Straight Ahead Animation Podcast (Ray Mendoza Landa and Yuki Okamura-Wong)

Continuing on our Special Speaker Series, Grace Han is a Korean-American working in Montreal, Canada as a rigging artist for the VFX industry. While the VFX and Animation industries are very closely related, and if you rig for 3D animation you can jump between both, we also talk about what's more often expected in VFX vs. Animation for a rigger. From Spiderman to octopi, we talk about what can be more interesting for a rigging artist to tackle, and how artistic flare can be brought into such a technical process. Grace originally went to the Savannah College of Art and Design wanting to do Animation and Storyboarding, but a required rigging class changed that. With a professor's sage words about how stable rigging jobs are, Grace turned to her current profession. We talk about her year break after graduating, and then how she took off another year between jobs without having to worry about her next gig! This and so much more on today's episode of Straight Ahead.

Twitter: @Kurocodile

If you enjoy our podcast, please share it and rate us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. We want to expand our platform and amplify these BIPOC voices!

Grace Villaroman is a filipino american animator currently working at Sony Pictures Imageworks! On this week's episode we get into the challenges of a 3D animator at a big studio like Sony and Pixar, but also the perks like relocating from the USA to Canada. We also get to touch on her experience working with Signing Animation, and much, much more!

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/grace-villaroman-279162156/
Portfolio: https://gracefulrunning.wixsite.com/animation/portfolio

Signing Animation
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/signing_animation/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SignAnimation

Joel Zamudio is a Location Designer for Disney TVA! We chat about his "first three starts" in animation: working on the Sony Animation's Mitú project, then as a freelance character designer for Shadow Machine, and then again for Disney TVA. Why so many "starts"? Well, we talk about the clarity of losing your ego after graduation, and continuing your education after school to become industry-ready. Joel also tells us about his time working on The Loud House comics, and how that differed from his experience in animation. Joel also talks about Toon Therapy: a shorts channel on Youtube he collaborates on with his friends. If you're not tired of us talking on education yet, Joel shares his unique experience testing for and attending an art-highschool: the Orange County School of the Arts.

Instagram: @joelz_art

Portfolio: www.joelzamudio.com

If you enjoy our podcast, please share it and rate us on Apple Podcast & Spotify. We want to expand our platform and amplify these BIPOC voices!

Kevin Casas is a Latinx production coordinator and writer working at Nickelodeon studios! He studied Graphic Design in undergrad, and had no idea that production existed in the animation industry. As a graphic designer Kevin built skills in pitch packaging and communication, both of which translated into his role as a production coordinator. Kevin shares what duties are expected of production on CG shows like Max & the Midknights and Star Trek: Prodigy. Kevin strives to join the development team someday, and shares his passion for storytelling and advocating for the stories that people want to tell.

http://kevinjcasas.com/

IG: @heyokjc

X: @heyokjc

If you enjoy our podcast, please share it and rate us on Apple Podcast & Spotify. We want to expand our platform and amplify these BIPOC voices! If you'd like to support us directly, we have a tip jar open at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ko-fi.com/straightaheadap⁠⁠!

Tune is as we talk to Manuela Escolar Gonzalez a Colombian animator who is currently working at Powerhouse Studios. We also discover that her love for How To Train Your Dragon is the reason why she decided to study at Sheridan College! Portfolio: manuelaescolargonzalez.weebly.com IG: @artisminerva Twitter: @Artisminerva Short Film: Mi Pukita Edited by Ashley Itliong If you enjoy our podcast, please share it and rate us on Apple Podcast & Spotify. We want to expand our platform and amplify these BIPOC voices! If you'd like to support us directly, we have a tip jar open at ⁠⁠ko-fi⁠⁠!

Making his way to the ring we have Rajkamal Singh a Punjabi-American Character Designer who is currently working as a Storyboard Revisionist. How does something like this happen you might ask yourself? Well tune in and find out how it all started by attend D23!

Portfolio: https://www.rajkamalsinghart.com

IG: @ruberduckyboi

Twitter: @ruberduckyboi

Cara: @ruberduckyboi

If you enjoy our podcast, please share it and rate us on Apple Podcast & Spotify. We want to expand our platform and amplify these BIPOC voices! If you'd like to support us directly, we have a tip jar open at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ko-fi⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!

Meet Shannon Parayil, an Indian-American Visual Development artist. Currently working at Sony Animation, Shannon has also worked for a variety of studios including Nickelodeon, Disney, Warner Bros, and Netflix. We discuss what it's like being on such short contracts with studios, and where she was recruited for those projects in such a short time. We dive a lot into Shannon's experience as a student, and how putting aside her own art goals to fill production roles paused her growth as an artist. However, the same mindset lead to her love of color-design, and she talks about how she pulled herself up to create the portfolio she needed. On a more serious topic, both Shannon and Ray have recently experienced being on projects that were suddenly dissolved, and we talk a bit about their experiences receiving such news and the events that followed. Be uplifted by Shannon's journey, as we explore the highs and lows of such a wonderful artist.

Twitter: @Shneenon
Instagram: @shneenon
LinkedIn: Shannon Parayil
Website: https://www.shannonparayil.com/

If you enjoy our podcast, please share it and rate us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. We want to expand our platform and amplify these BIPOC voices!

We're so psyched to introduce this week's guest, writer, wrestler, and fighting game extraordinaire: Jeff Trammell! If that wild list of titles isn't enough to entice you, then perhaps learning about Jeff's journey as a self-taught writer will. Learn about the Nick Writer's program, and how Jeff's skill coupled with this lucky break brought him from MI to CA. From life as a professional wrestler, to honing his wit through improvisational acting, this episode is filled with retrospections on how Jeff has filled his life with storytelling. Ray and Jeff get into important story techniques, some Dragonball Z, and uh... did I mention wrestling? 

Instagram @mrjefftrammell
Twitter @mrjefftrammell

From Muppet babies to Murder hobos on Harley Quinn, Jennifer shares her experience working in production at Warner Bros. Animation. We chat about how Jennifer brings her experience earning her BFA in Animation to production. Then how after graduation, she persevered for 2 years against the catch 22 of our industry: needing experience on the job to get the job before you have the job. Ray and Jennifer also share their experiences on a show suddenly being cancelled mid-production, and how that perspective differs from artist to production positions. Despite all this, we also talk about the great fortune Jennifer's had once landing her jobs, and the wonderful crews she's worked with along the way.

Instagram: @studiojzp.art
Jen's dog: @nami_the_pom

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Meet Eddie Clark, an African American Storyboard Revisionist currently working on The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder! After graduating from SJSU Eddie felt burnt out from school and decided to take a step back from animation. Outside of animation Eddie was heavily involved in theatre and started acting more. His love for acting really strengthened his skills as an animator and story artist. Eventually Eddie came into contact with Bruce W. Smith and the rest is history.

Instagram: @tim3lesz_eddie
Twitter: @eclackanimation
Portfolio: https://www.eclarkanimation.com/

If you enjoy our podcast, please share it and rate us on Apple Podcast & Spotify. We want to expand our platform and amplify these BIPOC voices.

This week is a bit of a special episode, as we were reached-out to by Women in Animaton to feature their new initiative: Stories x Women ("Stories by Women"). We talk with Marge Dean, President of WIA; Heather Kenyon, a mentor for the program; and Benoit Ginisty, Chief representative of FIAPF (International Federation of Film Producers’ Associations). We dive back into our animation roots with how WIA was first established, first-hand from Marge and Heather. We learn about how programs like Stories x Women come about in collaboration with organizations like FIAPF, and how this initiative is meant to empower international animation by BIPOC women and other underrepresented genders.

Women in Animation Website: https://womeninanimation.org/
Instagram: @wia.animation

If you enjoy our podcast, please share it and rate us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. We want to expand our platform and amplify these BIPOC voices!

WE MADE IT TO EPISODE 50! Okay we know hit episode 50 a while ago so this is little late with this, but better late than never. Thank you to everyone who joined us live for our 50th Straight Ahead Episode Celebration Stream! We also want to thank our audience who have supported the podcast and has helped us create a platform to spotlight these rising BIPOC voices. In this episode we reflect back on how we started, what we have learned, and what the future holds. Learn some behind the scene inner-workings of how we run the podcast as well as how Ray's and Yuki's friendship developed over these 50 episodes.

