Inside Animation

I talk to film critic and author Nick Spake about what a film critic does and how he got into the business of critiquing films through his time at Arizona State University (Go Sun Devils). We also talk about his book, Bright and Shiny; A history of animation at award shows (Volumes 1 and 2 available now on Barnesandnoble.com!) and a bit about how the Best Animated Film category was added to the Oscars. Plus, advice about starting a career as a critic. You can follow Nick and his work at www.cartooncontender.com or follow @cartooncontender on your favorite social media!

Our host chats with Bryan Engram, CEO and Chief Creative Officer of Brazen Animation. They talk about a variety of things, from how a for-hire animation company markets itself to how a CEO leads a team of creatives as well as how Bryan went from being an intern to hiring interns. In our "Back in Time" segment, Bryan talks about how there weren't many classes for animation when he was in college, and how his real education in animation began when he started working in it. Plus, great advice for those who want to break out of the big corporate atmosphere and start their own company. Especially if you want to make your own stuff. You can learn more about Bryan at https://www.brazenanimation.com/And follow their socials @brazenanimation

Our host chats with Tad Branham, Production Designer and Head of Design for Steamroller Animation, about his work as a production designer and all about their new show, Spice Frontier. They talk about how being a production designer is a lot like being the conductor of an orchestra, in charge not of a single element, but the entire look of a show or film. We bring you back in time to Tad's childhood, where he was influenced by He-Man and many other shows of that era. In our Advice segment, Tad talks about how being a Jack of All Trades can actually be a boon to set you apart as an artist. You can watch Spice Frontier right now on YouTube https://youtu.be/SeAqnHywrx8?si=TxKgSnkQMN1t5hIAand be sure to follow @steamrolleranimation on all the socials!

We're back! To commemorate Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month, I talk with Bobby Rubio, who has had an impressive career. Starting with an internship at Disney, he has worked on Pocahontas, Treasure Planet, Avatar the Last Airbender, and many more animated films and series, including being responsible for the first animated Filipino lead character, in the Pixar short, Float. We talk about it all, including what a "Clean up Artist" does, why there actually is pretty good representation in the animation industry, and how he thought his career was over just before landing a job on ATLA at Nickelodeon. And we get awesome advice on how to make a name for yourself in today's age of AI. Check out his work on Instagram and other socials at @bobbyrubio and stay tuned for his comic book Kickstarter coming up in October!

I chat with Writer Producer Pietro Schito about the community he has built around his Write for Animation YouTube channel. We start off by talking about the results of this year's Oscars and how it is good news for Indie filmmakers, especially animators. We talk at length about story telling and what makes a good story. Plus, we go back in time and talk about how Disney comics were big among teens and pre-teens in Italy as well as Disney and Pixar's influence in Pietro's life. And we get advice from a guy who gives it frequently on his channel about how you don't need to "be a writer" to write an animated short or feature, and how the structure of story telling is as old as civilization itself. You can check out his channel at https://www.youtube.com/@writeforanimation

For the premiere of season 5, we have another indie creator, this time the creator of an Emo Goth love story set in the alien zombie apocalypse, and all done with hand animated dolls. The film is Apocalypse Love and the creator and puppeteer is Vera Vanguard, a professional hand model and writer/producer who decided to combine her talents and make a play motion film. We get into the nitty gritty on how the film was made with a skeleton crew and how she acquired her dolls from a Slovenian Etsy artist. Plus we go back in time and learn that our childhood trauma often prepares us for unexpected talents later in life. And as always, great advice! If you would like to sponsor Inside Animation for an episode or the whole season, contact us at insideanimationpod@gmail.com and for more info on Apocalypse Love, go to FearPix or follow @veravanguard on Instagram

In this final episode of Season 4, I chat with Writer Director Phil Svitek, creator of The Arbiters, an animated feature he is developing. We talk about the pitching process, what a Pitch Deck is, the difference between a teaser and a trailer, and all the things he does as a director of his first animated feature, We go back in time to the time of Saturday morning cartoons and how Phil was reared on Hey Arnold and Captain Planet among other shows. Also he talks about how a course in editing led him to "reverse engineer" his way into directing and writing. And great advice for anyone, but specifically those wanting to go into animation from live action. For more information about The Arbiters, you can go to https://thearbitersfilm.com

