Ryan Kramer

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What is your name and your current occupation?
My name is Ryan Kramer, and I’m a storyboard artist/writer currently at Cartoon Network.

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
I’ve sold diet pills over the phone, I worked at a car wash, I worked in the costuming dept. at Disneyland, and I worked at movie theatre.

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
The current show I’m on, “Uncle Grandpa” is my favorite so far. It’s written and drawn by cartoonists!! Also, I really enjoyed my time storyboarding on Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness.

Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business?
Born in Glendora, CA and currently residing in Glendora, CA. I wanted to work in animation so I spent a lot of time drawing and making my own cartoons. As the coaches on my high school football team would say, Continue reading

Hal Geer, Warner Bros. Animation Legend, Dies at 100

From the Hollywood Reporter:

Hal Geer, a film editor, writer, director and producer for animation at Warner Bros. and Disney, has died. He was 100.
A World War II combat cameraman who survived 86 missions flying over China, Geer died Jan. 26 in Simi Valley, Calif., his family announced.
Geer worked on 25 feature films (including 1953’s Peter Pan), more than 500 television shows, 400 commercials and 100 short-subject films.
In 1946 after the war, Geer landed a job as a color technician in the special-effects department at Warner Bros. Four years later, he moved to Disney, where he worked under famed Steamboat Willie animator Ub Iwerks and contributed to the TV show Walt Disney’s Disneyland. After stints with several independent companies, he returned to Warners in 1967.
In 1981, Geer and Friz Freleng shared an Emmy nomination for outstanding animated program for producing Bugs Bunny: All American Hero, and in 1985, he spearheaded a successful campaign to give Bugs a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
A year later, he retired as vp and executive producer of Warner Bros. Cartoons.

To read the whole article click here.

Ken Turner


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What is your name and your current occupation?
My name is Ken Turner and I’m a filmmaker/illustrator.

 

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
Can’t say anything prior was at all that crazy.

 

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
I think any of the films/books I’ve personally been able to make during school and after graduating and that I’ve put my own stamp on were always the projects I’m most proud of. I found personal film projects to be the most rewarding as I can hire all my talented friends and collaborate to make something that would otherwise not exist.

 

Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business?
I’m from Mississauga, Ontario and currently residing in Toronto, Ontario. I’ve been drawing as long as I can remember and was Continue reading

JOBS: Onsite Freelance Motion Designer

Freelance Motion Designer

Apply here.

Please Note: Applications without a link to reel or portfolio will not be considered.

  • Expertise in all things Adobe Creative Suite. Especially After Effects, Illustrator and Photoshop.
  • You must be able to work in-house in our Los Angeles studio (equipment is provided)
  • Your reel should demonstrate an eye for design, comprehension of motion design principals and clear communication.
  • Immediately availability is a plus!

Examples of ATTN:’s animated content:

1) We’ve been betraying Native Americans long before Standing Rock: https://www.facebook.com/attn/videos/1198610423507748/

2) When you spoil your kids, you end up with Donald Trump.: https://www.facebook.com/attn/videos/1159748947393896/

3) Politicians shouldn’t be able to choose their own voters: https://www.facebook.com/attn/videos/1081106318591493/

4) Drug corporations are ripping you off: https://www.facebook.com/attn/videos/1229382870430503/

Andy Sykes

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What is your name and your current occupation?
My name is Andy Sykes. I go by the name ‘Hexjibber’ onlline. I work as a part time lecturer at The University of Leeds, where I teach Animation and Digital Storytelling. I also work as a freelance commercial illustrator and animator.
What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
I’ve worked as a visiting artist in schools. Working with kids is rewarding, but very frenetic and tiring. I’m lucky that most of my jobs have been related to art in one way or another.

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
I created 3 animated films with funding from Screen Yorkshire, called ‘Special Glue and Other Stories’. One of the films, ‘Stupid Table’ won the award for Best Short at Bradford Animation Festival in 2009. You can see it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbkLwF8O7Jw, I have self-published 3 illustrated books. The first ‘The Hexjibber Colouring and Activity Book’, is a subversive activity book for adults. I created some bizarre adverts for it here: http://www.hexjibber.com/colouring-book/.’The Hexjibber Anti Revision Book’ is a creative procrastination book. ‘Hexjibber Hobbies Vol.1’, is a compilation of the first year of my illustrated blog http://hexjibberhobbies.blogspot.co.uk. I am currently working on Vol.2, which is a complete story, centring around my recent battle with insomnia. I enjoyed creating large scale interactive art projects for Light Night in Leeds. It is an art festival that takes place on the first Friday of October, involving installations, performance and projections. It is great get so many people involved in creating illustration and animation. You can see some video of it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eL2xAmTbg34, I created the ident for the Bradford Animation Festival in 2010, with illustrations from Tom Wooley. It is Jekyll and Hyde meets 90s anime. You can see it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wd0NIOuvbc

Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business?
I am from Leeds, which is in the north of England, in the UK. Think Winterfell in Game of Thrones. It’s a bit like that:) I studied Interactive Arts in Manchester (which is also in England), where I worked mainly in animation. I taught myself Flash and started creating short animated films. It took me a long time after graduating before I started to make a living from it. I did some work for free for experience anywhere that I could find it. I created a lot of visuals for nightclubs and gradually started getting bits of paid work. Shortly after graduating, circa 2004, I applied for some production funding from NESTA (National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts) to make some ‘Pocket Shorts’. These were short films designed for mobile phones. These films started to get shown at festivals, which helped raise my profile a bit. Then I got some production funding from Screen Yorkshire to make ‘Special Glue and Other Stories’ in 2008. This did quite well at festivals and won an award. It has been a long drawn out process.

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