Gary Jesch and CHOPS & Associates
Live Animation bring "virtual characters," that
is, 3D animated cartoon actors, and people together to create unforgettable moments. This talented
multimedia artist celebrated his thirteenth anniversary on November 30, 2006.
His company's virtual characters stand
out because he offers something
rarely experienced -- interacting with a 3D cartoon character
that can see, hear and talk.
Jesch is the leading provider
of these virtual characters for
corporate meetings, tradeshows and special events, employing talented
actors, high quality video displays and his own real-time animation systems,
running on reliable notebook computers.
Large companies that exhibit at tradeshows are discovering that
they can double and even triple the number of qualified leads
they collect
by using 3D virtual mascots that can talk with attendees on the show
floor. These "cyber humans" have been created by Live Animation
to serve businesses in ways that real humans cannot.
Gary Jesch, the "man behind the curtain" and creator of "CHOPS," a "Cyber-Human
On a Performance System," is a performance animation artist based
in Incline Village, NV. When Jesch is at the controls of his "Digital
Puppeteer, like the "Wizard of OZ," "CHOPS" can interact
in real time from his video display, whether it's on the two-foot round
Bubble Screen or from a 15-foot-high screen at a company meeting.
"We are about entertainment and marketing," Jesch explains, "creating
an atmosphere of awe and wonder, attracting attention and being different, so
that we and our clients stand out. The 'Wizard of Oz' gave people the impression
that he was more powerful and awe-inspiring than he really was as a person. Using
technology, he became larger than life. Our characters become larger than life,
and as corporate mascots, can inspire, attract attention, make the selling environment
more memorable, and start the process of relationship-building with customers
in a way that nothing else can."
Jesch performs in an isolated control
booth for seven to eight hours
at a stretch, hidden away backstage, while his virtual persona interacts
with tradeshow attendees or stage presenters. He sees his audience and
the show through a video surveillance system. At company meetings, the
characters have been part of entertainment that also included fashion
shows, fireworks, motorcycle riding, circus acts, laser lighting displays,
giant stages and 20-foot tall rear projections screens.
Creating and performing interactive, computer-generated "cyber
humans," combines
several artistic disciplines, including acting, computer graphics and
production design. By working with corporate marketing professionals
and producers in the special events industry, he has found a way to earn
the revenue needed to refine the technology, performances and applications
for virtual characters to be used around the world.
To accomplish this task, Jesch has worn
many hats - computer system designer,
3D animation artist, stage technician, actor/performer, marketing director,
web site designer, sales professional, video display and projection specialist,
streaming media expert and broadcaster.
He has also developed techniques to become
knowledgeable about his client's
own industries in a few days, so that he is well-versed enough to talk
about products and services with show attendees across a wide variety
of disciplines and trades.
His background as a broadcast journalist, combined
with a 25-year history as an entrepreneur in computer graphics,
writing, advertising,
commercial
photography and marketing has developed him into a unique individual.
He is focused on a single goal - creating Live Animation's "cyber
humans" for use as spokespersons, broadcasters and corporate mascots
in media around the world.
Here are a few of his accomplishments:
Jesch reproduced
Shrek's "Magic Mirror" character in just three
days on his system, for a home-video distribution launch
in Orlando's University City, with two week's notice
before the movie opened nationwide.
He has created over a dozen unique
characters, which have been booked
by major companies and producers to appear at trade shows and special
events. He expects that someday, his characters will be found in many
other places in the media, including in movies, on television and on
the Internet.
Many major brands like Pennzoil, Hertz,
Frito-Lay, Avocent, Ford/Motorcraft and others have booked "CHOPS" in their tradeshow booths to
increase the number of qualified leads gathered and improve their company's
image and overall marketing effort. "CHOPS" has been used by
Dell Computers, Panasonic, America's Community Bankers, Sun Microsystems,
Hewlett Packard and many others.
Jesch's most recent version of his Digital Puppeteer is running on a Dell high-end notebook computer that weighs less than nine pounsd. Software that recognizes the sounds of words gives his characters
realistic lip sync. People are amazed and awe-struck that they can communicate
with his cartoon characters so easily. His ability to animate them and
interact in real-time makes them ideal for live events, public appearances and broadcasting.
Imagine what it's like to see two
characters acting like real
people up on a big screen at a meeting or on a video wall in a tradeshow
booth. Emotions are flying, along with lots of laughter, and marketing
messages combined into a show that is incredibly different than
the normal corporate meeting fare.
