Lori Beck is a Senior Recruiter with Industrial Light & Magic. She has been with the Lucas companies since 1992, beginning her tenure at LucasArts then moving on to ILM five years later. In 2005, Lori transitioned from supporting artists to recruiting artists. She recruits for various roles across the company while focusing on animation, fx, lighting, modeling, texturing, and art roles. And of course check out more Creative Mind on our blog , Instagram , and YouTube pages. Got a question? Le...
Jun 02, 2021•40 min
Kristin Baver is the author of the new book Skywalker: A Family At War , a biographical account covering three generations in the first family of Star Wars, available wherever books are sold including a signed edition on sale at Green Apple Books in San Francisco. Kristin Baver is a journalist who loved science fiction before she could even write her own name. (Seriously, she was a card-carrying member of the Star Wars Fan Club when she had no other real reason to own a wallet.) Now she gets pai...
May 26, 2021•54 min
Amy Beth Christenson started her career with Lucasfilm fresh out of college, where she combined her two childhood obsessions — Star Wars and video games — into one dream job. With LucasArts, Christenson had a hand in the design for titles like Star Wars: Starfighter , The Force Unleashed, and its sequel. From there, she moved into TV animation, working on Star Wars: The Clone Wars , before being promoted to senior concept designer for Star Wars Rebels . There she helped to define the aesthetics ...
May 19, 2021•1 hr 4 min
Your assignment is to watch movies, read comic books, and play video games to the point that you become so obsessed with them that everything you ever see, read, or play again becomes part of your vernacular. So much so, that you cannot have normal conversations about pop culture without offering unwarranted and unending critiques. But on this episode of Creative Mind, our guest, concept artist Jeremy Saliba makes the point several times to be careful and never, “yuck someone’s yum.” Jeremy Sali...
May 12, 2021•53 min
“A lot of times I actually tell a lot of the artists on my team to literally turn off your computer step away and go outside. It's just one of those things where you get so much inspiration by things in the real world. I can literally sit on a bench somewhere and just stare at the corner of a building and see how the light just goes across that building throughout the day. It's just one of those things that I find very relaxing and being able to just like study how light interacts with a lot of ...
May 04, 2021•49 min
10 Teams. 4 Weeks. 2 Words. 1 Incredible book collection. https://www.roomtoread.org/p-e-book-collection/ The Peace & Equality Book Collection brought together diverse writers and illustrators from the United States to create 10 books in just four weeks. The books, aimed at children ages 3-8, explore themes related to creating a more peaceful and just world, with the goal of recognizing the work we must continue to do as a society to create social, political, economic, and cultural systems g...
Apr 28, 2021•31 min
Jess Velarde is an oil painter known for using rhythmic brushwork and rich color to create scenes that bring moments of beauty, transcendence, and inspiration into everyday spaces. Born and raised on California’s Central Coast, early exposure to the arts and a deep connection to the beauty of the natural world shaped the direction of her work — evident in her early landscapes as well as her current botanical and figurative paintings. Her art embraces the materiality of oils on canvas through bra...
Apr 21, 2021•40 min
Lucas Bononi received his BFA in Painting at the Academy of Art University, San Francisco in 2016. Lucas’s current body of work is an exploration of the ontology that exists between man and his surroundings. He often employs both traditional and contemporary methods to his artmaking and feeling both energies at work within him they tell his story. Lucas has exhibited in numerous group and juried exhibitions across the U.S and internationally. He was awarded First Place in the Portrait Society of...
Apr 14, 2021•59 min
Since 1970, Dr. Craig Nelson has been depicting figures landscapes, and various environments in rich vibrant oils. His passion for the subjects relates directly to his brushwork, weaving mood and emotion into each work of art. After graduating from Art Center College of Design with distinction, Craig began his career working in Los Angeles for recording companies and motion picture studios, creating portraits and other subjects with strict deadlines. Craig's countless movie posters include "The ...
Apr 07, 2021•1 hr 6 min
In this episode of Creative Mind, we talk with Caitlin VanArsdale about working as a visual artist, pitching her own ideas to executives, and what newcomers to the world of storyboards should know. We talk about why watching films are so important and why having a certain style is great if you have a dozen or more styles in your bag of tricks to pull from. We also get deep into where animation is headed as the idea of a “cartoon character” has evolved from just something to entertain children. F...
