The nephew of Oscar-nominated (One Touch of Venus) Hollywood Production Designer/Art Director Emrich "Nick" Nicholson. Oakley took his first training in art under Nick's guidance at an early age of 11.
Oakley honed his skills for 2 year under the leadership of 2 time Oscar Winner Production Designer/Art Director Henry "Bummy" Bumstead. Bummy was best known for his work with Clint Eastwood, however Bummy had over a 100 films to his credit.
Once danced on The Lawrence Welk Show for the taping of their 1974
Hawaii special.
A classmate of actor Dan Gunther, both had first jobs together as paperboys and at Farrell's Ice Cream Parlor during their elementary & high school years.
For 7 years, Oakley worked as an art director and fine-tuned his design skills under the leadership of Doug Offenbacher. Doug is considered the godfather of Northern California design.