Monthly Archives: November 2015

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Steve Marino

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What is your name and your current occupation?
Steve Marino
Director / Executive Creative Director: Nitrous, Ltd.

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation? 
I drove a pickup truck at the model shop at R/Greenberg Associates (R/GA , RGA) as my first job put of school in the late eighties just to get my foot in the door there. I’d go to a sketchy area in Newark to pick up painting supplies, and I never drove anything so big before. No shock; so it was like a ship on the open sea. When you hit the brakes the headliner would fall down on you and the visor would swing down and out and hit you squarely in the face. You’re “paying dues” to get into the industry, but it still sucked.

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of? 
Main titles for 25 feature films (Home Alone, Goodfella’s, Silence of the Lambs, etc..). Directed and worked with The Beastie Boys, Bouncing Souls, Flogging Molly, Michael Jackson, etc… Helped to open a shop in Continue reading

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Warcraft trailer

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Engadget is reporting a movie based on the successful World of Warcraft game series is coming to theatres next June which looks quite promising actually. It’s like Game of Thrones meet Lord of the Rings but with Hulk orcs!  Blizzard is busy!

Whether you’re a veteran World of Warcraft player, a Hearthstone newbie or someone who loves a great fantasy story, the trailer for Legendary Pictures’ Warcraft is captivating. Warcraftis due in theaters on June 10th. It’s Activision Blizzard’s first foray into movie-making — but it’s definitely not the last. The company today announced its own, in-house film and TV business,Activision Blizzard Studios. It’s already working on a Skylanders cartoon series and films based on the Call of Duty franchise. Warcraft doesn’t fall under this new studio’s umbrella.

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Drew Roper

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What is your name and your current occupation?
My name is Drew Roper and I am directing a short animated film called ‘At-issue’ at Yamination Studios.

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
I’ve been a paper boy, a pizza boy, and a general maintenance labourer – one special occasion was digging holes and trenches to channel out a new sewage system for a local casino.

 

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
I’m proud of all the projects I’ve worked on. The ones that stand out were having the pleasure of being a crew member on Fantastic Mr Fox and Frankenweenie, and having the opportunity to see how a feature film production is run. I also had the chance to meet and work with some fantastic people. Also, the time I worked on Shaun The Sheep at Aardman Animation studios was incredible being involved in one of the biggest animation studios in the UK, and learning how a professional studio is run.

 

Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business?
I’m from a place called Walsall Wood, which was an old coal mining region of the West Midlands, in the UK. After attending University I got into an advertising agency called Razorfish, which was thanks to someone called Milly Harvey. Their clients include; Nike, Apple, Audi, McDonalds, Levis etc. At Razorfish, I was Continue reading

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“Skylanders Academy” to be Activision Blizzard Studios first TV series

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Skylanders-Academy

Mashable is reporting that “Skylanders Academy” is to be Activision Blizzard Studios first TV series.

Skylanders Academy is one of the first projects for Activision Blizzard Studios, the video game mega-publisher’s newly launched film/TV arms. There’s no premiere date to share just yet, nor are there details on the story or delivery mechanisms. We don’t know if this is going to be a standard network series, a Netflix/Hulu/Amazon play or something else entirely. But it’s being driven by an impressive set of talents.

The fictional location called “Skylanders Academy” debuted in the series’ 2014 game release, Skylanders: Trap Team. It served as a hub location where players could retire between levels, and in the series’ fiction it’s where Sidekicks go to train before they can become full-fledged Skylanders, protectors of the Skylands.

The showrunner seat is filled by Eric Rogers, who wrote for Futurama during both eras of its existence. Surrounding him is a cast that includes Justin Long (How to Train Your Dragon) as Spyro, Ashley Tisdale (Phineas and Ferb) as Stealth Elf, Jonathan Banks (Breaking Bad) as Eruptor and Norm Macdonald (Saturday Night Live) as Glumshanks, plus Harland Williams and Richard Horvitz in unspecified roles.

You can probably expect your first look at Skylanders Academy in early 2016, with Activision Blizzard targeting a mid-year premiere.

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Andy Ice

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What is your name and current occupation ?
M name is Andy Ice. I’m currently working at Walt Disney Television Animation as lead background designer on “Kick Buttowski”.

What are some of the craziest job’s you had before getting into animation ?
I stumbled around for  awhile after graduating college. The oddest job was hauling parts for assembly workers in a Doorknob Factory ! I also worked in a precision metal grinding plant, responsible for setting up, and running a centerless grinding machine that made parts that went into NASA ships. They had to be crazy to trust me with that.

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of ?
I will always be thankful for “Kim Possible” at Disney. I came on as a background designer early in the first season, and wasn’t sure if I would make it. I wound up staying all four seasons, and was the sole designer for the last two seasons.
I loved working on “Cats Don’t Dance” for Turner Feature Animation. It was one of the last traditional animated films, done completely in house, and I worked in an amazing layout department, where I learned something new every day. I started doing rough layouts, and some clean ups, then being put on workbook, which I really loved.
One of the earlier jobs was background layout on “Taz-Mania” at Warner Bros. That’s where I really learned the ropes of animation, as we were laying out every scene, and our art was shot for actual production. A great experience.
I could say things about every project , but those stand out.

Where are you from and how did you get into the biz ?
I grew up in Continue reading

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Doug TenNapel

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What is your name and your current occupation?
Doug TenNapel, story teller.

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation? 
I once shoveled molten cow fat in an underground chamber at one of California’s largest chicken farms. At this same job I had to shovel maggots from under truck scales in the summer heat.

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
I’m probably the most proud of my graphic novel work. Making Creature Tech and Gear were some of the most satisfying work I ever did as a graphic novel author.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PSrR8JCjec

How did you become interested in animation? 
I never wasn’t interested. But I was raised in front of the television, where those moving drawings came to life. It was all magic to me. When I first saw Continue reading