Moderated by Don Hahn an American film producer who has produced some of the most successful Walt Disney animated films of the past 20 years.

Mike Mignola was born September 16, 1960 in Berkeley, California and grew up in nearby Oakland, the eldest son of a tough and leathery cabinetmaker.  His fascination with ghosts and monsters began at an early age (he doesn’t remember why) and reading Dracula at age 12 introduced him to Victorian literature and folklore from which he has never recovered.

After graduating from the California College of Arts and Crafts in 1982 (hoping to find a way to draw monsters for a living) he moved to New York City to begin a career in the comic book field.  Starting as a bad inker for Marvel Comics, he swiftly evolved in a not so bad artist on comics like Rocket Raccoon, Alpha Flight and The Hulk.  By the late 1980’s however he began to develop his own unique graphic style and moved onto higher profile commercial projects like Cosmic Odyssey (1988) and Gotham By Gaslight (1989) for DC Comics, and the not so commercial Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser (1990) for Marvel.  In 1992 he drew the comic book adaptation of the film Bram Stoker’s Dracula for Topps Comics which led to his working (briefly) with Francis Ford Coppola on the film.

In 1993 Mike joined several other comic book creators (John Byrne, Frank Miller, Geof Darrow, etc.) to form the Legend imprint at Dark Horse Comics and there he created Hellboy, a tough and leathery occult detective who may or may not be the beast of the apocalypse.  The first Hellboy story line (Seed of Destruction 1994) was co-written by John Byrne, but Mike has continued writing the book himself and, as of this writing, there are 8 Hellboy graphic novels (with more on the way), several spin off titles (BPRD, Lobster Johnson and Abe Sapien), 3 anthologies of prose stories, several novels, 2 animated films and 2 live action films starring Ron Perlman.  Hellboy has earned numerous comic industry awards and is published in a great many countries.

Mike has also worked as a production designer for the Disney film Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001) and was the Visual Consultant to director Guillermo del Toro on Blade II (2002), Hellboy (2004) and Hellboy 2: The Golden Army (2008)

In 2001 Mike also created the award winning comic book The Amazing Screw On Head (recently adapted into animation) and in 2006 co-wrote with Christopher Golden the novel Baltimore: or the Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire, published by Bantam Books.

Mike lives somewhere in Southern California with his wife, daughter and cat.

Live Demonstration
Mike Mignola will be demonstrating live at CTN-X. Watch how he works and see the decisions he makes while creating his characters and art.

For time and date please refer to CTN-X Schedule Overview….click here. (Schedule subject to change.)

Description:  Director/Producer Steve Hickner gives practical advice and hints on how to get into the animation industry and pitfalls to avoid once in it.

Steve Hickner has spent the past thirty years working at some of the most fabled studios in animation; including: DreamWorks, Disney, Amblimation, Aardman, Hanna-Barbera and Filmation.  He has worked on both the production and artistic sides of the process, serving as Producer on such films as:  American Tail II: Fievel Goes West, We’re Back! A Dinosaur’s Story, and Balto.  His director credits include Bee Movie and The Prince of Egypt.   In addition, he has contributed to such feature films as Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, The Little Mermaid, The Great Mouse Detective, Antz, Shark Tale, Madagascar, Over the Hedge and others.  His television credits include such favorites as He-Man and the Masters of the Universe and Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids.  He is most jealous that his wife got to meet Walt Disney during a trip to Disneyland and Charles M. Schulz while working on the Rose Parade.

Mr. Gordon studied animation in Vancouver, New York and New Jersey, and prior to his work at Pixar, he worked in the Looney Tunes division of Warner Brothers. He was awarded “Outstanding Character Animation in an Animated Motion Picture” by the Visual Effects Society for his work in Finding Nemo.

He has been passionate about teaching animation for over 10 years. He has taught animation intensives throughout the world. Andrew is a contributing lecturer at Animation Mentor, CSU Summer Arts and VanArts. He is one of the founders of Spline Doctors (www.splinedoctors.com), a blog/podcast dedicated to animation education. He is currently helping develop and teach at the new animation program at California College of Art in Oakland (CCA).

