Meet Elan...He's a Big Deal But Doesn't Know It or Won't Admit It

Wednesday, August 9, 2006
7:32:00 PM CDT
Hearing Still listening to thunder

Elan Buchen...remember this name because he's going to be famous in either the world of game design or toy production. I am most certain of it. He's not, but I am. Elan is one of the guys I've been hanging out with most of the summer. He has the humble soul of an 80 year old and the imagination of a 6 year old. That's a tough mix to combine, but if you would meet him, I think you would agree with my opinion. He's lived all over the world, has the first part of a Samoan tattoo started on his back, is a master Muay Thai (Moi-tye) fighter which has left him with retinal detachment (I had to be educated on what Muay Thai is...For those of you who don't know, it's a brutal form of boxing that uses hands, knees, elbows, feet, and shins to strike your opponent), and will have four action figures coming out at Toys-R-Us next year. I was told they are not action figures, but I can't remember what the "real" name for the toys he designed is so I'm sticking with action figures. Come on, I did well to remember the name Muay Thai! His figurine sculptures were commissioned by Todd McFarlane's company which, again, I had to be educated on who Todd McFarlane is. TM is apparently the BIGGEST name in comics/sci-fi/toy production there is. TM is the creator of Spawn (Props for me! I at least knew the name Spawn and that there was a movie about the comic book character a few years ago. But, that's as far as it goes. I couldn't tell you what/who Spawn is, let alone what his super power would be.) and has international acclaim for his work. Just the mere mention of the name McFarlane Toys here at SCAD causes palliations among animation/sculpting/sequential art students. They get the vapors and just about wet themselves at the thought of working for McFarlane Toys (www.spawn.com). To put it in layman's terms, a career at McFarlane Toys would be the equivalent of working directly under Steven Speilberg, or Oprah, or Frank Lloyd Wright (if he were alive!), or the genius who invented Post-Its. And Elan has, what I would consider a very, very highly paid position for a college graduate with a BA degree, waiting for him when he graduates at the end of this quarter...if he takes the offer. The alternative he is seriously considering is taking a job drilling the ocean floor, couped up on a submarine like vessel for six months at a time, and NOT sculpting because he is so burned out on it right now. Seriously!!! His mother, a rabbi, and father, a retired educator, are not too happy with that option.

Elan's working on his website while juggling his senior thesis projects, sculpting, and being on the verge of stardom. It's a work in progress, so you can check back later to see if he's made any progress on it. www.elanbuchen.com

I took photos of Elan's room so a) I can say, "I knew him when...," and b) you can see how off the wall it is around here. It's nothing for students to have power tools (Elan's stash of tools would make Bob Vila drool!), cover their walls in tarp so they may paint or work on dumpster diving finds and make huge messes, or set up a working studio in their rooms.