What is your name and your current occupation?
My name is Rich Murray – illustrator, animator, interactive designer and owner of RichToons.
What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
Before becoming an animator I had a lot of jobs. I was a landscaper, stock boy, fence painter, library page, copy writer and graphic designer. I was a dishwasher for two weeks at a restaurant in a mall. One afternoon I was wheeling the garbage cart through the mall’s hidden hallway on the way to the dump. I burst through a set of doors to find a large room full of mostly naked very plus-sized models who were in the middle of a costume change for a live fashion show. I’m still not sure who was the victim in that situation.
What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
There are several projects that RichToons is very proud of. Â Among them – http://www.myteenlounge.com. This was a site created for Upper Canada Mall to help promote teen-related events happening around the mall – new stores, contests, etc. We developed an online web-osodic series about a group of teens and their experiences in the mall. We also developed the site around the personalities of the various teen characters and even developed their profiles on various social media sites such as Facebook and Blogger. The site and series garnered 4 marketing awards for Upper Canada Mall. Another project we’re very proud of is a campaign of spots written and animated by RichToons to promote a site where teens can socialize and share their acne horror stories http://www.youtube.com/user/stressometer.
How did you become interested in animation?
I became interested in animation at an early age. I remember always drawing cartoons. Usually I was trying to make perfect copies of the characters I would see in the Sunday paper. Comic books were next and I would often be drawing my own comics on lined binder paper. I was fascinated by the idea of Continue reading
