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

Sierra Lewis

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What is your name and your current occupation? 
My name is Sierra Lewis and I am currently an Art Director at Renegade Animation.
What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation? 
 When I graduated from LCAD in 2009 it was right in the middle of the recession. The area where my family and I lived actually had a higher rate of unemployment than Los Angeles at that time. I couldn’t even get a job as a barista at a local coffee house unless I had one years experience working at Starbucks. In short, it was nearly impossible to secure even part time income.
I ended up having to look out of state for work. I have some considerable experience working with horses and doing various barn chores so I packed up my belongings and moved to Arizona working as a Wrangler on a dude ranch. This was a sprawling working cattle ranch that consisted of nearly 150 horses and around 200 head of Texas Longhorn cattle in the beautiful Sonoran desert.
I had a fantastic and unique opportunity to teach folks from all over the world how to ride horses and guided them through thousands of acres of surprisingly lush desert. I groomed, saddled, doctored and fed these horses while doing all my other chores and activities with guests six days a week, fourteen hours a day (in 111 degree heat). It was very hard work but even harder on the horses. After watching a third horse during the exceedingly harsh summer season die in agony from either a careless accident or (most likely heat or dehydration induced) colic, I quit and headed back to California.
What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of? 
My favorite project so far has got to be “Attack of the 50 Foot Hero” that I completed last summer (2012) under the mentorship of Eric Goldberg. From concept to completion we had 12 weeks to complete a three minute film. I got to collaborate with some very talented friends and colleagues. It was a great experience to have Mr. Goldberg as our mentor. He taught us some very good production management skills, but more importantly helped us to narrow our focus and become stronger storytellers in all facets of the film making process.
Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business? 
I’m originally from a little area in Los Angeles called Woodland Hills. I’ve lived in L.A. County for the majority of my life. I believe I got into the animation business first via working on Facebook Social Games. Through that job I was given Continue reading

Nicola Coppack

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What is your name and your current occupation?
My name is Nicola Coppack and I am a 2D Animator and Designer.

 

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
I have had few jobs before getting into animation but I wouldn’t say any of them were crazy. Mostly shops and cafeteria work, basically anything to keep me working so I could eat and live!

 

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
I have had two favourite projects, most recently I had the opportunity to pitch a short film, ‘The Night Light Monster’ to my previous studio Fabrique d’Images as part of a competition. The atmosphere for the pitches was really great! The story I pitched won and I directed it the following year. It was a fantastic experience being able to pick my own team and work with some really talented designers and animators. I couldn’t be happier with the result. My other favourite was my first job in animation where I had a fantastic opportunity to go work in China with a few of the graduates from my university. We had just finished Uni and were flying off to Nanjing to work as designers for a feature film they were producing there. The whole experience was amazing. The people, the place and the opportunity to draw and be a part of something like that was really special.

 

Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business?
I’m from a small town called Thetford in England. I have always loved storytelling, as a child I grew up playing a lot of video games and creating stories with Continue reading