I have also started
a website representing myself at kaschalk.com,
on which I have added a link to NantyGlo.com.
I was born in 1973 in Johnstown,
when my mother Eleanor Scariott (formerly Eleanor Kaschalk, daughter
of Henry and Eleanor Kaschalk) resided in Nanty Glo. I was given
my grandparents' name, Kaschalk, in light of the foreseen separation
of my mother and father.
I lived in Nanty Glo most
of my childhood and teen years, and graduated from Blacklick Valley
High School in 1991. From there, I moved to Pittsburgh to attend
two years of art school at the Art Institute [where he met his fiancee,
Roberta, a student also at the Institute, from Ohio]. I moved to
Los Angeles in 1993 and worked on special effects for several TV
shows and movies (X-Files, Picket Fences, Second Civil War, Xena,
Lord of Illusions, and more). I have been at Walt Disney Feature
Animation since early 1997. I worked as an animator on Tarzan,
and Fantasia 2000, and I am currently supervising the 3D
effects on Atlantis, which is scheduled for a summer 2001
release.
I do try and still visit
Nanty Glo about twice a year, and it is always refreshing. Nanty
Glo has an atmosphere unlike any other place
I have visited in the United States. The preserved small town with
its mining roots, green summertime hills, and clear blue skies leaves
me wondering about the town's history, and also, what the future
will bring.
For a child who grew up
in the post heyday of the town, exploring the old remains of mine
entrances and rusted processing equipment along with the eccentric
and now-much-cleaned Blacklick Creek provided for a lot of wonder
and stimulation of the imagination. I do feel this played a role
in my creative abilities which I must use every day at work.
From a point of doing EFX
for films, which often includes creating rain, snow, heat effects,
rolling clouds, and other types of weather phenomena, the location
of Nanty Glo provided something I had always taken for granted.
The sometimes blistering summers with dark, instense lightning storms,
fall crisp air with blowing leaves, blooming springtime, and winter
blizzards are exhilarating and intense. Many people in other parts
of the 
country
cannot relate to such extremes. I found myself in an advantage for
creating natural effects twice now, particularly in Fantasia
2000.
I am also grateful to Thomas
Bugie, computer teacher at BVHS, for his wonderful support. He played
an important role in helping me believe in myself and my potential.