I chat with Patric Verrone, who is a Writer/Producer on Futurama and has worked on Disenchantment, The Simpsons, Rugrats, and one of my favorite animated shows of the 90s, The Critic. We talk about how a Producer credit on an animated show is usually just a title for established writers of a show and less of a job description. We talk about how, like Conan Obrien, he got into animation writing through writing for late night and sketch comedy shows and how that was a pipeline for comedy writers. We get into how "Writer's Rooms" are different for Prime Time animated shows than smaller budget shows and how they're very similar in structure to live action sitcoms. When we go back in time, we talk about how Patric was influenced more by Chuck Jones and Looney Tunes than Disney cartoons as Disney was more stingy with Mickey during his upbringing. And as always, we get great advice, for writers looking to get into animation writing. You can watch new episodes of Futurama as they come out on Hulu!

I chat with the Chief Strategy Officer for Superplastic, Zack Sugarman. We talk about how Superplastic is building a "Demented Disney" empire, starting with vinyl art toys (much like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) and creating animated content on Instagram and TikTok with their IP. Plus, we get into how Zack's love of collectibles and penchant for numbers makes him perfect for his role. And, as always, great advice for everyone!

I chat with Leo Glantschnig, whose YouTube channel, Crash Frontier, has over 600k Subscribers and several videos with over 1 Million views. We talk about how he uses a sandbox-style, physics-based car crash simulator to create cinematic disaster shorts. In my "back-in-time" segment, we discuss how a trip to Universal Studios in 2003 inspired his love of directing and how the disaster movies of the late 90s led him to create these disaster shorts. Plus, great advice on how to start a YouTube channel using your passions and grow it using analytic tools. You can watch his videos at https://www.youtube.com/@CrashFrontier

I chat with a peer in the animation industry, Casandra Groves. Previously, I've talked with other voice actors, but never with one at my level, trying to get voice acting work of significance in the industry. We talk about the trials and tribulations of attempting to "make it" as a voice actor, which sites to avoid, which classes to take, what equipment to buy, and much more. In my "back in time" segment, we delve into Casandra's love for late 90s Nickelodeon. And as always, great advice if you wish to get started as a voice actor. You can follow her on Instagram at @casandra_groves_vo

I interview Producer Michael Hirsh, who led several animation companies including Nelvana, which was responsible for developing Babar, The Magic School Bus, The Berenstain Bears, Beetlejuice, and many more animated series. We talk about how his company got hired to create the animated short (as part of the Star Wars Holiday Special) that was the defacto introduction of the character of Boba Fett. In my Back-in-time segment, we go back to when he started Nelvana with a college friend and hired recent graduates from a nearby animation school. And in advice, Michael talks about what a great era it is now to be able to start your own animation company. His book Animation Nation: How We Built a Cartoon Empire, is available for pre-order on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and sutherlandhousebooks.com You can follow Michael on Instagram at @michaelhirshanimation

I talk with Post Production Supervisor Chris Keith about how his job was to be the last person to see an animated episode before it went out to the audience, ensuring the proper mix of dialogue, sound effects, and music. He talks about his work on Goof Troop, Bonkers, Biker Mice from Mars, Darkwing Duck, and the 2nd season of Family Guy (including some great stories about working with Seth MacFarlane), as well as working on the original Tron film. In our "Back in Time" segment, Chris reveals a certain popular film he had a chance to work on, but declined. And great advice as always about getting into post production, even in this slow time. Go check out his book and podcast, Ghosts of Greystone Beverly Hills https://www.youtube.com/@ghostsofgreystonebeverlyhills

I meet the podcast's youngest guest ever, Josh Young. At just 13 years old, he is already set up to become an incredible cinematographer and stop-motion animator. While his current productions are short and with a very low fps (frames per second), his attention to detail and camera angles already betrays a bright future ahead. We talk about how his younger brother's obsession with The Nightmare Before Christmas got him interested in Stop Motion and later in the interview, he shows how he is one of the wisest 13 year olds I've ever met. Plus we talk about how his grandfather combined with great older war films got him interested in World War II as a subject as well as Star Wars. Plus, the great advice for creators out there. Especially those just getting started. You can follow his content and career as it unfolds on Instagram at @lastbrick_production_

