Directing Animation Livecast

Originally streamed on YouTube Live Feb 7, 2025. Audio edited by Kiara Horowitz.This fantastic new film floored Scott Wiser, so we had to interview Jim about his daring art project and why so many people should see and treasure this film! Jim Capobianco is an American film director, animator and screenwriter. He has worked as a story artist and storyboard artist for films such as The Lion King (1994), Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996), A Bug's Life (1998), Toy Story 2 (1999), Monsters, Inc. (2001), Finding Nemo (2003), Up (2009), Inside Out (2015), and Finding Dory (2016). (Source: Wikepedia)In 2008, he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Ratatouille (2007). In 2023, he wrote and directed the animated feature film The Inventor, about Leonardo da Vinci's life in France.Learn more at:https://www.jimcapobianco.com/Interviewer Scott Wiser is currently supervising at Steamroller Studios (Supervising on Fortnite emotes. Built the Lego Fortnite emotes team, animating on Spice Frontier) and has written and directed for Spacestation Animation. He is the creator of 15 deeply meaningful feature film pitches and counting. 3 of these are Kickstarted Books and one is a short film. Any producers or executives interested in collaborating or funding on Scott Wiser's projects can peruse these pitches through the application at:www.scottwiser.com/collaborate

Originally Streamed on YouTube Live Dec 6, 2024. Audio edited by Kiara Horowitz. Produced by a team of 70+ artists from more than 24 countries, in collaboration with the global Coptic community, "The 21" is up for an Oscar nomination in 2025 Director Tod Polson made this statement: The 2015 beheading of 21 Coptic Christians by ISIS sent shockwaves across the globe and left a deep, lasting impact on me personally. The martyrs’ steadfast faith in the face of overwhelming terror was, and continues to be, both humbling and deeply inspiring. When the opportunity arose to tell their story, I embraced it wholeheartedly. The creation of the film has been an incredible journey. The story evolved slowly, shaped by interviews with Coptic Christians, former ISIS members, and journalists embedded with the Libyan army. Spending time with the families of the martyrs allowed me to better understand who these men were, further deepening my admiration for their courage and conviction. The visual style of The 21 is rooted in traditional iconography. Artists from Egypt, Syria, Ukraine, and the United States contributed their expertise, not only helping shape the aesthetic of the film but also influencing my own approach to art. Animation artists from around the world lent their talents, each adding something personal to the project. My deepest hope is that The 21 serves as a tribute to the martyrs and their families. In a world that seems more than ever in need of such powerful examples of faith and resilience, I believe their story is more vital than ever. THE21FILM.COM Interviewer Scott Wiser is currently supervising at Steamroller Studios (supervising Lego Fortnite and animating on Spice Frontier) and has written and directed for Spacestation Animation. He is the creator of 15 deeply meaningful feature film pitches and counting. 3 of these are Kickstarted Books and one is a short film. Any producers or executives interested in collaborating or funding on Scott Wiser's projects can peruse these pitches through the application at: www.scottwiser.com/collaborate

Originally Streamed on YouTube Live Sep 6, 2024. Audio edited by Kiara Horowitz. Ron Friedman and I had a wonderful conversation at the Salt Lake Animation Expo* BUT technology Failed us, so let's do it again! Let's talk about His Thirty Years as an animator on hand-drawn animated films such as The PageMaster and Swan Princess, which visual FX, video game animation, supervising animation for Pan's Labyrinth, to previsualizing films at The Third Floor to teaching future animators through / animationtrainers and / @animationtrainers Interviewer Scott Wiser is currently supervising at Steamroller Studios (supervising Lego Fortnite and animating on Spice Frontier) and has written and directed for Spacestation Animation. He is the creator of 15 deeply meaningful feature film pitches and counting. 3 of these are Kickstarted Books and one is a short film. Any producers or executives interested in collaborating or funding on Scott Wiser's projects can peruse these pitches through the application at: www.scottwiser.com/collaborate *The Salt Lake Animation Expo is now called "Sketch 2 Screen (And Everything In-Between!)"

