Meet Phil Watson, Cartoonist and Shark Conservationist in Sydney, Australia

Phil is one of Australia’s best-known shark celebrities.

Born a shell's throw from the Great Barrier Reef in North Queensland, he now lives, works and surfs on the northern beaches of Sydney, Australia. After school, he completed a degree in Science, majoring in Coastal Geomorphology. But it was his other skills in cartooning and story-telling that would become his career.

'Shaaark!' grew out Phil's love and cautious respect of sharks. As a surfer, Phil decided to make fun of sharks from the safety of his drawing board. Originally a hobby, Shaaark has grown into the world's largest collection of single panel shark cartoons.

In 2005 Phil was hired by SeaLife Minnesota to turn their mascot 'Sharky' into a series of short animated videos, which have over 4 million youtube views. In 2011 Phil turned Shaaark into an animated series for Movie Extra, and is currently looking to develop a second series.

These days Phil is passionate about his family, the ocean and telling stories to a kids of all ages. . He continues to draw and animate Shaaark, and hopes that his cartoons inspire people to respect and protect sharks all over the world.

http://shaaark.com/