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

Doug Vitarelli

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What is your name and your current occupation?
Doug Vitarelli. 3D animator at one of those big networks. Adjunct professor at NYU.
What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
I was a roustabout for the Big Apple Circus. Spent 2 summers travelling the northeast with some seriously interesting characters.
What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
I directed “The Buddy System”, a pilot that went nowhere but was a lot of fun to work on. Won a bunch of awards too. I was an animator on “Sonic Vision” an updated 70’s laser light show for the American Musuem of Natural Histoy’s Hayden Planetarium. Going into the theater and seeing your work projected in a dome was a ton of fun.
How did you become interested in animation?
In high school I was given “The Illusion of Life” for a Christmas present and finished reading it in 3 days. I was always Continue reading

Deane Taylor

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What is your name and your current occupation?
My name is Deane Taylor, I draw stories, create worlds, design and direct animation in multi mediums.

 

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
Before animation I was a signwriter, scenic painter, a television presenter and most crazy… A volunteer ambulance officer.

 

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
Cow and chicken was a highlight for me, I did the layout and art direction with my good friend David Feiss who I have the utmost respect for. Recently I was Creative Director on a series called Figaro Pho. The extended version of 26xI min interstitials. Very cool.  On the film side…The Nightmare Before Christmas continues to be the project closest to me.

How did you become interested in animation?
I used to be a big fan of the early Fleischer cartoons where miniature sets combined with 2-D. Other influences were Continue reading

Frans Vischer

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What is your name and your current occupation?
Frans Vischer. I am an animator at Walt Disney Feature Animation.  I am also an author/illustrator. I have two children’s books published, Fuddles and Jimmy Dabble, and another book being published next year.

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
In high school I did weekend janitorial work at a Montessori school, and I was a lousy busboy at a Mexican restaurant, spilling trays and breaking lots of plates. I delivered pizza for a single night after my 2nd year at Cal Arts, (when thankfully an animation job came through.)

 

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
“Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” “Cats Don’t Dance” “Back To Neverland,” “Back to Neverland” “Michael and Mickey” “The Night of the Living Duck,” (a Daffy Duck short.)

 

How did you become interested in animation?
When I was thirteen, my mother sent some of my drawings to the Disney studio. Don Duckwall, the aptly named animation department production manager, wrote back inviting us to visit the studio whenever we were in the area. We lived in Cupertino, in Northern California, and the following summer we vacationed in Southern California, and made part of our plans to visit the Disney studio in Burbank. I met Mr. Duckwall, as well as Ed Hansen, who would succeed him in the job, (and later become my boss.) I also met a number of animators, who inspired me to make my own animated films. My parents bought me a used 8 mm. camera, and my dad built a light box with a set of pegs, and I jumped right in and started experimenting.

Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business?
I was born in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. When I was eleven, my family moved to the United Sates. During high school I met Chuck Jones at a talk he gave at a junior college. I wanted to show him one of my Continue reading

Jennifer Harlow

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What is your name and your current occupation?
My name is Jennifer Harlow and I’m an animator at DreamWorks Animation SKG, where I’m currently working on “The Croods” which is due out March 2013.

 

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
Prior jobs have included working at Subway with the job title of “Sandwich Artist”—a fancy name for the not-so fancy job of making the customer’s order. I was also an assistant manager on Sundays, so I kept the business running from 6 a.m. until almost 9 at night when the other manager would take over. I also worked for 2 years at Target as a cashier, but I also spent time in the photo lab and behind the customer service desk. I have a lot of wild stories from my time there, ranging from encountering a homeless woman who was convinced Target employees like myself were stealing her freshly purchased toilet paper, the chaos that is Black Friday, to random strangers pulling my curly ringlet-like hair because they thought I was wearing a wig. A slightly crazier job was during the summer after my second year at CalArts, while staying at my home in Oregon I worked as a freelance caricature artist and this led to one memorable event where I was hired for a wedding. Nothing stranger than drawing tons of already self-conscious strangers for about 4 hours. Everything went very well though, the crowd was extremely nice, and I had a fun time—though I made it a point to make the caricatures a little more flattering than my usual style.

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
It’s still pretty early on in my career to be able to state a specific project. I’m really enjoying working on my first feature project, “The Croods.” It’s been a really wonderful experience, and the crew is very supportive and awesome. But I’m proud of everything I accomplished during my time at CalArts and while my students films are less than perfect, I’m glad I have them. They were each a huge learning experience.

 

How did you become interested in animation?
I always drew as a kid, even before I can really remember, my Mom likes to tell this story about how she found me in the living room drawing with a big red crayon on Continue reading

Chris Deboda

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What is your name and your current occupation?
My name is Chris Deboda. I’m currently a freelance concept artist/illustrator for the film and gaming industry.

 

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
None really. I’ve been a sales associate at a department store where the only crazy things there were a few of the customers on occasion. The real craziness didn’t begin until once I got into the industry.

 

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
I’m proud of almost all the projects I’ve been a part of in some form or another as long as I was able to learn and grow from each one. The most notable project I’ve been a part of to date would probably have to be the video game called “Red Dead Redemption” which has won an award or two.

How did you become interested in animation?
Growing up on 80’s cartoons, I’ve always been interested in animation ever since I could remember. I was also a huge fan of the old Warner Bros. Chuck Jones and Tex Avery shorts. And of course classic Disney Animation as well. It wasn’t until the 1990’s era of Disney Animation when Continue reading