Joe Sanabria

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What is your name and your current occupation?
My name is Joe Sanabria and I’m an Art Director/Concept Artist. My most recent work was on Fallout:New Vegas and the DLC’s (Downloadable Content) Dead Money, Honest Hearts, Old World Blues and Lonesome Road.

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation? 
I’ve had a number of jobs before getting into the games industry and most were boring rather than crazy- lab technician at a photo lab, delivery guy at a cabinet shop and back in high school, cashier at a newstand.

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of? 
Two stand out for sure, Fallout: New Vegas and Skullmunkeys; there’s a huge following and great history to the Fallout franchise and what the team was able to achieve in the time we had was nothing short of amazing. In addition, Bethesda and the studio leads at Obsidian really trusted me and let me put my own spin on the look and feel of the game. The reception of the art by the press and folks was great and made all the hard work worth it.  On Skullmonkeys, I was able to do a number of different types of work, lighting design, level design and even some marketing art including the cover for the game. However, most folks will remember me as Joe Head Joe, a wicked level-boss where my head was animated , stop-motion by Ed Schofield. Every once in while a fan of the game will recognize my name, because it‘s a pretty rare name and they get so excited when they realize its me. Not too many folks can say they were a level boss.

How did you become interested in animation? 
At an early age I loved cartoons– Looney Tunes, Tom and Jerry, He-man, Thundercats and of course GI-Joe. As I got older the Disney and Bluth films really inspired me and got me interested in art. Unfortunately it never went farther than that until years later when I was out of college and I moved in with a couple of friends who where animation interns. They where working on Earthworm Jim under some great animators and late one evening I stopped by to say hi. Seeing that environment, Continue reading

Frank Detrano

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What is your name and occupation?
Frank Detrano. Storyboard Artist & Character Designer for Finetoon Animation

What have been some of the crazier jobs you’ve had before getting into animation?
I think I’ve had a more interesting and varied past than most artists in the field, having been a professional opera singer, a teacher of ancient history and a personal trainer.

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
Mostly all of the shows have found a personal niche in me. However, if I had to choose one it would be Clifford Puppy Days. It was educational and entertaining at the same time. Plus I would draw dogs frolicking and playing all day and always came home in a great mood.

How did you become interested in animation?
I could always draw, even from an early age and did Continue reading

9 Story Media Group Acquires Award Winning Animation Studio Brown Bag Films

9-story logobrown-bag-logo

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

9 Story Media Group Acquires Award Winning Animation Studio

Brown Bag Films

Toronto, Canada – August 18th, 2015 – 9 Story Media Group is pleased to announce that it has acquired award winning animation studio Brown Bag Films. With headquarters in Dublin, a studio in Manchester and an office in Los Angeles, Brown Bag Films employ 170 creative and production staff and is known for producing hit animated children’s series including Octonauts, Doc McStuffins, Bing Bunny and Henry Hugglemonster. This is the first acquisition for 9 Story following an equity investment from media entrepreneur Neil Court and ZMC, Zelnick Media Capital last year. Terms of the transaction, which closed on August 17, 2015, were not disclosed.

Brown Bag Films will retain its brand, with Cathal Gaffney, Founder and CEO of Brown Bag Films, Darragh O’Connell, Founder & Creative Director, and the senior management team, continuing to lead the company.  Brown Bag Films plans to hire an additional 50 staff in the near future as the company looks to reach new markets with its content.

Founded in 1994 by Cathal Gaffney and Darragh O’Connell, Brown Bag Films is renowned for its rich heritage in 3D animation and content, which includes producing four of the top ten pre-school TV shows in the U.S. and entertaining 100 million kids across the globe.  9 Story Media Group is best known as an industry-leading 2D animator, with one of the largest studios in North America, and a highly successful global distribution division.

Vince Commisso, President & CEO of 9 Story Media Group, said: “We’re absolutely thrilled to be joining forces with Brown Bag Films. Cathal, Darragh and their team in Ireland have a well established track record and an outstanding reputation for producing high quality animation.  This transformative transaction extends our footprint into Europe, broadens our content offering to distribution partners and audiences worldwide, combines best in class CGI and 2D, and optimally positions the company for tremendous growth. We look forward to having Cathal, Darragh and the Brown Bag team, join the 9 Story family.”

