Animation Industry Podcast

This episode features legendary stop motion animator Anthony Scott who shares how he made a career out of the wonderful world of stop motion animation. He also shares: *How he went from being a janitor to animating Jack Skellington on The Nightmare Before Christmas *The old-school tool Anthony still uses that trumps all of today’s stop mo tech *The best path new animators can take to get into today’s core group of stop motion professionals ~[Sponsored Message]~ This episode is sponsored by Bloop Animation, which is an animation learning platform packed with premium online video courses for aspiring animation filmmakers. They have courses for all major animation programs like Maya, Animate CC, Toon Boom, Blender, TVPaint, and many others, as well as some non-software courses like a storyboarding course, Animation foundations course, and even one about making graphic novels, which covers absolutely everything you need to know from start to finish. The courses are all in video-form, so there’s no deadlines

This episode features Jackie Davis, the webcomic artist behind Underpants and Overbites. In our chat she shares how she figured out how to make a sustainable income off webcomics. You’ll also learn: *The not-so-talked about details of what quitting your job to pursue your passion is actually like *How Jackie deals with self-doubt *How Jackie smashed the perfectionist attitude while still making great art ~[Sponsored Message]~ This episode is sponsored by Bloop Animation, which is an animation learning platform packed with premium online video courses for aspiring animation filmmakers. They have courses for all major animation programs like Maya, Animate CC, Toon Boom, Blender, TVPaint, and many others, as well as some non-software courses like a storyboarding course, Animation foundations course, and even one about making graphic novels, which covers absolutely everything you need to know from start to finish. The courses are all in video-form, so there’s no deadlines or application process, you simply p

This episode features Lauren Orme, an animator and studio owner based in Cardiff, South Whales. She shares the story of how she started running Cardiff Animation Nights in 2014, which evolved into the Cardiff Animation Festival. You’ll also learn: *How the festival evolved during the 2020 pandemic *The steps to start an animation festival from the ground up in your hometown *How she’s learned to pick films that will draw in paying audiences ~[Sponsored Message]~ This episode is sponsored by Bloop Animation, which is an animation learning platform packed with premium online video courses for aspiring animation filmmakers. They have courses for all major animation programs like Maya, Animate CC, Toon Boom, Blender, TVPaint, and many others, as well as some non-software courses like a storyboarding course, Animation foundations course, and even one about making graphic novels, which covers absolutely everything you need to know from start to finish. The courses are all in video-form, so there’s no deadlines

This episode features Lauren Orme, an animator and studio owner based in Cardiff, South Whales. She shares the story of how she started running Cardiff Animation Nights in 2014, which evolved into the Cardiff Animation Festival. You’ll also learn: *How the festival evolved during the 2020 pandemic *The steps to start an animation festival from the ground up in your hometown *How she’s learned to pick films that will draw in paying audiences ~[Sponsored Message]~ This episode is sponsored by Bloop Animation, which is an animation learning platform packed with premium online video courses for aspiring animation filmmakers. They have courses for all major animation programs like Maya, Animate CC, Toon Boom, Blender, TVPaint, and many others, as well as some non-software courses like a storyboarding course, Animation foundations course, and even one about making graphic novels, which covers absolutely everything you need to know from start to finish. The courses are all in video-form, so there’s no deadlines

This episode features animator and studio co-founder Liam Gilbey who shares what it took to create a studio with his classmates right out of school. You’ll also learn: *How the studio got their first client (and continues to do so) *How operations and finances are run *How animation students can start their own successful studio out of school too ~[Sponsored Message]~ This episode is sponsored by Bloop Animation, which is an animation learning platform packed with premium online video courses for aspiring animation filmmakers. They have courses for all major animation programs like Maya, Animate CC, Toon Boom, Blender, TVPaint, and many others, as well as some non-software courses like a storyboarding course, Animation foundations course, and even one about making graphic novels, which covers absolutely everything you need to know from start to finish. The courses are all in video-form, so there’s no deadlines or application process, you simply pick a course and start learning in seconds. They even offer

