Behind The Pixel: Closing The Animation Communication Gap

Welcome to another SLAE episode. These episodes were recorded at The Salt Lake Animation Expo in March of 2024. We interviewed Expo Speakers and others who were involved with the expo. A special thanks to Jordyn Curly for allowing us to do this. In this episode, Kathryn and Will welcome Lindsay Knowler at Eat Your Peas, a collaborative effort among passionate artists aimed at mentoring and giving...

In this episode, we're joined by Kaci Smith and Jennie Davis, co-founders of the Mothers of Mograph community, to discuss the unique challenges and triumphs of balancing motherhood and a career in the creative industry. They share insights into their organization's aim to helpi mothers navigate the complexities of the creative industry. The episode delves into the specific challenges faced by crea...

In this episode of Behind the Pixel, Will and Kathryn dive into a thought-provoking discussion inspired by a well-composed anonymous post on LinkedIn. The episode centers on key principles for improving collaboration and creativity between clients and creators. They both reflect on their own experiences at Open Pixel Studios, emphasizing the importance of mutual respect and effective communication...

Welcome to another SLAE episode. These episodes were recorded at The Salt Lake Animation Expo in March of 2024. We interviewed Expo Speakers and others who were involved with the expo. A special thanks to Jordyn Curly for allowing us to do this. In this episode, Will and Kathryn sat down with, Julian Curi, also known as Righteous Robot, a filmmaker and animator specializing in a unique papercut an...

Will and Kathryn are back to celebrate their milestone 50th episode by diving into the topic of using templates in animation. They discuss the pros and cons of templates, highlighting their potential to save time and money while also pointing out their limitations, such as inflexibility and lack of originality.  This special episode combines valuable insights with the usual light-hearted banter, m...

Welcome to another SLAE episode. These episodes were recorded at The Salt Lake Animation Expo in March of 2024. We interviewed Expo Speakers and others who were involved with the expo. A special thanks to Jordyn Curly for allowing us to do this. In this episode, we sit down with Matt Schultz, Executive Creative Director and co-owner of Mass FX Media, a Denver-based full-service post house speciali...

Kathryn and Will give some updates as to what they've been up to and also answer a Pod Question from a special guest.

Welcome to another SLAE episode. These episodes were recorded at The Salt Lake Animation Expo in March of 2024. We interviewed Expo Speakers and others who were involved with the expo. A special thanks to Jordyn Curly for allowing us to do this. In this episode, Mike Morris, the Creative Director at BlueOwl, provides insider insights into the mind of corporate clients. He discusses client-side hes...

Welcome to the SLAE episodes. These are podcasts we recorded at The Salt Lake Animation Expo in March of 2024. We interviewed Expo Speakers and others who were involved with the expo. A special thanks to Jordyn Curly for allowing us to do this. In this episode we chat with Chaz Walgamott, the owner of Digital Gravy in Salt Lake City, Utah. We chat about how the Animation Expo got started, what cli...

Kathryn and Will sit with Mark Cernosia founder of Prøfanity Creative to have a no bullsh*t discussion on client-side communication, project budgets, what issues freelancers are facing today, and what his camp is all about. Camp Mograph Tickets drop this Saturday (4/20/24)! Learn more here: https://www.campmograph.com/ More info on Monday Meeting: https://www.mondaymeeting.org/ If you have a topic...

Open Pixel gets creative with Amy Scott, the founder of Wild Apple Design Group to discuss the relationship between websites and design. What motion can do to help create successful brands and campaigns online. We explore a little bit of A.I. and it's impact on the web as well as how everything is now on the cloud. Wild Apple is an award-winning and tech-savvy graphic design firm located in the Pi...

Kathryn and Will chat with former client Rachel Murray, the Co-CEO at She+ Geeks Out, to talk to us about how they utilize the medium of animation in different ways within their organization, how D.E.I. is changing, and how to best use long form and short form content. She+ Geeks Out offers a variety of services to support you in your journey to abolish inequity at work, whether it's through our t...

Quick updates from Will and Kathryn in Salt Lake City. They talk a little about what's to come and apologize for not having done enough. More episodes to drop soon.

