This episode of the Animation Industry Podcast features Stephen Chiodo, who is one of the great masters of stop motion, puppetry, and special effects. He shares how he was able to carve out his career in stop motion specifically and become sought-after for his skills in animation, puppetry, and special effects. You’ll also learn: *How to mentally position yourself so you’ll always be in-demand by studios *Important notes to make when negotiating a contract *How to gain connections at the top studios *What is was like working with Tim Burton on Vincent ~[Get 10% Off Stop Motion Supplies]~ This episode of the podcast is sponsored by AnimateClay.com, where you can get 10% off any of the stop motion Bend-D armatures, Bend-D rigs, or a copy of Stop Motion Pro Software by using code AIP. Here are the links: *Bend-D Armatures (use coupon code AIP for 10% off): www.stopmotionstore.com/index.php?mai…x&cPath=25_55 *Bend-D Rigs (use coupon code AIP for 10% off): www.stopmotionstore.com/index.php?mai…x&cPath=25_56 *Stop Motion Pro Software (no code needed, this is a special link for 10% off): www.stopmotionstore.com/index.php?mai…oducts_id=526 In the final stage of checkout, you will be asked to provide a coupon code. Use code AIP for a 10% discount on your purchase. By doing so you’re also supporting this podcast! More about Stephen Chiodo: President and creative director of Chiodo Bros. Productions Inc. Stephen Chiodo has established himself as a highly creative special effects director with an expertise in stop-motion animation. Stephen perfected his animation and directorial skills at Rochester Institute of Technology, where he was awarded "Best Young Director" at the Cannes Film Festival for his ten-minute short, "Cricket”. In the early eighties, he collaborated with Tim Burton and Rich Heinricks as a Technical Director and Animator for the acclaimed animated short Vincent. Stephen’s directing credits include the first feature length clay animated film I Go Pogo and the cult classic Killer Klowns from Outer Space. Recent credits include the stop motion character animation for New Line Cinema’s “Elf” and creating the cast of marionettes for Paramount’s “Team America- World Police “. Recently Stephen has directed pilots for CNN, ShowTime, Relativity Media and the Disney Channel as well as creating content for new media outlets on the Internet. Stephen has also been sharing his experiences and knowledge by teaching stop motion animation at the prestigious California Institute of Art. Follow Stephen’s work on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChiodoBros/

Episode 31: Adventure Time Character Designer & Amphibia Director Derek Kirk Kim's Journey into Animation This episode of the Animation Industry Podcast featured Derek Kirk Kim, prolific comics writer and artist, Senior Character Designer on Adventure Time, and Director for Disney TV’s Amphibia. In our chat, he shares the struggles of trying to make it as a comics artist and how that led to his career in animation. You will also learn: *His proven structure for publishing graphic novels *How to get the right industry connections *A very clear picture of what it’s like being a character designer Derek Kirk Kim is a writer, director, and artist who has been captivating audiences for over 20 years. Most recently he worked on the new Disney series, AMPHIBIA, directing 20 episodes for the first season. Before that, he worked for Cartoon Network on the Emmy Award-winning series ADVENTURE TIME. He also worked for Warner Bros as a storyboard artist on GREEN EGGS AND HAM, an adaptation of Dr. Seuss’s legendary book, coming soon to Netflix. He is also a prolific comics writer and artist with 5 graphic novel under his belt, translated into numerous languages. He has won all three major comics industry awards, the Eisner, Harvey, and the Ignatz. Currently he lives and works in Los Angeles. Follow Derek Kirk Kim’s work on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/derekkirkkim/

This episode of the Animation Industry Podcast features master claymation animator Marc Spess who shares his encyclopedia knowledge on everything you need to know about sculpting clay for claymation. You will also learn: *Every answer to every question you ever had about clay - and even ones you didn’t think to ask (like heating up clay colours in a pot to mix them faster). *How to set up your layers and reduce glare for animating on glass *The pitfalls of making a career out of stop motion and Marc’s advice if you’re losing interest, or feel like giving up (like I did for nearly a decade). ~[Get 10% Off Stop Motion Supplies]~ This episode of the podcast is sponsored by AnimateClay.com, where you can get 10% off any of the stop motion Bend-D armatures, Bend-D rigs, or a copy of Stop Motion Pro Software by using code AIP. Here are the links: *Bend-D Armatures (use coupon code AIP for 10% off): www.stopmotionstore.com/index.php?mai…x&cPath=25_55 *Bend-D Rigs (use coupon code AIP for 10% off): www.stopmotionstore.com/index.php?mai…x&cPath=25_56 *Stop Motion Pro Software (no code needed, this is a special link for 10% off): www.stopmotionstore.com/index.php?mai…oducts_id=526 In the final stage of checkout, you will be asked to provide a coupon code. Use code AIP for a 10% discount on your purchase. By doing so you’re also supporting this podcast! More about Marc Spess: I first discovered Marc’s work through the short film he was creating called Zombie Pirate Tales back in 2013 - and what immediately stood out to me was his incredibly detailed clay characters that are very reminiscent from the WIll Vinton era. He has an amazing talent for sculpting and he’s been able to make a career out. Since the 90’s, he’s worked on many claymation spots and commercials, life-sized celebrity replicas, horror film props, and so much more. Another thing about Marc is that he’s very active in this community and even runs a site completely dedicated to stop motion - there are tonnes of guides for beginners, a great forum to post your work and get feedback, and every week he hosts a live video podcast on YouTube where he discusses everything about stop motion - news, tutorials, feedback sessions and more. Follow Marc and his work at https://animateclay.com/