Uploaded to YouTube July 24, 2024. Audio edited by Kiara Horowitz. Since interview Story artist, consultant, director Mike Morris, I've been amused by his contributions to "collaborative posts" on LinkedIn. Knowing these "articles" are used to train AI, he trolls them in the funniest way and ironically earned the "Top Animation Voice Badge" on his LinkedIn profile at / animike But that's not what this episode about. It was a serious, great conversation about living as an artist in the animation industry. His thoughts inspired me and hopefully will do the same for you! Interviewer Scott Wiser is currently supervising at Steamroller Studios (supervising Lego Fortnite and animating on Spice Frontier) and has written and directed for Spacestation Animation. He is the creator of 15 deeply meaningful feature film pitches and counting. 3 of these are Kickstarted Books and one is a short film. Any producers or executives interested in collaborating or funding on Scott Wiser's projects can peruse these pitches through the application at: www.scottwiser.com/collaborate

Posted on YouTube May 31, 2024. Audio edited by Kiara Horowitz. At DrawingFORCE.com, Mike Mattesi, author of the FORCE drawing books and creator of the FORCE drawing theory teaches his drawing approach. Scott Wiser sat down with Mike at the Salt Lake Animation Expo for this challenging conversation about navigating the industry as an artist and about his love for animation and teaching! Mike Mattesi attended the School of Visual Arts in New York City to pursue a career in the comic book industry and found my way into Walt Disney Consumer Products and Walt Disney Feature Animation where Mike had the amazing fortune to work on "The Lion King." MikeI then moved to the west coast where he entered the video game industry and then returned to New York where he taught at SVA and many other studios and schools in the tri-state area. After many years teaching I decided to write a book called FORCE that would wrap up my teaching career. Mike launched a company called Contagious Concepts, an art resource company for the video game industry. This lead to work with Microsoft, Origin, Electronic Arts and other developers on many exciting titles. After starting a family, they all then moved to Los Angeles where Mike taught at Nickelodeon, Electronic Arts and Art Center. This lead Mike to opening his own art school, Entertainment Art Academy, the first of its kind in the world! After four challenging years Mike closed the Academy and moved to San Francisco where he reentered the video game industry and worked primarily as an Art Director across numerous game studios, Zynga my latest. Now Mike returns to teaching through DrawingFORCE.com, teaching at art colleges and entertainment companies in the Bay area such as , Pixar, The Academy of Art University, California College of the Arts, and Mike travels around the world hosting FORCE Drawing Workshops. Interviewer Scott Wiser is currently supervising at Steamroller Studios (supervising Lego Fortnite and animating on Spice Frontier) and has written and directed for Spacestation Animation. He is the creator of 15 deeply meaningful feature film pitches and counting. 3 of these are Kickstarted Books and one is a short film. Any producers or executives interested in collaborating or funding on Scott Wiser's projects can peruse these pitches through the application at: www.scottwiser.com/collaborate

Originally streamed on YouTube Live Dec 13, 2023. Audio edited by Kiara Horowitz. Josh Carroll and Ben Rische are such a powerful creative team that even though they've worked together for years and are currently on Steamroller Animation & Jalil Sadool's Spice Frontier, they're collaborating after hours on their own original Graphic Novel. Ben Rische is the Head of Story at Steamroller, but that's not all. He's a great character designer, 2D FX animator, etc. / benrische Josh Carroll is not only an awesome 3D character modeler, but his input is vital enough at Steamroller Studios that this year he became the Head of Creative at Steamroller. https://www.artstation.com/kairos121 It's been inspiring to work with both of them on Spice Frontier and their earlier works inspired me before I ever knew them! Let's have a great, creative conversation! Interviewer Scott Wiser is currently supervising at Steamroller Studios and has written and directed for Spacestation Animation. He is the creator of 15 deeply meaningful feature film pitches and counting. 3 of these are Kickstarted Books and one is a short film. Any producers or executives interested in collaborating or funding Scott Wiser's projects can peruse these pitches through the application at: www.scottwiser.com/collaborate

