Animation Industry Podcast

This episode of the Animation Industry Podcast features Tina Nawrocki, one of the original hand-drawn animators on the Cuphead video game. Tina shares how she got her start in traditional 2D animator, how she landed Cuphead, and what opportunities exist for hand-drawn animators in the marketplace. You’ll also learn: *The top 3 skills you’ll need to thrive in hand-drawn animation (2 of them may rea...

This episode of the Animation Industry Podcast features Mixer/Producer, and Studio Co-Owner Barrett Slagle, who shares everything an animator needs to know about sound design. You’ll also learn: *The biggest mistake animators make when composing sound for their films *The best place to find a sound designer or composer for your film *A beginner’s cheat sheet for creating studio-level sound effects...

This episode of the Animation Industry Podcast features David Braun, Creative Director at Open the Portal, a stop motion studio in LA. David shares the journey it took to create the studio from scratch, while also developing and pitching an original series idea to major networks. You’ll also learn: *The hardest questions a producer will ask you during the pitch *The #1 thing that will immediately...

This episode of the Animation Industry Podcast features Whitman Theofreastous, a second year International Animation Student at Sheridan College in Canada. Whit shares his experience with applying to multiple animation schools and the complete process to get into Sheridan from the USA. You’ll also learn: *The big difference in application requirements between SVA, CalArts, Ringling, and Sheridan +...

This episode of the Animation Industry Podcast features Aminder Dhaliwal, Director at Disney TV and creator of the massively popular comic Woman World, on how to find success on Instagram as an Artist. You will also learn. *How to refine your storytelling process to be super punchy and clear *The difference in studio culture between Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, and Disney *5 Practical tips on how...

This episode of the Animation Industry Podcast features Tracy Strong, 2D Effects Animator at Pipeline Studios on the steps to build a career out of 2D effects. You will also learn: *The 3 specific things to include in your portfolio if you want to get into 2D Effects (it’s not what you think) *What 90% of the job of a Special Effects Animator actually entails *Why being told you’re great at art ca...

This episode of the Animation Industry Podcast features Maximilian Lopez, stop motion animator on Tumble Leaf and Founder of Apartment D Films on how to get stop motion client work. You’ll also learn: *How Max worked his way from painting a bathroom during his first internship to owning his own studio *How to entice clients to take on stop motion projects *A whole lot of really really really reall...

This episode of the Animation Industry Podcast features Brent Dienst, Pixar Animator on how to create believable character performances. You’ll also learn: *What Pixar looks for when they hire character animators *How to turn “throwaway shots” into career jumping opportunities *What the culture at Pixar is like for animators Brent Dienst began at Pixar Animation Studios as an animator the summer o...

This episode of the Animation Industry Podcast features NFB Director Dale Hayward on his latest film Bone Mother and how to build a career out of stop motion. You’ll also learn: *The complete process of how National Film Board of Canada films are produced. *How Dale and co-director Sylvie created their own 3D printing process for face replacements *The one thing that will make you appear more legi...

This episode of the Animation Industry Podcast features Bill Tedford, Art Director at Brown Bag Films, on how to develop children’s programming IP. You’ll also learn: *The complete process a children’s show goes through from ideation to air *What kind of market research Brown Bag does before they develop an IP *Why it’s easier for background painters to become Art Directors Who is a Toronto-based...

This episode of the Animation Industry Podcast features Fernando Stockler, Sheridan Animation Student, on how to get into the program and do really really really well. You’ll also learn: *How to get top marks on your animation portfolio *The #1 thing animation students struggle with *How making your mom freshly squeezed orange juice can help you get better grades *(plus, hear me say “like” 12,000...

This episode of the Animation Industry Podcast features Davey Ferguson, a freelance, Glasgow based animator who talks about how to specialize in silly animation and artwork for TV, games, and online content. You’ll also learn: *How he ended up animating a guest episode of Adventure Time *How to time manage yourself as a freelancer *The biggest stress a freelance animator faces There’s a short anim...

