Christo Stamboliev

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What is your name and your current occupation?
My name is Christo Stamboliev and my current job is a Storyboards Artist on “Monsters Vs. Aliens”

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
Before starting in Animation I didn’t have another jobs. I was basicly preoccupied with my education and after graduation I landed a job in Klasky Csupo’s Animation Studio in Los Angeles. As a student I did few freelance jobs as an illustrator and some other odd stuff /working in factories or farm work for a week or two/ but nothing crazy.

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
My absolute favorite is “The Penguins of Madagascar” where I was an Animation Director on season 2 and 3 and won 2 Emmys for my work. Another absolute favorite was working with Igor Kovalyov on his two short films “Milch” and “Flying Nansen”. Igor is one of the most tallanted people I have ever met and I absolutely adore him.

How did you become interested in animation?
I was 19 and just graduating my vocational education in arts when I decided that Continue reading

Eddie Fitzgerald

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What is your Name and Current Occupation?
Eddie Fitzgerald: storyboard artist.

Past Crazy Jobs:
Crazy jobs? Hmmmm. Well, when I got out of school I washed  dishes, bussed tables and was an agricultural worker. None of those jobs paid  very much but I learned something valuable from each one, and I don’t regret the  experience. My first art jobs had to do with designing menus, letterheads and  all that, and that paid even less than dishwashing, because the clients were  always changing their minds.
Favorite Projects?
I have lots of favorites, but I guess the very best one was  doing the “Tales of Worm Paranoia” short for Cartoon Network. There’s no high in  the world like doing a cartoon of your own. I learned sooooo much by doing that.  On the positive side I learned that I liked doing slapstick and character  acting. On the negative side I learned that Continue reading

Nikolay Moustakov

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What is your name and your current occupation?
My name is Nikolay Moustakov. I am a freelance Story Artist and Animation Director. I’m also developing animation projects through my company Earthly Delights Films.

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
Well, I was mainly studying with the odd freelance job, but can’t remember anything particularly crazy. Living in Bulgaria in the late 80s / early 90s was a bit crazy anyway – there was a big political and social change happening. Thinking about it, one year when I was 16 o17 year old I worked for a couple of months as a labourer unloading trucks in a massive egg wearhouse to earn some money for a summer holiday. The rest of the labourers there were a semi-criminal bunch stealing the thousands of the best eggs and selling them privately. They were looking at me with a great mistrust because they couldn’t work out why I was there (an educated boy) and suspected I was an informant of some sort. They used to start the day with some sausages and a bottle of strong home made grape brandy (at 6 AM!). Finally they warmed up to me after I drank half a bottle with them and managed not to fall off the truck or drop any eggs…

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
Storyboarding on the feature Fantastic Mr. Fox, directing the TV series Sergeant Stripes for CBBC and my own short films.

How did you become interested in animation?
I’ve been drawing since I can remember. One of my first memories is struggling to work out how to draw a car and give the impression that it’s ‘moving’.  I studied photography and printmaking and wanted to study Illustration but Continue reading

Mike York

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What is your name and your current occupation?
My name is Mike York, and I recently accepted a new position for as a full time Animator at Rockstar Games in New England, Boston.

 

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
Ohh man I’ve got a few to mention but the one that sticks out the most would be when I was a Skateboarding Instructor. I taught small kids the basics of skateboarding and it was my first experience with learning how teaching can be personally rewarding at the same time as helping others. Seeing the kids get better and growing was incredible and led me to teach animation later on down the road.

 

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
Uncharted 2, Goldeneye 007 for the Wii and my favorite project I’ve ever been apart of was RUIN or what is now called Warriors Lair. I worked on it while I was here in Denver,CO at Idol Minds. It was a great company to work for, awesome group of people there. Everyone was very passionate about making a great gaming experience. The animation’s were so fun to work on and it felt for the first time that I was creating again and doing what I love most.

How did you become interested in animation?
When I was in college is when I really got into animation and realized it was something I wanted to do the rest of my life. It all started with Continue reading

Igor-Alban Chevalier

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What is your name and your current occupation?
My name is Igor-Alban Chevalier or “The Black Frog” which is the nickname most people use in the industry.  As for my occupation, depends… I am a creative tool box I guess… or as I like to call myself: a mercenary world builder. Sometimes Director, sometimes Animation Production Designer, most of the time VFX Art Director, Concept Artist or Storyboard Artist.  And in my free time I sculpt, write and draw graphic novels.

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?Nothing crazy really, I just survived until I got to get the jobs I was looking for.  So, I struggled a bit but not by killing chickens in a nugget factory, or by being a caretaker at the morgue or by working on oil rigs in the middle of the ocean like some of my friends. But more by just doing way lamer versions of the job I do now… or by sleeping on good friends couches a lot.  I must say, that I would have wished having tried other things, but where I grew up wasn’t really the kind of place where one could be adventurous.

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?Well, there is a big ongoing project called “Tusk” with Whisper Pictures. It’s a high profile 3D animated feature on which I am co-writer and Production Designer. We’ve been working on it for years now, developing it with my good friend and Director/VFX Supervisor Tim McGovern (Tron, award on Totall Recall). It is a bit of an adventure in itself and I’ve had a lot of creative freedom on it, which is great.  There’s also a gritty Sci-Fi muppet TV series I wrote and designed Called “Boom Spectrum Space Pilot”.  I directed the trailer for it and the production pulled the plug without real logic. This was a bit devastating since I really went hard into it, sleeping 4 hour per night for 7 months straight, preparing all the infrastructure for what would have been the following show.  It’s a shame, I am still convinced that this thing could have become cult. The good thing is that it was my first job at directing and it taught me I could actually do it. And not too badly too. I had a wonderful time on set with a very talented crew and we kind of found ourselves a new family if you will. I know that If I want to direct something else one day, I just have to call them and they will all jump on it again in a breeze. I’m considering calling them soon for a live action feature this time.

Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business?
I am from France Originally. Champagne. Except for the Boom Spectrum episode that took me back to Lille (North of France) for seven months 4 years ago, I didn’t really go back there in the past 20 years.  My background is Continue reading