Live Animation has the expertise when
it comes to applications for those
who want to be even more unusual. The company has worked with the latest
in video walls, plasma screens and 3D floating image displays. As far
as the Internet is concerned, Jesch has formed an alliance with a streaming
video company to incorporate its characters into Web-cast special events
and live, interactive training sessions.
"At Live Animation, we are continuing
to develop unique virtual characters every few months,
including more product-based characters and cartoon characters
that can relate to young children. One day, we hope to be part of an interactive
children's program using our live animation technology on the Web," adds
Jesch.
Live Animation can also recreate animated
virtual characters from movies for press conference and television appearances,
and has developed "cyber
models" that can host fashion shows wearing 3D versions of the designers'
latest styles and creations.
Historical highlights:
1993 - Created "Virtual Mark Twain," whose
first public appearance was at the Virtual Reality
Expo in New York City on Nov. 30, 1993, the
original Mark Twain's 151st birthday.
1995 - Created the "CHOPS" character while developing the "Face
Tracker" with Motion Analysis Corp. "CHOPS'" first public
appearance was at SIGGRAPH in Anaheim, CA. Later that year, Jesch designed
and built the first version of the Digital Puppeteer ™, his performance
animation system.
1996 - Conducted "CHOPS'" first paid appearance at
Sapphire 1996 in Philadelphia, with Mobile Wall One. Jesch also
co-developed the
Geppetto software and auditioned for NBC's Tonight Show.
1997 - Helped win a Best of Show award for AV Images at Exhibitor 97;
traveled out of the country for the first time with the Digital Puppeteer,
to the Philippines. Designed the Bubble Screen video display system.
1998 - Traveled to Beijing, China for
Hewlett Packard. Created "Cybrina" with
3D artist Tom Knight and created "Brash Landau" with multimedia
producer Gabreal Franklin.
1999 - First trip to Colombia and Mexico
with Grupo Live, followed by three other shows in Latin America, including an
eight-day product
launch and media blitz for Proctor and Gamble in Bogota with "Cybrina." He
performed in his first training video with "Virtual Vinnie," for
ArmaKleen.
2000 - Began developing streaming video
shows with All Planet TV; worked in Cartagena, Columbia, and Santiago, Chile and opened
his South American
office in Bogota, Colombia. Jesch and his characters showed their abilities
at the Democratic National Convention. He also recreated "Virtual
Mark Twain" on new "Gemini" system, and designed his first
children's character, "Syber Santa."
2001 - Reproduced the "Magic Mirror" character from the "Shrek" movie; performed for the first time in Canada; and co-designed "VirtuaLibby" with
Tom Knight for Sapphire 2001.
2002 - Recreated
the "Dancing Baby " character (Baby G) from
the "Ally McBeal" TV program, while working
with its designer Chris Creek and 3D artist Tom Knight;
debuted Pooch for the Pet Network, created a custom character
for BASF-AP, and developed a new approach to tradeshow
traffic-building for Ford/Motorcraft.
2003 - Debuted
the first webcast with CHOPS as host, for Event Solutions
Magazine.
2004 - Won a Best
of Show for DDI at the
ASTD Trainers' conference in Washington DC with the entire
display team assembled by Exhibitgroup/Giltspur PA.
2005 - Won a second
Best of Show for DDI at the ASTD Trainers' conference
in Orlando, with the entire display team assembled
by Exhibitgroup/Giltspur PA.
2006 - Won a third
Best of Show for DDI at the ASTD Trainers' conference
in Orlando, with the entire display team assembled
by Exhibitgroup/Giltspur PA.
2006 - Reinvented the Live Animation technology and acquired an exclusive reseller position for the US, including character development, working with Altadyn of France. He now uses ToonMX software and a notebook computer for shows.
2006 - Created the character "YAP," a cartoon mascot for the non-profit organization World Trust Foundation, and launched its media network in San Francisco, all on a donation basis.
What's
new for Live Animation? "In the coming year 2007, we will be venturing into the realm of live stage shows in Las Vegas and LA ," he states. "And YAP " he
adds, "will be involved in a worldwide webcast calling attention to the need to help the youth of all nations to become educated and knowledgeable about the world around them, through multimedia ."
"There's a lot to celebrate at Live Animation. We are always learning to be more
effective at tradeshows, with our Bubble Screen display upgraded and our new
approach to selling for our clients," he explains. "In the office,
we added people in several areas including customer service and marketing design as resources for our clients' needs," he adds.
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