Tag Archives: Toon Boom

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John Serpentelli

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What is your name and your current occupation?
John Serpentelli – I am an independent animator and an Associate Adjunct Professor at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia.

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
I was the world’s clumsiest caterer. I once knocked several boxes of glass soda bottles down a flight of marble steps. Fizzy explosions everywhere.

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
I made two short films for UNICEF for their Child’s Rights campaign and I was feature in a documentary called ‘Animating Autism’ where I taught a dozen kids with Autism to collaborate on an animated film.

Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business?
I’m from Toms River, New Jersey and I got into animation as a career while Continue reading

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Lock Wolverton

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What is your name and current occupation?
My name is Lock Wolverton, retired animator and animation instructor from the Walt Disney Co. I am currently an animation instructor at Tulsa Tech.

What are some if the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
 Many, many years ago I was an attack dog handler for the US Air Force, guarding 100 megaton nuclear weapons on a tiny island somewhere in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. This was during the Cuban middle crisis. Few people know how close we came to a nuclear exchange between the US and the former Soviet Union. The world leaders during that time took the human race dangerously close to extinction.

What are some of your favorite projects you are proud to have been a part of?
During my time with Disney I had the privilege of designing and directing a series of annual animation events which featured such epic films as Mulan, A Bug’s Life, the re-release of Fantasia, Atlantis the Lost Empire and A Tribute to the Disney Villains. These events drew animators and students from all across the country and around the world. Those in attendance would observe chalk talks and lectures from directors, lead animators and producers who brought these great films to life. We were gathering the who’s who of all of Disney animation. For many it became a life changing experience. I met and taught animation to hundreds of aspiring animators, many of which I still maintain contact to this day.
Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business? I am from Orlando FL, currently residing in Tulsa OK. I was born at an early age and Continue reading

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Kareem Omii Thompson

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What is your name and your current occupation?
My name is Kareem Omii Thompson, and I am a production designer in the animation industry as well as an independent film maker.

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
While in school I’ve worked quite a few, even 2-3 at a time. I would say the wildest experience was being a security guard in a hospital.

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
One in particular would be directing a pilot for Disney XD called Hood. Worked with the brilliant creator Howie Shia and a super talented crew of artists; Lillian Chan, Jon Ng, Louis Norris, Shaz Lym, Lubomir Arsov, Ben Plouffe, Kay Huang, Steve Bar,Pasquale La Montagna, oh and Kenny Ng.

 

Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business?
I was born in Toronto Canada, but raised in Queens NYC. Moved back to Canada when I was 20 and Continue reading

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Dan Forgione

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What is your name and your current occupation?
My name is Dan Forgione, and I am an Animation Director at Titmouse,Inc, working on Season 1 of Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja.

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
My first job ever was as a caddy at a local country club, and in HS I worked in the food service dept at a local hospital where I was part of an assembly line putting together patient meals. I later went on to wait tables, bar tend, and even manage a restaurant during my first few years of college. Also I originally went to college to become a Phys Ed teacher, but transferred after a year an a half to art school.

 

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
I’m proud of all the work I have done both past and present, but there are a few that stand out in particular. Most recently would definitely be the work I’m doing at Titmouse, as well as the work I’ve done at Six Point Harness, where I was able to work on a number of projects with great crews of artists, some of whom have become my closest friends since moving to LA two years ago. I also got to work on a very unique project back in NY with Flickerlab, where I got to traditionally animate an entire 2- min piece for BNY Melon on paper napkins which was then shot as stop motion.  Before that, there were numerous projects that I did with Dancing Diablo, including several spots for the Bronx Zoo .  And of course, the pencil test I did as my proposal to my beautiful wife, Amanda.
How did you become interested in animation?
I always tell people I consider animation my “astronaut dream.” You know when kids are asked what they want to be when they grow up, and they respond with “firefighter,” or “superhero,” or “astronaut,” mine was “Disney animator.” As a child I loved to draw and by the time I was old enough to Continue reading

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Bruno Chekerdimian Barreto

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What is your name and your current occupation?
My name is Bruno Chekerdimian Barreto, I’m working at Mariana Caltabiano Criações .

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
During the high school I used to help my father on his work carrying furniture and other little services. He is a woodworker.  I don’t know why he asked me to help him if I was, and still I am, so thin and weak.

 

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
I’m very proud to have worked on the first season of “As aventuras de Gui e Estopa” (in english “The adventures of Gui and Estopa”). I had a great opportunity to do a lot of things on it. I wrote some episodes, did some storyboards, helped to develop the digital clean up, worked composing the scenes and other many things. On the second season I added to my “to do list” the digital paintings for that scenes where shows something very detailed or should use a different visual language. But my big challenge happened during the production of our first animated feature. I did all the 3D stereoscopic composition of all animated scenes and I did all the digital paintings of “Brasil Animado”, the first Brazillian movie in 3D (stereoscopic).

 

How did you become interested in animation?
My mom is a fine artist, she always inspired me to Continue reading

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Sam Ellis

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What is your name and your current occupation?
Sam Ellis, Creative Director at Never Say Die Studios LLC.  I also teach Animation, Story Art, and Concept Design to college students, 2 days a week at the Art Institute of Washington.

 

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
I was a supervisor at a quick service chicken restaurant, a Mormon missionary in Arizona, a house framer in historic Williamsburg, a pizza delivery driver, a burger cashier, I built curbs all over Virginia Beach, an off-ice hockey linesman, as well as quite a few more freelance art jobs.

 

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
Well, the one project that really helped launch my career and that is going into its 5th season is Archer. I was Lead Designer on Archer Season one and left at the end to go work on personal projects, but we were wrapping up an episode of the short lived Xtacles on adult swim and Adam Reed was getting ready to pitch a new show around called Duchess, Neal Holman was too busy with his other duties so Matt Thompson passed off the majority of the work over to me and Chad Hurd. I was to draw Duchess (later to be known as Archer), his mother, and his father, while Chad drew Archer’s love interest, his foil, and his car.  After his pitch was successful and a pilot was green-lit, I got to do quite a bit more designing, Chad and I were pretty delighted to start making some changes to the designs when we got hold of them, there was some great stuff already done by Neal Holman and Eric Simms, but with Neal working on creating backgrounds before we found Trinity Animation and Eric taking some heavy animation duties, Chad and I were like kids in a candy shoppe. We had a blast on that first episode, it came together real fast and we came up with some interesting solutions.  Even though I left Archer I still love the crew and am tickled when I see some of the art I did show up all the time, also I get a kick out of seeing my son every time I see young Archer as he was the model for it, Although he has never seen or probably will see Archer.  Outside of Archer I have been able to work on Cory Edward’s Krogzilla with the fine folks at GreenShoe Animation, Jason Shwartz’s company–man totally forgot, working with those guys let me work with Disney and Marvel I am heck’a proud of that I also got to foray into gaming and got to do some designs for that Avengers ultimate alliance game–that was fun.

 

Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business?
I currently live in Spotsylvania VA, and I grew up on the east coast, most of my life was spent in Virginia Beach, VA.  I always wanted to be an animator and a comic artist, I love telling stories and find that using pictures and being able to draw was another great skill set in being able to Continue reading