Cathal Gaffney, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Brown Bag Films, said: “Both 9 Story and Brown Bag Films share a love of animation and storytelling that really resonates with kids.  I am truly excited with this opportunity that we have worked so hard on and look forward to producing the best animated content for children across the globe long into the future. This is great news for everyone in Brown Bag Films and our clients.  It’s even better news for everyone who watches our shows, as together with 9 Story we’ll be able to bring more great animation to screens across the world.”

Darragh O’Connell, co-founder and Creative Director, added: “We are exceptionally proud of what we have built as an Irish company and for the next part of our journey, it makes total sense for us to join forces with 9 Story.  The combined entity will give us a larger bandwidth and bigger global reach for getting our shows into production and watched by as many children as possible. This deal allows us to concentrate on what we have always done very well – making great shows for kids. We LOVE animation and now we will be able to make even more of it!”

 

About Brown Bag Films

Brown Bag Films are one of Europe’s most exciting, original and successful creative-led animation studios. After 21 years in business, their Dublin-based headquarters continue to produce cutting-edge animation for the international market, bagging numerous awards along the way. These include Oscar® nominations for Give Up Yer Aul Sins (2002), Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty (2010), three Emmy® awards for Peter Rabbit (2014), A Peabody award for Doc McStuffins (2015) and

a host of BAFTA, Emmy® and Annie nominations for their hit shows Octonauts, Bing Bunny, Doc McStuffins  and Henry Hugglemonster.

Brown Bag Films’ much-loved TV shows are viewed by millions of children worldwide and include Doc McStuffins, Henry Hugglemonster, Bing Bunny, Peter Rabbit, Olivia, Noddy in Toyland, and Octonauts.  With a second studio in Manchester and an office in LA, Brown Bag Films are committed to producing the highest-quality, cross-platform animation with strong stories and engaging characters.

Founded in 1994 by Cathal Gaffney and Darragh O’Connell, Brown Bag Films have worked with some of the world’s biggest entertainment names, including Disney, Nickelodeon, BBC, Amazon Studios, Acamar Films and Silvergate Media. www.brownbagfilms.com

 

9 Story Media Group is a leading content creator, marketer and distributor of kids & family focused intellectual property. Recognized around the world for best-in-class brands such as Daniel Tiger’s Neighbourhood, Wild Kratts, Numb Chucks, Arthur and Peg + Cat, 9 Story represents over 1800 half hours of animated and live action programming, seen on some of the most respected international channels and platforms.  With one of North America’s largest animation studios, 9 Story employs over 250 creative and production staff and has produced over 900 half hours of award-winning children’s content. 9 Story is owned by senior management, ZMC, Zelnick Media Capital and media entrepreneur Neil Court. www.9story.com

Preorder the Disney short film collect on sale August 18th

Preorder the Disney short film collect on sale August 18th.

From Walt Disney Animation Studios comes an extraordinary new collection of award-winning and beloved short films including the never-before-released Frozen Fever, starring Frozen’s Anna, Elsa, Olaf, Sven and Kristoff, and the Oscar-nominated Lorenzo. The Short Films Collection also includes the 2012 groundbreaking Mickey Mouse cartoon, Get A Horse! as well as hailed Oscar® winners Paperman and Feast. Enjoy them together for the first time in this must-own collection, featuring all-new extras including introductions and interviews with the Disney Animation filmmakers themselves.

 

 

550 Million animated Years Of Human Evolution In Seconds

Dutch graphic designer Jurian Möller created this detailed animation to show 550 million years of evolution, complete with dates and species at the top corners. Transitioning from modern man to amphibian to the earliest of the earth’s creatures and back again in seconds, this is a detailed animated depiction of human evolution.

Check it out!

Steve LeCouilliard

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What is your name and your current occupation?

My name is Steve LeCouilliard and I am a freelance story board artist from Vancouver, Canada.
What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
I took basic training in the Canadian Forces one summer and I also performed as a pirate at childrens’ parties for a little while.
What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
Ed, Edd n’ Eddy was a well-made show with a big following. I worked on the under-rated but terrific The Mighty B! for one board and I had fun on George of the Jungle and League Of Super Evil. I also boarded some fun cinematic sequences for the sadly cancelled Pirates of the Caribbean: Armada of the Damned console game. It would have been awesome.
How did you become interested in animation?
By watching Looney Tunes on TV and Disney movies. More than animation though, my inspiration to become a professional cartoonist comes from comic strips like Calvin and Hobbes and Pogo. I also
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