1. A-ha… Animation film maker!
The music video "Take on Me" by the Norwegian band a-ha came in '85 and was mentioned, for the first time
in Norway, as animation. Then I knew what I wanted to be... I wanted to be an animator. Or an animation
film maker is probably the right term. An animation film maker is in my view a director who also
animates.

As a 17 year old working for 14 days as an apprentice in a commercial bureau I made 3 important choices:
1. I wanted to go several years in school, to be professionally safe
2. I wanted to start on my own and be my own boss.
3. I wanted to establish myself at Dovre and take over the farm from my uncle.


School - building a network
My platform is first and foremost a thorough education within graphic design, illustration and animation.
All in all 10 years in school. Especially during my time in Volda from 1898-91 we were as students introduced
and made familiar with the Norwegian animation environment which in turn also gave me my first jobs.
The animation industry in Norway was at this time very small and most of us knew everybody else.
Knut Eide was the animation teacher in Volda.

Initially I wanted to get my education from Canada because of the National Film Board of Canada. But
after I met Gunnar Strøm from Volda at Nordic Light (A Nordic/Baltic animation gathering) at Ivo Caprino's
on Snarøya I was easily convinced that Volda was just as good. Norways probably biggest animation
enthusiast Gunnar Strøm also landed my an apprentice for my at Filtecknarna in Stockholm while I was still
in school. This was my first meeting with animation and I was also brought to a seminar at the Swedish
Film Institute where I met the Russian Yuri Norstein who since has been my biggest mentor.