Shaun Bryant

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What is your name and your current occupation?
My name is Shaun Bryant and I am a character designer currently doing freelance work in Austin TX.

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
I had a gig as a sign holding Santa for a florist in upstate NY. Thankfully they had a warm greenhouse I could thaw out in.
What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
There have been a lot of fun projects, but the one that I think I am most proud of so far is creating a cast of fun characters for the Texas Dept. of Agriculture. They were used in television and print ads promoting healthy eating among school children.
How did you become interested in animation?
Comic books, Saturday morning cartoons, and Disney movies fueled my creativity as a kid and made me Continue reading

Tony Santo

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What is your name and your current occupation?

Tony Santo and I am a Freelance Storyboard Artist.

 

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
When I got out of college I cleaned apartments in Manhattan for a short time. It was actually fun work, getting got see some very cool apartments around town. I also did paste-up design, which is crazy in a sense of how tedious it was. For those who don’t remember life before computers, “paste-up design” was how magazines and newspapers were put together by hand, with columns of type, a t-square and several pinched neck nerves. I was also a bartender part time for a year.

 

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
I loved all the Disney films I worked on, like Mulan and Brother Bear. I also had some exciting and rewarding cycles as Art Director on “Madden NFL.” Recently I enjoyed working as storyboard artist for Dan Riba on the upcoming “Ben 10: Ominiverse.”

How did you become interested in animation?
I loved Fantasia and how the Disney designers interpreted the music so imaginatively. I really got into animation for the storytelling and development approach. Shows like “Batman: the Animated Series” gave me extra inspiration to break in.

 

Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business?
I am from Staten Island, New York. I had been drawing for years, and did freelance illustration fore a few years. It was a struggle to get work and to keep growing as an artist. Eventually Continue reading

Oliver Simonsen

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What is your name and your current occupation?
Oliver Simonsen, President of What Comics Entertainment -currently in co-production with “Pink Slip Animation” Directing “Cerebus the aardvark -tale of a fractured destiny“, based on the Graphic Novel that started the independent comic book market.
and in pre-production: “Bug Juice” based on the hit indie Graphic Novel series “Bug House”.  The idea is we’ll focus on productions based on independent/alternative comics. A Miramax of cartoons, if you will:)
What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
Trying really hard to erase those from my memory lol.

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
“The Hooligans” -a sorta adult swim type show…basically i learned computer graphics and computers in general while working on it, something i had barely touched upon till that point.


It was during the dotcom boom and the sky was the limit: heady days and a lot of fun and learned so much. The final outcome wasn’t maybe the best -but it was a great learning experience.

How did you become interested in animation?
Anybody who knew me as a kid knew that animation, comicbooks and film was the only thing i ever wanted to do. Not sure why. I’ve asked myself that same thing many times:)  One thing was moving to Norway when 9 and they really didn’t have much in the way of cartoons on TV overthere at the time, this was mid to late 70s. This in turn Continue reading

Jennifer Ruiz


What is your name and your current occupation? 
Jennifer Ruiz – Freelance Filmmaker/Photographer/Stop motion Animator.
What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation? After graduating collage I had to work several summer jobs to save up for my move to California.  One job was a Digital Media Summer Camp.  I had to teach kids ages 7-12 how to write, shoot, and edit (on final cut) a movie.  Some children were so young they didn’t even understand what editing was!  Not just imagine explained final cut to a 7 year old.  I get a headache just thinking about it. What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?  I through a fake wedding for Polaroid in a backyard a few years ago.  They never ended up using it, but we spent months setting it up and it was a blast to make.  The day of the “wedding” people who wanted to be in the wedding party all were randomly assigned secret roles that only they knew (groom, father of the bride, drunk ex, bride, etc).   The rest of our friends were wedding guests who sat back and watched as someone was proposed to and “married.”  It was full of improvised speeches, vows, a live band, dancing, a bouncy castle, a photo booth, flame throwing, guitar smashing, you know…the usual.
How did you become interested in animation? 
A friend in high school did a simple stop motion with toys for a class project.  I was so impressed how Continue reading

Show off you Workspace!

My last post about Japanese artists showing off their workspaces got me to thinking it would be cool for animators around the world to do the same. So, if you’re interested in doing so, snap a pic of your workstation either at work or at home (or both) and email it to mike@animationinsider.com or link to it in the comments and I’ll gather them together and make one big post. Animators represent! As a start here’s mine:

Mike-Milo-workspace

#showoffyourworkspace

Martin Cendreda

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What is your name and your current occupation?

Martin Cendreda. Unemployed. Drawing some comics that I’ve neglected for a long time.
What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
Nothing crazy, most of them have been boring. As a teen, I worked at the Vogue theater in Hollywood, and later I found out it was haunted. Sadly, I didn’t experience anything paranormal.
What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
My first job out of animation school was the first season of South Park. The following year I worked on the movie.  I also worked on my friend Amy’s show, “Making Fiends” at Nickelodeon. Sadly, it got relegated to Nicktoons and never aired properly on Nickelodeon proper.
How did you become interested in animation?
Like most kids, Continue reading