“The Company State” (CO.ST) is a fictitious fascist state, in the truest sense of the word. Mussolini, the inventor of fascism, defined it as the merging of corporate and state interests and that it should more appropriately be called corporatism.
History reveals exactly how fascism evolves into something truly horrible. Unfortunately I see our wonderful country plodding down that same dangerous path today. It is the goal of this project to serve as a warning, or wake-up call in a similar vein as Orwell’s 1984, Lewis’ It Can’t Happen Here, or Huxley’s Brave New World, but in a more visual manner.
WHY MAN WHY?
Well, it started because I wanted to make propaganda posters. Unfortunately I didn’t really have a reason too. So I cooked up this crazy sci-fi world ruled by a totalitarian government that I could make posters for. A while after I started, I discovered internet news/talk radio, unfiltered by corporate media, which opened my eyes to how messed up the real world is. So I changed the world I made from sci-fi to something closer to reality… just taken to the nth degree.
It was around the same time that I took a class at Scottsdale Community College for Flash cartooning. I’ve always loved cartoons and wanted to try my hand at making them. The product of the class was The Big Swindle, a short about how goblins are stealing our gas in order to drive up prices. It was here I was first introduced to the basic production process of taking script to storyboard to animation.
What really got the project flying was applying for, and getting, the AZ Commission on the Arts’ projects grant in ’05. With it I was able to pay for all the software and hardware I needed, as well as pay the fees associated with starting a website.
ACCOMPLICES?
For the most part I do everything myself. I utilize the talents of my friends whenever I can, though. My friend, Dustin Mackerman, does voice acting and some writing for the cartoons as well as models for my posters. My friends Mark McCabe and Jonathan Morris occasionally make music for the animations. My friend Dan Horton models on occasion. It sure makes it easier on me. And honestly, I prefer the roll of director to that of actor or model, and as much as I love music, I’m not very good at making it.
INSPIRATION?
I find my inspiration in politics mostly. Past and present. Monday through Friday I listen to the Thom Hartmann Show (LINK) and the Alex Jones Show (LINK). Hartmann represents the liberal point of view really well, and Jones is a classic conservative (not to be confused with the version of conservatism we have today). Neither are afraid to hit on topics that are shunned by the mainstream media (ESPECIALLY Jones), such as questioning the official story on 9/11. Something I question as well. Hartmann is an accomplished author and I highly recommend Unequal Protection and What Would Jefferson Do?. When Jones isn’t on air he makes mind-blowing documentaries, of which my personal favorites are 911 The Road to Tyranny, and Terrorstorm. I also really enjoy dystopian movies and books. I listed a few of the books above, but some of the movies that inspire me are Brazil, Manchurian Candidate, Children of Men, 12 Monkeys, V for Vendetta, Escape from New York — I could go on and on, but I’ll leave it there.
WHERE’S IT ALL GOING?
Who can say what the future holds for the CO.ST. I plan on continuing to show my “posters” and other pieces in galleries (the next few are the Mass Consumption show at Mesa Contemporary Arts in Mesa, AZ June 13 – August 10, the Piggy show at Pravus Gallery in Phoenix, AZ in July, and the Stencil Show at Grand Central Art Center in Santa Ana, CA in August), and keep making animations for my website. Oh, and hopefully generate some T-shirt revenue so I can quit my day job. 
If you’re interested, the best place to see my work is at www.companystate.com.