This episode features Adam Ciolfi, a multiple award-winning stop motion animator who shares how to become successful as an independent filmmaker. You’ll also learn: *The reason Adam left the professional animation industry *How Adam’s created a life that sustains his independent filmmaking *What he’s learned from attending festivals all over the world More on Adam Ciolfi: Adam Ciolfi’s lifelong fascination with stop motion animation began in 1975 when at age ten he discovered the work of Ray Harryhausen (The 7th Voyage of Sinbad) In 1977 he attempted his first film with a lump of clay and a Regular 8 camera. By 1985 he and his siblings had produced 26 amateur short films. After earning a degree in film production from York University Adam embarked on his professional career. He completed his first professional production, the stop motion short ATTIC IN THE BLUE in 1991. It would win 4 awards for Best Animated Short during its festival run before being sold for broadcast. In 1996, after a series of live

This episode features director JJ Villard who shares what it took to create his recent show JJ Villard’s Fairytales for Adult Swim. You’ll also learn: *The reason behind why JJ quit DreamWorks *JJ’s approach to pushing his animation career to new heights *A full behind-the-scenes look of what it took to produce JJ Villard’s Fairytales More on JJ Villard: JJ Villard is a writer, producer, actor, animator, and director, best known for King Star King and the recent JJ Villard’s Fairytales on Adult Swim. JJ got his start at DreamWorks after graduating from CalArts back in 2005. He worked on Shrek 4 and 4, Monsters vs Aliens, Peebody and Sherman, and Trolls before deciding to branch off into the world of adult cartoons. Since then he’s worked with Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, Adult Swim and many other studios. *Follow JJ on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jjvillard/ *Watch the first episode of JJ Villard’s Fairytales on Adult Swim: https://www.adultswim.com/videos/jj-villards-fairy-tales/boypunzel Find

This episode features director and producer of Adult Swim’s The Shivering Truth, Cat Solen. She shares how her career led up to directing The Shivering Truth, and a unique behind-the-scenes of how each episode was created. You’ll also learn: *How Cat launched her career right out of the Art Institute of Chicago *The top three things that have honed her directing skills *Her best advice for someone else who wants to follow a similar path More About Cat Solen: Cat Solen is a director, animator, and producer with a specialty in commercials, short films, music videos, and stop motion series. She recently finished work on Adult Swim’s The Shivering Truth Season 2, where she was the director and executive producer. She was also the director and producer of The Shivering Truth’s Pilot, and Season 1. Follow Cat on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catsolen/ Follow Cat on Twitter: https://twitter.com/catsolen Check out Cat's website: http://www.catsolen.com/ Watch the music video she directed for Tierra Whack:

This episode features director and producer of Adult Swim’s The Shivering Truth, Cat Solen. She shares how her career led up to directing The Shivering Truth, and a unique behind-the-scenes of how each episode was created. You’ll also learn: *How Cat launched her career right out of CalArts *The top three things that have honed her directing skills *Her best advice for someone else who wants to follow a similar path More About Cat Solen: Cat Solen is a director, animator, and producer with a specialty in commercials, short films, music videos, and stop motion series. She recently finished work on Adult Swim’s The Shivering Truth Season 2, where she was the director and executive producer. She was also the director and producer of The Shivering Truth’s Pilot, and Season 1. Follow Cat on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catsolen/ Follow Cat on Twitter: https://twitter.com/catsolen Check out Cat's website: http://www.catsolen.com/ Watch the music video she directed for Tierra Whack: https://www.youtube.

This episode features director and creator of Danger & Eggs, Mike Owens, who shares the journey of creating his own show. You’ll also learn: *How he became the lead animator on Animaniacs right out of college *His top tips for collaborating with a big team around the world *The real reason he decided to create his own studio More About Mike: Mike Owens is an Emmy Award-winning Director living and working out of Minneapolis. Owens is also a graduate of Columbia College Chicago’s Bachelor of Arts, Animation program. Throughout his career he has worked as an animator, editor, cinematographer, producer, writer, and director on a number of animated series and shorts including Animaniacs, Yo Gabba Gabba!, Danger & Eggs, and the Academy Award-winning Hair Love. Currently, he is the co-owner of WOMO studio in Minnesota. Reach out to Mike by email: mike [at] womostudio.com Check out Mike's Animation Mentorship Nonprofit: https://nicemoves.org/