This episode of the Animation Industry Podcast features Sylvain Marc, a Vis Dev artist who’s helped develop the look and feel of BoxTrolls, Hotel Transylvania 2 & 3, and the Amazing World of Gumball, shares how to develop concept art for film and television. You’ll also learn: *The top three pieces of art to showcase in your portfolio *The entire process of pitching concept work for a feature film *The number one skill every concept artist needs to develop no matter what Sylvain Marc is also a Production Designer, Illustrator, and Animation Director. He started his path in Paris at Ecole Estienne and then went on to graduate from the highly esteemed Gobelins Animation School in 2006. Since then he’s been highly sought after for his amazing illustrative talents by Laia, Blue Sky, Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, Sony Animation, Passion Pictures, and many more. Plus, I have been a big fan of his work for a long time. Today he is going to chat about exactly how to develop concept art for a film or TV show and how to make it as a visual development artist if you’re just starting out. Follow Sylvain on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/polyminthe/

This episode of the Animation Industry Podcast features seasoned stop motion animator Javan Ivey, on everything you need to make a beginner stop motion studio in your bedroom that will give you professional-quality videos. You will also learn: *Javan’s journey into the world of commercial stop motion film making *The exact camera, lighting, stop motion equipment and software set up you need without breaking the bank *Where to find really good tutorials and reviews on equipment ~[Get 10% Off Stop Motion Supplies]~ This episode of the podcast is sponsored by AnimateClay.com, where you can get 10% off any of the stop motion Bend-D armatures, Bend-D rigs, or a copy of Stop Motion Pro Software by using code AIP. Here are the links: *Bend-D Armatures (use coupon code AIP for 10% off): https://www.stopmotionstore.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=25_55 *Bend-D Rigs (use coupon code AIP for 10% off): https://www.stopmotionstore.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=25_56 *Stop Motion Pro Software (no code needed, this is a special link for 10% off): https://www.stopmotionstore.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=61&products_id=526 In the final stage of checkout, you will be asked to provide a coupon code. Use code AIP for a 10% discount on your purchase. By doing so you’re also supporting this podcast! More about Javan Ivey: Javan started his path into stop motion at Pratt Institute’s Animation Program which he graduated from in 2009, and afterwards he moved back to Portland to begin working in stop motion. He has a tonne of credits to his name including work with Bent Image Labs, the famous PES films, Starburns, ShadowMachine, House Special and Open the Portal Studio. He has worked on commercials, music videos, and a bunch of short films. And, not only is he an animator, he is also a fabricator, engineer, designer, and animation supervisor. Follow Javan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/javanable/ Check out Javan’s reel on his Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/javanivey People Javan mentioned on the podcast: Johan Rijpma’s Tegels on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/javanivey Max Winston on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madmaxwinston/ Johnny Kelly on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/johnnykelly Bruce Brickford on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Bickford_(animator) Edu puertas’ YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdEtDnvVeoqlKzpquM7IsNA Rob Shaw’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sirrobrob/ Resources Javan mentioned on the podcast: Angle of Incidence: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angle_of_incidence_(optics) Arcs in Animation: https://blog.animationmentor.com/arc-the-12-basic-principles-of-animation/ Inverse Square Law: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inverse-square_law Sticky Bones Armatures: https://www.stickybones.com/ Learn more about this podcast at terryibele.com/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 really surprise you) *How Tina risked everything to pursue hand-drawn video game animation *Tina’s complete process for creating the unique character loop animations in Cuphead Tina Nawrocki has over 13 years experience working as an animator and concept artist in the video game industry. Throughout her career, her clients have included Disney, Warner Bros., National Geographic, PBS Kids, One Drop Foundation and MLB. Tina joined Studio MDHR in 2015 to work on Cuphead as a Concept Artist and 2D Animator. She designed and animated Baroness Von Bon Bon and the mini-bosses for the Sugarland Shimmy level. She also created concepts and animated enemies for various platforming stages. Overall, Tina animated over 60 characters for Cuphead. Follow Tina: Tina’s Blog: http://tinanawrocki.blogspot.com/ Demo Reel: https://vimeo.com/254787713 Twitter: https://twitter.com/NawrockiTina Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tinanawrockiart Resources Tina mentions in this podcast: The talk Tina did at Digital Dragons: http://tinanawrocki.blogspot.com/ Samantha Youssef’s Studio-Technique: http://www.studio-technique.com/ Samantha Youssef’s Book, Movement and Form: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/samanthasketches/the-youssef-drawing-syllabus-movement-and-form They Drew as They Pleased: The Hidden Art of Disney's Golden Age: https://www.amazon.ca/They-Drew-Pleased-Hidden-Disneys/dp/1452137439 The Hand Behind the Mouse: The Ub Iwerks Story: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0179496/ Felicity Morland’s film Hand Drawn: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/hand-drawn-feature-film#/ Brian Kesinger’s Jasper J Pumpkinhead Project: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/babytattoo/the-fantastic-contraptions-of-jasper-j-pumpkinhead Hanna Abi-Hanna’s live drawing of Miss Chalice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGQkXdzUG_U Learn more about this podcast at terryibele.com/animation-industry-podcast/