Chris spends vast amounts of time creating content for his website, ChrisOatley.com where you can find digital painting tutorials, interviews with working artists, free Photoshop resources, articles about painting, drawing and screenwriting and of course, his own artwork. His goal is to inspire his audience. He loves his wife, Angie more than he can explain and finds that her patience and encouragement has significantly increased his artistic ability. His tiny brown dachshund is named Sydney because Chris and Angie are big ‘Alias’ fans. He dreams of being an art director in animation and of writing and directing feature films (both live action and animated). He currently lives in Venice, California.

The Future Has Arrived:  Enrich and Extend Your Art Life By Embracing The Internet.

In this session, you will learn how to create, market and distribute your own creative content for little or no money, how to cultivate authentic relationships in online creative communities and  how to monetize digital content.  Most importantly you will learn how the ancient art of sharing knowledge, in light of the possibilities provided by various new media can redefine your artistic future and engage your audience in an unprecedented way.

Sumida earned his B.A. and Ph.D. at UCLA and taught at the Pritzker School of Medicine at the University of Chicago before returning to California to teach at CSU-San Bernardino.  In recognition of his hybrid work in science and art, evolution and education, he was name the 2007 outstanding science and engineering professor for the entire CSU System, the largest state university system in the world.

Sumida will discuss his “favorite five” – the five anatomical take-home lessons he has found most useful to animators, whether traditional or CG.

After attempting to read his contract without help, one of Ms. Mersereau’s clients likened the experience to water running over a rock ——-    nothing stuck.  Another compared his experience to trying to hold onto a handful of cooked spaghetti.

Ellen Ann Mersereau has specialized in entertainment law for 18 years, with a focus on animation. She has forged agreements with industry leaders like Disney, Pixar, DreamWorks, Sony, Warner Bros., Starz Media, Nickelodeon, Fox, Cartoon Network, Electronic Arts and Simon and Schuster for numerous writers, producers, directors, art directors, production designers, storyboard artists, illustrators, animators, editors, character designers, background designers and visual development artists.

Ms. Mersereau will discuss basic contractual principles in order to help artists know when to seek legal representation and how to understand legally binding agreements before they sign them. She will also review some of the basic boilerplate found in most contracts, such as Non Solicitation, Non Competition, Indemnification, Breach of Warranties, Exclusivity, and Confidentiality clauses.

Ms.  Mersereau has dedicated her practice to helping artists understand and embrace the business side of their profession, affording them the peace of mind needed to create their best work.

Lorin Eric Salm is the creator of Character Movement for Animation, a series of workshops using concepts and techniques from the art of Theatrical Mime to expand animators’ insight into the ways in which characters express personality, thought, and emotion through the body.  Since he first developed these workshops in 1996, he has taught them to professional animators at Walt Disney Feature Animation, DreamWorks Animation, Sony Pictures Imageworks, and Rhythm & Hues, working with the teams from such films as Shrek, Chicken Little, and Dinosaur.  He has also instructed student animators at California Institute of the Arts and Bridges Institute of Visual Arts.

Lorin was a student of the late French master of mime Marcel Marceau, and is a graduate of Marceau’s Paris International School of Mimodrama.  He has been practicing mime for almost 30 years, and teaching for 18.  Lorin is an actor in theatre, film, and television, and has performed in Paris, Israel, New York, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles.  He is a movement coach for major Hollywood film and television productions, including the 2009 feature film Surrogates with Bruce Willis.  Lorin coaches for stage performance as well, including ongoing work as a Theatrical Mime instructor for the performers of Cirque du Soleil in Las Vegas.  Since 2001, he has taught Theatrical Mime workshops and classes at his own Mime Theatre Studio in Los Angeles.

With his Character Movement for Animation workshops, Lorin gets animators on their feet—feeling, exploring, and understanding what and how the body of a character expresses to an audience.  His teaching goes beyond what animators learn in traditional training, and offers them a unique method for learning how to turn their characters’ movement into meaning.

Character Movement for Animation Workshops: http://Lorin.info/animation
Mime Theatre Studio: http://www.MimeTheatreStudio.com

Help us welcome Lorin to CTN-X where he will be speaking on the relationship between mime and animation. Quick Registration http://www.regonline.com/ctnanimationexpo2009

After almost thirty years at Disney I left to create storyboards on “Surf’s Up!” for Sony Pictures Animation and then to Dreamworks Animation where I am developing ideas and sequences for an upcoming feature destined to set animation back hundreds of thousands of years.

