This week we are joined by the incredible Daniela Dwek, a Middle-Eastern artist currently working at Pixar. We learn what happens on the technical side of animation as Daniela explains her role in the animation pipeline as a Character TD Model/Rigger. We also discuss her progression from Pixar Intern, to Resident, to Full-time employee. Daniela has had an amazing career in animation, but it started way before Pixar when she produced and directed the Student Academy Award-winning short film Hamsa...
Nov 23, 2021•48 min•Season 1Ep. 46
Todays we are joined by Derrick Malik Johnson an African American Storyboard Revisionist currently working at Disney TVA. This episode gets a little heavy in certain subject matters than other episodes but it's still import to acknowledge and discuss these topics. Despite the difficult subject matters Derrick is an explosive wave of positivity and energy that you cant help but smile and laugh along with him. He talks about his amazing experience being the first black student from his alma mater ...
Nov 16, 2021•59 min•Season 1Ep. 45
In this week episode we are joined by Taiwanese Storyboard Revisionist Rae Huang! Is she a person? Is she a goat? Who knows?! You have to listen to find out! As you listen you will learn how Rae got her start in animation as a 2D Animation Intern at Moving Colour! Did you know that BuzzFeed has an animation department? Well neither did we until Rae told us her experience working there as an animator/story artist. We also learn more about what it is like looking for work and attending school as a...
Nov 09, 2021•56 min•Season 1Ep. 44
Today we have the wonderful Samia Khalaf a Palestinian/Lebanese Senior Concept Artist currently working at Funomena. Samia shares her experience attending school as an international student and the hurdles one has to go though when trying to get a work visa. We also talk about how Samia slowly started becoming more comfortable sharing her artistic voice and started creating art that she enjoyed and didn't worry so much about trying to cater her art to other people. Samia also talked about her am...
Nov 02, 2021•58 min•Season 1Ep. 43
Andrew Arcilla is a Filipino-American working as a Production Coordinator. Unlike most of our guests, Andrew knew about many positions in the animation industry since high school, and made his his goal to join the community in a production role. We get wrapped up in Andrew's many passions, and one of us earns the title of Lego destroyer. We also talk at length about Andrew's love of musicals, the importance of feeding your soul, and his Space-Musical Podcast The Romulus 5 . He also teaches as hi...
Oct 26, 2021•45 min•Season 1Ep. 42
Grey Chen is a Chinese-American Background Painter and Color Designer, currently working at Warner Bros. Animation! Hear how each of her past experiences prepared for the next, such as getting her start doing freelance color design work for PowerPuff Girls to becoming a full-time Color Designer on DreamWorks She-Ra! We also talk about Grey's tough decision of accepting a full-time PA job whilst still trying to complete her college degree at San Jose State University. The harsh reality of burnout...
Oct 19, 2021•50 min•Season 1Ep. 41
Kristal Babich is a Chilean-American story artist and WIA mentor who has worked on a variety of projects. Grab some tips on the differences between boarding for stop motion, CG feature films, and even how that all differs from a comics pipeline. Even before that, Kristal nearly finished her degree for Biology Education, and learn about her decision to pivot her career trajectory. If you're in a similar position, know that it's never too late to learn something new! Kristal's perspective as a Lat...
Oct 12, 2021•50 min•Season 1Ep. 40
We've talked a lot about working as an artist or production crew in a pipeline, but... ¿Por qué no los dos? Christian Alvarez is a Production Coordinator that freelances as a Character Designer on the side. We talk about how he fell in love with production, what it's been like working on Kamp Koral: Spongebob's Under Years, his goals for recruiting in the future. Aside from work we get into how he built his instagram brand, Ghostlyre, and his love of unique Pokémon cards. T witter @GhostLyre Ins...
Oct 05, 2021•49 min•Season 1Ep. 39
Continuing on our Latinx celebration, Janet Rodriguez is a Mexican-American freelancer for character design and illustration. Understanding where your aesthetic tastes come from can be a real boon, and being able to share those inspirations is a way Janet communicates with her team. We talk about her experiences at California State Fullerton, and how wanting to make genuine friendships has lead her to a full network (and a full freelancing schedule)! On the fence about pursuing art? So was Janet...
Sep 28, 2021•49 min•Season 1Ep. 38
Our amazing guest this week is Juan Luis Bravo, a Mexican-American Storyboard Artist currently working at Pure Imagination Studios. Juan shares his amazing story of how he transitioned from working in Live-Action as a Digital Media Special at The Walt Disney Company to a Storyboard Revisionist at Wild Canary! We talk about how his film background was really beneficial in his transition as well as how it influences the way he works in animation now as a story artist. Not everyone’s journey into t...
