User:Master of Zelda
| Michael Loyd |
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Biography
'Master of Zelda' was a forum user name created by Michael Loyd. He's not actually better than anyone else at playing Zelda. There's even a couple games in the series he hasn't completed yet. He enjoys the irony, but to keep friends, he goes by MoZ or Mozzy.
Michael Loyd is currently producing 3D art for Nintendo 3DS at his blog MoZ3D. Michael was also the Art Designer for Zelda Reorchestrated (2005-2011), developing album art for each coinciding game, from The Legend of Zelda to Skyward Sword. He studied Broadcast Production at Edward R. Murrow College of Communication.
Beginnings (2001-2005)
Michael was introduced to the online Zelda community through ZHQ. His visits to ZHQ would inspire him to search for more Zelda sites, leading him to HTLOZ, where he visited the main site as a visitor for months, before he considered joining the forums.
After careful consideration and knowing nothing about how forum communities worked, Michael joined HTLOZ in June 2001 as 'Master of Zelda' or MoZ. However, his first forum experience did not last very long. HTLOZ shut down and as a result, he fled to the Gamers Talk Elite forums.
It was during this time when MoZ began his work as a staff member on various Zelda fan sites, aiming to eventually work up to a large-scale Zelda site like those that inspired him. His work has generally been focused on graphic design and writing, and those skills were honed through his experiences at Zelda Vault (2003), Zelda Prime (2004), and Memories of Zelda (2004-2005).
HTLOZ II / Zelda Reorchestrated (2005-2011)
In early 2005, MoZ was asked to join the staff of HTLOZ II and assist with the launch of the new site.
In mid-2005, MoZ was contacted by FireGS of ZREO, in the hopes of creating an affiliation with HTLOZ II. The outcome was much bigger than either of them had expected. Master of Zelda became so incredibly inspired by FireGS's work, and followed where ever ZREO led him. With no CD covers to accompany the project yet, MoZ decided to create the visual aspect that would fill the visual void and accompany ZREO for the next six years.
MoZ's connection with HTLOZ II and ZREO became important in 2006, when ZREO shut down for 360 days due to financial instability. MoZ proposed the idea of having HTLOZ II mirror ZREO's project so it would still be available online. ZREO was permanently revived on December 25, 2006. MoZ resumed his role as a Graphic Designer and assisted with the look of the new website. The original black Wii was the inspiration for the blue and black color scheme, and the nature of the Song of Healing inspired the navigation menu.
MoZ's influence extended ZREO's reach to social media websites such as MySpace and Facebook. He helped launch the online radio network World Zelda Music Radio, where he hosted a talk show called The New Hyrule.
MoZ stepped down from ZREO in Summer 2011, due to personal circumstances.
Symphony of the Goddesses (2012)
MoZ was invited to be a Production Assistant for the Symphony of the Goddesses concert at Benaroya Hall in Seattle on March 26, 2012. This experience was vital in rebooting his inspiration for video games, music, and graphic design. But most importantly, it was a reminder of his love for Zelda and his friends.
MoZ3D (2012-Current)
MoZ began experimenting with 3D art shortly after Nintendo 3DS was announced at E3 2010. A year later, he had developed his own technique for anaglyph 3D. But the results lacked color and wearing the red-blue 3D glasses caused him many headaches. After another year of studying 3D and learning how to apply it to the 3DS, his first full-color 3D images were the 2006-2011 ZREO album art.
The next task was finding a way to distribute the art. After a failed attempt with Swap Note, MoZ started looking into websites. After careful research, tumblr stood out to him as the best way to distribute 3D art. In this short time, MoZ has embraced the 3DS his canvas!
Resume
MoZ3D (2012 - Current) - Web Design, 3D Graphic Design
Symphony of the Goddesses (2012)- Production Assistant
ZREO (2005-2011) - Album Art Design, Forum Moderator
WZMR (2005) - Co-Director, Graphics, DJ
ZeldaMusic (2005) - Co-Webmaster, Forum Administrator, Graphic Design
HTLOZ II (2005 - 2008) - News Correspondent, Forum Moderator
Memories of Zelda (2004 - 2005) - Article Writer, Forum Moderator, News Correspondent
Zelda Prime (2004) - Co-Webmaster, Article Writer, Forum Moderator, Graphic Designer
Zelda Vault (2003) - Article Writer