If I have any guiding philosophy about animation it’s that it should appeal to the widest possible audience. As Frank Thomas once advised me about a choice I was making for a scene I was animating, “Is it something someone other than your mother will like?” Perhaps that is what we will be talking about. Appeal in all its various forms and influences and the people whose work I find appealing.
Help us welcome Ed Gombert to CTN-X 2009. Register Now http://www.regonline.com/ctnanimationexpo2009

In the fall of 1995, Ezra became a member of Company of Angels and started teaching an Improv class for actors and other company members.  This class led to a sellout run of Improv Schmimprov, an improv comedy show.  As the class continued, another show emerged, Jingle Balls – A Holiday Comedy Spectacular, which also played to sold out houses. Over the past several years, Ezra’s passion for improvisation has allowed him to perform with various improv groups in many different venues.  These include, Pasadena’s The Ice House, the world famous Comedy Store, and Bang Comedy Theater.

As an improvisor, Ezra has created and performed in such shows as iProv, The Doubtful Guests and The Truth.  He has traveled to New York, Atlanta, New Jersey and Chicago performing in venues and festivals.  In 2009 Ezra and The Doubtful Guests headlined the Chicago Improv Festival in the famed Lakeshore theater.

Currently, Ezra is the Director of the School of Improvisation at Bang Comedy Theater where he has been teaching and running the school for the past 9 years.  He has directed many improv groups and conducted workshops for professional corporations and institutions.  Having a strong understanding of improvisation and how it can assist the creative process, Ezra has been invited to work with such companies as Disney Feature Animation, Rhythm and Hues, Universal and the Los Angeles Police Department.

In 2002 Ezra began work in television as an Audience Warm-up performer.  He warms up such Disney Channel shows as Wizards of Waverly Place and Sonny with a Chance.  Since his start in the business Ezra has warmed up hundreds of live tapings of television before a live studio audience.  Making people laugh and enjoy the experience of the event has been a rewarding source of joy in his career.

Ezra has been Married to Sabrina Weisz of Sabrina Photography for 10 years and they have 2 beautiful children together.  Upon leaving his home for work his children always cry out, “Daddy, Make ‘em laugh”.

Joining Ezra is owner of Bang Comedy Theater and the Emmy award winning Executive Producer for Disney’s Wizards of Waverly Place Peter Murrieta.

Help us welcome Ezra Weisz to CTN-X 2009. Register Now http://www.regonline.com/ctnanimationexpo2009

The lecture will also discuss basics of copyright law such as what is a copyright, what is copyrightable, how do you register your copyright, and what are the benefits of registration.  The elements of a copyright infringement action will also be discussed.” After the presentation you will retreat to the “Shop Talk Lounge” to carry on the conversation and Q+A.

A founding member of Litwak & Havkin, Mr. Litwak specializes in music and entertainment law. He has extensive expertise in negotiating and drafting a wide variety of contracts relating to the entertainment industry, representing recording artists, music producers, and songwriters as well as music production and management companies.  Mr. Litwak also represents clients in the film and T.V. business including the creator and co-executive producer of “Dance Life” which aired on MTV and the writer/director of the hit movie “You Got Served.”

In addition, Mr. Litwak has extensive experience in handling entertainment industry litigation.
Mr. Litwak has represented platinum selling recording artists in all aspects of their careers, including artists who have successfully branched out into acting. He has also represented prominent music producers who have produced for recording artists such as Christina Aguilera, Akon, Lupe Fiasco, Flo Rida, Ray J, Destiny’s Child, The Backstreet Boys, Patti Labelle, and Ginuwine. Mr. Litwak has negotiated recording and management agreements for artists who have been signed to major record labels such as Universal, Sony, Interscope/Geffen/A&M, and Warner Music. Glenn also has experience in negotiating music publishing deals with publishers such as EMI, Zomba, and Notting Hill Music.
Mr. Litwak has extensive experience and expertise in representing R&B/Pop groups in all aspects of their careers, including the platinum selling group “B2K” and “Immature” (which later became “IMX”), as well as Marques Houston and Omarion.  He also represents rising new artists- such as FDM (signed to Geffen) and Tha Boogie (signed to Velma Records- Raphael Saadiq’s label).

