Tag Archives: Wacom Cintiq

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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

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Avner Geller

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What is your name and your current occupation?
My name is Avner Geller and I am a visual development artist at PDI/Dreamworks.

 

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
I guess the most extreme one would be serving 3 years in the israeli Military… doesn’t get much crazier!

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
One of the most creative and enjoyable experiences I had was creating the short film Defective Detective, with my friend Stevie Lewis. it was so satisfying to be able to conceptualize the story and bring it form early development to a fully realized film. We were very luck to share this film with many people on the web and in festivals around the world, and were honored to receive a student academy award for it, as well as an Annie nomination.  Prior to my job at Dreamworks, I was part of the team who was working on Henry Selick’s “The shadow King” (which I hope will get back into production soon). it was a true honor to work with one of the people who inspired me the most to get into animation.

 

Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business?
I was born in the states. My parents are both Israeli and when I was 4 years old we moved back to Israel  where I was raised. I always loved Continue reading

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Chris Oatley

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What is your name and your current occupation?
Chris Oatley. I was a Visual Development Artist and Character Designer at DisneyToon Studios (most recently designing characters for Disney’s ‘Planes’ franchise) before I left to start The Oatley Academy Of Concept Art & Illustration. At The Oatley Academy, I teach Composition, Color Theory and Digital Painting. I also have a Character Design Workshop coming up soon.

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
At age sixteen I submitted my illustration portfolio along with a standard application for employment at my neighborhood Kroger and was immediately hired as a cake decorator. They also wanted me to do the in-store illustrations – china markers on the windows and what have you.  I think I started out at $12 an hour. It was way more than any of my friends were making at Bob Evans or Dippin’ Dots or wherever. It was my first job and I was already getting paid (well) to draw….until the US Department Of Labor called two days later and shut me down.  An industrial meat slicer was located within a certain proximity of the cake decorating station and thus there existed the possibility of accidental lacerations. The liability waiver I had signed didn’t count, legally, because I was a minor.  I was immediately demoted to bag boy. I liked bagging groceries because I could chit chat

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Johnny Ortiz

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What is your name and your current occupation?
My name is Juan Ortiz, but sometimes I go as Johnny Ortiz because I share the same name with a well known comic book artist from the ’80s that isn’t me. Right now I am freelancing as a designer/illustrator. Most of the work is either for Disney or Warner Bros., but when I have the time I am also creating and publishing my own comic books. I recently created 80 Star Trek posters of the original series for CBS.

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
My first job was working for Disney, so I really don’t have an answer for this question. Although at times we did get a little nuts.

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
In 1989, I was fortunate enough to illustrate covers for “Looney Tunes” and “Tiny Toons” magazines, published by DC Comics. The magazines were edited by Joey Cavaleiri and the late Joe Orlando. I did that for about four years before working for the WB Studio Store. The stores had just started up and WB was about to open their flagship store in NYC. That was an exciting and fun experience that I am proud to say I was a part of. At least during 1993 and 1994.

Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business?
I was born in Puerto Rico and raised in “Hell’s Kitchen” on the west side of NYC. I did take some animation courses and dabbled in story-boarding but I never Continue reading

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Michelle Lin

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What is your name and your current occupation? 
My name is Michelle Lin, and I am a freelance illustrator/character designer and aspiring vis-dev artist.
What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
I haven’t held that many crazy jobs, but I have worked for some very interesting characters who I probably shouldn’t name…  (My friends can attest to some of the interesting times I had working as an office assistant at Art Center).  I will share, however, during my time at USC, I storyboarded for a live action short and found myself on a late night road trip to a farm, getting in a minor car accident, and staying up all night baking cookies in the shape of chickens.
What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of? 
I haven’t worked on anything big, but I’ve had some cool opportunities to work on projects with friends and former classmates.  Most of us went on different paths after graduating, so getting to work together was always a treat.  Recently, my friends Dom, Jackie, and I made an animated “Mean Stinks” campaign video for a Tongal competition and won first place!
Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business? 
I’m from Houston, Texas and moved to LA to pursue animation at USC.  Honestly, I never really considered animation as a career until Continue reading
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Nicola Coppack

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What is your name and your current occupation?
My name is Nicola Coppack and I am a 2D Animator and Designer.

 

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
I have had few jobs before getting into animation but I wouldn’t say any of them were crazy. Mostly shops and cafeteria work, basically anything to keep me working so I could eat and live!

 

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
I have had two favourite projects, most recently I had the opportunity to pitch a short film, ‘The Night Light Monster’ to my previous studio Fabrique d’Images as part of a competition. The atmosphere for the pitches was really great! The story I pitched won and I directed it the following year. It was a fantastic experience being able to pick my own team and work with some really talented designers and animators. I couldn’t be happier with the result. My other favourite was my first job in animation where I had a fantastic opportunity to go work in China with a few of the graduates from my university. We had just finished Uni and were flying off to Nanjing to work as designers for a feature film they were producing there. The whole experience was amazing. The people, the place and the opportunity to draw and be a part of something like that was really special.

 

Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business?
I’m from a small town called Thetford in England. I have always loved storytelling, as a child I grew up playing a lot of video games and creating stories with Continue reading