Team Cul de Sac
Chris's fundraising effort for the Michael J. Fox Foundation in honor of Richard Thompson.
Asheville WordCamp
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Team Cul de Sac
Team Cul de Sac has been the passion project for Chris since 2009. A long time fan of comics, he has been involved in the illustration industry for most of his adult life – even owning a comic book store at one time.
In 2008, he met Richard Thompson at Charlotte’s HerosCon. Richard was a long time revered illustrator for the Washington Post and the creator of the recently syndicated comic strip Cul de Sac. Chris created a website and brand identity for Richard to use with his burgeoning comic strip and they became close friends.
Not long after, in 2009, Richard was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. Inspired to learn more and support his friend, Chris read a memoir of Michael J. Fox and started following the fundraising efforts of his Foundation to find a cure. Team Cul de Sac was born.
Chris spearheaded a fundraising effort through TeamFox, landing a publishing deal from Andrews McMeel Publishing. Hundreds of artists donated artwork inspired by Cul de Sac’s characters, including Bill Watterson. Richard contributed artwork for the cover and Sparking Design designed the book layout. Through book sales and an auction of the original works via Heritage Auction house, Team Cul de Sac raised more than $40,000 for the Michael J. Fox Foundation.
In 2013, Chris was awarded the Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award from Comic-Con International for his work on Team Cul de Sac.
Sadly, Richard was unable to continue drawing his strip after a few years and, in 2016, passed away due to complications from Parkinson’s Disease. Chris continues his fundraising efforts in honor of his friend. To date, Team Cul de Sac has raised over $250,000 to help find a cure.
To find out more about Team Cul de Sac’s annual efforts visit the website or follow on Facebook.
Press
From FoxFeed (MJFF) Blog: A Comic Book for a Cure: How 100+ Famed Cartoonists Came Together to Honor One of Their Own
Washington Post: TEAM CUL DE SAC BOOK LANDS: ‘Cartoonists Draw the Line at Parkinson’s’ arrives Tuesday amid auction, Michael J. Fox feedback
Washington Post: TEAM ‘CUL DE SAC’ AUCTION: Rare Watterson painting sells for $13K
Asheville WordCamp
WordCamps, small locally-run conferences sponsored by WordPress, take place all over the world. The first Asheville WordCamp took place in 2014 and we’ve had the pleasure of attending and volunteering since the beginning.
In 2015, Jamie was part of the 4-person Design Team, responsible for the branding of the conference and all of the associated print and swag.
In 2017 & 2018, Jamie became the Design Team leader, taking the helm of each year’s design.