Originally streamed on YouTube Live Oct 6, 2023. Audio edited by Kiara Horowitz. Armand Serrano is a visual development artist, art director, and production designer for animated feature films and games specializing in environment design. He is currently working as a Production Designer for an unannounced biblical animated feature film slated for 2025. Armand is known for his works at Walt Disney Animation Studios, Marvel Studios, Sony Pictures Animation, and The Bible Project. His most recent projects were Skydance Animation's The Search for Wondla (2024) and Marvel Studios' "What If...?" . He is also a seasoned lecturer in the field of animation and design. He conducts workshops and demos internationally. Armand conducts his own online mentorship program once a year for advanced visual development candidates. He teaches at Brainstorm-Inland School and the co-organizer of Icon Manila with his wife. He also taught at Biola University and Art Center: College of Art and Design as an adjunct professor. After completing his civil engineering degree at the University of Santo Tomas in 1990, Armand started his career as an assistant animator at Fil-Cartoons, a Hanna Barbera studio based in Manila. His new-found passion for animation moved him to Philippine Animation Studio and supervised the layout department for Marvel's overseas production of X-Men and Fantastic Four TV series to name a few. He moved to Los Angeles in the mid-90s and took further studies in layout and background design. Armand joined the Walt Disney Animation Studios in Florida in 1996 and became a Layout Journeyman. He worked on four of the studio's successful animated feature films: Mulan, Tarzan, Lilo & Stitch, and Brother Bear. In 2004, Armand joined the crew of the newly formed Sony Pictures Animation. During his nine-year stay at Sony, Armand completed a total of fifteen projects including Surf's Up, Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs, Arthur Christmas, and Hotel Transylvania. He also collaborated independently in visually developing Escape From Planet Earth for Vancouver-based Rainmaker Entertainment and production design on Animal Crackers for Blue Dream Studio Spain. Armand moved back to Disney Animation Studio between 2013-2018. His later credits with Disney include the award-winning features Big Hero 6 and Zootopia, Olaf's Frozen Adventure, and Raya and the Last Dragon. He also worked as a freelance art director for The Bible Project and visual development artist for studios such as Netflix Animation, Blizzard Entertainment, Riot Games, Niantic, Blur Studio. https://www.armandserrano.com/ Interviewer Scott Wiser is currently supervising at Steamroller Studios and has written and directed for Spacestation Animation. He is the creator of 15 deeply meaningful feature film pitches and counting. 3 of these are Kickstarted Books and one is a short film. Any producers or executives interested in collaborating or funding on Scott Wiser's projects can peruse these pitches through the application at: www.scottwiser.com/collaborate

Originally Streamed on YouTube Live Aug 18, 2023. Audio edited by Kiara Horowitz. Chris is a creator of family and faith-infused entertainment such as the Wingfeather Saga now streaming on Angel Studios' Platform. He spent over a decade producing 16 movies for the venerated VeggieTales franchise. That included the wildly successful "Wonderful Wizard of Ha's," "Saint Nicholas" and "Noah's Ark." During that time, he also oversaw the multi-national team to create new 20x22min episodes of "3-2-1 Penguins" CG animated series for NBC/Qubo. These titles have been enjoyed by millions of families, generating millions in revenue. He is also creator of the acclaimed “Slugs & Bugs Show” with Brentwood Studios and RightNow Media. Chris is passionate about creating content that will serve families with stories of truth and beauty. He lives in Franklin, TN with his wife and six children. His company Shining Isle Productions is currently producing season one of The Wingfeather Saga animated series, in partnership with Angel Studios. You can follow Chris's work at https://www.angel.com/watch/wingfeath... Interviewer Scott Wiser is currently supervising at Steamroller Studios and has written and directed for Spacestation Animation. He is the creator of 10 deeply meaningful feature film pitches and counting. 3 of these are Kickstarted Books and one is a short film. Any producers or executives interested in collaborating or funding on Scott Wiser's projects can peruse these pitches through the application at scottwiser.com/collaborate

Originally Streamed on YouTube Live June 30, 2023. Audio Edited by Kiara Horowitz. With this new Dreamworks film In theaters June 30, let's have a second conversation with Head of Story, Glenn Harmon, formerly the Head of Story at Skydance Animation, with storyboarding tips he picked up on projects as Boss Baby, All Hail King Julien, Hotel Transylvania, and Smurfs. See Glenn's work at: https://www.instagram.com/thegr8ful_dad Interviewer Scott Wiser is currently supervising at Steamroller Studios and has written and directed for Spacestation Animation. He is the creator of 10 deeply meaningful feature film pitches and counting. 3 of these are Kickstarted Books and one is a short film. Any producers or executives interested in collaborating or funding on Scott Wiser's projects can peruse these pitches through the application at scottwiser.com/collaborate Copyright Scott Wiser LLC, 2020. All Rights Reserved.

Originally streamed on YouTube Live May 12th, 2023. Audio edited by Kiara Horowitz. Ross has written and directed three CG features, including Charming starring Demi Lovato, Sia, Avril Lavigne, Ashley Tisdale, and John Cleese — released globally on Netflix in 2020. Ross has written original pilots and screenplays for Disney, Fox, Walden Media, Warner Brothers, DreamWorks, Sony, Universal, The Jim Henson Co., Playtone, Vanguard Anima7on, Jersey Films, 1492, ABC, UPN, Carsey-Werner, The WB, ConcaCo, Cartoon Network, Reliance, Nickelodeon, and many others. Early in his career, Ross wrote on Nickelodeon’s Kenan and Kel, the original live-action The Tick, and the first ever CG animated primetime series Game Over. You can follow Ross at: https://www.instagram.com/rossvenokur/ https://www.vivafilmco.com/ourfilms Interviewer Scott Wiser is currently supervising at Steamroller Studios and has written and directed for Spacestation Animation. He is the creator of 10 deeply meaningful feature film pitches and counting. 3 of these are Kickstarted Books and one is a short film. Any producers or executives interested in collaborating or funding on Scott Wiser's projects can peruse these pitches through the application at scottwiser.com/collaborate