Jeremy Vicentina is an Asian-American 3D generalist working for Grover Gaming: an expansive studio that makes games for casinos. Jeremy talks about his many duties as a Generalist, the test and interview getting there, and why he chose to accept the position. There are many benefits in going into a less-mainstream facet of animation, such as job security, relocation funding, and learning on the job instead of jumping straight into a AAA company. On top of this, we have a blast reminiscing about many things, but most importantly, what it was like being a kid faking migraines to obtain super powers.

Portfolio: https://www.artstation.com/jeremy_vicentina
Instagram: @sassmasterjerm
Twitter: @Jermoph0be

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Aishwarya Chandramohan is a story revisionist lead at Wild Brain studios. We discuss her role directing and mentoring her revisionist team, and her experience working with Canadian and Australian studios. Originally from Dubai, Aishwarya talks about going to school in America, completing her master's degree in character design for games, and all the twists that came with being an international student before landing on story. We touch on starting rates, our experience in interviews, joining the WIA story circle, and how she diversified the boards in her portfolio. Worldly and hilarious, there's never a dull moment in this week's episode. Plus, if you like the inbetween segment, you'll love how much time we spend ruminating on jumpsuit outfits and monster labor benefits.

Instagram: @shooboo22
Twitter: @shoo_boo
Website: https://shooboo22.wixsite.com/storyboarding

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Kayse Villalba shares her experience wearing hats in both 2D animation and storyboarding positions. We chat a lot about workflow and expectations when working in rigged animation, grabbing fun shots while working for Studio Yotta, and how animation can differ wildly per production. Kayse also shares insights into how her experiences have informed each other art job she's had, from awareness of animation while boarding scenes to just having a positive attitude when starting a new role. We chat about her personal work, and Kayse shares some inspiring words for growing minds.

Instagram: @roboklown

Twitter: @KlownCar

Youtube: TheKlownCar

If you enjoy our podcast, please share it and rate us on Apple Podcast & Spotify. We want to expand our platform and amplify these BIPOC voices! If you'd like to support us directly, we have a tip jar open at ko-fi.com/straightaheadap

This week we are honored to spotlight Rise Up Animation, an organization that offers mentorship and portfolio reviews to burgeoning BIPOC talent. (fun fact: the idea for Straight Ahead was inspired by Rise Up!) To tell us all about this wonderful organization is co-founder and 16-year industry veteran: Frank Abney. We have such a great time chatting with Frank and listening to his wealth of insights into the Industry. We chat about the history of RUA, its goals as an organization, and some common pitfalls of young artists. Mixed into the interview is no shortage of Frank's own experience as both an animator, filmmaker, and black man bringing his voice to his work.

https://www.riseupanimation.org/

Instagram: @riseupanimation

Frank Abney

Instagram: @frankabney

Twitter: @iFrankAbney

If you enjoy our podcast, please share it and rate us on Apple Podcast & Spotify. We want to expand our platform and amplify these BIPOC voices! If you'd like to support us directly, we have a tip jar open at ko-fi.com/straightaheadap

We are still alive! We are back with a brand new season and a brand new look! Tune in as we touch base about our animation journey and our personal lives. We also give our thoughts about the current state of animation and the use of AI.

Ray's IG @radiosilence

Yuli's IG @chuudles

If you enjoy our podcast, please share it and rate us on Apple Podcast & Spotify. We want to expand our platform and amplify these BIPOC voices! If you'd like to support us directly, we have a tip jar open at ko-fi!

Rounding out our Special Speaker Series is Karissa Valencia: Executive Producer and Showrunner on Netflix Animation’s “Spirit Rangers”. Karissa shares what it's like being a show-runner for a children's series, how she gathered her all-indigenous writer's room, and the inspiration behind "Spirit Rangers". We also talk about how Karissa's past experience as a production intern led to her being a more mindful writer and well-rounded director. Karissa also takes us through her cultural experience as a multi-cultural Chumash-Mexican, how she connected with fellow native peoples in animation, and how they all brought their unique perspectives to broaden the idea of a modern indigenous family and reclaim the indigenous image from Hollywood. All this and so much more, so plug in to this very succinct and well-spoken episode featuring Karissa Valencia!

Instagram: @karissavalencia__

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Round 3 of our Special Speaker Series! This week is the wonderful Montse Hernandez, a latina actress working both live action and voice over roles. She stars in the upcoming horror film Student Body, voices Qiyana from League of Legends, as well as Gwen in the latest Ben 10 reboot. Montse may be young, but she has been working as an actress since she was 4 years old! She has such a wealth of experience being a voice of color, and how that changes the way she carries herself during an audition. Hear her take on the unique challenges both acting and voice acting have to offer, and the controversial takes between those communities. This episode hits a lot of hard topics, where we reflect on the reality that our industry may be changing, but it still has a ways to go. If you like this episode please consider sharing it with your friends and help us create a larger platform for our BIPOC guests!

Instagram: @IAm_Montse
Twitter: @IAm_Montse

Meet Joon Chung, script coordinator and absolute sweetheart. From the Sesame Workshop to his job at Nickelodeon, Joon is able to talk about his position as a Script Coordinator on the East coast of the US, and how that differs from the same position held in Los Angeles. Various other things have also helped Joon grow before breaking-in, like the Staten Island Art Grant, and the projects that can be funded by such organizations. We discuss importance of being seen in media whether that is a character who looks like you or a character who has made the same life choices as yourself. We also talk about the impact that improv and sketch comedy classes has had on Joon's skills as a writer. Join us as we enter the Jooniverse to learn more about what it's like being a writer in animation.

Instagram: @thejooniverse
Twitter: @thejooniverse
Website: https://www.thejooniverse.com/

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Animation isn’t always about art, there’s entire teams that keep the production moving! Giselle Grimaldo is a Department Manager at Tonko House. We chat about her experience working in live-action films, what inspired her to pursue animation production, and how her unique perspective as a Person of Color gives her the drive for diversity. P.S. Remember to thank your production team!

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ggrimaldo/

Kelly Lynne D'Angelo (she/they) is a Native—Haudenosaunee Tuscarora and Muscowpetung Cree—writer for animation, live action, and musicals, who also plays D&D professionally. Kelly kicks-off by telling the most insane story about how she met the producers of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia... who then gave her an internship! We get to chat about the process of Starry, a musical about brothers Theo and Vincent Van Gogh, and what magic happens in the writer's room before a production even begins. Outside of her career, we get to talk about Kelly's time as a professional Dungeon Master. From an online presence, to personal games run on Cruise ships, Kelly talks about how the storytelling informs her writing and vice versa. We touch on the subject of Native visibility, not only in the industry, but in America at large. Kelly has such a sense of adventure and will to connect with others, we are sure her story will connect with you.

Instagram: @KellyLynneDang

Twitter: @KellyLynneDang

Bluesky: kellylynnedang.bsky.social

Girls, Guts, Glory: girlsgutsgloryrpg.com

NDND (all native DnD campaign) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-XY8JUTCQ0

Starry (instagram): @starrymusical

Jose Hernandez is an El Salvadorean-American freelance artist for Visual Development. We chat about how he got his start doing an unpaid internship, how the industry has changed over time, and the reality of getting through the valleys of the industry as a freelancer. He takes us through his artistic journey not being able to go to university out of high school, joining mentorships, and learning on the job. We talk a lot about his time on The Casa Grandes, and sprout a conversation about culture as a Hispanic-American.

Instagram: @main3venter_hernandez

If you enjoy our podcast, please share it and rate us on Apple Podcast & Spotify. We want to expand our platform and amplify these BIPOC voices! If you'd like to support us directly, we have a tip jar open at ko-fi.com/straightaheadap

Our amazing guest this week is Juan Luis Bravo, a Mexican-American Storyboard Artist currently working at Pure Imagination Studios. Juan shares his amazing story of how he transitioned from working in Live-Action as a Digital Media Special at The Walt Disney Company to a Storyboard Revisionist at Wild Canary! We talk about how his film background was really beneficial in his transition as well as how it influences the way he works in animation now as a story artist. Not everyone’s journey into the Animation Industry is A to B, so it’s always interesting to see how people break in. If you like this episode please consider sharing it with your friends and family and help us give a bigger platform to BIPOC voices!  Instagram: @juanluisbravo_ Twitter: @JuanLuisBravo_ Portfolio: https://juanluisbravo.com

From storyboarding to making their own comics, Chinook Cartoonist Quinne Larsen is telling their own stories! Tune is as we talk about their graphic novel with First Second Publishing and how that came about. We also chat about their love for storyboarding musical sequences. Did we mention they're also in a band?