This episode of the Animation Industry Podcast features Andrew Strimaitis, Animation Director at Guru Studio who talks about mentorship and how a feedback loop can further your career (in leaps and bounds!). You’ll also learn: *The KABOOMS formula for animating characters at maximum efficiency *The #1 thing Andrew’s seen motivate animators to do their best studio work *Andrew’s best advice on how...

This episode of the Animation Industry Podcast features Elyse Castro, creator of The Summoning on Cartoon Hangover, on how she pitched her show idea to Frederator. You’ll also learn: *How ridiculously simple Elyse’s pitch was *Everything you need to put together your own pitch (and all the stuff you don’t actually need to do) *The different types of tension that will make the story better Two year...

This episode of the Animation Industry Podcast features Emmy winning Stop Motion Animator Sarah de Gaudemar on how to make a career out of stop motion animation. You’ll also learn: *How to improve your stop motion skills (if you feel like you suck at it) *The best way to get into the industry *The big difference between TV stop motion and feature film stop motion Sarah graduated from NYU’s film pr...

This episode of the Animation Industry Podcast features Scarlet Nelson on how to become a TV show stop motion animator. You’ll also learn: *The top three things to put in a stop motion demo reel *What a 9-5 day looks like animating a TV show in stop motion *The different skills needed for stop motion vs 2D and 3D animation Scarlet is an Animator and Illustrator working in LA. The majority of her w...

This episode of the Animation Industry Podcast features ‘Jack off all trades’ animator and Executive Producer of Niko and the Sword of Light, Jim Bryson on how to find success in a variety of roles and end up making your own show. You will also learn: *The best way to get a studio executive to greenlight your show pitch *The different types of animation work you can expect in Canada, the US, and t...

This episode of the Animation Industry Podcast features Vadim Bazhanov on how to become a successful Story Artist working on feature-length films. You will also learn: *Vadim’s journey from graduating in Toronto to working at Blue Sky in New York *How he wrote the massively popular short The Early Hatchling Gets the Worm, which has nearly 40 million views on YouTube *What it’s like working with a...

This episode of the Animation Industry Podcast features Rikke Asbjoern and Chris Garbutt on how they became showrunners on their own series for Netflix. You will also learn: *The surprising advice they have on connecting with industry professionals *What they pitched to get their show Pinky Malinky picked up by Nickelodeon and then Netflix *Their take on mastering one skill vs learning a wide rang...

This episode of the Animation Industry Podcast features Humberto Rosa on how he became a lead animator on Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse at Sony Pictures Imageworks. You will also learn: *Why positive reinforcement nearly led him down the wrong career path (and what it took to set his path straight) *The skill he picked up after animation school that changed his career for the better *How anyon...

This episode of the Animation Industry Podcast features Cartoon Network’s Ronald Stanage on how to break into the animation industry and make fart jokes for kids. You’ll also learn: *The one thing Ron did every day (for five years!) that landed him his role at Cartoon Network *The pros and cons of developing a wide range of skills vs mastering one skill *The most exciting and monotonous parts of b...

This episode of the Animation Industry Podcast features Lawrence Hugh Burns on what it takes to do freelance and professional illustration. You’ll also learn: *How Lawrence went from mowing lawns to becoming a professional illustrator *Two tips on how to price freelance work *The top three skills every professional illustrator needs Lawrence is a graduate from The University of The Arts in Philade...

This episode of the Animation Industry Podcast features DreamWorks Animation’s Colin Jack on what it takes to become a story artist on feature-length films. You’ll also learn: *How to stay competitive in an ever-changing industry *Three practical tips to make connections with industry professionals *What impact Instagram followers have on your professional career Colin Jack started his career as a...

This episode of the Animation Industry Podcast features Cartoon Network’s Dodge Greenley on how to become a super rad storyboard artist. You’ll also learn: *The number one skill every storyboard artist needs to climb the ranks *How to board the 3-act story formula every TV episode goes through *What to show in your portfolio when applying to storyboard artist jobs Dodge started his career at Nicke...

This episode of the Animation Industry Podcast features Emmy award winning South Park producer Ryan Quincy on how to create and run a successful animated television show. You'll also learn: How Ryan began his career without going to animation school *The biggest mistake creators make when pitching shows to networks *The number one thing students need to focus on to become a *successful producer or...