Last weekend the Brajdics held a grand opening, showing off the macabre and amazing molds, sculpture and images of zombified makeup work. Friends and fellow colleagues came out to support and learn about the classes and events coming up at the new studio. Skills offered at the studio can be applied to disciplines way beyond horror/sci-fi, too. The studio also makes custom skull purses, jewelry/stash boxes, T-shirts, shock/horror prints, shrunken heads and more.
Brajdic, an Italian-American (his grandfather changed the family last name to a Slavic surname adopted by a cousin who moved across the Adriatic), sports piercings, tattoos and a demeanor as warm, animated and gregarious as his nationality's stereotype.
According to his bio, Brajdic met up with Emilio Remior as a teen. They started dabbling in the special effects world and started to reproduce "just about anything they saw." Brajdic went on to study film and television at Miami Lakes Technical Education Center, where he met another mentor, Dario Jaramillo, who shepherded Brajdic to the sets of national commercial spots and work with respected industry professionals. He worked with Delta Airlines, Campbell's Soup, Univision, Budweiser (Anheuser-Busch), John Gress Productions, Nightlight Studios and mega-celeb Johnny Depp (historical reproduction art).
Later Brajdic connected with Micheal Arron Delgado of Aviar Films. Delgado was a special visual effects consultant for several television programs and major motion pictures such as The Abyss, Star Trek, and Demolition Man. The artist says he worked diligently on his craft, letting it consume him, until he emerged a professional-level special effects artist.
Upcoming classes at the studio include a Tribal Mask & Historical Reproduction Class Sat., April 4, noon-3 p.m. ($75) and Character Sculpting and Molding, Sat., April 11, noon-3 p.m. and Sun., noon-4 p.m. ($250). Call 727-644-3814 for more info.
This article appears in Apr 2-8, 2015.