IG: @quinnecl

Portfolio: quinnelarsen.net

Edited by Edgar Arellano

If you enjoy our podcast, please share it and rate us on Apple Podcast & Spotify. We want to expand our platform and amplify these BIPOC voices! If you'd like to support us directly, we have a tip jar open at ⁠⁠ko-fi⁠⁠!

Revathi Kotni is an Indian Production Manager currently working on Netflix Animation's Ghee Happy. In this episode we learn alot about the roles on the production side of the animation pipeline. Being in production was not even on Revathi's radar when she first started attending college studying animation but once she discovered this role excited she knew this was her calling in animation. Since getting her first start as a Production Intern at DreamWorks, she has steadily risen the ranks in animation production. There are other roles in animation besides the creative side, and we hope you discover that in todays insightful and informative episode!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rev_el21/

In today’s episode we interview Gloria Carolina Felix Orozco, a Mexican artist from currently based in Guadalajara, Mexico. We talk about the differences between the industry in Mexico as opposed to Los Angeles, her experiences being featured in art galleries, and much more! 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gloriafelixart/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/GloriaFelixArt
Portfolio: https://gloriafelix.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gloriafelixart/

This week we are spotlighting Asian Queens in Animation: an organization dedicated to fostering a community of Asians of underrepresented genders in the animation space. We have the pleasure of talking with co-founders Maansi Sunkara and Shrav Yalsangikar, along with one of their admins, Sanisha Agarwal. We talk about the inception of AQIA, how their built their brand as an organization, and their panel at Lightbox Expo. These achievements are topped by their most successful program, Coffee with a Queen, which pairs-up professionals and those aspiring so they can make real connections.

Instagram: @asianqueensanimation

https://linktr.ee/asianqueensanim

If you enjoy our podcast, please share it and rate us on Apple Podcast & Spotify. We want to expand our platform and amplify these BIPOC voices! If you'd like to support us directly, we have a tip jar open at ko-fi.com/straightaheadap

Isabella Martinez Luna is a Colombian artist working as an Associate Artist at Blizzard. Join us as we learn about the world of 3D Modeling and why Bella enjoyed learning the technical side of Animation. She has worked in a variety of different 3D pipelines at a variety of different studios, from small indy studios like Ignite Animation Studios to big studios like Blizzard Entertainment. We hope you enjoyed learning more about her journey in animation as much as we did. Also don't forget to support us on ⁠ko-fi⁠, every little bit helps! Instagram: @bellacgart Twitter: @theartofbella Twitch: twitch.tv/theartofbella Portfolio: https://www.artstation.com/bellacgart If you enjoy our podcast, please share it and rate us on Apple Podcast & Spotify. We want to expand our platform and amplify these BIPOC voices!

Our guest this week is Da-Hee Im, a Korean-American Cinematic Animator currently working at Bungie. Learn what gravitated Da-Hee towards working in the games industry over the animation industry. Learn about the ins and outs between Cinematic Animation for games and Gameplay animation. We also discuss how you should consider every opportunity that comes you way because you never know where it may lead you.     

Portfolio: https://www.daheeim.com/

If you enjoy our podcast, please share it and rate us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. We want to expand our platform and amplify these BIPOC voices!

Grey Chen is a Chinese-American Background Painter and Color Designer, currently working at Warner Bros. Animation! Hear how each of her past experiences prepared for the next, such as getting her start doing freelance color design work for PowerPuff Girls to becoming a full-time Color Designer on DreamWorks She-Ra! We also talk about Grey's tough decision of accepting a full-time PA job whilst still trying to complete her college degree at San Jose State University. The harsh reality of burnout also comes up and Grey talks to us on how she approached dealing with burnout. This episode is a super insightful and is a must needed listen!

Twitter: @greychen_
Instagram: @its.greychen
Portfolio: https://greychen.net/

If you enjoy our podcast, please share it and rate us on Apple Podcasts. We want to expand our platform and amplify these BIPOC voices!

On this episode of Straight Ahead, we're joined by the wonderful Maddie Julyk, an illustrator, concept artist, and worker-owner at Wild Blue Studios. We talk about the unique structure of the Wild Blue co-op, and Maddie's journey to getting such an opportunity. Come for the tidbits of concept art advice, but stay for the mind-expanding ideas.

Wild Blue Studios portfolio review application: https://airtable.com/shrwV7BoM7jaB3Wxt
Twitter: https://twitter.com/milkybeverage
Wild Blue Studios streaming: https://www.twitch.tv/wildbluestudios
Portfolio: https://www.artstation.com/maddiejulyk

Kayleen Acosta Rodriguez is a Dominican artist and our very first Lighting guest! Kayleen talks us through what her job entails, lighting and compositing as one of the final steps in the feature CG pipeline. But of course before that, we get to know how she got her start interning for three different studios: Bluesky, Hornet, and Disney! Kayleen talks about being a CG generalist, using Nuke and Toolkit. She also talks about the many things in lighting that gets her excited, and we get into the nuance of lighting for all skin types. She talks about her time at the School of Visual Arts... where she still lives! We get loud and proud of our art and our heritage (and our long last names), so get ready to party with us in this week's episode!

Portfolio: https://www.kayleenacosta.com/
Instagram: @k.lo.kay

If you enjoy our podcast, please share it and rate us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. We want to expand our platform and amplify these BIPOC voices!

Najja Porter is a half-black, half-white artist working as a supervising director on Craig of the Creek. We talk about her time on a long-running project like Craig (4 years!) and the highs and lows that come with such a unique production. Najja also tells us the whirlwind tale of how she began moving from Tampa, Florida all the way to Los Angeles, California without even a job secured! She tells us all about her experience in the Nickelodeon Artist Program, and how that trained her to be an industry-ready professional. Aside from that, we get to chat about Phoenix Blade, her fantasy collaborative comic with Dashawn Mahone; and her slice of life comic, Falling Apples, an introspective look into her personal life on topics such as being poor, or micro aggression's as a mixed person of color. There's so much packed into this week's episode, so come have a laugh with us!

Instagram: @bloochikin

Twitter: @najja_porter

Tumblr: https://bloochikin.tumblr.com/

Website: http://www.najjaporter.com/

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Continuing on our Latinx celebration, Janet Rodriguez is a Mexican-American freelancer for character design and illustration. Understanding where your aesthetic tastes come from can be a real boon, and being able to share those inspirations is a way Janet communicates with her team. We talk about her experiences at California State Fullerton, and how wanting to make genuine friendships has lead her to a full network (and a full freelancing schedule)! On the fence about pursuing art? So was Janet! We talk so much about her journey into the industry, the different styles of her digital and traditional art, and so much more!

Janet Rodriguez
Instagram
Twitter

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Today we are joined by the wonderful, the bubbly, and the kind Kaila Knight Tryal, she is an African American Prop Designer! Kaila infectious energy will brighten up your day in todays episode as you learn about all the hoops and ladders she had to go through to get her foot in the door at Awesome Inc. Not to mention all the opportunities Kaila created for herself while working at Awesome Inc. to transition from a PA to Prop Designer. We also talk about the letters Kaila makes to help empower and support women identifying individuals in the animation industry. We hope you enjoy and learn something new in this episode. Please consider sharing this episode with your friends and family and help us grow this platform for more voices of color!

Instagram: @k_play
Twitter: @KaiKni
Portfolio: https://www.kailaknight.com/

Thy Võ is a 2D Animator staffed at Primal Screen. While working on a senior film in school, and despite feeling like her quality of work wasn't the best, her attitude and ability to take critique left an impression on her upperclassman, which lead to a recommendation on her first job. For those of you working on your own films, Thy also talks at length about her team's process on their senior film Tutorial>Skip?, a hilarious ode to JRPGs. We get into the impact of working on a crew with a director who is a person of color on Jelly, Ben & Pogo. From Toonboom Harmony to Esoteric Spine to asset creation, Thy talks about her many different hats she's worn. Speaking of different jobs, Thy also talks about her experience working on corporate motion design work, and the difference between projects and studios when working commercial vs entertainment. If this sounds too dense, don't worry, we also have a blast imagining isekai harems and escaping the HOA by running into the wilderness.

Tik Tok: @Milk_Thy

Instagram: @Milk_Thy

Tutorial>Skip?

Website: ⁠http://thydvo.com⁠

If you enjoy our podcast, please share it and rate us on Apple Podcast & Spotify. We want to expand our platform and amplify these BIPOC voices!

