I've known Mike for quite a while. I work as an animator in Minneapolis, and was Mike's instructor in an animation class he took here. I wouldn't take any credit for any of his success though,... the class was a pretty frustrating experience for me. It was supposed to be a more advanced CG animation class, and I ended up with a classroom that barely knew how to operate a mouse! Mike was one of the few stars that made things fun and we were friends while he was here. I haven't had much of a chance to stay in touch since then, but I still try to peek in every once in a while to see what he's up to.