dick.”

CW: Awesome. And now, it’s time for my version of a pop quiz. This is the inaugural run of my new ‘Pop Culture Quiz,’ so you’re my first…

MJ: I’m taking your quiz virginity?

CW: Yes, please be gentle. Question number one, we start with games: X-Box, PlayStation, or other?

MJ: Oh, probably PlayStation, but when I was younger it was X-Box. PC Gaming bugs me because it’s all about the hardware, you know, if you have this graphics card and your opponent has this graphics card, his screen refreshes faster than yours, that’s kind of unfair. It bugs me. Ironically, I don’t have much time for games these days.

CW: Number two, you’re buying the car of your dreams. What is it?

MJ: I want an RV, like a big ass RV. Seriously, like the biggest one you can get. I want to be like a turtle and have my house come with me. An RV pulling a fifth-wheel trailer; that would be dope!

CW: Three, you can have any meal in the world. What do you order?

MJ: That’s a tough one. Chicago style deep dish pizza, I suppose. You eat it and you feel like something special just happened. It takes sweat and fortitude to eat your way through it. Satisfying.

CW: Four, do you follow any sports?

MJ: Basketball is really the only sport I can watch anymore. I used to be in to baseball and football, but not so much now. The athleticism it takes to play basketball is really incredible. If I had a genie and one wish, I’d probably wish to be a pro basketball player.

CW: Number five, what is your favorite film of all time?

MJ: I actually just had this conversation recently, and I have to go with Excalibur. Directed by John Boorman, with Nigel Terry and Helen Mirren. Liam Neeson is in it, and Gabriel Byrne, and Patrick Stewart. It’s just a great movie, and something about it really morally speaks to me.

CW: Six, what is your favorite band ever?

MJ: Now that’s a really tough one. Part of me wants to say the Rolling Stones, but part of me wants to say Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. I guess the Stones have been around longer and have more songs, but irrationally I want to say Black Rebel Motorcycle Club.

CW: Number seven, what is something you despise with every fiber of your being?

MJ: *silence* I don’t like to be negative, but if I have to choose something… there’s this web blogger called “That Wife”. I think she calls herself “Living Absolutely” now. I’m reluctant to say this because it’s so petty, but I’ve never despised anything more in my entire life. She’s so terrible. Everything should have at least one redeeming quality, but I hate her. I hate her face. I thought I was above that, but I’m not.

CW: Last question, what is the #1 thing on your bucket list?

MJ: I want to visit the Buddhist temple in Borobudur, Indonesia. It’s this massive temple, the biggest Buddhist temple in the world, and I want to wander around the rings and climb to the top. I want to circumambulate through the entire temple for days and days, with no food or water, until I have seen the entire thing and gained enlightenment. Or, at least just go there and see it with my own eyes.

All photos courtesy of Michael Jenkins. Michael doesn’t have a web site, and he doesn’t tweet, yet somehow still exists.