Mar 30, 2021•53 min
MICHELLE 'MRBBABY' RUBY A Latina born and raised in San Diego, California, Michelle Ruby aka Mrbbaby, uses elements of her heritage as inspiration for her striking and lively art work. Bbaby is heavily influenced by her community, as well as her Puerto Rican/Mexican upbringing. By combining vibrant colors with traditional imagery, MrBbaby is able to uplift her audience and intrigue her viewers. The artist's aim is to bring happiness and joy to her collectors and community, while also having stro...
Mar 17, 2021•37 min
“Dive in and make yourself available because there is a tendency as an artist to just try and hone your skills before you put your vulnerable self out there. So what if the first two rounds don't go that well? You're going to learn a ton from them and keep building.” On this episode of Creative Mind, we talk about Kim’s journey right out of school to landing a role that is both rewarding to her and children. Kim Ferrari, who received her Master of Art in 2D Animation, knows first-hand that a car...
Mar 03, 2021•48 min
KEITH RYAN CARTWRIGHT is a journalist, advocate for public education, libraries and independent bookstores, and an occasional adjunct professor of journalism for the College of Media and Entertainment at Middle Tennessee State University. He has interviewed a former president; two Nobel Laureates; Congressional and military leaders; Fortune 500 executives, entrepreneurs and innovators; Grammy, Oscar, Emmy, Tony and Pulitzer Prize winners; members of the Rock & Roll and County Music halls of ...
Feb 24, 2021•50 min
As designers it is our fundamental responsibility to create innovative solutions to problems and opportunities. The output is often powerful, provocative and, in some cases, valuable. Attorney Lloyd Dakin discusses with industrial design students issues concerning patents, utility patents and copyright laws covering everything from phone designs, sculpture, fashion and more. ***Disclaimer: The Purpose of this Presentation is to provide News and Information on Legal Issues. All content provided i...
Feb 17, 2021•53 min
“Books, can be such an incredible way to help children along the way, and it's such a quieter and healthier way than television or movies where commercial gains is much more prominent in that industry as opposed to books, which has a more of a noble quest.” On this episode of Creative Mind, we talk with book marketer Hannah Moushabeck. She is a first-generation Palestinian American and a second-generation book nerd. Born into Interlink Publishing, a family-run publishing company, she learned the...
Feb 10, 2021•54 min
Dr. Ashley Wellman is a professor of Criminal Justice. The Girl Who Dances with Skeletons is her first children's book. In addition, she has written a forthcoming young adult fantasy novel. Her most important and fulfilling role is being mom to her daughter, Reagan, their skeleton crew, and pup, Sophie. Ashley has a passion for photography, travel, and working with children. From Dr. Wellman's website "When faced with the tragic loss of my husband in 2018, my dearest friend challenged me to take...
Feb 03, 2021•1 hr 8 min
Suzy Ultman has been creating toys and books for family and friends since childhood. A born storyteller, Suzy is an illustrator, product designer, toy creator, and bookmaker of sophisticated and simple objects that inspire and delight young and old alike. Suzy grew up in Pennsylvania but her life and work have taken her around the world both as a visitor and a resident. From living in Los Angeles to Portland, across the sea to Amsterdam and back to Boston, Suzy’s exploration and immersion into t...
Jan 27, 2021•34 min
“A good picture book should be able to be read by anybody,” says Taylor Norman , editor at Chronicle Books in San Francisco and our guest on the podcast this week. As an editor it is Taylor’s job to find the right manuscript and shepherd it through the process from acquisition to print. No small feat as creating picture books is a multimillion-dollar industry creating memories that last a lifetime. Getting you book in front of a publisher like Taylor requires you as the author/illustrator to bec...
Jan 20, 2021•1 hr 34 min
Being an artist is lifetime adventure. I know that sounds pretty lofty and idealistic, but in reality, that should be your goal – a lifetime creating with a nice paycheck to go along with it. On each episode of Creative Mind, I talk with some amazing working artists - illustrators, video game designers, art directors – and we talk about how to build a career and keep it going, what skills you should develop, and what your investment in art school is really about. My name is Bobby Brill and I sta...
Jan 13, 2021•2 min
If you have ever walked through any retail store whether it be a Bed, Bath & Beyond, a Home Depot or even a supermarket, the more astute artist will recognize an abundance of graphic elements and illustrations on the packaging, cups, tools, wall art, coffee mugs, and more. The more cynical artist will say, “I could have done that!” Well, yes could have but you didn’t. And that is basically our fault. So much the freelance life of an artist and designer is chasing down work-for-hire, one-off ...
