Author Archives: Laura

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Sierra Lewis

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What is your name and your current occupation? 
My name is Sierra Lewis and I am currently an Art Director at Renegade Animation.
What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation? 
 When I graduated from LCAD in 2009 it was right in the middle of the recession. The area where my family and I lived actually had a higher rate of unemployment than Los Angeles at that time. I couldn’t even get a job as a barista at a local coffee house unless I had one years experience working at Starbucks. In short, it was nearly impossible to secure even part time income.
I ended up having to look out of state for work. I have some considerable experience working with horses and doing various barn chores so I packed up my belongings and moved to Arizona working as a Wrangler on a dude ranch. This was a sprawling working cattle ranch that consisted of nearly 150 horses and around 200 head of Texas Longhorn cattle in the beautiful Sonoran desert.
I had a fantastic and unique opportunity to teach folks from all over the world how to ride horses and guided them through thousands of acres of surprisingly lush desert. I groomed, saddled, doctored and fed these horses while doing all my other chores and activities with guests six days a week, fourteen hours a day (in 111 degree heat). It was very hard work but even harder on the horses. After watching a third horse during the exceedingly harsh summer season die in agony from either a careless accident or (most likely heat or dehydration induced) colic, I quit and headed back to California.
What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of? 
My favorite project so far has got to be “Attack of the 50 Foot Hero” that I completed last summer (2012) under the mentorship of Eric Goldberg. From concept to completion we had 12 weeks to complete a three minute film. I got to collaborate with some very talented friends and colleagues. It was a great experience to have Mr. Goldberg as our mentor. He taught us some very good production management skills, but more importantly helped us to narrow our focus and become stronger storytellers in all facets of the film making process.
Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business? 
I’m originally from a little area in Los Angeles called Woodland Hills. I’ve lived in L.A. County for the majority of my life. I believe I got into the animation business first via working on Facebook Social Games. Through that job I was given Continue reading
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Lee Ray

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What is your name and your current occupation?
Lee Ray I am currently finishing off a contract to design and visualize  props for an Endemol kids Cartoon show based on The 99 comics.

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
I was lucky to get a job in video games about 4 years after graduating in 1990. Before that I did what every student would during the holidays; shop work, Nightshift Warehouse work, even a bit of teaching anything to pay off the debt from term time.

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
I have been lucky enough to work on video games and TV, probably The TimeSplitters series would be the most fun I had in games while so far the CBBC show HOUNDED in the U.K. Was great fun as they let me go mental with what they had on paper. The starsheep Enterprise was originally going to be a ball of wool until I showed them the sketch. They trusted me to develop the idea from then on.

How did you become interested in animation?
Technically speaking I don’t animate but the work I do does get animated. I am from that generation that was at the right age to see Star Wars when it first came out, the rest was just a case of “How do I get to do this for a living” and later on the more mature version “How much can I get paid to do this for a living”.It`s all George Lucas` Fault.

Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business?
Birmingham U.K. Originally now, in Nottingham ( yes it`s a real place, no we dont all talk like Kevin Costner OR Russell Crowe for that matter 😉 ). I worked at Rare ( home of Donkey Kong Country) for four years before leaving to Continue reading

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Sean Petrilak

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What is your name and your current occupation?
Hello there, my name is Sean Petrilak and I am an episodic director on the show “Wabbit” at Warner Bros. Aside from animation, I am a live action storyboard artist.
What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
I used to be a head referee at a paintball field. I got shot at, broke up fights when tempers got flared, and shoveled heaps of paint, shells, and garbage until my back was sore. Perfect experience for animation. I don’t know if this is considered ‘crazy’, but before animation, I started working in the music industry and working with many high-end performers as a storyboard artist- still do. What I think is ‘crazy’ about it is the pace at which it moves and the politics that can cause workflow to change at a moment’s notice. I sometimes see a morning news report about a mishap with one of my clients. All you can say is, “Well there goes that job.”
What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
This sounds cheesy, but everything I worked on so far in animation has been an absolute pleasure, because I’ve been allowed to do different things on each one. “Kung Fu Panda: LOA”(the series), “Randy Cunningham 9th Grade Ninja”, and “Wabbit”.
Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business?
I didn’t look far, that’s for sure. I grew up in an animation family. My father, Kevin, is a director, sheet timer, and character animator. My mother, Jill, is color goddess, BG and BG Key painter. My great uncle Gerry Dvorak was a baseball card illustrator who got into animation as well. No matter how hard my parents tried, I still got into animation.  I had a million Continue reading

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Josh Zinman

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What is your name and your current occupation? 
Josh Zinman, Freelance Story Artist
What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation? 
 I used to smuggle ferrets from Arizona into California and sell them on the black market for a hefty mark-up.
What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of? 
Robot and Monster at Nickelodeon was the most awesome production I have ever worked on. Amazing people, brilliant show, and lots of cake!
Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business? 

I grew up on a cattle ranch in Paso Robles, CA. I really liked to draw so I figured I would Continue reading

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Mark Kennedy

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What is your name and your current occupation?
Mark Kennedy, head of story at Disney Feature Animation

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
An overnight shift putting “The New York Times” into newspaper machines

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
Tangled, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast

How did you become interested in animation?
It didn’t hit me until I was in junior high school. It was when I first saw the “Dragon’s Lair” video game. I never thought about animation or drawing until then, so I had to try and catch up fast in order to go to art school by the time I graduated high school.

Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business?
I’m from Cupertino, California USA and I went to The California Institute of the Arts right after high school, then started working at Disney feature animation after 3 years at CalArts.

What’s a typical day like for you with regards to your job?
Every day is different. It depends on where the film is in the production cycle. In the beginning of the cycle, I spend most of my time in the story room with the directors and the other story artists (and writer, if there is one) talking through the story and writing it out on Continue reading

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Joe Croson

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What is your name and your current occupation?
Joe Croson, Director for Creative Production at BItTorrent and the Creator/Writer/Voice for Transfurter.

 

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
Ooof, when I was 15 I used to clean dorm-rooms at the University of Oregon. I’m pretty sure all of the deep cleaning chemicals made my brain the slow mass of ooze it is today.

 

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
Aside from creating and producing Transfurter, writing for Superjail season 2 was definitely a highlight. The team was extremely talented and I had a great time learning a lot from each of them.

 

Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business?
Originally I’m from Eugene, Oregon.  I got into animation through an internship working on the Venture Bros. for [adult swim], back when Continue reading