We are joined by young Sean Yeung, a member of the Riot Games champion skins team. He shares his experience going from intern to full-time employee, and the expectations within those positions. He shares his process in developing game animations for work by creating pose sheets, a standard practice in the industry. He also talks about going to Worlds 2022 in San Francisco, and how that really put into perspective the audience that enjoys League of Legends, and sees his work. Sean also shares his humble beginnings, and how the Valve Source Maker and his love of TF2 nurtured a love for animation. Last, but not least, we also talk about his love of producing music, and how that feeds him creatively outside of work.

Website: seanyeung.com

Instagram: @young_sean_yeung

Twitter: @notsoyeung

If you enjoy our podcast, please share it and rate us on Apple Podcast & Spotify. We want to expand our platform and amplify these BIPOC voices!

Meet Harley Knife, a First Nations (Cree) artist who has been animating for over 11 years. He shares his start going from intern to full-time at YetiFarm Creative (now called Artists Animation Studio). He candidly shares his experience living with depression and grief, and how it has affected his work in the past. We touch on his hopes for the future: to inspire the next generation of Indigenous kids to explore careers in the tech industry (animation, development, or coding).

IG: @thetinyrobotdoesart

Twitch: @thetinyrobotlives

Linkedin: Harley Knife

If you enjoy our podcast, please share it and rate us on Apple Podcast & Spotify. We want to expand our platform and amplify these BIPOC voices! If you'd like to support us directly, we have a tip jar open at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ko-fi.com/straightaheadap!

Kristal Babich is a Chilean-American story artist and WIA mentor who has worked on a variety of projects. Grab some tips on the differences between boarding for stop motion, CG feature films, and even how that all differs from a comics pipeline. Even before that, Kristal nearly finished her degree for Biology Education, and learn about her decision to pivot her career trajectory. If you're in a similar position, know that it's never too late to learn something new! Kristal's perspective as a Latinx person growing up in Florida is greatly different than a Latinx-American from California. Even though we group people by continent (ie. South America, Asia, etc), the countries within them have largely different cultures. Just something to keep in mind as we become aware of how diverse our world is.

Twitter @pixie_punch
Instagram @pixiepunch
Portfolio: www.pixiepunch.com

If you enjoy our podcast, please share it and rate us on Apple Podcasts. We want to expand our platform and amplify these BIPOC voices!

Sofia is a Mexican-Salvadoran American storyboard artist currently working for a studio based outside of the US. Find out how Sofia's journey in the entertainment industry shifted from live action to animation. Not every journey is a straight path, alot of times its a winding path that goes in several different directions. She worked several non-union jobs before landing her first industry job as an artist at Warner Bros. Animation. Despite the current state of the animation industry, Sofia has not let that deter her and has found career opportunities in Canada. We hope you enjoy this episode! Website: https://www.sofiacanales.com/ Short Film: Mujer Instagram: @moctezumas_nose LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sofia-canales-5480321b/ If you enjoy our podcast, please share it and rate us on Apple Podcast & Spotify. We want to expand our platform and amplify these BIPOC voices! If you'd like to support us directly, we have a tip jar open at ⁠ko-fi.com/straightaheadap

Roxy Simons is a black writer working for both live action and animated content! We go over the differences between a writer's room for live action and animation. Roxy even talks about her experience on a show with live-action puppets, and the challenges that come with that medium. Before her career really took off, she also attended the Sesame Street fellowship: a writer's program with the intent of diversifying children's content by giving those minorities the skills to enter the industry. Easygoing and bubbly, Roxy has no problem packing this episode with insights and tips that should help anyone interested in the writing process for entertainment!

Website: https://www.roxysimons.com/
Instagram: @RoxySimons26
Twitter: @RoxySimons26

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Today's episode we interview Kameelah "MeeMee" Costa, an African-American Storyboard Revisionist at Cartoon Network and definitely not a pink bunny trying to disguise herself as a human! Sometimes students are faced with the difficult decision of jumping into an industry job or completing their degree. Find out what Mee Mee chose when faced with this exact dilemma! Stick around for her experience doing her first storyboard test, and what pitfalls to avoid. We also dive into Kameelah's personal project: The Apple Mage, which you can read now on Webtoons!

Instagram @bunhearts
Twitter @bunhearts
Portfolio https://www.meemeecosta.com/
The Apple Mage https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/the-apple-mage/list?title_no=657643

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Nessa Tweneboah is a Black artist working for 6-point harness painting backgrounds! Nessa explains the different roles of the background pipeline including design, paint, and the collaboration that can happen therein. They also talk about their mentorship with Valerie Schwarz, and how that lead to their first break into the industry. We continue on with their work from home experience based in Ohio, and their mistake in juggling school with two different freelance jobs. At the Rhode Island School of Design, they also sought out leadership positions to train their skills with the goal of being an art director or showrunner.

Twitter: @Thepotenpro
Instagram: @nessatwene.art
Website: https://vanessatweneboah.myportfolio.com/

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Meet the real life Sparkle Cadet, a character from Craig of the Creek whose story is directly pulled from writer Shakira Pressley's life. Kira takes us through her incredible journey from what inspired her writing as a child, how she dropped out of college and taught herself to write professionally, and how an unlikely series of events led to her first freelance working for Man of Action. This episode is absolutely packed with information on writing in the animation pipeline from pitch, freelance, staff, and even her experience as a lead Story Editor. We go in-depth to her experience working on My Dad the Bounty Hunter, and how having representation behind the screen, in major leadership, deeply affects how a show is made.

Twitter: @ShakiraPressley
Instagram: @ShakiraPressley

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Curie Lu is a Chinese-American, who is a Freelance Animator. She has not only worked as an animator for Powerhouse Animation's Castlevania but has also animated for Toei Animation's One Piece! In her off time, Curie is working on her own personal film Yaoguai where she talks a lot of inspiration from her own cultural background. Curie also talks about dropping out of CalArts and how she came to that decision. There is never a direct path to landing a job in this industry and we all ave to take our own journey to get there.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pepefei/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/lu_curie
Facbook: https://www.facebook.com/curie1u
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/CurieLu

If you enjoy our podcast, please share it and rate us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. We want to expand our platform and amplify these BIPOC voices!

Today we have Maritza Louis a Syilx & Secwépemc Character Modeler working in the animation industry! Maritza has experience that spans across Feature Animation, Game, VFX and Cinematics! With all this experience she has been using her knowledge to help mentor fellow native and other BIPOC artist break into the animation industry!

Portfolio: https://maritzalouis.com/

IG: @_punchy_

Linktr.ee

If you enjoy our podcast, please share it and rate us on Apple Podcast & Spotify. We want to expand our platform and amplify these BIPOC voices! If you'd like to support us directly, we have a tip jar open at ⁠⁠⁠⁠ko-fi⁠⁠⁠⁠!

Tune in as we talk to Kiana Khansmith, a Japanese/Jamaican artist working as a Director on Big City Greens at DTVA! We discuss her amazing rise from storyboard artist to director as well as her love for Team Rocket! IG: @kianamai Twitter: @kianamaiart

Edited by Ashley Itliong

If you enjoy our podcast, please share it and rate us on Apple Podcast & Spotify. We want to expand our platform and amplify these BIPOC voices! If you'd like to support us directly, we have a tip jar open at ⁠ko-fi⁠!

Superstar Li Cree joins us today on Straight Ahead! Currently working as a Storyboard Revisionist for Titmouse on Vox Machina, Li has no shortage of stories her career has already given her. From her experience being in the Nickelodeon artist program, to even being Elmo for a day at the Sesame Street Workshop! We also talk about one of Li’s many passion projects: Power Rangers Go! Her experiences might inspire a change in you too, so get ready cause it’s Morphin’ Time!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/li_cree/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/38___sr
Portfolio: http://www.li-cree.com/

Yanna Casey is a Black artist working as a production coordinator in Atlanta, Georgia! We talk about their position as a PC outside of Los Angeles, and the ID she did for Adult Swim before deciding she didn't want to pursue an art role professionally. We also learn about Yanna's background in music production, and how they incorporate that into their personal art. We also talk about getting in touch with your passions, like creating the art that you want, or collecting black funko pops.

