Author Archives: Laura

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Daphne Hong

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What is your name and your current occupation?
Daphne Hong – I’m currently Animator and illustrator in Paris. I work for animation features, TV series, video games and edition.

 

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
Nothing crazy, I always had jobs in the artistic industries.

 

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
To be proud is not the right word, but I have for of all my projects a special feeling because I learned a lot each time and my dream to be a part of animation industry became more and more true. My most personnal work is a book I illustrated, which was released in March 2012. Being a author is also very rewarding.

 

How did you become interested in animation?
It started with children’s books, TV series and animation features. I drew very early in my childhood and did it everywhere on anything (for example, the walls of my parents apartment), I loved to draw princes and princesses, fairy tales impressed me very much. I also liked make Continue reading

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Andrew Kaiko

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What is your name and your current occupation?
Andrew Kaiko.  I am a creative developer at an advertising agency on internet content in Manhattan, New York.

 

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
My jobs before animation were pretty tame.  So the only thing that comes to mind is when I had to not only sort and prepare illustrators’ promotional packages for their clients at an illustrator agency, but take care of the boss, who was an old lady, and her home, where she ran her agency out of.  I replaced light bulbs and emptied water from the air conditioner all the time. One time she actually booked me with the task of getting myself ice cream, as a break!

 

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
‘Kappa Mikey’  was the first show I worked on at Animation Collective and was also the first show I ever had credit on, and you can’t very well forget something like that!  Not a week went by after getting my bachelor’s certificate, I got a phone call to go into the city for an interview there, and they gave me an offer right then.  This led to animating any anime-esque character who happened to appear in the shot (95% of the cast), and that meant six principle characters, various background extras, and occasional effects and props.  This never happens- I couldn’t believe my luck!  It had a superb cast of voice actors, which turned out to be the best thing about it.  The show isn’t liked by all, and yes, I am familiar with all the complaints, but I loved every second of production.  No other show since, even the shows following it at Animation Collective, was as enjoyable as this one, and that is true even into 2012.

 


How did you become interested in animation?
I’ve been interested in animation my whole life.  I think my parents gave me a gift as well as a curse when Continue reading

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KIERON SEAMONS

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What is your name and your current occupation?

Kieron Seamons.  My first paid job was actually illustrating a book for my old Head Master of my school. It was all a great learning experience, as I was only about 16 years old. I thought I had hit the big time, a star in the making………then I left school, and dug foundations for house extensions. Digging holes for six months sure brought me down to Earth.  After that, I was determined to stay in animation and I have now been in animation since I was around 17 or 18………very lucky indeed.  My current occupation is that I am the proud owner of Sandman Animation Studio. We work on many of the TV shows that you watch on TV today and have produced many award winning shows and cartoon classics over the past years. I have the best job in the world.


What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
‘Roger Rabbit’ was an amazing project to be a part of. I rememeber going into a small viewing room and being shown a ‘trailer’ for it, in the very early stages of the movie. I walked out dizzy, it was just amazing. It insipred me and pushed me to be the best I could be for the Disney company. I was there 3 years, ……loved it.  I worked on many great Animated Features and TV shows after that, including American Tail, Dennis and Gnasher’, ‘Cramp Twins’ and ‘Horrid Henry’ but one of my favorites was a show called ‘Treasure’ by Cinar ( now Cookie Jar ) a fantastic show, with one of the funniest scripts I have read. I used to listen to the audio tapes like it was a radio show. Fantastic! For some reason that show has vanished off the face of the Earth…….I don’t know what happened to it. Great show ! I sure would love to see one of those episodes again…..anyone?  ‘When the Wind Blows’ was a movie that I worked on many years ago. It was created from the wonderful books of Raymond Briggs. It is a real tear jerker, but such a wonderful movie.  These days I am driven by my new show ‘Little China’, it is my first step in to CGI animation and it has been a wonderful experience and the results have inspired the studio to become the best that we can be. We have won our first award ‘ The Crystal Star’ for best animation and it has been featured on the cover of ‘Teddy Bear International ‘ magazine as well as many magazine features. A very exciting time.  Too many shows to mention, more below



How did you become interested in animation?
I remember as a kid being told by my Father that animation was a series of still images. I didn’t believe a word of it, but when he handed me a roll of movie film and I could actually see all the still images………….I was hooked, totally addicted.  I drove everyone crazy. I ran around with my super 8 camera, moving cups, toys and my Sister inch by inch as I pushed the single frame button. I would wait a week for it to be developed and watch the results. I was addicted ! My poor sister is
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Ana Maria Alvarado

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What is your name and your current occupation?
Ana Maria Alvarado, Character Animator.

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
In 1985 I got my first paying job was as an interpreter and guide for an American Journalist in Nicaragua (I grew up in Nicaragua). I was 15, and I made enough money to buy my own radio/boombox after a month of work. I basically just went around Managua with this journalist, helped him navigate the unnamed streets and helped him with his interviews. At one point he asked my parents if I could go north (to the war zone) with him. They gave him a resounding no, but when he returned he asked me to interpret a series of recordings of another American he met in a village up north whom he believed to be a CIA operative. The tapes revealed nothing.  I also worked at Burger King in Stockholm, for 4 days.
What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
I loved working on Stuart Little 2 and Open Season, at Sony Imageworks. The bar for the animation was really high, and I learned so much from other animators.  Recently I also had the privilege to work on Scorcese’s Hugo at Pixomondo. It was a wonderfully collaborative process, and ideas for the animation of the flying paper sequence came from the ground up.

How did you become interested in animation?
I’ve always be interested in visual arts and storytelling.  I was studying film in Prague (back when it was still Czechoslovakia). A one of my classmates and I were looking at some Preston Blair drawings someone had left behind in a classroom. My friend casually commented that I could probably draw like that. I didn’t think I could. While in Prague we tinkered with Continue reading

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Josh Mepham

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What is your name and your current occupation?
Josh Mepham, Director.

 

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
I was a bartender in Portugal where we would blast shots into our customers’ mouths with a supersoaker gun.

 

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
I’m really proud of the two seasons of Kid vs. Kat that I co-directed with creator Rob Boutilier at DHX Media. It’s a fantastic show and deserves all the success it has achieved. I’m also extremely proud of the show my company Slap Happy Cartoons has in development with YTV right called Nerds & Monsters. Slap Happy has also produced some animated shorts for the Vancouver Canucks that play on the big screen at the games. I’m really excited to be working with that organization seeing as I’m a huge Canucks fan.

How did you become interested in animation?
I’ve loved to draw ever since I can remember picking up that first crayon, and I’ve always loved watching cartoons. So I guess I’ve been interested in animation my whole life. I just didn’t think I’d be Continue reading

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Jean Claude de La Ronde

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What is your name and your current occupation?

My name is Jean Claude de La Ronde and I’m currently a freelance storyboard artist offering my pre-production services in the entertainment industry.

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
Acutally that would be my last job back in december 2011. I did storyboards for a horror film and the producer wasn’t really organized and it was just a big amalgam of confusion.

 

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
My most favorite project was when I was working over at Makuta VFX in Hyderabad, India. I was contacted by one of the founders of the company back in 2010. They needed a freelance storyboard artist that could help them with their film project which was a film by SS Rajamouli. Rajamouli turns out that he’s the top Director in Hyderabad and I managed to go over there for a month and help him out with his vision for the “Eega” film. It was truly the best gig I had up to this day. The folks at Makuta were exceptionally welcoming and I made a bunch of friends when I was in charge of the Previz developpement.

How did you become interested in animation?
I’ve always been a cartoon fan since the day I discovered the

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