The Animated Life panel from Emerald City Comic Con 2017

Nerd For A Living

From the Archives / Comic Convention at Home 2020 Way back in 2017, we had the opportunity to do our very first panel completely devoted to careers in animation - The Animated Life: A Peek Behind the Cels. And, as much as we thought we understood about animation and how the industry was structured, these pros really opened our eyes. If you're someone who loves to see behind the scenes, or if you're seeking to work in the animation industry, this chat with Victoria Ying, Steph Laberis, and Mike Collins is definitely one for you. This conversation digs deep into the individual roles within animation teams, the importance of networking (spoiler: your "connections" usually start as friends, so be kind and genuine), and how truly collaborative the creation process is for anything in animation. As with everything in our current COVID-19 world, this industry has had to evolve and adapt to our new world - so everything from this conversation may not exactly be "of the moment." However, there's still a lot of valuable insight and relevant advice in this panel from these immensely talented pros. We hope you enjoy it. THE ANIMATED LIFE: A PEEK BEHIND THE CELS Recorded: Saturday, March 4, 2017 From the sacred Saturday morning rituals of yesteryear, to today’s storytelling masterpieces, cartoons and animation bring our imaginations to life. The animation industry is full of vibrant professionals working together across creative disciplines to tell exciting stories that we will cherish for years. Nerd For A Living podcast host Adron Buske talks with a of group of animation pros about their jobs, the collaborative process, and the joys and challenges of making cartoons. SPEAKER PANELISTS: Mike Collins – She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, The Powerpuff Girls, Adventure Time, Ben 10: Omniverse, The Mr. Peabody and Sherman Show Steph Laberis – DreamWorks TV, Sesame Workshop, Nick Jr., Disney Jr. Victoria Ying – Frozen, Tangled, Wreck it Ralph, Big Hero 6