Tag Archives: DIC

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Carlos Ramos

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What is your name and your current occupation? 
Carlos Ramos. I’m currently freelancing as a storyboard artist, character designer, writer. I just got done storyboarding on all the Madagascar trailers and ads and a bit on Dreamwork’s Rise of the Guardians.  And as always pitching, pitching.

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
Thankfully I only had one job before getting into animation. In high school through my freshman year at college I was a Show Controller at Universal Studios Hollywood. Basically crowd control and making all the park announcements. That place is a real dump and I can’t imagine why people would pay money to go there but it was a really fun job.


What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
Well, I haveto say the show I created at Nickelodeon: The X’s where I served as art director as well. The design theory was “No lines” so everything was colored shapes. AND it wasn’t in Flash. All hand drawn and animated by the amazing crew at Rough Draft, Korea. An extremely tough series we all bled on. I just recently rewatched a few episodes and it still holds-up.

How did you become interested in animation?
My earliest memory was attending a screening of a pencil test of The Black Couldron at the Disney Burbank lot when I was a kid. I was forever changed by the experience and actually seeing the bungalows where the animation happened intrigued me for sure. I was obsessed with Mad Magazine growing-up and always assumed that’s where I’d work when I “grew up”. But after the original editor William Gaines died the magazine’s quality did too so I had to think of another plan. I was going to Fairfax High School in the magnet arts program and one Saturday took an animation class and the instructor said that Cal Arts was the only school for people seriously contemplating a life in cartoons. I took those words to heart and was determined to get in even after being rejected and having to re-apply the following year. Looking back it was funny because I never visited the campus before the day of registration. And it was just a short drive from my house. I just knew it’s what I wanted.

 

Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business?
I’m from L.A. born in Burbank. Attended Cal Arts and got a job at DIC as a development artist the summer of my freshman year. My plan was to graduate college with a BFA with 3 years of experience under my belt. It was a balsy plan that worked out. I did the full four years and worked the summers and freelanced for Disney Television and DIC. Looking back I got really lucky. DIC was the funnest job I’ve ever had and at Disney I was a character designer on Nightmare Ned – a show I doubt anyone remembers but had the most hardcore bad ass crew ever assembled. Seriously everyone on that show went on to Continue reading
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Gordon Hammond

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What is your name and your current occupation?
Hello, my name is Gordon Hammond. I am a Character Designer at Nickelodeon where I have been since 2002. I have worked with Butch Hartman on all three of his shows, Fairly OddParents, Danny Phantom and now Tuff Puppy…it’s a blast! I have been in the industry since the fall of 1996.

 

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
Well like all of us I guess I have had some wacky jobs. My very fist job back in 9th grade was as a dish washer. All my buddies were working at this Italian restaurant and they got me in. They all made fun of me because I was slow, but I was persistent. I never gave up…sometimes I would be standing with stacks of dirty dishes up to my waist but I always finished, something that I realized would pay off later in life. To all my friends surprise out of the blue one day I was promoted to “Pizza Guy”. When the boss pulled me aside and told me I was so shocked, he said he liked me because I never  gave up!  I told him according to my friends I was slow, he said ” screw those guys, they’re losers…” (haa) Soon after all my friends realizing they had been left behind all applied for Bus Boy jobs. I only worked there for about another year and then quit to focus on School…but there were some great lessons learned.  In the years that followed I worked for a lawn service which was grueling, cut grass at a golf course which as grueling, and worst of all cleaned stables at the local horse track for a buck a stall…not fun and stinky!  After I started Junior college I landed my first Art job at a small studio as a key liner and graphic artist and have worked as Artist ever since, I was 19.

 

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
Hmm, actually I have enjoyed everything that I’ve worked on. But I’d probably have to say Fairly OddParents and now Tuff Puppy. Mainly because I know how happy it makes our fans and especially in the case of FOP (Fairly OddParents) how it’s almost a cultural phenomenon.  Above and beyond the work I do on the show I must say the most gratifying part for me is when Continue reading

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Jeff Starling

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What is your name and your current occupation?
My name is Jeff Starling and I am a commercial artist.

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
Before gettting into the crazy buisness of animation I was involved in advertising where the art director has not done there job unless they have made some change,causting me more time and effort, to my work as an illustrator. A lot of those art directors new nothing about drawing but could sure critisize one. My foray into the world of animation came after leaving Sierra games to go to DIC (animation bootcamp), where I was introduced to a whole host of artists and animation directors.

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
After a brief while at DIC it was my luck to land a job as a background designer at Warner Bros. working on Batman The Animated Series. Over the years I have worked with one of the shows producers Eric Radomski. He hired me early on at HBO or Boo animation where we did Spawn and with Ralph Bakshi, Spicy City. I and another employee won Continue reading

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Jimmy Cross

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What is your name and your current occupation?
My name is Jimmy Cross I am currently a production artist and owner of Uncle Porkchop! Productions LLC.

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
Crazier than animation? Well when I was around 19 I worked at the VA hospital running a snack shack and there are allot of craziness going on there. But it was fun. My favorite job around that time was delivering pizzas. Good times no worries. Just school and delivering pizzas . Always been a hard worker.

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
So many so many. I loved the NFL RUSHZONE. Creating the world from the ground up was so much fun and I worked on it for over nine years. I didn’t really know that much about football, but when I started working with the NFL , I learn to love it. Lots of things to pull into a fantasy world in the NFL franchise. The Olympics was also a blast and creating a web experience was hard work but lots of fun. But to tell you the truth I still get giddy seeing something you’ve drawn on television. It’s still very humbling . So many things. Personal projects are the best . Nothing like creating your own projects and sending them out to the world.

Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business?
I’m was born in raised in Los Angeles so I didn’t have to go to far to be in the business. I’ve been drawing all my life and I knew at a very early age that I wanted to make cartoons. My mother enrolled me in a animation school when I was twelve . My parents were and still are very supportive of my art. I got to animate a potato coming out of the ground. It’s was a class where Continue reading