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 Barret Slagl started his journey into animation sound design way back when he signed with Atlantic Records as a recording artist, where he did extensive touring, shared a stage with and co-wrote songs with Alain Whyte (of Morrissey), cut a record with legendary producer/engineer Joe Chiccarelli (U2, Beck, White Stripes) and mixer Brian Malouf (Michael Jackson, Queen), all before the age of 23. After gaining experience and learning from these masters, he realized his passion for the studio and chose to pursue a full-time career as a producer. Since then he’s produced, recorded, mixed, and co-written dozens of albums at Artisans Label Studios and now he co-owns a stop motion studio called Open The Portal where he also heads up the audio department and does all the sound effects and music for their animations. Some of his commercial work includes projects for Katy Perry, A$AP Rocky, Mattel, and Disney. Get in touch with Barrett, and hear his work on his website: https://www.barrettslagle.com/ Learn more about this podcast at terryibele.com/animation-industry-podcast/

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 impress any studio executive *A complete list of absolutely everything you need to prepare before you walk in to pitch your series ~[Sponsored Message]~ This episode is sponsored by the awesome team at Startastudio.com Start A Studio, is a new online school focused on the business side of animation. They have both free and paid courses, an online community and downloads to help you succeed in your animation career, and build your own cool, creative and viable animation studio. You can use the unique discount code ‘AIP’ in the checkout to save 20% on their popular Pro Studio Startup course. So, whether you’re looking to up your freelance game or plan and launch your own animation company, check out https://startastudio.com/ ~ David Braun is the Creative Director of Open The Portal, a creative development studio with a focus on stop motion animation. The studio recently directed two new TV spots for Rick & Morty, and have also produced projects for Disney, Katy Perry, Mattel, eBay, and many others. After 5 years of creating professional work for outside clients, Open The Portal has shifted focus this year exclusively to their own original concepts, and have a pitch for an animated anthology that they are taking out to studios and streaming services this summer. David started animating with his family's home movie camera when he was nine years old and hasn't stopped since. After high school he spent several years pursuing a career in music with his band Great Glass Elevator who were signed to Atlantic Records. Through the process of making original stop motion videos for them, he decided to make animation his career. David then attended the Experimental Animation program at CalArts from 2009-2013, and also studied for a year at FAMU in Prague. He won a contest through MTV as a student to interview Tim Burton, and has also worked on several animated commercials and TV shows. As the creative director at Open The Portal he loves nothing more than bringing animators and artists he loves and looks up to together to create new and exciting animated projects. Reach out to David at david@opentheportal.com Get in touch with Open the Portal Studio at hello@opentheportal.com Follow Open the Portal on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/opentheportal/ Learn more about this podcast at terryibele.com/animation-industry-podcast/

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 + the best place to get advice for each program. *The complete application process to apply to Sheridan as an International Student (including your visa and how much you’re allowed to work) *The number one biggest disadvantage of being an international student, plus three really great advantages Whit is in his second year of Sheridan’s Animation program and he’s also an international student from America. In fact, he was actually in the same class as me last year at Sheridan and gave me a lot of feedback on my projects. And besides talking in a Boston accent constantly, another thing he specializes in is special effect animations of explosions and fight scenes, and he’s often creating badass characters with grotesque monsters for arms. Follow Whit on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sinikick/ Learn more about this podcast at terryibele.com/animation-industry-podcast/

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 to stay mentally and physically healthy as a full-time artist *Plus, why Aminder will never show anyone her sketchbook *And… Aminder’s best advice for Sheridan students’ grad film (she’s an alumni!) Aminder Dhaliwal is a native of Brampton, Ontario and received a Bachelors of Animation from Sheridan College in Oakville. She now lives in Los Angeles, where she is a Director at Disney TV Animation. Previously, she worked as a Storyboard Director at Cartoon Network and a Storyboard Director on the Nickelodeon show Sanjay and Craig. On the side, she is very well known for Woman World, her biweekly Instagram comic which started in early 2017. It became very popular and amassed nearly 200,000 followers. Plus, Woman World was nominated for an Ignatz Award for Outstanding Online Comic. Most recently Aminder has been publishing a comic about cyclops life which is equally as amazing. Follow Aminder and read her comics on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aminder_d/?hl=en Learn more about this podcast at terryibele.com/animation-industry-podcast/