Originally Streamed on YouTube Live April 7, 2023. Audio Edited by Kiara Horowitz. In building the best animation studio Scott's worked for, Aaron Gilman has gathered philosophies from Brene Brown, Simon Sinek, etc, and in an experimental way has been navigating toward something remarkeable. Let's discuss how he does it and also the future of Steamroller Animation! With 23 years in the VFX industry, Aaron has worked at all levels of animation in film, games, and TV. Beginning with his early film work, Aaron was an animator on Matrix Revolutions, Hellboy, and Constantine with the acclaimed Tippett Studio. Eventually making his way to Weta Digital as a Senior Animator on Avatar, Aaron would remain with the award-winning New Zealand-based company for 8 years. During that time he worked on 14 feature films as Animation Supervisor on The Avengers, Iron Man 3, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, Alvin, and the Chipmunks: Road Chip, and Godzilla. In 2016 Aaron made his way to Vancouver Canada as Animation Director at DNEG where he oversaw numerous projects before taking on the Head of Animation role. In 2021, Aaron assumed the Chief Creative Officer role at Steamroller Animation and most recently took on the Chief Executive Officer role where he oversees the studio’s vision and core operations. Aaron brings a wealth of animation and leadership experience to the Steamroller team. He is also a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and has been nominated for a VES and Annie award. Found out about more of his incredible leadership at: https://www.steamrollerstudios.com/ Interviewer Scott Wiser has Directed Animation at Spacestation Animation and is currently supervising animation at Steamroller Animation Studios. He continues to develop more than 10 deeply meaningful feature film pitches, including the recently self-published illustrated novel, Masked Magic. Any producers or executives interested in collaborating or funding Scott Wiser's projects can peruse these pitches through the application at https://scottwiser.com/collaborate

Originally Streamed on YouTube Live Feb 14, 2023. Audio Edited by Kiara Horowitz. He was a Disney character designer and podcast (ArtCast) host and with a twist of fate because one of the best educators I've ever seen in any university, online school, etc. His mentorship has impacted my career exponentially and his students continue to flourish in both their internet presence and their quality of the art.  Former Oatley Academy students are Published Children's Book Authors / Illustrators, Animation Directors, Character Designers, Wizards of the Coast Artists, Blizzard Artists, Instagram Art celebrities, Laika Puppet makers, Fashion Design Instructors, Art Center Teachers, Plein Air Painters, the list goes on. His current paid course, The Clockwork Heart, is his best yet, helping students plan, finish, and market their own passion projects.    Scott Wiser often recommends this free course to anyone struggling in their art career:  Chris Oatley's Crucial Question That Could Save Your Art Career:   Part 1: https://howtobecomeaprofessionalartist.com/2022/02/21/l1p1-mary-blair/ Part 2: https://howtobecomeaprofessionalartist.com/2022/04/06/l1p2-mary-blair/ Part 3: https://howtobecomeaprofessionalartist.com/2022/09/27/l1p3-wrong-career/ Follow Chris at: https://www.instagram.com/chrisoatley/  Interviewer Scott Wiser has Directed Animation at Spacestation Animation and is currently supervising animation at Steamroller Animation Studios.  He continues to develop more than 10 deeply meaningful feature film pitches, including the recently self-published illustrated novel, Masked Magic. Any producers or executives interested in collaborating or funding Scott Wiser's projects can peruse these pitches through the application at https://scottwiser.com/collaborate

Originally Streamed on YouTube Live on Dec 9, 2022. Audio edited by Kiara Horowitz. He directed How to Train Your Dragon + Lilo & Stitch + The Croods  - What more need we say? We already know he's a fantastic artist and storyteller! Ladies and gents... CHRIS SANDERS!!!!   Interviewer Scott Wiser is a Director at Spacestation Animation and the creator of 10 deeply meaningful feature film pitches. Any producers or executives interested in collaborating or funding on Scott Wiser's projects can peruse these pitches through the application at https://scottwiser.com/collaborate  Follow Chris Sanders at:   https://www.instagram.com/chrissander... + TONS of content at:  https://linktr.ee/chrissandersart