Sep 21, 2021•54 min•Season 1Ep. 37
Latinx in Animation is an organization that empowers diversity in animation. We were incredibly honored to have co-founders Magdiela Duhamel and Bryan Dimas on to talk about LXiA. From founding to present, we explore the importance of inclusion and how LXiA is building a better future by supporting those currently in the industry and providing education to students as young as 4th grade! Madgiela and Bryan also share many anecdotes from their own experiences working in production. What better wa...
Sep 14, 2021•54 min•Season 1Ep. 36
Today we are joined by the wonderful, the bubbly, and the kind Kaila Knight Tryal, she is an African American Prop Designer! Kaila infectious energy will brighten up your day in todays episode as you learn about all the hoops and ladders she had to go through to get her foot in the door at Awesome Inc. Not to mention all the opportunities Kaila created for herself while working at Awesome Inc. to transition from a PA to Prop Designer. We also talk about the letters Kaila makes to help empower an...
Sep 07, 2021•55 min•Season 1Ep. 35
Welcome to the final episode of our August Special Speaker Series! We're so excited to cap off this month with Liz Luu, a Talent Sourcer at Netflix Animation. At Netflix animation, the Sourcer is one of three parts to their recruiting team. Learn about the hiring process straight from Liz (and maybe learn a thing or two about portfolios!) Before recruiting, Liz worked for a long time at Cartoon Network as the Development Department Executive Assistant. We talk at length about stories and pitch b...
Aug 31, 2021•52 min•Season 1Ep. 34
We're so psyched to introduce this week's guest, writer, wrestler, and fighting game extraordinaire: Jeff Trammell! If that wild list of titles isn't enough to entice you, then perhaps learning about Jeff's journey as a self-taught writer will. Learn about the Nick Writer's program, and how Jeff's skill coupled with this lucky break brought him from MI to CA. From life as a professional wrestler, to honing his wit through improvisational acting, this episode is filled with retrospections on how ...
Aug 24, 2021•1 hr 3 min•Season 1Ep. 33
Round 3 of our Special Speaker Series! This week is the wonderful Montse Hernandez, a latina actress working both live action and voice over roles. She stars in the upcoming horror film Student Body, voices Qiyana from League of Legends, as well as Gwen in the latest Ben 10 reboot. Montse may be young, but she has been working as an actress since she was 4 years old! She has such a wealth of experience being a voice of color, and how that changes the way she carries herself during an audition. H...
Aug 17, 2021•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 32
Welcome to round 2 of our Special Speaker Series! Joining us this week is Crystal Cheng, she is a Chinese-American freelancer currently freelancing as a Graphics Artist for Watcher Entertainment. Crystal talks about how her career started in live-action behind the camera as a PA such as interning for Wong Fu Productions. She also talks about her aspirations in wanting to transition into front of the camera. However due to the pandemic her career has taken her to take opportunities she wouldn't h...
Aug 10, 2021•58 min•Season 1Ep. 31
Our special guest this week is the one and only Daniel Rodier, and if that name sounds familiar it should! We credit him at the end of every episode as he is the one who composed the intro and outro of our podcast! Daniel is a wonderful human being who has composed music for several animated short films such as Malinchista, First Born, and the Animated Graphic Novel Sol Naciente! His passion for music and working with fellow creative really shows is reflecting in the way he collaborates with oth...
Aug 03, 2021•52 min•Season 1Ep. 30
Today's episode we interview Kameelah "MeeMee" Costa, an African-American Storyboard Revisionist at Cartoon Network and definitely not a pink bunny trying to disguise herself as a human! Sometimes students are faced with the difficult decision of jumping into an industry job or completing their degree. Find out what Mee Mee chose when faced with this exact dilemma! Stick around for her experience doing her first storyboard test, and what pitfalls to avoid. We also dive into Kameelah's personal p...
Jul 27, 2021•49 min•Season 1Ep. 29
Join us in today's thrilling episode with Indian-American 2D Animator Maneen Mehta! Listen in as Maneen talks about his first day jitters at Bento Box compared to how he feels day to day now. We also talk about the real life story of how he got bit by a monkey and how that inspired his short film MANKI . Finally we dive into how Maneen eventually wants to transition from animation into character design and what he envisions his future to be, spoiler alert it is not becoming a doctor! If you enjo...
Jul 20, 2021•48 min•Season 1Ep. 28
In today's wonderful episode we have the one of a kind Abelle Hayford! They are a Ghanaian American Freelance Illustrator, Character Designer, and Color Stylist. Abelle has worked for a multitude of companies and is constantly advocating for black stories and black artist. You might know them as the creator of the hashtag #DrawingWhileBlack, that was originally started as a way for them to connect to other black artist. The more you listen to this episode the more you will learn how alot of thei...
