School of Motion Podcast

Medical Illustration is a fascinating path for Motion Designers. This challenging work requires a clear understanding of anatomy, and the ability to toe the line between style and accuracy. We talked with Director Emily Holden of Campbell Medical Illustrations on how her studio brings the human body to life.

It is incredibly difficult to know where our industry is headed—almost as challenging as defining "motion design" itself. Where is animation or experiential or VR/AR going over the next five years—or even the next five months? Then there are the tools we use everyday, and the ones on our list to learn. Does anyone have the answers? We asked some industry experts to sit down and think about the future...and the results were inspiring. Check out this sneak peek from our brand new course, Level Up!

In the wild early days of the Internet, Motion Design was a much smaller community. Unless you had proper training, it was easy to feel overwhelmed by the learning curve. With many people struggling to get their careers off the ground, one person decided to be their copilot. Andrew Kramer is synonymous with Motion Design. As an artist, a teacher, and a friendly cohort, Andrew inspired countless people to join this community. For the 100th episode of our podcast, we are incredibly proud to share his story, his wisdom, and his wit. Grab a seat, because your copilot has arrived.

Motion design can be used for a number of purposes. It can be an advertisement, a stunning piece of art, or even a moving message. Kentucky-based studio The Furrow partnered with some of the top artists in the industry to collaborate on a powerful project, providing information and insight into a changed world following COVID-19. We joined Creative Director Seth Eckert to talk about his journey into motion design, what it’s like to collaborate with other artists, and tips to succeed in an evolving industry.

One the of the hardest parts of freelancing is managing your risk. Lucky for Colin Hesterly, he's never been afraid of taking a chance. Whether it's crossing the country for a degree, landing an internship with Buck off a student film, or jumping headfirst into freelancing only three months into his career...Colin is ready to take the plunge. We finally managed to lock him down long enough to extract some golden nuggets of advice, so crank that volume and break out a pen and paper. Class is in session. 

No one arrives in this industry ready to jump straight into freelancing. You don't instantly get the skills just because you downloaded the software. Nuria Boj put in the hard work—and the homework—to find and define her strengths as a designer/illustrator. Along the way, she's worked with some incredible studios and clients...including on a project near and dear to our hearts. Get ready to meet one fantastic artist.

What if you had an amazing idea for an animated series, but had no idea where to start? That's where Matthew Senreich and Seth Green began, chasing a funny idea across Hollywood to bring their dream to life. The end result, after 15 years and going on 200 episodes, was the legendary Robot Chicken. We sat down with Matthew to talk about his start with Wizard Entertainment, running rampant over pop culture, and his plan to dominate future. Don't miss this one!

Imagine setting out into the world as an artist, traveling from country to country, with each step in your career taking you further from home. Motion Designer Jiaqi Wang began her journey in China, but she's practiced her craft from Shanghai to Turin, Italy, to sunny Los Angeles, California. Still, she's only looking toward the future, and what tomorrow might bring. 

At some point, every artist struggles to find their voice—that unique style that makes everything they do specifically theirs. We often talk about the structure of animation, or the foundational elements of motion design, but all of that is just the groundwork for your art. To learn more, we sat down director Cat Solen to learn how she found her voice in her new Adult Swim show, "The Shivering Truth."

Adult Swim is known for shows that push the envelope for both what you can show on TV, and how you bring your stories to life. "JJ Villard's Fairy Tales" is a twisted and hilarious take on the Grimm Brothers' famous works. In this episode, JJ joins us to discuss the incredible show, overcoming numerous setbacks, and what it was like to work with the cast of his dreams. If you're hoping for a creative career, don't miss this one!