Lets start with the name "Mr. Scary." As a kid I was infatuated with horror movies and haunted houses. I love vampire movies, Dracula, Godzilla movies were some of my favorites as a kid. As I grew up I got into make-up and special effects of movies and theater, I always got involved in haunted houses where ever I could. I started a company called Scary Productions in 1988 and started living the dream of movie monster making.

On productions that I was working on, people couldn't remember my real name so they started calling me "Scary". I evolved it from there from a song by a band named Dokken. I was in L.A. in 1991 working on some projects when I met Kari Barba, an amazing tattoo artist. I had gotten my Mr. Scary tattoo the year earlier and was just discovering the world of tattoos. Kari was gracious enough to sit and look at my art and make-up portfolio. She offered me an apprenticeship but I declined because I was chasing the movie making dream. She had planted the seed, I just didnt know it. Not long after our meeting, computer generated special effects took over the industry and I was looking for a new art. In the midst of all this I had also recieved a degree in Graphic Arts, tattooing was starting to become something I wanted to do.

In 1993 I started tattooing and worked hard to get good at it. After a few years of paying my dues and getting my style down, I met Uncle Bud Yates. I had never had a mentor and he took me under his wing and started grooming me as a person and an artist. He gave me opportunities and advice that will carry me through the rest of my life. He was like a dad to me in some ways, my "tattoo dad." When he passed away in 2006, I felt the need to be a part of his legacy and help his bride Brinda keep his memory alive. I spent the summer of 2007 doing guest spots at the studios and January 2008 I moved permanently to work for her.

Now the future is wide open, Im looking forward to the adventure.

email me at: mr.scary@pikespeaktattoo.com