hiː ɡɹˈædjuːˌeɪɾᵻd fɹʌm dʒˈɜːsi sˈɪɾi stˈeɪt kˈɑːlɪdʒ, wˌɛɹ ɐ kˈoːɹs ɪn ˌænɪmˈeɪʃən spˈɑːɹkt fˈɜːðɚɹ ˈɪntɹɛst ænd lˈɛd hˌɪm tʊ ɐtˈɛnd ɐ ɡɹˈædʒuːət pɹˈoʊɡɹæm æt ðə jˌuːnɪvˈɜːsᵻɾi ʌv kˌælɪfˈoːɹniə, lˌɑːs ˈændʒəlɪs, wˌɪtʃ lˈɛd tə hɪz kɚɹˈɪɹ ɪn ˌænɪmˈeɪʃən.
He graduated from Jersey City State College, where a course in animation sparked further interest and led him to attend a graduate program at the University of California, Los Angeles, which led to his career in animation.