Instagram: @supa_flowa

TikTok: @supaflowa

If you enjoy our podcast, please share it and rate us on Apple Podcast & Spotify. We want to expand our platform and amplify these BIPOC voices! If you'd like to support us directly, we have a tip jar open at ko-fi.com/straightaheadap

Aerik Bertulfo is a Filipino-American animator at Dream View. We talk about his experience as a student transitioning to professional during the full-swing of the pandemic, which comes with certain quirks like working on a Virtual Machine. Aerik was also the co-writer, and inspiration for his thesis film: First Born. We talk about the cultural pressures, and implications of being the first born son in an Asian family, and how it has influenced his work. Developing his soft-skills and coming out of his shell is something Aerik attributes to joining the improv club at San Jose State University. Alongside those soft-skills, he also hones his hard-skills animating outside of his professional work... by making Kaiju fist-fight each other.

Portfolio: https://aerikbertulfo.com/home
Instagram: @_a_erik

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Join us in today's thrilling episode with Indian-American 2D Animator Maneen Mehta! Listen in as Maneen talks about his first day jitters at Bento Box compared to how he feels day to day now. We also talk about the real life story of how he got bit by a monkey and how that inspired his short film MANKI. Finally we dive into how Maneen eventually wants to transition from animation into character design and what he envisions his future to be, spoiler alert it is not becoming a doctor! If you enjoyed this week's episode please consider sharing with your friends and helping us expand this platform for other rising BIPOC voices!

Instagram
Twitter
Portfolio

Mellow out with Kristine Lee on today’s episode of Straight Ahead. An enlightening journey, Kristine had to get creative finding classes that would fit the budget of a freshly graduated Electrical Engineer. Learn about the spark that led to her switch to the field of Animation, and about her rocketing success at Warner Brothers Animation.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/picture_kris
Portfolio: https://www.leekristine.com/

Meet Corinth Boone, a black artist from New Jersey who works as a Prop Designer for Cartoon Network! Although she lives in Los Angeles now, Corinth originally had to turn down CN's first offer since she wasn't ready to relocate. That opportunity would have been lost if Corinth didn't follow the #1 rule of job hunting: Always Follow-Up! During her time at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), Corinth took a semester off to hone her portfolio and inadvertently did a little growing-up. As a prop designer, she not only draws hand-held props, but also furniture and even effects! So many adventures with Corinth on this week's episode of Straight Ahead!

Website: https://www.corinthboone.art/
Instagram: @heyitscorinth/
Twitter: @heyitscorinth
Peony (webcomic): https://peony.webcomic.ws/

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We're kicking off our AAPI heritage month celebration with Asians in Animation! Alisha Syed (External Relations Chair) and Katie Dizon (External Relations Director) talk about the organization, its goals and accomplishments, and about its founding with a small quote from Lexie Chu. Meant as a safe-space, Animasians provides resources and events for its members, but the true strength of AIA is its community. Learn how you can be a part of it, and take advantage of the opportunities this wonderful organization is supplying. On top of that, we touch a little on Alisha's and Katie's day jobs as post-production coordinator and production assistant (respectively), and how their experiences inform their work ethic. 

Instagram: @animasians
Twitter: @AnimAsians
Website: https://www.asiansinanimation.org/

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Welcome to the final episode of our August Special Speaker Series! We're so excited to cap off this month with Liz Luu, a Talent Sourcer at Netflix Animation. At Netflix animation, the Sourcer is one of three parts to their recruiting team. Learn about the hiring process straight from Liz (and maybe learn a thing or two about portfolios!) Before recruiting, Liz worked for a long time at Cartoon Network as the Development Department Executive Assistant. We talk at length about stories and pitch bibles, some of the do's and don'ts and other various ins and outs. Getting warmed up to the idea of working a job like Liz? We also go into how she went from being a business/film major at University of Southern California to working at Cartoon Network in the first place. And for dessert, Liz has MEATY surprise... ;)

LinkedIn Liz Luu
Twitter @lizardluucifer
Instagram @dreamscometruest

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Marisa Torres is a Cuban-American artist working for Nickelodeon! We dive into her day-to-day working as a background painter for Santiago of the Seas. Marisa works in 2d to ideate, design, and paint how the assets will look before they reach that 3D stage. Before that, she was selected for the Nick Artist's program. She talks about how even with no self-confidence, she built herself up to continue forward through the application process. An auspicious meeting with Adrienne Norman, and a persistent attitude, led to Marisa's work on a children's book for Disney Publishing.

Website: https://www.marisatorresart.com/
Instagram: @marisatorres.art

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Diego & Sebastián Ramírez Jacinto, AKA the Awesombrosos, are Mexican twins and freelance Vis Dev artists! They share their experience dropping out of college, and changing their mindset from being a student to being unemployed to professional. Find out what motivated them to start creating, how their workflow evolved into a mini pipeline, and how they negotiate being a package deal. Despite their poetic outlook on life, they also have their share of down-to-earth realizations about the industry. Also throughout, feel how these incredible brothers find joy in their own culture, and don't overthink it!

Instagram: @awesombrosos
Twitter: @TheAwesombroso
Website: https://www.theawesombrosos.com/

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Joining us this week is Nina Robinson, a black background artist! We talk about how she got her start and how she took any role that came her way and learned and she went. Ultimately she just want to make art for the gorls and we love to see it!

Portfolio: https://www.neens-world.com/

IG: @nii.naa.bean

If you enjoy our podcast, please share it and rate us on Apple Podcast & Spotify. We want to expand our platform and amplify these BIPOC voices! If you'd like to support us directly, we have a tip jar open at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ko-fi⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!

Joining us today straight out of Colombia is Juan Montoya! Juan applied and applied to several job postings until he finally got his start at Awesome Incorporated. We also dive deep on the inner workings of the H-1B Visa and how residency could be achieved. Juan also shares what he enjoys about being a background artist and the little easter eggs he leaves when given the chance. Hope you enjoy as we continue celebrating Hispanic Heritage month!

Instagram: @1montoya
Portfolio: https://www.1montoya.com/

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Hispanic Heritage Month continues with Daniela Rodriguez de la Peña, a Hispanic Artist currently working as a Storyboard Artist at Nickelodeon! She didn't realize she wanted to do story until her final year of college. From there she honed her craft until she got her first break at Nickelodeon as a Revisionist and has been there ever since! Not too long after being a Revisionist, Daniela was promoted to Storyboard Artist, and recommends that if you have an interest in moving up in your position you need to make sure you express it!  

Instagram: @danirodarts
Twitter: @DaniRodArt
Website: danirodart.com

If you enjoy our podcast, please share it and rate us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. We want to expand our platform and amplify these BIPOC voices!

We are ending season one of the podcast with a banger with the one and only Steph Rizo, a Mexican-American Character Designer and Story Artist currently working at Sony Animation Studio! Learn how Steph tried to break into the industry as a character designer but instead broke in as a Story Intern for Walt Disney Animation! Her journey into story didn't stop there, as she soon got a job as a storyboard artist on Spider Verse 2! We also talk about her educational journey and her decision to study at a community college due to finical circumstances. She also talks about being more open about her sexuality and wanting to represent that more in her art moving forward. Steph journey into animation has been crazy, unorthodox and amazing! We hope you enjoy our final episode of season one of the Straight Ahead Animation Podcast!

Instagram: @steph_rizo
Twitter: @stephoble10
Portfolio: https://www.stephanierizo.com/characterdesigns

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In this week episode we are joined by Taiwanese Storyboard Revisionist Rae Huang! Is she a person? Is she a goat? Who knows?! You have to listen to find out! As you listen you will learn how Rae got her start in animation as a 2D Animation Intern at Moving Colour! Did you know that BuzzFeed has an animation department? Well neither did we until Rae told us her experience working there as an animator/story artist. We also learn more about what it is like looking for work and attending school as an international student and so much more!

Instagram: @raehanim
Twitter: @raehanim
Portfolio: https://www.raehanim.com/

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The optimistic Ruby Wang is a Visual Development artist at Skydance Animation. Ruby shares her experience growing-up in Taiwan, absorbing both Japanese and American animation and storytelling. At Flight School Studio she was designing for VR, AR, XR, and MR; and what those different media were like to work on. Ray and Ruby reminisce on their time at Tonko House, and how Dice Tsusumi and Robert Kondo's mentorship changed their art fundamentally. Ruby really gets into the different visas you can have in the USA, the pitfalls therein, and how the shift in our industry as a gig-based economy has made the status of an international worker that much more difficult. Through her preserverance, she has also come to a place where she can work on feature film and children's books like she has always dreamed of.

Instagram: @rubywangart
Website: https://www.rubywang.net/
TonkoCast Intern Episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVq2AZ5hupM

If you enjoy our podcast, please share it and rate us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. We want to expand our platform and amplify these BIPOC voices!

