Animation Industry Podcast

This chat features Pedro Medeiros, a Pixel Artist, and indie video game Art Director known for such titles as Celeste, Towerfall, as well as the unreleased Earthblade, and Neverway. In their chat, Medeiros shares how he got into pixel art through video game development in Brazil (when there wasn’t any game industry there yet), as well as his process of developing a game’s art style from scratch. Tune in to Ibele and Medeiros to hear: *What to do to become a professional pixel artist *How much coding knowledge you actually need to become a video game art director *At what stage a video game starts to look for an art director Social Links: *Check out Medeiros’ website: https://saint11.org/ *Follow Medeiros on Twitter: https://twitter.com/saint11

This chat features Ole Tillmann, a German indie video game Art Director at Slow Bros Studio. He worked on the game Harold Halibut, which has become known for its super unique style. Everything in the game - the characters, backgrounds, assets, etc. - were all meticulously hand-crafted in a stop motion style, then 3D scanned and composited and animated in CG. In their chat, Tillmann shares how he came up with and executed the style, as well as the video game’s ten-year development history. Tune in to Ibele and Tillmann to hear: *What Tillmann did that led to Harold Halibut to getting funded *How Tillmann kept motivation on a ten-year project (with no end in sight) *How big of a team is needed to develop an indie video game Social Links: *Check out Harold Halibut on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/924750/Harold_Halibut/ *Check out Tillman’s website: https://mousemou.se/ *Follow Tillmann on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mousemou.se/

This chat features Rand Fishkin, Creative Director and CEO of Snackbar Studio, a new video game studio working on its first title. Fishkin, who is better known for founding the SEO software company Moz, and the consumer intelligence company SparkToro, shares why he made the jump from the world of business into video games. Fishkin also covers the extensive research he did to figure out exactly what type of game to make, and how he put together a winning team. Tune in to Ibele and Fishkin to hear: *How Fishkin is funding Snackbar studio (and for how much) *How Fishkin’s research led him to set the game in 1960’s Italy *What three criteria Fishkin thinks will lead to any video game’s success Social Links: *Check out Snackbar Studio’s website: https://snackbarstudio.com/ *Follow Rand on Threads: https://www.threads.net/@randderuiter *Follow Geraldine DeRuiter on Threads: https://www.threads.net/@theeverywhereist

Support this podcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theAIP This podcast features Ben Osroosh, a stop motion artist originally from Iran, now living and working in LA. Osroosh has become known in recent years for his mastery and construction of stop motion rigging devices and now, after nearly 2 years of development, he has launched his own Motion Control Kit. His simple device brings many game-changing outcomes as it can be connected to any rig or winder and synced with Dragonframe software to automate different types of stop motion movements. Tune in to Ibele and Osroosh to hear: *Why Osroosh moved from Iran to the US *The unexpected way Osroosh stumbled into stop motion *The complete capabilities of his Motion Control Kit Social Links: *Follow Osroosh on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ben_osroosh/ *Subscribe to Osroosh on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@mocotoolbox *Check out Osroosh’s website: https://www.benosroosh.com

Support this podcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theAIP This podcast features Alec, the creator of the bouncy, orange, meme cats featured in Catino World on social media. In the chat, Alec shares how he came up with the concept after being fired from his job during the 2021 pandemic lockdown. Since then, Catino World has grown to nearly 100 million views across all social platforms, enabling Alec to fully support himself as a full-time artist. Tune in to Ibele and Alec to hear: *The number one thing Alec sells that gives him a stable income. *What Alec does to make sure his posts always go viral *Which social media has been the most profitable for him Social Links: *Check out the Catino World website: https://catinoworld.com/ *Follow Catino World on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catinoworld *Subscribe to Catino World on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@catinoworld

This chat features budding stop motion animator Emmy Robinson, who gained over 100,000 Instagram followers for her bedroom-made stop motion animations in only eight short months. She shares how she played to Instagram’s algorithm to get attention for her work, and then how she capitalized on the niche she discovered. Tune in to Ibele and Robinson to hear: *How much money Robinson has made from her Instagram following *What made Robinson quit school to pursue social media full time *How her minimal-effort animation style led to big success Social Links: *Follow Robinson on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emenro.emmy/ *Check out Robinson’s website: https://emenro.com/

Support this podcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theAIP This chat features indie game developers James Carbutt and Will Todd. The English duo are best known for their free-to-play 2019 title The Good Time Garden, but they’ve been hard at work at another game called Thank Goodness You’re Here - set to release this year. In their chat, Carbutt and Todd discuss quitting their jobs to pursue full-time development, pitching their project, getting funding, and what it takes to run a small studio with no experience. Tune into Ibele, Carbutt, and Todd to hear: *The turning point that led Carbutt and Todd to quit their jobs to pursue indie game dev *What to include in an indie game pitch to get picked up *Two unexpected challenges when developing your own game Social Links: *Wishlist on Thank Goodness You’re Here on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2366980/Thank_Goodness_Youre_Here/ *Follow Coal Supper on Twitter: https://twitter.com/coalsupper *Follow Carbutt on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/james.carbutt/

