Edit: Sadly, Gordon Kent passed away last year due to Cancer but his 38 year career lives on…
You can read our article on his passing here.
What is your name and your current occupation?
Gordon Kent – Animation timing director at Bento Box on Bob’s Burgers
What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?Â
I was pretty lucky to get into animation almost right out of college. However, while I was in college I spent one summer working in an auto body repair shop as a “lot boy†– the worst part of the job being cleaning the toilet – those guys were not as careful in the bathroom as they were when repairing or painting cars. I also did scrimshaw for about a year – pendants, earrings, belt buckles… lions, tigers and bears mostly (oh, my!)
What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
I’ve been doing this since 1977… I worked on a show called CBS Storybreak for two seasons. I was associate producer – but my job entailed hiring character and background designers, storyboard artists and story editing (and some writing). I also was the voice director for most of them and worked with the composers and sound effects people as well as working with the engineers on the final mix. I got to learn and do a lot. That was for Buzz Potamkin at Southern Star. I also worked for him years later at both Disney TV and Hanna-Barbera. At HB I got to be Supervising Producer on a couple of movies for TV – Titles change in animation all the time – today that would be supervising director. The Flintstones’ Christmas Carol was my favorite project there. I’ve been an animation timing director since then and have been lucky enough to work on Kim Possible, Teamo Supremo, Billy and Mandy and Bob’s Burgers among dozens of other shows.
How did you become interested in animation?
It wasn’t animation per se that I loved it was just the idea of being a cartoonist. Drawing funny pictures that made people laugh. What I really wanted to do was be a strip cartoonist. I tried several strips, both alone and with a partner, but was never able to create anything that the syndicates liked enough to buy. However I did write the Rugrats comic strip for five years. I learned a lot – it’s a very tough job.
Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business?
I’m from McKeesport, PA – but we moved to Los Angeles when I was seven. I went to Cal State Northridge as an art major and in my last year I met Martin Crossly, who worked at H-B in the Xerography department. He told me that H-B was beginning a class. He told me to take a portfolio to Tiger West and tell him Martin sent me. This was in the summer of 1976. Somehow I made the cut and I was Continue reading