Angela Sánchez is a Xicanx writer and magician with a shining personality. We have a blast talking about their work on Primos, how their work with Latinx in Animation led to the position, and about how cathartic it was to work on a Latine/Hispanic-American show. We dive back into her first gig, her time at school, and how she didn't even know writing for television was a career one could have! We also get to chat about Scruffy and The Egg, their children's book that draws from the times she and her dad were homeless. Scruffy and the Egg is also donated to shelters in the hopes of helping young kids through a difficult and confusing time.

Website: angelamsanchez.com

Instagram: @angelamsanchez.writer

Twitter: @_AngelaMSanchez

Bluesky: @angelamsanchez

If you enjoy our podcast, please share it and rate us on Apple Podcast & Spotify. We want to expand our platform and amplify these BIPOC voices! If you'd like to support us directly, we have a tip jar open at ko-fi.com/straightaheadap

Yusra Shahid is a Background Designer and Painter, who holds her Indian heritage in high respect. Yusra shares her experiences working for A24 on the upcoming "#1 Happy Family USA", and the connection between her South East Asian and Muslim peers on the production. We go back through her time working on a variety of styles, from the child-like "Frog and Toad", to the more modern cartoon adaptation for "Night at the Museum". She shares many nuggets of wisdom, and we all reflect on the struggle of juggling freelance work with full-time work. Yusra also shares her experience attending the University of Hertfordshire in England, a decision she made after researching both American and Canadian schools, and her insatiable hunger to explore and learn more of the arts.

Twitter: ⁠@yusrarts⁠

Instagram: ⁠@yusrarts⁠

Website: ⁠yusra.myportfolio.com⁠

If you enjoy our podcast, please share it and rate us on Apple Podcast & Spotify. We want to expand our platform and amplify these BIPOC voices!

This week we’re joined by Latonya White, a 2D artist at Serenity Forge in Boulder, Colorado. Learn about their job at a small indie game company, their stories about running away, and about their experience being a black-korean artist. It’s incredibly insightful. Give it a listen and let us know what you think! :)

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lattedoodles/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LatteDraws
Tumblr: https://lattedraws.tumblr.com/
Portfolio: https://www.latonyawhiteart.com/

Ray and Yuki are back with Season 3 of the Straight Ahead Animation Podcast! We reflect back on Season 2 by talking about the most played episodes. We also talk about our past 3 years working in the Animation Industry. We finally wrap up by talking about what you should expect in Season 3 of the podcast!

Thank you so much for your continued support and if you enjoy our podcast, please share it and rate us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. We want to expand our platform and amplify these BIPOC voices!

Ray's Socials-
IG: @raydiosilence
Twitter: @raydiosilence

Yuki's Socials-
IG: @chuudles
Twitter: @chuudles

This week we are joined by the incredible Daniela Dwek, a Middle-Eastern artist currently working at Pixar. We learn what happens on the technical side of animation as Daniela explains her role in the animation pipeline as a Character TD Model/Rigger. We also discuss her progression from Pixar Intern, to Resident, to Full-time employee. Daniela has had an amazing career in animation, but it started way before Pixar when she produced and directed the Student Academy Award-winning short film Hamsa. Daniela is so multi-talented and has a hunger for knowledge, find out more as you listen to this weeks episode!

Instagram: @mypassion4art
Portfolio: www.danimation.art

If you enjoy our podcast, please share it and rate us on Apple Podcasts. We want to expand our platform and amplify these BIPOC voices!

Our special guest this week is the one and only Daniel Rodier, and if that name sounds familiar it should! We credit him at the end of every episode as he is the one who composed the intro and outro of our podcast! Daniel is a wonderful human being who has composed music for several animated short films such as Malinchista, First Born, and the Animated Graphic Novel Sol Naciente! His passion for music and working with fellow creative really shows is reflecting in the way he collaborates with others. He is certainly becoming a sought after composer and a rising voice in his field. Join us as we learn more about the what goes on when making music for films and share in all the laughter we have in this jammed packed episode!

Instagram: @rodier_music
Youtube: Daniel Rodier
Website: https://danielrodier.com/
Sol Naciente: http://solnacientecomic.com/

WE ARE CELEBRATING 100 EPISODES! Thank you to everyone who has been following our podcast and giving us a platform to spotlight BIPOC voices. We are so honored to have hit this huge milestone! To celebrate our 100th episode we brought back previous guest that we have had on the podcast. Join us as we catch up with Trilina Mai, Li Cree, Joon Chung, and Rebecca Chan! Also don't forget to support us on ko-fi, every little bit helps! Host Ray Mendoza Landa @raydiosilence Yuki Okamura-Wong @chuudles Guest Trilina Mai @trilinamai Li Cree @li_cree Joon Chung @thejooniverse Rebecca Chan @_rebchan If you enjoy our podcast, please share it and rate us on Apple Podcast & Spotify. We want to expand our platform and amplify these BIPOC voices!

This week we have Michael Rodriguez a Dominican-American writer currently working in animation! Michael has worked for a verity of different studios such as Nickelodeon, Disney and Warner Bros. He is also currently in development with Disney for an original animated series! Learn more about how you bring authenticity to your work and the stories you want to tell! Also learn more about to Tag POC Writers Committee! Portfolio: https://www.michael-rodriguez.net/ Twitter: @mrodrig94 TAG POC Writer's committee: @TAG_POCWriters If you enjoy our podcast, please share it and rate us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. We want to expand our platform and amplify these BIPOC voices!

This week we are joined by the incredible Maya Mendonça, a black artist and freelance 3D animator. Previously she was the animation director for the Student Academy Award-winning short, "Hamsa". We talk about very important things such as her internship on Infinity Train at Cartoon Network, her time at the School of Visual Arts in New York, and her horoscopic compatibility with Miles Morales.

Portfolio: https://mayamendonca.com/animation
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maya.animation/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/_mayamendonca

Our guest this week is Devin Yang, a Chinese-American Concept Artist currently working in games. After graduating college Devin found a corporate job as a motion graphic artist. However, after two years he decided to take the leap of faith and jump into freelancing before landing a full-time position in video games! Devin credits twitter and his personal project The Witching Hour which garnered him a lot of attention from future clients that really gravitated toward his artistic sensibilities. Finally, Devin mentioned how his queer identity really helped him shape his artistic voice and stand out to potential clients. We hope you enjoy this episode as much as we enjoyed learning about Devin's journey into videos games!

IG: @devinscribbles

Twitter: @devinScribbles

Art Station: https://www.artstation.com/scribblecat

Portfolio: http://devinscribbles.com/

If you enjoy our podcast, please share it and rate us on Apple Podcast & Spotify. We want to expand our platform and amplify these BIPOC voices!

Entering the ring this week is Joey Clift, a Native American enrolled Cowlitz tribal member, currently working as a freelance writer. Not only has Joey worked as a Staff Writer and Consulting Producer for Netflix's Spirit Rangers, he has also wrote and directed his own animated digital series Gone Native for Comedy Central. Joey has a love for comedy and has a unique sense of humor that has helped him pitch and sell shows. We hope you enjoy this episode as much as we did!

IG: @joeycliiiiiift

Twitter: @joeytainment

Portfolio: http://joeyclift.com/

Gone Native: https://gonenative.tv/

If you enjoy our podcast, please share it and rate us on Apple Podcast & Spotify. We want to expand our platform and amplify these BIPOC voices! If you'd like to support us directly, we have a tip jar open at ⁠⁠ko-fi.com/straightaheadap

Bryan Bae is a Korean-American prop and character designer, and our first deaf/hard-of-hearing guest! ( Read the transcript of the episode here ) We dive into a bit of his experience on Aquaman: King of Atlantis, his experience job hunting for four years, and his personal project: Chromagik. We also, of course, chat about his background as a hoh artist, and how we can be vigilant and prepared to work with such amazing people. Short but sweet on this episode of Straight Ahead, so don't miss out, and be sure to follow Bryan!
instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bbae2/
website: https://bryanbae.com/
Baer and Lamb (shop): https://www.baerandlamb.com/

Bryan's part for the podcast recording was performed by voice actor Kenji Wong. You can follow him here:
instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kenji_witha_K/
twitch.tv: https://www.twitch.tv/mightysensei
e-mail: Kenji.C.Wong@gmail.com

Todays we are joined by Derrick Malik Johnson an African American Storyboard Revisionist currently working at Disney TVA. This episode gets a little heavy in certain subject matters than other episodes but it's still import to acknowledge and discuss these topics. Despite the difficult subject matters Derrick is an explosive wave of positivity and energy that you cant help but smile and laugh along with him. He talks about his amazing experience being the first black student from his alma mater to receive an animation internship. We also discuss the toxic school environment that certain professors created for him, causing him drop out for his own emotional and mental well being. Despite dropping out of art school, Derrick was able to land a full time position at Titmouse, and now he finds himself working on Disney's highly anticipated Moon Girl And Devil Dinosaur as a Storyboard Revisionist. It is a very emotional journey in this weeks episode!

