What is your name and your current occupation? 3D Animator and 3D Animation Educator – What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation? I had a number of jobs before getting into 3D Animation. After undergrad I worked at a video store, then became a substitute teacher, worked as a sports and youth sports director at a YMCA, and finally before heading on to pursue my career in animation I was a photo retoucher at a camera store.
What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of? I’m very proud of my last finished film called “The Question”, which deals with a question mark character named Joe, who longs to find himself and become an exclamation point. My favorite project is my very first film called “Life’s Journey”. I’ve come a long way since completing this film in 2002, but it always inspires me to keep going.
How did you become interested in animation? I first became inspired by animation when I first saw the film, Watership Down. Being about five or six, I know I was too young to see this film. But
What is your name and your current occupation? My name is David Yarr and I am a 3D artist or say a Generalist.
What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation? This is a funny question and I like it a lot. Well the craziest job I had was in my early twenties when I was a roof carpenter working up high. Everyday working on that height moving fast on a piece of wood trying to keep the body in balance. The chance of falling down was about 99.9 percent. I myself got close to fall three times but somehow managed to keep it in balance. I guess when you work in hard situations your brain develops some kind of intelligence to avoid accidents. I did that job for two years and still love to try it only once.
What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of? In animation I would say none so far because I work in commercial animation and most of the time the deadlines are so tight you don’t even know to laugh about it or cry about it. But in oil painting I am proud that I painted a big version of Mona Lisa Cried on 9/11. It’s 36″x48″ oil on canvas. The idea behind it was when a plane hit the two twin towers in NY city, the tear of blood started to run down Mona Lisa’s chick in Louver Paris. I still have this big painting.
How did you become interested in animation? One day one of my friends gave me a version of Continue reading
What is your name and your current occupation? I am a freelance CG artist. I am also on the crew for the upcoming animated shorts “Hullabaloo”.
What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation? One time I was a security guard in a middle school. There had been great tension between two large groups in the school that culminated in a pretty large standoff. Imagine two crowds of about 250 people each about ten feet from each other ready to go to war. It looked like a scene out of Braveheart or something. Â The only thing between them for about thirty seconds was me. Luckily they didn’t charge. I have also been a dish washer ,gardener, and a lot of other things.
What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
Certainly the project I have been most proud to be a part of is Hullabaloo. I have been lucky enough to know the creator, James Lopez, for several years now and have watch  it grow from sketches on the wall to a full on successful indigogo campaign. I have loved the Disney style of animation since I was a child so to be invited to be part of that team is a privilege and an honor. It’s not everyday you get to work with animation greats.
Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business?
Well I was born in Buenos Aires Argentina but moved to Los Angeles when I was seven years old. Â I guess you could say I’m just starting out in the animation business with Hullabaloo as it is going to be the first animation project I will be a part of. Â Up to this point I have only worked on tv shows, games, and toys. How I got to this point is what I’m guessing aspiring artist would want to know. Most people would say hard work,determination, and luck. Although that last statement is true it doesn’t say much so I will tell my story. I took a job as a souvenir photo booth attendant at a special even at the Walt Disney Studio. Â The only reason I took the job was to get through the gates, which to me always felt like the hardest step in the process. In the soundstage we were set up across from where some Disney animators were giving drawing lessons to attendees. I was determined to speak to one of the animators and show them my work. Once I mustered up the courage I walked up and introduced myself to to to man behind the desk. The crowd had cleared but he was still doodling on the page (this is where the luck part comes in). The man behind the desk was James Lopez. Well to make a long story short he became my mentor and over a period of a couple of years he helped me improve my drawing skills dramatically. Around this time I also decided I would go back to school to learn the CG workflow for animated films. I enrolled at Gnomon School of Visual Effects. As one of my projects I decided to model the car from Jame’s personal animated project (Hullabaloo). It was, I think, at that point when he decided to let me help him with his project. Fast forward about a year and a half and here we are. So needles to say it does take time, hard work, determination, and luck.
What’s a typical day like for you with regards to your job?
