Theo Cornejo Setember 18, 1982 – October 30, 2008
Theo Cornejo was a student with the Animation Portfolio Workshop in 2002. After finishing the workshop, Theo studied Anatomy with Gerard Sternik and Storyboarding with Vince Peets. These two drawings of Theo’s are posted here as a tribute to a gifted young man whose life was cut short far too soon. We recently found out the very sad news that Theo was tragically killed in a car accident on October 30, 2008. He was 26 years old.
This interview filmed in 2004 is a conversation between Theo and APW director Gerard Sternik. Theo talks about his experience as a student of the workshop and shares his excitement about his first acceptance into a film festival – The Sacremento Film Festival.
Thank you for putting together this post in tribute to Theo Cornejo.
I am deeply sorry that my first inaugural post on this, our new website, is in relation to such a sad and tragic event…….
As all of you know, I taught Theo in the early days of the Animation Portfolio Workshop, and also had the pleasure of teaching Theo after he had completed the Workshop, in my Anatomical Life Drawing class.
Theo was a sensitive, intelligent person, full of compassion for those around him.
At the time that I was teaching Theo, I experienced the death of a very close member of my family.
I remember Theo quietly taking me aside before one of our classes to offer condolences on behalf of the whole anatomical life drawing group.
I was struck by the tremendous empathy that this 21 year old student of mine was able to express.
Theo was a very talented student, who was able to find and at least begin to practice the early stages of what I am most assuredly convinced would have been a successful career as a film maker.
My deepest condolences to Theo’s parents and extended family.
We won’t forget Theo.
Gerard Sternik
Theo was an extremely talented and sensitive young man and a genuinely good person as well. It was my pleasure to have been his instructor when he was a student of the workshop. He would send me his short film scripts from time to time for input and ideas. I’ll never forget the image of him breakdancing in the studio. Judging by the photos in this tribute video on youtube, Theo touched many lives.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBlu3uDM1Yo