Instagram: @derrickmalikjohnson
Twitter: @DerrickMalikJo
Portfolio: https://derrickmalikjohnson.myportfolio.com/

If you enjoy our podcast, please share it and rate us on Apple Podcasts. We want to expand our platform and amplify these BIPOC voices!

Join us as we talk to Denise Chan, a Chinese/Taiwanese American artist currently working as a 2D Retake Animator and Compositor for Titmouse Inc. She talks about how she landed her current position at Titmouse Inc. and how her previous experiences has helped her on their animation journey. We also talk about her Award-Winning Short Film Kaeru, and where the inspiration for story came from. Denise also gets real and talks about her struggles with her art and her career, and how she tries to find the joy in what she does. Don't miss out, give it a listen!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dchanimation/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/dchanimation
Portfolio: https://denisechanimation.wixsite.com/portfolio
Kaeru
Short Film: https://youtu.be/JPaoMeKg7oM
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kaerushortfilm/

Ash Tahilan is a fil-am artist who grew-up in the melting pot of Hawaii. She shares with us her journey of bumping to a few different studios, each time as a revisionist to ease on to the production before promoting into boards. We chat about her incomparable time on Craig of the Creek, the culture of the production, and her foray into writing a fan-comic for a property she worked on. Ash also has a message for you: Don't Hold Back! Write and draw what you love, show your passion in your work! Hear it in her own words on this week's episode... so what are you waiting for?!

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/onihat

Website: ⁠www.onihat.com⁠

Twitch: Ashe_Thistleclaw

If you enjoy our podcast, please share it and rate us on Apple Podcast & Spotify. We want to expand our platform and amplify these BIPOC voices!

We've talked a lot about working as an artist or production crew in a pipeline, but... ¿Por qué no los dos? Christian Alvarez is a Production Coordinator that freelances as a Character Designer on the side. We talk about how he fell in love with production, what it's been like working on Kamp Koral: Spongebob's Under Years, his goals for recruiting in the future. Aside from work we get into how he built his instagram brand, Ghostlyre, and his love of unique Pokémon cards.

Twitter @GhostLyre
Instagram @ghostlyre
Portfolio: chrisalvarezart.com

If you enjoy our podcast, please share it and rate us on Apple Podcasts. We want to expand our platform and amplify these BIPOC voices!

Starting out strong on our August Speaker series with Jalysa Leva: creator of the PBS kids show Jelly, Ben, and Pogo! We ask Jalysa how JBP first developed, and her journey leading-up to the opportunity for her to pitch a show. Jalysa values community and kindness, backed with her experience as an animation director, hear how she applied these to the production and what seemed to work to benefit the show. We talk about struggling with perfectionism, finding your own cultural connection, and strengthening your voice through art. Outside of animation, Jalysa also shares a bit about her brand, Toto-O, a celebration of fil-am culture, and what a positive impact having media made for your community can be. Please don't miss out on this week's episode as we make it Super Duper!

Instagram: @jalysal
Website: https://jalysaleva.com
Toto-o instagram: @totoo_sarisari_store
Toto-o website: https://totoo.store

If you enjoy our podcast, please share it and rate us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. We want to expand our platform and amplify these BIPOC voices!

Tune in as we talk to Haruka Sato, a Japanese concept artist working in Japan. Learn about all the different jobs Haruka worked until she landed her Background Painter role on an anime feature film.

Portfolio: https://harukasato.com/

IG: @here_is_haruka

Twitter: @here_is_haruka

Youtube: Make a Graphic Novel with ME! 2024

Edited by Edgar Arellano

If you enjoy our podcast, please share it and rate us on Apple Podcast & Spotify. We want to expand our platform and amplify these BIPOC voices! If you'd like to support us directly, we have a tip jar open at ⁠ko-fi⁠!

Servan Castillo got his big break in 2013 as an intern for Titmouse Animation. Dive back with us into Servan's career as an animator, from working on Superjail and the Midnight Gospel, and how he saw the role of the animator evolve in the past decade. We talk about his shifted from animator to storyboard artist, and how even though he has such a rich history in this industry, how he feels green in this new role. We talk about his lucky break working on Vox Machina and Castlevania, and how he overcame that shift. Servan's positive attitude has given him a competitive edge in tackling new challenges like learning 3D programs to aid in storyboarding. So join us as we explore Servan's journey, and all the changes that come with experience.

Instagram: @servankenyu
Twitter: @Kenyu05
LinkedIn: Servan Castillo

If you enjoy our podcast, please share it and rate us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. We want to expand our platform and amplify these BIPOC voices!

In today's episode we interview Miguel Baltazar, a LatinX artist from CSUF working as a Storyboard Revisionist at Netflix Animation Studios. We talk about his role of a Storyboard Revisionist, his early internship experience at DreamWorks TV, and alot more!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/miguelbaltazar_art/
Portfolio: https://www.miguelbaltazar.com/

Stella Longfish is a Native American (Seneca/Tuscarora) artist with a passion for color. Learn about the role of a color designer in a television pipeline, and how Stella discovered the position of her dreams. On top of working on Kid Cosmic and The Power Puff Girls, Stella has written and illustrated her own children's book. We touch on representation of Indigenous peoples in the animation industry, and mental health (anxiety), but there's no shortage of laughs throughout this jam-packed episode!

Portfolio: https://stellalongfish.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stllalngfsh/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/stllalngfsh

Welcome to round 2 of our Special Speaker Series! Joining us this week is Crystal Cheng, she is a Chinese-American freelancer currently freelancing as a Graphics Artist for Watcher Entertainment. Crystal talks about how her career started in live-action behind the camera as a PA such as interning for Wong Fu Productions. She also talks about her aspirations in wanting to transition into front of the camera. However due to the pandemic her career has taken her to take opportunities she wouldn't have normally considered. With every experience she is learning and growing and has learned that we need to be honest what we want from our experiences. It is such an informative listen so sit back, relax, and enjoy the conversation! If you enjoy our podcast please consider recommending it to your friends, this helps us give a larger platform to the amazing guest we bring on!

Instagram: @thecrystalcheng @kuriwanderland
Youtube: Crystal Cheng, Kuri Wanderland
Portfolio: https://crcheng404.wixsite.com/crystalcheng

Black 'N Animated is an organization that is focused on the empowerment of Black students and professionals in the animation industry. But before that, it was simply a podcast crated by Breana Williams and Waymond Singleton. On top of all the information revolving around BNA, we are also able to touch on Bre's own journey, and her aspirations to move from Production to Storyboarding. We talk about the auspicious meeting that made the podcast a reality, and how it was sparked by the anxiety that both Bre and Way felt as students not knowing about Black folks currently working in animation. We discuss some of the challenges BNA has faced, how preparedness has benefitted their membership, and also the victories and lessons from those tough times. Listen in, and support both the BNA podcast and their organization as they work to create diversity on screen and behind the scenes! 

Black 'N Animated
website: https://www.blacknanimated.com/
Twitter: @Blacknanimated
Instagram: @blacknanimated

Breana Williams
Twitter: @breanimator
Instagram: @breaanimator

This week we sit down with Justin Bruce Lee , a chinese-american artist working as an Associate Story Artist at Lucasfilm Animation. We talk about his experience on Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and the pre-vis style of boarding they used at Lucasfilm. This along with his passion for Kung Fu, his decision to come back to school instead of taking a job offer, and his love of all types of love. Give it a listen today!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justbleeve/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/justbleeve
Portfolio: https://justinbrucelee.wixsite.com/portfolio

Aaron Cobb is a cool and collected individual, and a background painter at Wild Canary. Already in his brief career, Aaron has worked for television, feature, and VR games in a variety of roles from Background Paint to freelance Character Design. Speaking of, we touch on the differences between Background Designers and Background Painters (small distinction we haven't really discussed before). Peer into Aaron's student days as we reminisce on his hands-on internship at Linden Labs, and how his positive thinking that made school work for him. Let Aaron's good energy start of your day, and carry that good vibe with you into your art.