Jul 13, 2021•54 min•Season 1Ep. 27
Join us in todays JAMED PACKED episode with the amazing Marie Lum! She is a Chinese-American Story Artist currently working as an Assistant Director at Disney TVA. We talk about hey journey from being a Storyboard Revisionist on Craig of the Creek to her current position now and what she has learned along the way. We also dive into her role as the Co-Leader of the Deaf, Disabled, and Neurodiverse (DDNV) group within The Animation Guild 839. Marie also is not afraid to share her opinions about he...
Jul 06, 2021•59 min•Season 1Ep. 26
Bryan Bae is a Korean-American prop and character designer, and our first deaf/hard-of-hearing guest! ( Read the transcript of the episode here ) We dive into a bit of his experience on Aquaman: King of Atlantis, his experience job hunting for four years, and his personal project: Chromagik. We also, of course, chat about his background as a hoh artist, and how we can be vigilant and prepared to work with such amazing people. Short but sweet on this episode of Straight Ahead, so don't miss out, ...
Jun 29, 2021•29 min•Season 1Ep. 25
What a wonderful day to be joined by Emily Rodriguez a Cuban-American 2D animator based in Atlanta, and Mandalorian enthusiast extraordinaire. She details her journey into the industry, how her homeschooling upbringing and can-do attitude helped her develop a good work ethic. We touch on her seemingly bottomless optimism, and how that is helped by her strong religious faith. This and much more on today's episode!! Check out bio for links on where you can listen. Instagram: https://www.instagram....
Jun 22, 2021•50 min•Season 1Ep. 24
Revathi Kotni is an Indian Production Manager currently working on Netflix Animation's Ghee Happy. In this episode we learn alot about the roles on the production side of the animation pipeline. Being in production was not even on Revathi's radar when she first started attending college studying animation but once she discovered this role excited she knew this was her calling in animation. Since getting her first start as a Production Intern at DreamWorks, she has steadily risen the ranks in ani...
Jun 15, 2021•48 min•Season 1Ep. 23
Stella Longfish is a Native American (Seneca/Tuscarora) artist with a passion for color. Learn about the role of a color designer in a television pipeline, and how Stella discovered the position of her dreams. On top of working on Kid Cosmic and The Power Puff Girls, Stella has written and illustrated her own children's book. We touch on representation of Indigenous peoples in the animation industry, and mental health (anxiety), but there's no shortage of laughs throughout this jam-packed episod...
Jun 08, 2021•44 min•Season 1Ep. 22
Superstar Li Cree joins us today on Straight Ahead! Currently working as a Storyboard Revisionist for Titmouse on Vox Machina, Li has no shortage of stories her career has already given her. From her experience being in the Nickelodeon artist program, to even being Elmo for a day at the Sesame Street Workshop! We also talk about one of Li’s many passion projects: Power Rangers Go! Her experiences might inspire a change in you too, so get ready cause it’s Morphin’ Time! Instagram: https://www.ins...
Jun 01, 2021•54 min•Season 1Ep. 21
Join us as we talk to Denise Chan, a Chinese/Taiwanese American artist currently working as a 2D Retake Animator and Compositor for Titmouse Inc. She talks about how she landed her current position at Titmouse Inc. and how her previous experiences has helped her on their animation journey. We also talk about her Award-Winning Short Film Kaeru, and where the inspiration for story came from. Denise also gets real and talks about her struggles with her art and her career, and how she tries to find ...
May 18, 2021•52 min•Season 1Ep. 19
Katherine Nguyen is a Vietnamese-American storyboard artist, currently working at DTVA on Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur. She talks about the different gigs she’s had from feature to television boarding, and the benefits of not only starting in a story revisionist role, but the benefits of being flexible between a storyboard and revisionist position. Kat dives deep and gets pretty real about her struggles and even bad work habits during her school years. Despite the downs, she focuses on the brigh...
May 11, 2021•53 min•Season 1Ep. 18
Grace Villaroman is a filipino american animator currently working at Sony Pictures Imageworks! On this week's episode we get into the challenges of a 3D animator at a big studio like Sony and Pixar, but also the perks like relocating from the USA to Canada. We also get to touch on her experience working with Signing Animation, and much, much more! LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/grace-villaroman-279162156/ Portfolio: https://gracefulrunning.wixsite.com/animation/portfolio Signing Animatio...
May 04, 2021•47 min•Season 1Ep. 17
Maaike Scherff is a jack of all trades, though currently a Character Designer, she has previously done work in prop/FX design, storyboard revisions, background paint, and even episode titlecards! She interned at multiple studios both in TV animation, and even in video games at Sony Playstation. However, don't let this intimidate you, Maaike is one of the sweetest people we've had the pleasure of interviewing. Laugh along with us in this episode packed with life lessons, particularly: if someone ...
Apr 27, 2021•54 min•Season 1Ep. 16