Dec 16, 2020•47 min
“I think one of the things about the creative professions in general is built into them inherently is problem solving. If you want to become, say a biologist, really what you're doing as a biologist is you're discovering things that already exist. As a creative you're inventing things that don't exist.” Creative director and entrepreneur Jonathan Deiss has had a very unique career. After being accepted to Ivy League schools to study architecture, eventually graduating with a Master’s Degree from...
Dec 09, 2020•1 hr
As an artist your career will last your lifetime, at least that should be the plan. And what you study in school may not always be what you do all the time. New opportunities come up, new technologies are developed, sometimes you find out that you are good at something you never even thought of. On this episode of Creative Mind, Bobby Brill talks with Aaron Guadamuz – he is a musician, stop motion artist, animator, curator and technologist if we can be so bold. In short Aaron is a working artist...
Dec 02, 2020•49 min
Ravi Sawhney is the CEO of RKS Design & Innovation. In 2020 RKS Design celebrates 40 years of disrupting the design marketplace. Ravi has lead RKS Design to the forefront of product and technical innovation globally. He is a highly respected designer, author, entrepreneur and speaker. He has written a powerful and compelling book called Predictable Magic. His proprietary research methodology called Psycho-Aesthetics which is highly regarded and is the foundation of thinking that his team use...
Nov 18, 2020•27 min
Phillip Kauffold studied animation at the Art Institute of California-San Francisco, then got his start in games working on Tomb Raider: Anniversary at Crystal Dynamics. While animating the Tomb Raider games, he also started rigging characters and props, and eventually managed the cinematics pipeline. Following that, he worked on a variety of mobile games at DeNA – San Francisco such as We Rule , We City , and Dreamtopia . He also worked freelance on other projects, such as an avatar system desi...
Nov 11, 2020•1 hr 2 min
David “Rez” Graham is the Director of Game Programming at The Academy of Art University and a senior AI programmer currently working independently on a self-funded unannounced project. He has worked in the games industry as an engineer since 2005 spending most of that time working on various kinds of AI, from platformer enemy AI to full simulation games. Most recently, he was the Lead AI Programmer on The Sims 4 at Maxis. Prior to that, he worked at PlayFirst, Slipgate Ironworks, Planet Moon Stu...
Nov 04, 2020•1 hr 15 min
Concept Art Lead Michael Buffington and UI/UX Lead Greg Eichholzer lead us on the hero's journey into game design. What it takes, the skill needed, the type of jobs, the pay for those jobs and everything in between. Taken From 2020's AFroComicCon, the virtual event video can also be found on out Youtube page - https://youtu.be/flBfTXi1Itw
Oct 28, 2020•1 hr 6 min
Robert Revels is a seasoned professional artist and University Instructor. Robert’s high attention to detail, ever-evolving skill set, and his commitment to deliver his very best have earned him a reputation that is highly respected. He is expert in 3D Modeling, Illustration, and both Traditional and Digital Painting. Robert has worked on a variety of projects ranging from children's books to large concert backdrops for artists including Carlos Santana and U2. He is the recipient of numerous awa...
Oct 21, 2020•57 min•Ep. 17
Gillian Hunt is an artist working in the animation industry as a background painter for 2D animation, and a set dresser, puppet fabricator, scenic painter, and set builder for stop motion animation. Her credits include the upcoming Guillermo Del Toro film Pinocchio, Crossing Swords on Hulu, The Chef show on Netflix, Robot Chicken and more. She give us a tour of the industry and what skills are needed to start working in the tiny world of stop motion animation. Visit her website at www.gillmakesa...
Oct 14, 2020•35 min•Ep. 16
Eda Kaban was born and raised in Turkey with a great passion for drawing, reading, and monkey bars. She has traveled the globe wearing a backpack slightly larger than herself. Her travels brought her to the States where she studied illustration. Her work can be seen in a variety of publications. She has worked with clients such as Disney, Marvel, Lucasfilm, Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Scholastic, HarperCollins, Chronicle Books, Macmillan, Lufthansa Airlines, Wall Street Journal, ...
Oct 07, 2020•50 min•Ep. 15
In this episode of Creative Mind, Sameena walks us through some of B.Lab’s projects in the San Francisco Bay Area including community builds for the NCH Community Garden and Point Perch in Hunters Point. Two projects that were aimed at revitalizing the lower income areas for the existing residents. A collaboration, between students and the actual residents of the area, that gives both groups a chance to find out what is possible, what is needed, and what is wanted. This thinking is at the soul o...
Sep 23, 2020•49 min•Ep. 14
