BARNEY

Covers
US Reprints: 15
Graphic Novels: 1

WILLIAM MAHER

Born in Detroit, Michigan, William grew up on magic trick catalogs, cartoon matinees, chamelions, cars and comic books. A regular at the local library, Wm. worked odd jobs to pay overdue charges for books by Werner Von Braun, Bil Baird, Ray Bradbury, and Charles Addams. After a couple of semesters in Communication Arts at the University of Windsor, Maher moved to New York and set up a small studio where he wrote and illustrated stories for HEAVY METAL and other magazines, until quite unexpectedly, one of his brothers took him along on a visit to the N.Y.I.T. Computer Graphics Lab, one of the first of it's kind. His design work was a hit with the staff and William was brought on board as PRODUCTION DESIGNER to help realize "THE WORKS" the first attempt at a computer animated feature. In 1984 he went on to write, design, and co-direct "3DV", the first computer generated TV pilot featuring animated hosts DOT MATRIX and USER FRIENDLY.

Accepting a position as a Concept Designer at WALT DISNEY IMAGINEERING in 1987, Wm. contributed to new shows and attractions for EPCOT, DISNEYLAND and the DISNEY-MGM STUDIO TOUR, most famously the HOLLYWOOD TERROR HOTEL. One of Disney's more experienced computer artists, Wm. and a small group of fellow evangelists brought Macintosh technology into the WDI environment, demonstrating the advantages of desktop video, computer animation and 3D modeling to Disney's design teams. Going freelance in 1990, Maher designed 3D characters for Apple Computer's SIGGRAPH film, an animated host for the 1992 WORLD FAIR, and created both design and animation for a variety of videogames and educational CD-ROM titles. Nowadays Wm. is either continuing his freelance design work, developing book or web entertainment projects, or watching Most Extreme Elimination Chalenge and Invader Zim with his lovely wife and son.


LINKS

mahere by W. M. Maher
Online portfolio