Support this podcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theAIP This chat features the co-founders of Exit 73 Studios - Chris Burns, and Bob Fox. Over the years they’ve done many projects for TV, commercials, websites, video games, and more, but currently their in-production game called #Blud, set to release this year. In their chat, Burns and Fox share how they began their indie game dev journey (without any prior gaming experience), found a producer, and their strategic decision to share all their work in process on social media. Tune in to Ibele, Burns, and Fox to hear: *How big a team is needed to produce something of #Blud’s caliber *How difficult it is to enter the gaming industry without any prior experience *Why #Blud looks like a TV show rather than a typical game (and what advantage that has) Social Links: *Follow Exit 73 Studios on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/exit73studios/ *Check out Exit 73 Studios on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/exit73studios *Wishlist #Blud on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1921480/BLUD/

1 free 3-month license of Toon Boom Harmony Premium: https://forms.gle/WKDzQEUdQPFav8vJ9 This chat is with Oscar-nominated Australian stop motion animator Lachlan Pendragon. Pendragon is best known for his stop motion film, An Ostrich Told Me the World Is Fake and I Think I Believe It, which went on to receive international recognition last year and ended up making the shortlist of Oscar nominated films. In their chat, Pendragon shares what the journey to the Oscars was like, as well as what it took to make his film. Tune in to Ibele and Pendragon to hear: *How Pendragon funded the film *What the stop motion industry is like in Australia *How becoming Oscar-nominated changes your career ~[SPONSORED MESSAGE]~ This episode is sponsored by Toon Boom Animation. For over 30 years, Toon Boom Animation has led the global market in preproduction and 2D animation software, serving clients in 140+ countries, who are doing another give-away of their software to one of my listeners - this time a 3-month license of Harmony Premium - a value of over $500! To enter the draw, simply fill out your name and email in the form in the description of this podcast. Toon Boom’s Harmony is used by the largest gaming and animation studios around the world. It is an all-in-one, end- to-end 2D animation software that allows animators to create cut-out and paperless animation in every style. You can start your free trial by visiting www.toonboom.com or enter this draw for a free 3-month license of Harmony Premium: https://forms.gle/WKDzQEUdQPFav8vJ9 ~ Social Links: *Check out Pendragon’s website: https://lachlanpendragon.com/ *Check out Pendragon's Nouns Short here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFAKu0Tspew&ab_channel=NounsFest *Follow Pendragon on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lachlanpendragon/ *Here's a link to apply to the next round of Nouns shorts: https://nounsfest.tv/apply/

Support this podcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theAIP This chat features Lee Griffin, a 25 year old data analyst who started learning Blender as a hobby. Since then he’s developed a unique style of animation - a modern twist on old Nintendo 64 graphics - that has gone viral on social media. In the last six months, his short animations have gained him over 60 thousand followers on Instagram, 40 thousand on TikTok, and millions of views between the two platforms. In their chat, Griffin shares how he developed his style, why it’s so attractive for social media, and where he plans to take it. Tune in to Ibele and Griffin to hear: *How Griffin self-produces everything *What Griffin did to grow from zero to 60,000 instagram followers in 12 weeks *The secret motivation behind Griffin’s work Social Links: *Check out Griffin’s website: https://litlee.me/ *Follow Griffin on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/its_lit_lee/ *Follow Griffin on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lit_leee *Subscribe to Griffin on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdMSWAlSzdiKLnILJsQnWWg

This chat features director, story artist, writer, and animator Keith Pakiz, who moved from Cleveland to Los Angeles in pursuit of animation. Since then he’s worked on many shows like Costume Quest, Tiny Toons Looniversity, ThunderCats Roar, and Aquaman: King of Atlantis. In their chat, Pakiz shares how he moved up to animation director and gives tips for others to follow a similar path. Tune in to Ibele and Pakiz to hear: *Why you shouldn’t apply to online animation jobs (and what to do instead) *How career stability changes once you become a director *The pros and cons of developing a personal animation style ~[SPONSORED MESSAGE]~ This video is sponsored by Mt. Mograph - learn more about their software at mtmo.co/. For over 10 years Mt. Mograph has powered up animators and motion designers with industry leading plugins and software. Mt. Mograph offers an unrivaled Lifetime License that will leave you speechless — with constant updates and next-generation tools to improve your workflow. Like, Boombox their all-in-one sound design toolkit; of over 14,000 commercial-grade sound effects, Wander their ultimate media collection engine, or the legendary Motion-4 known as “the most helpful Extension for motion designers in Adobe After Effects” a tour de' force of tools and controls for professional animators, brands, studios and creators since 2013. Use special code “AIP” at Checkout for 20% off your Lifetime License. ~~ Social Links: *Check out Pakiz’s website: https://keithpakiz.com/ *Follow Pakiz on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/k_pakiz/?hl=en *Follow Pakiz on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@mooncountyanm

