BLOG: Authored by Don Schaffer

About Don Schaffer

Don was born with an extraordinary set of gifts he enjoys sharing for the benefit of others. From an early age, he was an avid explorer, investigating light rays, motion, aerodynamics, and even the impact of inhaling ground pepper—which failed to produce the results shown in the cartoons! By the age of 5, he and his twin brother were quite successful at splitting responsibilities to cut their own makeshift weapons from dowel rods and two-by-fours on the table saw in their family's basement, and by age 7 they were fighting with their little arms to change the spark plugs and oil on the family's station wagon. The list goes on and on where they had numerous journeys through tunnels, trees, climbing on the roof at age 4, and even a hasty escape from their daycare with a leisurely stroll down the street, only to turn around and re-commit themselves through the fence out of fear that their Mom just might find out. Besides tinkering or preparing to defend their neighborhood from the Russians (as children of the Cold War), one thing often drew the boys back to the upstairs apartment—Grandpa. Grandpa was a storyteller, passing on pieces of his past, such as life during the Great Depression, and even cautious memories from World War II. Time seemed to stop in those moments! Accelerating to the present, the desire to explore, to see things from a different light, to capture the moment, and to share that moment with others is WHO Don is. His natural education for story was formed within a unique and accelerated upbringing where he learned to embrace and intertwine the beautiful with the deviant while guarding their natural boundaries, understanding that in the human experience it is nigh impossible to understand a truth without its contrast. As a modern day storyteller, Don enjoys interacting with creatives and those in business to implement visual media for entertainment, education, and to motivate for change. His experience as a Producer and as a Coach offers keen insights into planning, accountability, and team building. Don is gifted with a rare and valuable pairing, being adept with managing raw information and details while also being conversant within the more abstract elements of design and story, where experiences shaped by color, space, shifting camera angles, and sound transcend to deeper parts of the emotions and the psyche.