Well my day usually consist of exercise in the morning. Then I get right to work. As I do freelance as a cg artist the jobs can always range from modeling, sculpting, texturing, and sometime design. I might be working at home in which case I crank up the tunes and work all day till my wife gets home. Or I might be working in an office. A work day can range from 1 hour to 18 hours long. If I have time I like to work on personal projects in the evening and on the weekends. Also I’m constantly looking for new techniques on how to create cool stuff. During my free time recently I have been working mostly on Hullabaloo. Continue reading
What is your name and your current occupation?
My name is Roja Huchez.
What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation? When I was a kid I used to work in the automotive industry handing out car parts to Mechanics. I realized early in life I needed to go to school to get a better life otherwise I’d be doing that type of work for the rest of my life. A great job, but it wasn’t for me, I needed to do art.
What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of? I worked on some characters in the movie Avatar among other films in a studio in New Zealand. It was a humbling experience being part of such a talented team. I learned a lot and hopefully now can share that knowledge wherever I go. How did you become interested in animation? Same old story as everybody else I guess. I was one of those kids who stayed in to draw. Mostly copying comic book covers. All the way through school I found Continue reading
What is your name?
Starr Allen Shaw What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
“I once made a 3D pre-vis film for Nextel that ending up making a multi million dollar sale. I help design the Nascar Car of Tomorrow inspection platform that is still used in Nascar today. But, by far one of my most favorite… and proud of projects is a game my brother, a friend and I made together in just a little over 2 months for the Apple iPad & iPhone called BattleNoidz (Available on iTunes) LOL. ”
What would you say has been your primary job in animation?
For most of my Computer Graphics career (Since the early 90’s) I have been a 3D artist. I have done my share of animation, video, short corporate films, and web media. The smaller the company I work for, the more animation I seem to do. I often have to wear an Animators hat when its called for. So, I would say I primarily do 3D Pre-Visaliaztion Animated films, well at lest I did for many years before I started working in the game industry.
How did you become interested in animation?
“I remember when I was young I was lucky enough to meet Don Bluth at a mall in southern California. I think it was the mall. He was sketching there and I was able to walk away with a signed sketch of Dirk from Dragons Liar. I do not remember where the hell that sketch ran off too… I lost it. But, anyway, I remember going to the art warehouse somewhere in Pasadena, and getting my parents to buy me tons of Cels, Pegboards and Cel paint for my next animated feature film. 🙂
My dad made me a Rotating Light Table for painting cells and I somehow got a 8mm film camera with a stop motion trigger for doing animation. I can not remember if I actually even finished any animation…. but do remember working allot on my own kid version of the next dragons lair. LOL”
Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business?
I am from Southern California. My first CG job was in Hollywood. I started making little animated banners for websites, and Shockwave Director applications. Now I am a bit of a CG nomad and really move to where there is work to be done. I have travel and worked from coast to coast.
What’s a typical day like for you with regards to your job?
These days I work in the game industry. I am a CG generalist, so I will do a lot of Tech Art, Rigging, 3D Modeling and Animation.
What is your name and your current occupation? My name is Chuck Grieb; currently I am a tenured Associate Professor and head of the Entertainment Art/Animation concentration at California State University, Fullerton.
What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
As a young college student I worked a slew of unusual and sometimes interesting jobs. One summer I spent as an Asbestos Remover. Another summer I spent working two jobs at once(75 hours a week), one as a Peer Tutor helping Learning Disabled students in a College Prep program, the other as an “Egg Cook” in a Perkins Diner. I spent a day working in a trash sorting facility and 4 weeks on an assembly line waterproofing nuts and bolts for the Navy. I also painted houses, delivered pizzas, waited tables, worked as an Assistant Theater Manager, as a Sound Mixer for live shows, photo tech, and various others.
What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?Â
Hmmm, tough question. I am particularly proud of the work on Genie’s Great Minds, a project I worked on when I was a part of the Special Projects Department at Walt Disney TV Animation under the direction of Gary Katona. The Larry Boy show I worked on at Cornerstone Animation had a very challenging schedule, but was a very fun, if intense, work experience. My wife and I storyboarded an episode of Continue reading