This chat features animator and story artist Austin Pettit who shares his journey of moving to LA in search of animated TV work. However, once in LA, he ended up getting most of his work from YouTubers like Game Grumps, NOXP, Cas van de Pol, and GingerPale. In his chat, Pettit sheds light into how the YouTuber animation industry works and how others can find work there too. Tune in to Ibele and Pettit to hear: *The best way to connect with YouTubers who hire animators *How stable a YouTube animation career is vs television *The unique working environment YouTube animation creates that television studios can’t often match ~[SPONSORED MESSAGE]~ This video is sponsored by Mt. Mograph - learn more about their software at https://mtmo.co/. For over 10 years Mt. Mograph has powered up animators and motion designers with industry leading plugins and software. Mt. Mograph offers an unrivaled Lifetime License that will leave you speechless — with constant updates and next-generation tools to improve your workflow. Like, Boombox their all-in-one sound design toolkit; of over 14,000 commercial-grade sound effects, Wander their ultimate media collection engine, or the legendary Motion-4 known as “the most helpful Extension for motion designers in Adobe After Effects” a tour de' force of tools and controls for professional animators, brands, studios and creators since 2013. Use special code “AIP” at Checkout for 20% off your Lifetime License. ~~ Social Links: *Follow Pettit on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/austinpettit/ *Check out Pettit’s website: https://www.austinpettitart.com/

Get AIP Merch: https://www.teepublic.com/t-shirts/animation-industry-podcast This chat features Rachel Larsen, a stop motion animator, director, and writer who’s worked on many stop motion productions including Coraline, Anomalisa, Tumble Leaf, and Kiri and Lou. Larsen is most famous for creating the Tiny Chef, who has millions of followers across social media, as well as a preschool show on Nickelodeon. In their chat, Rachel shares her journey from renting a shed in New Zealand, to partnering with celebrity Kristen Bell, and finally landing a deal with Nickelodeon. Tune in to Ibele and Larsen to hear: *Why The Tiny Chef evolved to be such a successful character *The ins and outs of producing a show as a first time showrunner *How to create authentic animated characters Social Links: *Follow Tiny Chef on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetinychefshow *Follow Larsen on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rachelklarsen

ENTER TO WIN: 1 free 3-month license of Toon Boom Storyboard Pro: https://forms.gle/ZPpjsVC1W6yD3ebQ7 This chat features Oscar nominated director Andrew Chesworth who is known for his work in 2D and 3D animation. His most recent short, The Brave Locomotive has received over seven million views on YouTube. In this chat Chesworth shares how he got into animation, the environment that allowed him to hone his skills, how he managed his short film, and what’s next for him. Tune into Ibele and Chesworth to hear: *A complete budget breakdown of The Brave Locomotive *How Chesworth accomplished his dream of working at Disney *How Chesworth came to work on the Oscar nominated film One Small Step ~[SPONSORED MESSAGE]~ This episode is sponsored by Toon Boom Animation, who for over 30 years has led the global market in preproduction and 2D animation software, serving clients in 140+ countries. Toon Boom's Storyboard Pro is one of the leading storyboarding software used by professional story artists, directors, and other creatives around the world. It combines drawing, scripting, camera controls, animatic creation, sound, and other tools. You can start your free trial by visiting https://www.toonboom.com or enter this draw for a free 3-month license of Storyboard Pro: https://forms.gle/ZPpjsVC1W6yD3ebQ7 ~~ Social Links: *Follow Chesworth on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andrew_chesworth *Follow Chesworth on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@achesworth *Watch The Brave Locomotive on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8mScKWj3kQ&ab_channel=AndrewChesworth

Buy AIP merch: https://www.teepublic.com/t-shirt/56620609-animation-industry-podcast This episode features Alistair Nicholls, a claymation animator from the UK who runs Smile at the Moon Studios. In their chat Nicholls shares going from living in a house boat after school, to landing enough creative work to be able to open a studio and work with clients like Nickelodeon, Felix the 1st, and Far Caspian. Tune in to Ibele and Nicholls to hear: *Nicholls' strategy to always be working on creative projects *How Nicholls (unintentionally) grew his Instagram to 60,000 followers *How Nicholls became represented by an agency Social Links: *Check out Nicholls’ website: https://www.smileatthemoonstudios.com/ *Follow Nicholls on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/smileatthemoon_/