I chat with Doug Engalla, a Researcher at the Walt Disney Animation Research Library (ARL) about his work preserving the art of Disney Animation. We talk about how Disney has accumulated approximately 65 million artworks in the 100 years of the Walt Disney Company and how Walt himself started the archive to create a repository to learn from past works and be able to reference older works at any time. We also talk about the impact Disney has had on the world of animation, including the influence it has had within and outside of its doors. In my "Back in Time" segment, I go back 34 years to when Doug first started with the ARL and how he took an unorthodox path to get there, but ultimately found his dream job. Plus, Doug recalls his first time at Disneyland and how a particular ride scared him so much, he didn't ride it again for many years. And as in every episode, we get advice, this time for those who want to work at a research library, especially one involving art. The Animation Research Library will be involved with D23 this year as part of the Ultimate Disney Fan Event, so go to d23.com to get tickets and more info.

I chat with Taylor Aseere, Layout Lead at Dreamworks Pictures about what is layout, how it's different from storyboards and how pre-vis is the counterpart in live-action films to layout in animation. Plus we talk bout Taylor's own company Shattered Glass Films, which mainly does "pre-vis", or pre-visualization. In my "back-in-time" segment, we talk about Taylor's journey from college to where she is now and how she didn't exactly start in layout, but found a job in the industry that got her there. She expanded on this in my advice segment with several pieces of great advice for someone wanting to break into the animation world. To see more of Taylor's work, you can follow her on socials at @shattered_glass_film or go to www.shatteredglassfilm.com

This is Inside Animation's first interview with an Oscar Nominee. Adam interviews Pablo Berger, director and writer of Robot Dreams, Nominated this year for the Best Animated Feature Oscar. They talk about the process of taking an animated feature to an Oscar nomination, or at least the steps he took. Also, as this is Pablo's first foray into animation, the differences between live-action directing and animation and how it takes much more patience for animation. Then, in the "Back in Time" segment, Pablo's Japanese Animation influences are discussed and how Miyazaki films made him realize that animation isn't just for kids. Finally, in the "Advice" segment, the difference between live action and animation resurfaces as Pablo give great advice to live action directors finding themselves directing an animated feature.

We start off the 4th season on a positive note with the self described biggest pessimist in the world of animation, Mike Smolev. We talk about how he got into creating an animated show because he wanted good sound design and his harrowing journey so far, including 3 different attempts at a pilot and why he is doing stand up as a way to be able to pitch the show. Plus we find out the one animated show he thinks is any good and I squeeze a bit of advice out of him. To find out more about The Hunk and Grody Show and watch what is out there so far, go to www.mikesmolev.com

In the Season Finale for Season 3, I chat with composer and songwriter Kevin Smithers, who has worked for many projects from HBO to Disney Channel, even video games, and most recently worked on Frankelda's Book of Spooks on MAX. We briefly talk about the differences between narrative composing for animation and composing video game music before diving into Frankelda's Book of Spooks and how his first collaboration with Cinema Fantasma led to it becoming a musical series. Plus we go back in time to talk about Kevin's world travels and the Disney films that inspired him to compose for animation. And as always, there's great advice about finding your people, not just networking. You can follow him @kevinsmithersmusic on Instagram and find more of his work at https://www.kevinsmithers.com

In another Inside Animation first, I talk with Howard Benjamin, Interviewer for the ABC Radio network and The Interview Factory LLC. We dive indepth into how interviews happen and why it's best for the interviewer to bring their own equipment (we actually used Howard's equipment to record this episode!). In my "back in time" segment, Howard talks about how his wife founded a company that allows radio stations to order a celebrity interview like a pepperoni pizza! And I bring back my "how we know each other" segment, where you'll find out how Howard had a role in the creation of this very podcast! Plus as with all my guests, great advice. This time for those who want to do interviews. Check out Howard's YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@theinterviewfactoryllc433