Aureliotaire Vol Hernandez, better known as Voltaire, is a modern-day Renaissance man who has achieved success in various fields, including animation, toy design, comics, and music.
As a child, Voltaire was fascinated by the stop-motion animation films of Ray Harryhausen and set out to become a stop-motion animator. At the age of ten, he bought a super 8 camera and began making stop-motion films in his basement. Seven years later, he ran away from home and moved to New York City, where he has lived ever since.
Voltaire started his career as a stop-motion animator and director in the 1980s, working at several animation houses in New York City. He animated commercials for various clients, including Budweiser, Ikea, and Marvel, and directed award-winning station IDs for MTV, including the classic "MTV Bosch" spot.
He then went on to direct station IDs for SyFy Channel, USA Networks, Discovery, and other networks, as well as creating comic book series, including "Oh My Goth!", "Human Suck", and "Deady". The latter has been optioned to be developed into a live-action feature film.
Voltaire has also had a successful music career, performing at New York City clubs and releasing seven albums. He is known for his unique blend of murder ballads, cynical tunes, and songs about social ills, religion, and the undead. He has written and performed songs for the Cartoon Network show "The Grim Adventures of Billy And Mandy" and is currently working on a CD for kids and a country CD.
After a ten-year hiatus, Voltaire has returned to making films, working on a series of shorts called the "Chimerascope series". Each film is animated in stop-motion and features narrations by singers of note, including Danny Elfman, Gerard Way, Deborah Harry, and Richard Butler. The films have toured the festival circuit and have won several awards.