Support this podcast on Patreon: www.patreon.com/theAIP This episode features the dynamic duo behind Yonk - a 3D animation studio based in the Netherlands, which uses VR sculpting software to achieve their squishy, melty, creepy, clay-like style. The duo is made up of Niels van der Donk and Victoria Young who dive into how much hard work it took to land brands like Amazon, Nike, Spotify, and Bloomberg. Tune in to Ibele, van der Donk, and Young to hear: *The advantages of using virtual reality sculpting software over other types of CG sculpting softwares *The steps the team took to finally go full-time with their studio *What the animation industry is like in the Netherlands Social Links: *Check out Yonk’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yonk.online/ *Check out Yonk’s website: https://www.yonk.online/

Support this podcast on Patreon: www.patreon.com/theAIP This chat features Danny Robashkin, owner and creative director at MAKE, an animation studio in Minnesota. Robashkin shares how he started MAKE from scratch in 2004 right out of school and got his first clients. Since then he’s worked with XBOX, Dunkin’ Donuts, Adidas, McDonalds, and many other brands. Robashkin also shares the new path MAKE has been on with creating its own original micro short series for social media. Tune in to Ibele and Robashkin to hear: *What advantage enabled Robashkin to get big-name clients as a brand new studio *How MAKE has been able to excel at commercial projects while also creating original content in-house *How artists can get involved with MAKE Social Links: *Check out MAKE’s website: https://makevisual.com/ *Follow MAKE on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/makegallery/ *Watch MAKE Originals on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@makeoriginals *Follow MAKE Originals on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/makeoriginalseries/

This chat features renowned stop motion animator Dale Hayward, co-owner of See Creature Animation Studio in Montreal, Canada. His credits include the feature film The Little Prince, the NFB short Bone Mother, as well as a number of commercial spots for Nike, Honda, Tim Hortons, and Hot Wheels. Hayward shares his recent experience directing the New Zealand claymation kid’s show Kiri and Lou as well as his thoughts on the idea of achieving perfectionism in animation. Tune in to Ibele and Hayward to hear: *Why Kiri and Lou is one of the few claymation shows in the world *Common misconceptions around how to achieve actual perfectionism in animation *Five steps to drastically improve your animation performance ~[SPONSORED MESSAGE]~ This episode is sponsored by HUE. Makers of colorful, Plug & Play cameras for learning, work and play. Originally designed for teachers, HUE cameras can also be used for creative activities such as capturing hand-drawn pencil tests and shooting behind-the-scenes footage, time-lapse videos and stop motion animation. The cameras have flexible, posable necks, manual focus controls and they are compatible with Dragonframe, OBS, Twitch, Zoom and many other camera apps. Visit huehd.com to learn more and follow @HUEcameras on social media for news, fun and giveaways. Get 10% off any Hue product from www.huehd.com with code: 10TERRYAIP ~~ Social Links: *Follow Hayward on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dale_seecreature/ *Follow See Creature on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seecreature_anim/ *Check out Hayward’s website: https://www.seecreature.ca/ *Add Hayward on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/see-creature-animation/

Support this podcast on Patreon: www.patreon.com/theAIP This chat features Victoria Mateo, a Certified Money Coach who caters specifically to creative professionals. With a background in film and finance, she shares her story of how she merged the two worlds to start her own practice this last year. In their chat Mateo covers some of the misconceptions artists have about finances and the four steps you can take to set yourself up for a better financial future. Tune in to Ibele and Mateo to hear: *One thing you can do right now to reframe your current financial situation *How to figure out your value as an artist and charge appropriately *Helpful tips on how to increase your financial literacy Social Links: Sign up or take the Money Type Quiz at www.TheMAP.ca by Nov 24th and get up to 50% discount on your first package. *Check out Victoria’s website: https://www.themap.ca/ *Follow Victoria on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moneyawarenesspathway/ *Follow Money Awareness Path on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/moneyawarenesspathway/

Support this podcast on Patreon: www.patreon.com/theAIP This chat features Will Anderson, a BAFTA-winning filmmaker and animator from Scotland. Anderson is best known for his super unique directing and animating style. Over the years his clients have included the BBC, MTV, [adult swim], WarnerBros. Discovery, and more. In this chat, Anderson shares the journey he took to become an independent animator, and the opportunities that exist for animators with a unique style. Tune in to Ibele and Anderson to hear: *The type of rare rigging Anderson has become known for *What it was like self-producing a feature documentary *Tips on how to rethink your social media portfolio Social Links: *Check out Anderson’s website: https://wanderson.xyz/ *Follow Anderson on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/willandersonjr/