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Tennessee's extraordinary entry into film and television production began with a childhood fascination for stop-motion animation, sparked by classics such as "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and Ray Harryhausen's monster films. At 14, he started experimenting with his father's 8mm camera to create his first movies. This enthusiasm led him to study Kit Laybourne's "The Animation Handbook," fueling his decision to pursue Film Production & Communication at The City College of San Francisco, followed by work as a Panavision Camera Technician at Cine Rent West.
His career took off as a character fabricator on Tim Burton's iconic "The Nightmare Before Christmas," where he helped create memorable characters like Zero, Sally, and Oogie Boogie. Tennessee began his animation career with ABC's "Bump in the Night" and later directed and produced his own stop-motion shorts, including award-winning titles such as "The Lizard Whomper," "The Misadventures of Spittle & Fudd," and "The Answer."
Over the course of his varied career, Tennessee moved fluidly between animation and live-action production. He produced F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Sensible Thing" for PBS and made notable contributions to animation projects like "Robot Chicken," earning two Primetime Emmy Awards as a Character Animator and Director of Character Fabrication. He then founded Axolotl Films, blending animation and live-action in the MTV series "The Greatest Party Stories Ever Told."
Together with his wife Sarah Beth, a high school French teacher, Tennessee produced the pilot for the edu-tainment series "Monsieur Filou's Voyage: Carnaval." This innovative show combined live-action puppetry, cut-out animation, and authentic audio interviews to explore France's Carnaval celebrations engagingly. Funded through Kickstarter, the project was made available for educational use, complete with a lesson plan for teachers, highlighting the couple's dedication to fostering learning through creativity and multimedia.
The peak of his career included work on prestigious projects such as "SpongeBob SquarePants: The Legend of Boo-Kini Bottom" and being the sole animator on both Academy Award-nominated animated feature films of 2022: "Marcel the Shell" and "Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio," the latter winning the Oscar.
Tennessee concluded his time in Portland, OR, after returning to Shadow Machine to work on Nickelodeon's "Tiny Chef." He then combined his passion for education with his industry experience, earning credentials as a Career Technical Education (CTE) teacher specializing in Arts, Media, and Entertainment within the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). He was appointed to lead Digital Film & Video Production at Daniel Pearl Magnet High School, demonstrating his commitment to mentoring the next generation of creative professionals.
In 2024, Tennessee joined the creative team of "Wonderland Cave," a live-action feature film by award-winning writer, director, producer, and actor Krista Bradley. Serving as Producer and Art Director, Tennessee brought a personal connection to the project, inspired by the true story of his grandparents, Gladys and William "Whitey" May. In the 1930s, the Mays developed and operated Wonderland Cave, the world's largest underground nightclub—a legendary jazz and big band hotspot built inside a cave in Bella Vista, Arkansas. The film, based on true events, follows a bootlegging jazz singer entangled in a dangerous love triangle amid family and moonshine at this dazzling venue. Filled with intrigue, innovation, and Jazz Age glamour, "Wonderland Cave" brings this captivating story to life, filmed on location at the historic site.