Will and Kathryn discuss using Gen AI in creative sales pitching, how it can hurt your production and what questions to ask of us, (creative partners, artists, freelancers) when being presented with new creative direction that has utilized generative AI tools. Will also tries his best to give a very broad definition of how Generative AI works. Will mentions a talk in this episode and if you want t...

Will and Kathryn discuss the act of pitching for free, through a petition, which they've signed. They talk about what creative pitching is and describe the different ways we circumvent the classic pitch process. If you want to check out the petition, click here . If you have a topic or question you’d like us to cover, ⁠you can submit it to: www.openpixelstudios.com/podquestion⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ Learn more abou...

Join us for a insightful conversation with Jeremy Brown, the Senior Instructor and Director of the Digital Animation Program at the University of Colorado Denver, as we delve into the captivating world of VFX. Uncover the realities behind visual effects – what it truly entails, its contemporary applications, and invaluable insights on gearing up for projects infused with VFX. Jeremy also talks to...

Will and Kathryn spend some time with the seniors from the College of Arts and Media at CU Denver. They chat about what it was like to land their first jobs and give their expert advice on how to get the most out of networking opportunities, what they look for in interviews as hiring managers, and they may expect as the economy shifts. If you have a topic or question you’d like us to cover, ⁠you c...

Source Files. What the heck are they and why do they hold all of the superpowers? Will and Kathryn discuss problems surrounding source files of original artwork, why folks charge for releasing them and why marketers and communication professionals need to access them. If you have a topic or question you’d like us to cover, ⁠you can submit it to: www.openpixelstudios.com/podquestion⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ Learn more...

The Open Pixel Team is back with a new episode focused on financial transparency. They hit on multiple facets of finance, be it your personal year-end financial posts, a client's budgetary disclosure, or our own financial numbers. If you love talking about transparency, this one's for you. If you have a topic or question you’d like us to cover, ⁠you can submit it to www.openpixelstudios.com/podque...

Will and Kathryn welcome the new year with a slightly new format. Opinions on LinkedIn fly in all sorts of directions. Instead of hate commenting on someone's post, we decided to breakdown an anonymous opinion on Contractor Expectations. If you're working with contractors directly, you should take a listen. We also share some of our plans for this season of the pod. If you have a topic or question...

As the year and the season come to a close, Will and Kathryn say goodbye, for now, but not before revisiting some of their favorite advice and insights from this year's wonderful guests and giving us one last bad idea. Please be sure to check out more episodes of Behind The Pixel. Thank you to all our guests (in order of appearance): Myke Connolly at Stand Out Truck® Gabe Munitz-Alessio at Cave 76...

Will and Kathryn sit down with our very first panel of experts to talk about all things sound! We’re joined by Stephen Frost, Creative Director and founder at Stereo Couture: Music + Sound; Voiceover Actress, Communications, and Marketing Professional Michelle Betton, and Seth Bowser, Freelance Composer and Music Teacher at the Altadena Music Academy, in Altadena, CA. Stereo Couture: https://www.s...

Will and Kathryn review the main sound stages: voiceover, music, and sound effects. They’ll walk through how each of those stages works, how to give better feedback during those stages and advise on the best time to introduce the conversations about sound during production. If you have a topic or question you’d like us to cover, ⁠you can submit it anonymously here: www.openpixelstudios.com/podques...

Do you attend a lot of meetings? We don't. Kathryn explains how we run our meetings, keep them short, and keep productions moving in this new hack! Also stick around till then end to hear an impromptu bad idea. If you have a topic or question you’d like us to cover, ⁠you can submit it to: www.openpixelstudios.com/podquestion⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ Learn more about this podcast here⁠⁠: https://www.openpixelstudios.c...

Will and Kathryn describe four great ways to avoid too many cooks in the creative kitchen, a very common problem among marketing teams working with creative agencies. If you have a topic or question you’d like us to cover, ⁠you can submit it anonymously here: www.openpixelstudios.com/podquestion⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ Learn more about this podcast here⁠⁠: https://www.openpixelstudios.com/behindthepixel ⁠⁠EMedia⁠⁠ p...