This episode features Director Jamie Caliri, who shares how he created Dragonframe Stop Motion Software. You’ll also learn: *Insights into Jamie’s career as a music video director *How he and his brother manage to stay ahead of the curve with Dragonframe *His best advice for following your dreams More about Jamie: Jamie Caliri is one of the creators of Dragonframe software, the foremost stop motion software on the market. He is also a multiple award winning director, winning an Emmy, and three Annies for his work in music videos and commercials. *Check out Jamie's work on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/jamiecaliri *Check out Dragonframe Stop Motion Software: https://www.dragonframe.com/ *Learn more about this podcast: https://terryibele.com/animation-industry-podcast/

This episode features James Walsh, a writer for children’s animated TV shows. James shares his journey into writing and how he landed a role on the smash hit Hey Dugee. You’ll also learn: *3 things that will help you develop judgment for writing *How to make yourself invaluable as a writer (it has nothing to do with writing) *The ultimate answer to what makes a good writer? More about James Walsh: James Walsh is a writer for animation who currently lives and works out of Scotland. He is part of the freelance writing team for the super smash hit preschool show Hey Duggee, which airs on the BBC in the UK and Nick Jr in the US, plus it has nearly 1 billion views on YouTube. James began writing for children’s TV animation back in 2015 and has also worked as a development writer, helping studios shape their series ideas and create killer pitch bibles. Follow James on Twitter: https://twitter.com/walshpjames Check out the BBC Writersroom: https://www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/

This episode features Toronto CG Animator Gemal Plummer who shares what it takes to get hired as a CG character animator. You’ll also learn: *3 super tips that will speed up your workflow *An overview of which studios in Toronto work in CG *Which non-animation activities can help you improve your animation [SPONSORED MESSAGE] This episode is sponsored by The Animation Box. The Animation Box is an online learning platform specialized in teaching 3D Character Animation. They currently have a special deal on their Cartoon Mechanics Masterclass where you will learn step by step how to animate a cartoon-stylized shot from blocking to spline in Autodesk Maya. The Masterclass is a 20+hr video course full of unique lectures, tips and tricks and workflow methods that are used in the feature film industry. You'll also get access to unique Character Rigs for Maya that can be used to create your personal shots. They also offer Mentorship training and more workshops are coming in the near future. Check them ou

This episode features Amber Padgett, a stop motion director, animator, and fabricator who shares how to quit your job and follow your ultimate dream. You’ll also learn: *How Amber went from working at a grocery store to some of the top stop motion studios in the US *How to make uncomfortable comfortable to push yourself to new heights *How Amber carved out a niche for herself in outdoor stop motion More about Amber: Amber is a stop motion director, fabricator, and animator working out of LA. She’s worked on projects at Open the Portal, Stoopid Buddies, and FullScreen studios. *Check out Amber’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heavysweaterproductions/ *Check out Amber’s website: http://www.heavysweaterproductions.com/

This episode features The Sketch Effect Founder William Warren, who shares what the B2B animation industry is like. You’ll also learn: *The top 3 things that set you apart from other animation applicants *How The Sketch Effect grew without any traditional marketing *What skills you need to make it in the B2B animation side of things More about William Warren: William is an entrepreneur, illustrator, marketer and writer who has spent his career using visuals to help communicate ideas in an effective and enjoyable way. William is the Founder and CEO of The Sketch Effect, a Visual Communication agency that helps make ideas understandable and actionable through animation, live event sketching and graphic design. The Sketch Effect’s client list includes top-tier brands such as Marriott, Walmart, Microsoft, Chick-fil-A, P&G, and Delta in addition to premier consultancies including Boston Consulting Group, Bain (bain and co), Ernst & Young and Accenture. The Sketch Effect has sketched for thought leaders such as S

