Artist, Writer, Director and college student Dwayne Dixon possess the talents of many diagnosed with Aspergers. Though Dwayne does not have Aspergers, he is a strong example of utilizing what talents/intense interests you do have into a passionate living! He and his production team from New York are always on the scout for voice talent (see contact info at end of blog) and recently enlisted Sam (my son with Asperger Syndrome) for a part in a working program titled: Kuro ni Fedo. We caught up with Dwayne during his hectic schedule to ask some questions about VSW Productions, his aspirations and his advice for those on the spectrum.
Brief Background: VSW (Vendetta Spying Wolf) Productions is a non-profit production crew made up of college students who have an interest in voice acting, animation, etc. The latest project is a series titled Kuro ni Fedo. We caught up with VSW owner Dwayne Dixon to learn more of the behind- the- scenes makings in his fan fiction animation.
Aspergers101: Hello Dwayne and welcome to the Aspergers101 Community! Tell us about your talents and how you pooled them with some of your New York college friends to form VSW Productions.
Dwayne Dixon: Hello to you too and thank you for having me. To begin answering that I must first rewind the clock a little. When I was younger I would always draw characters from certain cartoons that I enjoyed. I’ve been given compliments in response to my art. It made me feel good so I kept practicing. Honing my skills I’ve meet up with my co-writer/best friend from High School and due to having common interest we decided to write the story to Kuro ni Fedo; which stands for Fade to Black in Japanese.
Aspergers101: What kind of projects are VSW Productions currently working on?
Dwayne Dixon: Still early to the whole Production aspect we don’t have a lot of projects out yet but we’re mostly working on Kuro ni Fedo since the illustrations and the voice work takes the longest of our time. But I also have another project in mind that could possibly be a live action short film that will even involve those that aren’t close by. Such as those who voice outside of the state of New York. VSW Productions doesn’t try to leave anyone out.
Aspergers101: Who writes the copy, produces the music, illustrates and edits for Kuro ni Fedo?
Dwayne Dixon: As of right now I write the drafts while my co-writer Daniel Nunez edits the drafts and make sure that there are no spelling or grammar errors. For the music I have a few students from my old High School who’ve joined me in my years in college to do so. As for the preview of Kuro ni Fedo the music portrayed in it was composed by Yasunori Ebina. An official Japanese composer that has his works in many video games. But being only a preview many stuff will be changed especially that detail. But lastly the edits are split to whoever have the time to do so really.
Aspergers101: What character does Sam Allen play and how did you cast him in the role?
Dwayne Dixon: VSW Productions always treat and if not try to treat each other like a family and Sam Allen is a great addition our “family”. Always ready and on point about the project and always eager to continue on. The character he portrays by the name of Jon is a father figure to one of the main protagonist in the story. When I recruit I usually post info about my projects onto varies websites that might draw the attention to others. We normally don’t look for professionals or very good voice actors but we do look for passion. If you’re passionate about what we’re doing here no matter how your voice sounds we’ll most likely recruit you. One day working on something completely different Sam managed to contact me through Skype showing that he was interested. I asked him for a sample of his voice work and within the same hour I was listening to his voice. Showing that type of passion really helped my decision. His voice was just an added bonus. (A working copy of Kuro ni Fedo is posted below with Sam Allen playing the character of Jonshot).
Aspergers101: Before meeting Sam, had you ever met anyone with Aspergers Syndrome?
Dwayne Dixon: I have met someone with Aspergers Syndrome who will remain anonymous. Still to this day he is one of the best people I can talk to and have a good time with. He has Autism but that never stopped him with his goals. I admire that still to this day.
Aspergers101: Though you do not have Autism, many people with Aspergers/Autism have similar talents such as drawing or writing a fan fiction. Do you have any advice you would give them in pursuing and succeeding in the path of animation?
Dwayne Dixon: My only advice is to never let anything get the better of you. I know life can be tough but if your mind is set to what you love you can accomplish things and never stop surprising yourself. In the end it’s not what other people think. If you try your best and it’s good enough for you then there are going to be others that are going to see the effort you put in your work and be by your side.
Aspergers101: What can we expect and look for from Dwayne Dixon in the near and far future?
Dwayne Dixon: Many projects I have in mind such as some live actions short films and a lot of voice work. Some animations will be delivered down the line. Since college is a sheer factor of my life right now most projects will take more time that I would have like but it’s all worth it.
Aspergers101: What websites or Youtube links, of your work, would you offer our viewers/readers?
Dwayne Dixon: There are a couple of links that you can find our work. As I mentioned before we’re new so not many projects can be viewed. But we do have a website that you can catch up on all the news and contact information. Here are the links down below:
Website: http://bit.ly/1vFs2h4
and our Youtube: http://bit.ly/1tYswSp
With our website you can find the links of our Facebook and Twitter accounts.
Aspergers101: Finally, if any of our readers would like to audition for this or future projects of VSW Productions….how can they get in touch with you?
Dwayne Dixon: If others would love to come and audition for future projects of VSW Productions all they’ll have to do is follow the contact information on our website. My personal email is posted up on the contact page of the website. Once contacted I will personally offer a chat mostly via Skype. After that we’ll see how it goes.
Interview by: Jennifer Allen
Gabriela Lemos was born in Porto Alegre, Brasil, and was raised in San Antonio, Texas. She is currently a student at UTSA, graduating in December 2014 with a Bachelor degree in English. Brie states that she loves language and words, and the way in which people communicate with each other. She has always been interested and attracted to the autism community. “I find those on the spectrum to be incredible in so many ways, and I believe we can all learn from each other in our different strengths and weaknesses. I would love to use my talents to aid those who are not as strong in areas which I have confidence, and in turn receive an infinite amount of lessons and aid from those who I work with. Everything you send out, comes back to you, and I plan to practice sending out love and compassion every day”. We feel so fortunate to offer Brie’s talent of writing as well as her passion for autism awareness every week through our Aspergers101 Weekly.