Category Archives: Artists Interviews

No comments

Scotland D. Barnes

  By

This slideshow requires JavaScript.


What is your name and your current occupation?
My name is Scotland D. Barnes, and I am currently a freelance storyboard and character design artist and part-time instructor at the Academy of Art University, San Francisco.
What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?

I worked in a recycling center and you had all sorts of under-handed people and sometimes blatant con-men trying to get away with stuff. Often trying to drop off material (such as chemicals that have to handled by the state), or were trying to steal material that had been dropped off (and had they been injured getting whatever it was they were getting, would have been an insurance issue). Several times I had to break up fights between people over redeeming their cans and bottles.  I also worked in a bar for a bit. There you just see the worse of people. Guys too drunk to walk, urinating themselves at the bar, having to haul them outside to avoid them making a mess. Even at a bookstore I dealt with teens doing stuff like acid and then puking all over the children’s books.

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?

I just finished working freelance as a storyboard artist on a pilot for Cartoon Network Asia/Bogan Entertainment. It was the largest amount of boards I’ve done so far, and the show is really entertaining. Working on a Scooby-Doo direct-to-dvd was a lot of fun. Getting to work on such iconic characters was a great. It wasn’t one of those things that I ever set as a goal, but when it happened it turned out to be really rewarding.

Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business? 
I’m from San Diego County but I’m currently in San Francisco. I got my first break at Continue reading
No comments

Ron Yavnieli

  By


What is your name and your current occupation?
Name: Ron Yavnieli. Occupation: Animator at Bento Box. I’m also a Voice Actor and Stand-Up Comedian.

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
When I was a teenager I worked for a birthday clown company as a character performer. I usually dressed up as Batman but once they sent me out as Barney the Dinosaur. The Barney costume didn’t fit me. I’m 6’2″ and the feet of the costume only came down to my shins. So I was walking around the mall that day with my feet sticking out. People kept saying to me “Nice Sandals Barney” or “You look like Barney on Crack!” At one point a group of mentally challenged adults came up and hugged me, then they tried to pull my mask off but their caretaker called them off before they could. I never did that character again.

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
Currently my favorite project is “The Sketchy Comedy Show” which I produce and perform in with several other multi- talented Comedians at Flappers Comedy Club in Burbank. It’s a show that blends stand-up comedy with Sketches: both the drawn and the performed variety, and music. We have a roster of great Comedians who all Continue reading

No comments

Boris Hiestand

  By
What is your name and your current occupation? 
My name is Boris Hiestand, and I’m an animator/storyboard artist/character designer/voice over guy.
What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation? 
I worked as a waiter in a hotel and on a construction site shoveling bricks as a teen, so nothing that crazy really. I knew I wanted to be an animator when I was 14, so focused on that from an early age. I got fired from most of those other jobs as I wasn’t committed to them at all, probably because I was constantly day dreaming about animation!
What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of? 
Working at Aardman on “The Pirates; In An Adventure With Scientists” was incredible, because I had never worked on a stop motion project before, and it made me feel like a student again, or a kid in a sweet shop. Being able to walk around those mind blowing sets every day was amazing. Everything you see on the screen is really there physically; the talent and craftsmanship there is truly humbling. “Hotel Transylvania” was very rewarding creatively for me because the style of movement required was very cartoony which is right up my alley. The old Warner’s and MGM Tex Avery shorts were a big inspiration, and I hadn’t seen that done well in CG before. Also, Genndy(Tartakovsky, the director) knew exactly what he wanted and trusted the animators to get on with it, rare qualities in directors of big CG productions unfortunately. It’s easier to change things in CG than it is in hand drawn or stop motion animation, so on CG productions with big budgets they tend to tell you to change shots again and again and again, which is quite draining creatively and rarely improves the quality of a scene. You become a “motion editor” rather than an animator. Genndy however pitched you the shot, you’d go and animate it, show it to him, he’d approve it, done. All the animation I did in that film is really mine, and that felt good.
Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business?
I was born in Amsterdam, The Netherlands but grew up in a small town called Vught in the south of the country. I always loved drawing and was a big Disney fan, trying to master their drawing style by Continue reading
One Comment

Trevor Wall

  By


What is your name and your current occupation?
My name is Trevor Wall and currently I am the Director of “Sabrina- Secrects of a Teenage Witch” A CGI series Which will air on The Hub and Disney International in the fall.