This episode features Adam Taylor on how to get hired as a stop motion animator. You’ll also learn: *How to become known for a specific animation technique *How to ensure you have a constant flow of gigs lined up *A list of all the stop motion studios in the USA More about Adam Taylor: Adam Taylor has an MFA in stop-motion from Falmouth University. He is currently a freelance stop motion animator and has worked on the Shivering Truth Seasons 1 and 2. Besides animation, Adam is a husband and family man. *Follow Adam on Instagram: @adamtaylor_animator *Follow Adam’s wife, Erin Taylor on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/erintaylorillustrator/ *Check out Adam’s work on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/adamtaylorart

This episode features 2D animator Josh Pinker on how to network properly in the animation industry (so everyone knows who you are). He also shares how he developed his latest e-book Your Animated Journey, a self-help guide to getting hired and working your way up as an animator. You’ll also learn: *How to use LinkedIn’s algorithm to get a job *The three not-so-talked about things that will get you hired (hint: they having nothing to do with your animation skills) *Why Canada is a better opportunity than the US if you want to be a 2D Animator More about Josh Pinker: Originally from New Jersey, Josh Pinker graduated from Lesley University with a degree in animation. Since then he’s worked on more than a dozen TV shows including Teen Titans Go, My Little Pony, UniKitty, Daniel Tiger’s Neighbourhood, Corner Gas, and the Cyanic and Happiness shorts. He is currently animating on Big Blue at Guru Studio in Toronto. *Support the kickstarter for Josh’s e-book Your Animated Journey: https://www.indiegogo.com/project

This episode features Trevor Hardy, a Stop Motion Animator and Director from the UK. In this chat, he shares how he ended up directing the stop motion feature film Strike, and what it’s like to make a living in the industry. You’ll also learn: *What the stop motion industry is like in the UK (and it might surprise you) *What it really takes to pursue stop motion as a full-time career *The nitty-gritty details of how the feature film Strike was developed More about Trevor Hardy: Trevor Hardy has been a stop motion animator/director for over 20 years. He is the owner of PigBird Stop Motion Studio and his credits include Watermill Farm: A series of short plasticine farm animal adventures for Nickelodeon’s Nick Jr channel, and Pushkin: Bafta shortlisted animation about an old lady who cannot find her beloved cat and which has won many awards both in the UK and internationally. Recently Trevor finished directing ‘STRIKE’ a 90 minute stop-motion feature film, currently enjoying it’s cinema release in the UK, Fra

This episode features Filipino-Canadian Creator, Director, Writer and Filmmaker Mathias Richard Horhager on how to become a kid’s TV show director. You’ll also learn: *The secret ingredients to producing a hit episode *Which part of the show to spend the most time in as a director *How to create a mentality that always pushes you forward in your career More about M.R. Horhager: M.R. Horhager is a Filipino-Canadian creator, director, writer and filmmaker from Toronto, Ontario with a decade of experience in the animation industry. His work includes directing the award-winning series “Dot.” produced by the Jim Henson Company, working with Sesame Workshop as a director on “Prankster Planet”, and his current role as Director and Creative Producer on Nickelodeon’s “Blues Clues & You” reboot. His past director credits also include the pre-school series “Chirp”, and the Christmas special "The Curse of Clara: A Holiday Tale", which won a 2017 Canadian Screen Award for "Best Animated Program or Series". In additio

This episode of the Animation Industry Podcast features two prominent Blue Sky Studios Lighting Artists - Jasmine Katatikarn and Michael Tanzillo - who also run the Academy of Animation Art. In this chat, they share how to become a CG lighting artist in today’s industry. You’ll also learn: *What to include in your portfolio when applying for jobs *The simple goal that will light a scene well no matter what *The ins and outs of working as a CG lighting artist at a major studio More about Jasmine Katatikarn and Michael Tanzillo: Jasmine is currently a Senior Lighting Technical Director at Blue Sky Studios. Her lighting credits include Ferdinand, Peanuts, Rio 2, Epic, Ice Age: Continental Drift, Rio, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, Ghost Town, and The Nanny Diaries. Mike is currently a Senior Lighting TD at Blue Sky Studios. His lighting credits include Rio 2, Epic, Ice Age: Continental Drift, Rio, Scrat’s Continental Crack-up, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, Peanuts and Ferdinand. *Get your free copy of "Th