Matt Siditsky

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What is your name and your current occupation?
My name is Matt Siditsky and I am currently an animator/designer and independent filmmaker.

 

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
Nothing out of the ordinary. Worked at a clothing store and a couple of arts and crafts stores. I also worked as a custom framer which was my favorite job before I got into the entertainment industry.

 

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
That is a tough question. I have honestly loved most of the projects I have been fortunate enough to work on. I do tend to enjoy projects with a lot of experimental freedom more than the norm.

 

Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business?
That would be my fathers influence. He was an executive at Disney for 30 years which impacted me greatly. After observing my strong interest in art he Continue reading

Maxwell. A. Oginni

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What is your name and your current occupation?
My name is Maxwell. A. Oginni. I’m an animation director, animator & illustrator, working mainly in commercial advertising.

 

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
Way back in my student days, when I was broke & hungry, I once took on a Summer job as a street fundraiser… That was pretty crazy. I met some very “interesting” people… I also (mistakenly) once asked a woman when she was “due”… she wasn’t pregnant.

 

 What are some of your favourite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
Last year my good friend Gosia, who teaches at a primary school invited me to give an animation workshop/ pep talk to her graduating class of 11-12yr olds… Before my visit, I had the kids design their very own cartoon characters, as an exercise to explore their ‘personal’ creativity… The day finally came; the kids were so charming & adorable! Originally I was to choose only one winner from the bunch who’s character I would re-design & animate; but on seeing each design, I was so impressed by the effort & skill they had all put in, that I decided I’d get my industry pals involved… I made a quick announcement on my Facebook page inviting animator/ illustrator friends to help me in re-designing ALL the characters. Within two days I had over 20 artists on board! The project, which I hosted via my Facebook page, ran on for about a month or so. The re-designs were fantastic, & the response from everyone on my friends-list (artists/ non-artists) was great; people really got involved & it pretty much became it’s own thing… Anyways, I had all the re-designs sent over to the kids via their teacher as high-res images they could print & frame up as posters. According to Gosia, the kids nearly hit the roof once they saw their designs being “brought to life” by industry professionals… It was honestly one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve ever had.

 

Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business?
I live in London, but was born in Benin- Nigeria. My story into animation I’m sure is pretty much the same as most other animators, really… As an introduction, back when I was a kid in Nigeria (about 5-6yrs old, late 80’s), I remember Continue reading

Aaron Sowd

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What is your name and your current occupation?
My name is Aaron Sowd. I’m currently the president and art director at Aaron Sowd Productions, Inc. We specialize in storyboards and animatics for feature films. We also do some 3-D and previs work. Right now, we work exclusively for Will Smith and Overbrook Entertainment, doing development work. It’s a dream job, and they keep us very busy.

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
I’ve worked as a professional artist more or less full time since I was 18. I spent about six years in comics before working on the Anastasia and Titan A.E. style guides for Fox. I was the art director at Stan Lee Media. I’ve been freelancing in just about every media since: film, TV, advertising and video games.

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What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
After Earth comes out this summer, and that was a blast to work on. I got to storyboard some of the additional scenes and meet M. Night. My favorite project is the one I’m working on right now — which is top secret, of course. Working on the first Transformers film, Solaris, the Transformers and The Simpsons rides at Universal, and the God of War and Rage video games were all career highlights for me.

How did you become interested in animation?
As a kid I grew up with no TV, so I got interested in comic books first, then animation. Our local library used to carry the Tintin and Asterix collections, and later I got into Marvel and DC. The first animation I can remember seeing was Continue reading