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Dave Kellett

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Dave Kellett
Kellett in June 2011
EducationUniversity of Notre Dame
University of California, San Diego
University of Kent at Canterbury
OccupationCartoonist
Known forCreator of Sheldon and Drive
SpouseGloria Calderon Kellett (2001-present)
Websitehttp://www.sheldoncomics.com, http://www.drivecomic.com/

Dave Kellett is the creator and cartoonist of two webcomic titles, Sheldon and Drive, the co-author of How To Make Webcomics[1] and the co-host of Comic Lab. He has been nominated for the prestigious Eisner Awards, as well as a Harvey Award, and won a Reuben Award.

Early years and education

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Kellett is a southern California native. He graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a bachelor's degree in English and Spanish. While there, he produced the daily comic strip Four Food Groups of the Apocalypse for the student newspaper The Observer.[2][3] He earned a master's degree from University of California, San Diego in Literature with his thesis, "To draw in the crowd : the cartoon and the 'public sphere' of eighteenth-century England."[4] He received the Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholarship,[5] to attend the University of Kent at Canterbury in England (within the Centre for Cartooning and Caricature Studies). There, he earned a master's degree in History of cartoon art propaganda with his thesis, "Philip Zec: Cartoonist in a Propaganda War."[6]

Career

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Dave Kellett is the creator behind the successful webcomics: Sheldon about a 10-year-old computer genius billionaire, and the sci-fi strip Drive. The author of twelve comic books, and the co-author of the Harvey-Award-nominated book How To Make Webcomics, Kellett regularly speaks around the country on the subject of cartooning in new media.

In 2014, Kellet released the comics documentary Stripped, produced with twice-Sundance-nominated cinematographer, Fred Schroeder. He has been an invited speaker at Savannah College of Art & Design, the Society of Illustrators, Ohio State’s triennial Festival of Cartoon Art, the Charles M. Schulz Museum, the San Francisco Cartoon Art Museum, Loyola Marymount University, South by Southwest (SXSW), San Diego Comic-Con, New York Comic Con, Emerald City Comic Con and more. His cartoons have appeared in the Los Angeles Times, The San Diego Union-Tribune, and dozens of others.

Kellett holds two master's degrees in the art and history of cartooning: First, at the University of California, San Diego; and then at the University of Kent, at its Centre for Cartoon and Caricature Studies, on a full academic scholarship from The Rotary Foundation. After working for Mattel Toys as the head writer and a senior toy designer for 8 years, Kellett pursued cartooning full-time in 2007. He started Sheldon in 1998 and Drive in 2009.

Awards

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Authored books

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Kellett has authored the following books:

  • Still Got It: The Seventh Sheldon Collection ISBN 978-0-9655060-9-0
  • Living Dangerously With Saturated Fats: The Sixth Sheldon Collection ISBN 978-0-9655060-8-3
  • Nerds On Parade: The Fifth Sheldon Collection ISBN 978-0-9655060-7-6
  • Pugs: God's Little Weirdos ISBN 978-0-9655060-6-9
  • A Blizzard of Lizards: The Fourth Sheldon Collection ISBN 978-0-9655060-5-2
  • 62% More Awesome: The Third Sheldon Collection
  • The Good, The Bad & The Pugly: The Second Sheldon Collection ISBN 978-0-9655060-3-8
  • Pure Ducky Goodness: The First Sheldon Collection ISBN 0-9655060-1-0
  • A Well Balanced Meal: The Very Best of: Four Food Groups of the Apocalypse ISBN 0-9655060-0-2

He also co-authored the book How to Make Webcomics.[12] He deliberately self-publishes many of his books under the publishing name Small Fish Studios. The editions are financed with great success through Kickstarter.[13]

Acting and other projects

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Kellett was a part of the sketch comedy group And Donkey Makes Five from Los Angeles, California.[14] He also performed in Comedy Central's South Beach Comedy Festival in Miami in 2009.[15] Kellett has performed on stage in Skirts and Flirts in New York[16] and in Los Angeles.[17] He also performed in Der Inka von Peru at the George Wood Theatre in London.

Since 2018 he is hosting the podcast Comic Lab (formerly Webcomics Weekly[18]) with Brad Guigar. It's aimed at comic professionals and semi-professionals, described as a show "about making comics — and making a living from comics!"[19] As of August 2024 there are 350 episodes of Comic Lab available on Spotify with a rating of 4.9.[20]

References

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  1. ^ "Drawn.ca review of How To Make Webcomics". Archived from the original on 2008-04-10. Retrieved 2010-02-20.
  2. ^ "Forum on Sheldon Comics". Archived from the original on 2010-01-03. Retrieved 2010-02-20.
  3. ^ "Starting the Next Course by KC Kenney". Archived from the original on 2011-07-27. Retrieved 2010-02-20.
  4. ^ ‘’To draw in the crowd : the cartoon and the "public sphere" of eighteenth-century England’’ by Dave Kellett[permanent dead link]
  5. ^ Rotary Foundation article
  6. ^ Thesis ‘’Philip Zec: Cartoonist in a Propaganda War[permanent dead link]
  7. ^ "The 2011 Eisner Awards: Nominees Announced - Nominations Span Full Range of Works". Archived from the original on 2011-05-13. Retrieved 2011-06-11.
  8. ^ "Publishers Weekly on Harvey Award". Archived from the original on 2009-12-29. Retrieved 2010-02-20.
  9. ^ "Comix Talk". Archived from the original on 2011-12-25. Retrieved 2010-02-20.
  10. ^ "Kellett Biography". Archived from the original on 2010-01-02. Retrieved 2010-02-20.
  11. ^ Article on Kellett by Rotary Foundation
  12. ^ "How to Make Webcomics". Archived from the original on 2008-04-10. Retrieved 2010-02-20.
  13. ^ "League of Comic Geeks". Retrieved 2024-08-31.
  14. ^ And Donkey Makes Five
  15. ^ "South Beach Comedy Festival". Archived from the original on 2012-03-03. Retrieved 2010-02-20.
  16. ^ Skirts and Flirts in New York
  17. ^ Skirts and Flirts in Los Angeles
  18. ^ "Webcomics Weekly". Archived from the original on 2011-02-07. Retrieved 2019-07-17.
  19. ^ "Simple Cast". Retrieved 2024-08-31.
  20. ^ "Spotify". Retrieved 2024-08-31.
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