Instagram: @king__cobb

If you enjoy our podcast, please share it and rate us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. We want to expand our platform and amplify these BIPOC voices!

Nicolette Ray is Native American, Acoma Pueblo, a storyboard artist and currently a game dev artist. She tells us about her strong start in animation, working for Wild Canary on Puppy Dog Pals for 5 years! We talk about work culture at Wild Canary, and the difference between working under Disney vs. Lucasfilm. We chat about her personal Native American Renaissance, as she dove into the history of her own people, and how connecting to those roots helped feed into her experience on Spirit Rangers. Also, Nicolette guides us through her journey struggling with mental health, and how the conversation opening up in society at large helped give her the courage to seek help. We are very fortunate to have had such a vulnerable and honest guest, and we hope her journey can help open up that conversation for you or someone you love.

Twitter: @unbadger

Instagram: @unbadgr

If you enjoy our podcast, please share it and rate us on Apple Podcast & Spotify. We want to expand our platform and amplify these BIPOC voices! If you'd like to support us directly, we have a tip jar open at ⁠⁠⁠ko-fi.com/straightaheadap

Karolyn Schenewark-Moses is a Mexican-American artists working in Development at Nickelodeon. From intern to Production Coordinator, Karolyn tells us about what it's like to work in development, and what crucial role this department does in an animation company. Having been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, we talk about how her disability has affected her life and goals, but also about how the diagnosis gave her closure and outlets for how to manage it. Karolyn's original industry goals were to be a color designer, but after having much freelancing success, her ideal artistic outlet has evolved into something else. Nowadays she happily enjoys the stability of her role in development while being able to focus on illustrations and working towards creating children's books.

karolynmoses.com

IG: @prismakitty

If you enjoy our podcast, please share it and rate us on Apple Podcast & Spotify. We want to expand our platform and amplify these BIPOC voices! If you'd like to support us directly, we have a tip jar open at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ko-fi.com/straightaheadap⁠!

Finally, our episode with Ulises Alvarado Llamas is here! Character designer, Vis Dev artist, and former roommate to Ray, we get down to tacks on what Uli does as a Character Designer for a 3D show at Nickelodeon. Uli talks about "Packeting", and the technical nuances between designing for a 3D show and a 2D show. Despite having such a stylized approach, Uli actually prefers designing for 3D! Wonder why that may be? Listen in to find out! But even before is job at Nickelodeon, Uli was invited to intern for Tonko House, and even had a summer internship at UBER. We even dig into his experience freelancing while still in school, and how he wishes he knew how to better balance his self-worth, health, and workload. With such a variety in productions, from corporate to indie, there's no shortage of experiences Uli has to tell.

Instagram: @ulisesalvaradollamas

If you enjoy our podcast, please share it and rate us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. We want to expand our platform and amplify these BIPOC voices!

We're kicking off season 2 with a name you may find familiar: Ray Mendoza Landa! A story artist at Warner Bros. Animation and one of the co-hosts of Straight Ahead! Although Ray has only just started his career, he has a plethora of experiences: story artist on a 3D show with a blender-integrated pipeline, interning at Pixar, acting as President for the Shrunken Headman Club, and heading the ambitious animated graphic novel, Sol Naciente. We may have touched on these topics in the past, but Ray is able to go in-depth in a way we normally don't get the chance to when interviewing a guest. We also go into Ray's path into animation, how he was always more into theatre than art, and how his interest in his own culture as a Mexican-American has grown. Of course, we answer the most important question: would you rather attain power through hard work in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber from Dragonball Z or by instantly seeing the secret of the Universe like in Full Metal Alchemist? Find out in this episode... of Straight Ahead AP!

Read Sol Naciente: The Animated Graphic Novel !
Instagram: @RaydioSilence
Twitter: @RaydioSilence

In this week’s episode we interview Alex Pimwong, he is a Korean/Thai artist working as a Story Artist Resident at Pixar. Don’t know what a Story Artist Resident is? Neither did we! Check out the episode to learn about Alex’s mysterious job title. Another exciting part about this interview is that Alex did not attend a traditional university/art school. We discuss these highlights and much more, so head on over to our bio to find links to our cast on Spotify, Anchor, Google Podcast, Apple podcast, or wherever you choose to listen!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itspimwong/?hl=en

Today we have the wonderful Samia Khalaf a Palestinian/Lebanese Senior Concept Artist currently working at Funomena. Samia shares her experience attending school as an international student and the hurdles one has to go though when trying to get a work visa. We also talk about how Samia slowly started becoming more comfortable sharing her artistic voice and started creating art that she enjoyed and didn't worry so much about trying to cater her art to other people. Samia also talked about her amazing opportunity with Facebook/Oculus where she got to direct a short film titled Kteer Tayyeb about her love of food and the joy and memories that it created with friends and family. She talks more in depth about creating a story in VR and so much more! Sit back relax and get ready to expand you mind with Samia!

Instagram: @samsoomfull
Portfolio: samiakhalaf.com
Kteer Tayyeb Short Film
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samia-khalaf/

If you enjoy our podcast, please share it and rate us on Apple Podcasts. We want to expand our platform and amplify these BIPOC voices!

Cynthia Furey is a hapa-vietnamese-italian-irish writer and currently a staff writer for Nickelodeon! Follow her journey of building connections through Sesame Workshop, Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment, and the CBS writer's program. We chat about her experiences on The Ghost and Molly McGee, Hello Jack!, and Tiny Chef. But before her career in screenwriting, she worked as a food writer for the Orange County register for 8 years! Learn all about her career shift, and the differences between writing for journalism and screenwriting... but also the unexpected strengths that came with that experience. (If you need more incentive, please listen to this episode for the most unhinged inbetween question I've ever heard Ray ask. - Yuki)

Instagram: @mortalcyn99

Twitter: @cynnamonshticks

If you enjoy our podcast, please share it and rate us on Apple Podcast & Spotify. We want to expand our platform and amplify these BIPOC voices! If you'd like to support us directly, we have a tip jar open at ko-fi.com/straightaheadap

Phoning in from Sydney, Australia, it’s Brandon Jaisen Louie! Learn about his job as a 2D FX artist at Flying Bark Productions, what inspired him to become an effects animator, and maybe even inspire you! The industry will always be nomadic, but Brandon’s wanderlust took that literally, and he’s moved half a world away. Lots of good topics just jam packed into our little episode.
Portfolio: https://brandonjaisen.wixsite.com/jaisen
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaisendoodles/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jaisendoodles

Today’s episode features Flora Rees-Arredondo, a bi-racial Latinx artist working as a Junior Art Director! The position may entail being less hands-on the art, and more hands-on communication. We talk about the many rewards and excitement that comes with leadership, a role Flora is all too familiar with from directing her capstone short film Malinchista, to being president of the Shrunken Headman Club, to now junior directing at FS studios. Check it out today!

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/florareesa
Malinchista: https://www.instagram.com/malinchistafilm/

Amie Sanchez is a Latina Storyboard Artist working at Nickelodeon. Straight out of school, Amie's first job was actually a full-time storyboard artist. We talk about her lucky break in 2D boarding, and the changes that came with the shift to boarding for a 3D show, Rugrats (2021). We have a candid conversation about having gaps in your education, and ways to fill them when your school doesn't have all the resources you need. Amie also talks about how she connects with her art outside of professional work through fan art and her friend-formed art group: Studio Rana.

Instagram: @ameetoe

Twitter: @ameetoe

Tumblr: ameetoe

Website: https://amiesanchez.wixsite.com/portfolio

If you enjoy our podcast, please share it and rate us on Apple Podcast & Spotify. We want to expand our platform and amplify these BIPOC voices!

Zharia B Rahn is an African-American artist working as a Model Designer for Disney TVA! This means she works on both props and characters, and she shares her workflow with us and how she makes and meets her own work quotas. She also tells about the multi-platform work she and her team does, and how this emerging department has evolved into this fast-paced age of social media. We also chat about her time as an intern for ImagineX: an indie animation collective headed by an upperclassmen of hers from school. Speaking of school, we have a grounded conversation about how art school isn't for everyone, but if you need that structure it can be a good option. In this episode, you are guaranteed to learn about something you've never heard of before!

Instagram: @Ziggora

Twitter: @ziggora

TikTok: @ziggora

If you enjoy our podcast, please share it and rate us on Apple Podcast & Spotify. We want to expand our platform and amplify these BIPOC voices!