Amber Hollinger

What is your name and your current occupation? 
Amber Hollinger…storyboard artist for Warner Bros. and Moonscoop
 
What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
Cleaned offices, taught aerobics, waitress, summer camp counselor, playing piano as background dinner music at a retirement home…
 
What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
Tigger Movie, Lion King sequel, Weekenders, and Lilo & Stitch sequel 
 
How did you become interested in animation?
 I could draw since I could pick up a pencil, but it wasn’t till the Little Mermaid came out that I knew I wanted to get into animation.
 
Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business?
I’m from San Luis Obispo, Ca. and attended CalArts in Valencia, Ca. I only went to school a year and then hit the pavement with my portfolio till I found someone to hire me. 
 
What’s a typical day like for you with regards to your job?
It’s much different that it used to be… Continue reading

Lewis

What is your name and your current occupation?
Lewis, Lewisone Entertainment, Animation Director for Feature Films and Consumer Psychologist

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
I drove a tractor on a farm for two years in Junior high school pulling trees out of the ground and driving the product from the fields to the barn.  The farmer wanted me to work because I was the only one he knew that could speak spanish to the workers.  It was a wine farm with apples and grapes,  He told me I could eat all the grapes and apples I wanted.  My first big bite made me realize why he said that, fruit for wine production tastes like ass.
I went for one day with a farmer to take care of horses.  He had me put on a large glove that went to my shoulders and showed me my job of un-constipating horses.  All the farmer saw after training me was a burst of dust and by backside as I go out of there.  Soon after I landed an animation job at Warner.

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
It has been a pleasure learning from all the people around me in past projects.  I’ve look at each project as a Continue reading

Marija Miletic Dail


What is your name and your current occupation?
I am Marija Miletic Dail, semi-retired filmmaker/animator/director/producer ( whew!!…sorry…), did I mention lint picker?

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
Some of the craziest jobs I had as a young immigrant, were the ones that kept my body and soul together; like canning peaches in season, driving a forklift, waitressing ( is that a word?), picking worms at night on golf courses for fisherman’s bait.. and such.

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
Directing the opening piece for the 1984 Olympic Games, my own sort subjects, one of which won “The best of animation” at an International Film Fest. in Switzerland in 197?.. something.I liked working on “Cave kids” for H-B, for I was given full creative control in choosing a different style for the imaginary part of each special. Enjoyed working with Iwao Takamoto on Heidi’s storyboard and some experimental animation. I also enjoyed very much being an illustrator for a daily newspaper in my country, just before I started working in animation.

How did you become interested in animation, where are you from and how did you get into the animation business?
I started working at the “Zagreb film” studio in Croatia (former Yugoslavia).I was born in Zagreb, Croatia, the city full of Continue reading

Stephen M. Levinson

What is your name?

My name is Stephen M. Levinson and I currently reside in Santa Clarita, California.

 

What would you say has been your primary job in animation?

My primary job has been as a Flash animator, but my interests have recently moved to the production side of animation.

 

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?

I was very fortunate that I never took a “regular” summer-type of job. My first job was freelancing animation for a kill-bill spoof animation. It was great being paid to make cartoons for the first time!

Continue reading

Atul N. Rao

What is your name?
Atul N. Rao

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
“I have been lucky to be part of many great projects.  Some of them never got past a pilot, but the experience of breaking new ground was worth it as experiences go.  The pilot projects include:   The Cartoon Network Pilot, “”Swaroop”” is certainly top of my list, where I met my long time friend and collaborator, Mike Milo.  “”Roy Rogers:  Rodeoheads”” was a hilarious pilot in which we worked with great voice actors (including Mark Hamil) and the director, Guy Vasilovich.  “”The Maharaja Cowboy”” which was done partly in Austin Texas and in Trivandrum India.  Recently I wrote a pilot for MARVEL called “”The Defenders”” which may be one of the best TV scripts I’ve ever written.

How did you become interested in animation?
Always loved it.  Started making my own stop motion films on Super 8 in the sixth grade.  I was obsessed with Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Droopy and a bunch of others all through University while I studied psychology.  To me animation is the true frontier of human imagination, humor and art.

Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business?
Born in Detroit, raised in Canada, moved to L.A., then lived in India, Continue reading

WELCOME!

Animation Insider’s goal is to focus on the blue collared worker of animation; the back bone of the industry. We want to focus on the people in the trenches who make the award winning stuff we love.  Basically if your job is or ever was associated in some way with animated movement, we want to interview you! Even if you’re a big famous hotshot you weren’t always and I’m sure you’ve got great stories to tell! We think everybody has stories to tell from the trenches of animation!

If you’ve ever been in the Animation, Feature film or video game industry, please feel free to send us an email and we will send you the questionnaire!

NOTE: Can’t find the interview you came for? Just do a quick search in the box on the top right column and it will come up. Also if you’re wanting to link to your own interview do a search for it first and THEN use that search link instead of just going to your interview’s link because since we rotate interviews around the link will change but you can always do a search and find that link never changes.