Tim Wolkiewicz

What is your name and your current occupation? 

Tim Wolkiewicz – Production Coordinator at Hasbro on G.I. JOE

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
I worked in a pet store for 7 years.  I have cleaned up and looked after almost every type of domestic animal and have been bitten by about the same number.  I then transitioned into sales at the store.  It was a good job and I learned a lot about how to interact with people and to know everything about what your selling.  It is easier to sell a product more then yourself though.

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
I loved working on “Adventures from the Book of Virtues.”  Maybe it was because of those I worked with or maybe because it was my first job in the industry.  I was able to work on all aspects of the project and was trusted to work to my full potential.  Currently I work on G.I. Joe.  It’s awesome to be on a show I grew up watching as a kid and the people here are really great.

How did you become interested in animation? 
Growing up I would watch cartoons every Saturday morning and after school.  I started drawing at a very early age and encouraged to do so by my parents…even though Continue reading

Andrew Farago

What is your name and your current occupation?  
Andrew Farago, Cartoon Art Museum Curator, author and cartoonist

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation? 
Nothing too far into the “crazy” category.  My father’s a general contractor, and I worked with him every summer growing up.  I’ve probably put in a lot more time roofing than most people in animation.  Other than that, I’ve been a temporary office worker, library assistant, dishwasher…  I wish I’d spent some time as a gravedigger or daredevil stuntman so that I could give a more interesting answer for this one.

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of? 
I’ve worked on a lot of great animation exhibitions, including a retrospective of 40 years of Saturday morning cartoons, an exhibition celebrating the 50th anniversary of Sleeping Beauty, the Totoro Forest Project (works inspired by Hayao Miyazaki) and a show spotlighting the art of Mary Blair.  The Mary Blair exhibition led to a huge retrospective of her work in Tokyo.  Studio Ghibli purchased a large collection of her artwork following that exhibition, and that’s touring Japan right now…and our exhibition in California helped get that all started.  As far as personal projects go Continue reading

Mark Mayerson

What is your name and your current occupation?
Mark Mayerson.  I’m currently the coordinator of the Bachelor of Animation program at Sheridan College in Ontario, Canada.

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
I was a messenger, photocopier and proofreader for a corporate law firm on Wall St.

 

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
I worked on a series of TV specials for HBO and PBS produced by Michael Sporn.  One of them was Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel and I animated about a quarter of the film.  I was an animator on Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future, which was the first TV series to include cgi characters.  I created a TV series called Monster By Mistake and worked on it as a director, writer and producer.

How did you become interested in animation?
I grew up in New York City in the 1950s and ’60s and TV there was full of old animated cartoons.  I was immersed in the stuff.

Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business?
At Queens College, I met Bob Lusk on the student paper.  He animated as a hobby and that inspired me to try it.  Bob graduated before me and got a job at a studio called Teletactics and let me know that they were looking to hire.  At the time, I was Continue reading

Christian Lignan

What is your name and your current occupation?

Christian Lignan , storyboard artist

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
Being an Air Commando  in the French Air Force for (mandatory) military service.

 

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
“A vew to a kill” a James Bond live-action movie,  storyboarding  the car stunt sequences with the stunts coordinator.

 

How did you become interested in animation?
When I learned that animation cells where painted by girls (way before digital compositing…)
Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business?
I am from France, I got into animation business after Continue reading

Elyse Whittaker-Paek

Hi My name is Elyse Whittaker-Paek, Ex pat Aussie.

I’m currently a freelance Illustrator and mum of 2 lovely little looney lads.
Some of the crazier jobs I’ve had?  Well I was a Dental assistant at the tender age of 14, my dad would have me help him out after school in Sydney Australia.  He very much wanted me to get into the drill fill and bill biz.
I was very good with x-rays and Continue reading

Shaun Cashman

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGLLHuG-b38

What is your name and your current occupation?

Shaun Cashman and currently I’m the Supervising Director on a new Disney series being produced at Titmouse, Inc. called “Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja”!

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation? Before animation I was a working artist back East in Connecticut, working at a newspaper in the advertising and marketing department designing ads, campaigns and marketing materials and doing some freelance illustrations as well. But right out of art school I was a construction laborer for a few years, short-order cook, worked in a retail and also ran lights and the sound board for a couple of local, hometown bands on the weekends. I did have a brush with the world of film production when I was an Associate Producer, sound man, 2nd unit photographer, set builder and driver for a small live-action company.

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
Right off the bat, my first gig in the business was on “The Simpson’s” and I was lucky enough at that time to have been at Film Roman when Phil Roman still ran the place and it was a place where you had opportunity to learn, advance and grow, especially on that show. I came on 5th Season in 1993 with NO actual animation production experience and eventually worked my way up through the ranks of being able to direct my first episode and from that point I was offered to direct fulltime on “King Of The Hill”, also being produced at Film Roman. So my time on “The Simpson’s” will always hold a special place in Continue reading