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
Unfortunately my jobs previous to animation were pretty tame compared to working in the industry. I worked as a dishwasher and waiter when I was a teenager and I was driving a forklift and delivering warehouse supplies right before I started in the animation business. Pretty boring stuff compared to the insane, wacky world of cartoons.

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
It’s usually the one I’m working on at the time, but from the past I’d have to say “Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks”.  I worked on the last season of the series as a Storyboard Director. I loved this project so much because I had Continue reading

4 Comments

Butch Hartman

  By


What is your name and your current occupation?
Butch Hartman, Executive Producer/Creator of T.U.F.F. Puppy, The Fairly OddParents, and Danny Phantom
What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
I worked at a Drive-In movie theatre, drew cartoons of people at local art fairs in Michigan, and painted faces on pumpkins
What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
T.U.F.F. Puppy, The Fairly OddParents, and Danny Phantom
How did you become interested in animation?
I got started in animation when I was six. I drew a picture of my teacher and she just thought it was great. She hung it up on the wall in front of the whole class, and all the other kids had to listen to her rave about it. I realized Continue reading

No comments

MARY COLEMAN, HEAD OF CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT AT PIXAR, TO KICK OFF KIDSCREEN SUMMIT 2016

  By

kidscreen log

MARY COLEMAN, HEAD OF CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT
AT PIXAR, TO KICK OFF KIDSCREEN SUMMIT 2016

Toronto, December 15, 2015: As Kidscreen gears up to celebrate its 20th anniversary in 2016, we are thrilled to announce that Mary Coleman, Head of Creative Development at Pixar Animation Studios, will open the year’s biggest event for leaders in children’s entertainment with a presentation that explores the studio’s unique and highly successful creative process.

From its first movie, Toy Story (1995), to this year’s Inside Out and The Good Dinosaur, storytelling needs have been driving the development of ground-breaking technology at Pixar for over two decades. Sharing film clips and insider anecdotes, Coleman will illustrate this special relationship between narrative and technological innovation that has produced some of the best animated films of all time.

The full conference program for Kidscreen Summit 2016 is now available online (http://summit.kidscreen.com/2016/agenda/), and it’s chock-full of sessions exploring new strategies & trends, innovative ideas and practical business solutions that will help drive your business forward next year.

In particular, our “Then, Now & Next” sessions on the first day of the event will feature industry-leading execs who have grown up in their fields of expertise over the course of Kidscreen’s 20-year history. They’ve seen it all, and they’ll be with us at Kidscreen Summit to take a look back at the critical changes that have shaped the business to help us understand how we’ve gotten to where we are today, and where we might go next. Joining Pixar’s Mary Coleman in this series are: former Nickelodeon maven Geraldine Laybourne; Toys“R”Us, Inc. EVP and Global Chief Merchandising Officer Richard Barry; Frederator Networks CEO Fred Siebert; and two of the founding fathers of DHX Media, Steven DeNure and Neil Court.

Opening day two with an equally big bang, Oscar-winning actor Geena Davis will deliver a keynote address entitled “If She Can See It, She Can Be It”. Recognized for her advocacy of women and girls as much as for her on-screen accomplishments, Davis has made it her life-long mission to bring gender equality into children’s media. And in this presentation, she’ll detail her work at the forefront of changing female portrayals and gender stereotypes within the entertainment industry to dramatically alter how girls and women are reflected in media targeting children ages 11 and under.

Set to run from February 8 to 11 next year, Kidscreen Summit 2016 will once again take place at the InterContinental Miami, a contemporary luxury hotel located on prime waterfront in downtown Miami, and just minutes away from South Beach, the Design District, Coconut Grove’s bohemian village, and the many galleries, restaurants and boutique shops in Coral Gables.

In 2015, the event welcomed attendees from 54 countries around the world, including more than 450 kids programming buyers and investors looking for new content and partners. Its unique positioning as a conference AND a market lets delegates customize their Summit experience to suit their goals and priorities. Offering an unparalleled conference program and networking opportunities, the event is the perfect place to learn about the latest trends, issues and opportunities and connect with the industry’s top decision-makers.

Registration for Kidscreen Summit 2016 is now open. To sign up online or get more information, visit the event website at http://summit.kidscreen.com/2016/.

For further details, please contact:

Aimee Norman at DDA Blueprint PR

Tel: +44 (0) 208 868 0511 Email: aimee@ddablueprint.com

Â