Mr. Litwak has negotiated production agreements on behalf of artists he represents with some of the top music producers in the business including Puff Daddy, the Underdogs, the Neptunes, Tricky Stewart, Rodney Jerkins, Steven Russel, L.T. Hutton, R. Kelly, Timbaland, and Jermaine Dupri.

Mr. Litwak is a frequent speaker at music, digital, and entertainment conferences around the country. He has spoken at the Urban Network Conference (Palm Springs, and Industry Hills California), the “Get Seen Get Signed” Conference in Chicago, the New Music Seminar in Cleveland, the Brand Access Forum in Los Angeles, the Digital Music Conference in Miami, the Atlantis Music Conference in Atlanta, and the Winter Music Conference in Miami.
Mr. Litwak has been a speaker at entertainment law seminars at UCLA Law School, Loyola Law School, The Association of Independent Music Publishers (“AIMP”), and for the California Lawyers for the Arts and the California Alliance of Paralegal Associations. He is an instructor at the UCLA Extension, Entertainment Studies Program, where he conducts a seminar entitled “Self Defense in the Music Industry.”
Mr. Litwak has recently published articles on music industry topics in Music Connection Magazine (March, 2009) and Urban Network Magazine (March, 2009).

Mr. Litwak has been profiled in California Law Business Magazine (February 1998) and Rolling out Magazine (January, 2009) He has also been interviewed on a number of television shows including: Celebrity Justice, Inside Edition, “Xtra,” and Fox Cable News.

Glenn will be giving a lecture on copyrights and how to protect yourself.
Help us welcome Glenn Litwak to CTN-X 2009. Register Now http://www.regonline.com/ctnanimationexpo2009

In New York, Steve was co-founder and Artistic Director of Manhattan Punch Line Theatre, where he developed writers such as Peter Tolan (Analyze This, Finding Amanda), writer and producer David Crane (Friends, Joey, The Class), writer/producer Tracy Poust (Ugly Betty, Will & Grace), Michael Patrick King (The Comeback, Sex and The City, Will & Grace), David Ives (All In The Timing), Will Scheffer (Big Love), Howard Korder (Lakeview Terrace), and Mark O’Donnell (Hairspray) and introduced such performers as Lewis Black, Nathan Lane, John Leguizamo, Mercedes Ruehl and Oliver Platt.

In Los Angeles, he created the HBO New Writers Project, discovering HBO Pictures screenwriter Will Scheffer and performer/writer Sandra Tsing Loh; and the HBO Workspace, a developmental workshop in Hollywood that introduced and presented performers such as Jack Black and Tenacious D, Kathy Griffin, Bob Odenkirk and David Cross (Mr. Show), Josh Malina and Paul F. Tompkins. At the Workspace, he was Executive Producer for the award-winning HBO Original Programming documentary DROP DEAD GORGEOUS. Steve has directed in regional theaters and Off-Broadway (including Sandra Tsing Loh’s ALIENS IN AMERICA at Second Stage) and has developed, produced and directed other one-woman shows with actress Lauren Tom and comediennes Nora Dunn and Kathy Buckley.

In addition to private coaching and one-on-one script consultations, Steve has taught his Comedy Intensive workshops to thousands of students around the world, including Los Angeles , New York , London , Sydney , Melbourne and Singapore . His upcoming workshops include the Screenwriters Expo and a weekend Comedy Intensive, both in  Los Angeles. For more info, go to the website at www.KaplanComedy.com.

Help us welcome Steve Kaplan to CTN-X 2009. Register Now http://www.regonline.com/ctnanimationexpo2009

His screen credits include the Disney classics THE LITTLE MERMAID, BEAUTY & THE BEAST, ALADDIN, THE LION KING, WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT ? POCAHONTAS,DINOSAURS and FANTASIA 2000.  Animation World Network called Tom “one of the key players in the Disney Animation Revival” ( January 2001 ) In 1995 he left a Disney to help set up the Dreamworks Animation unit. He worked on THE PRINCE OF EGYPT, ANTZ, PAULIE, SPIRIT- STALLION OF THE CIMMARON and SHREK.

Tom also helped animate the title sequence of CITY SLICKERS, the 1982 Emmy award winning ABC special ZIGGY’S GIFT, directed 22 hours of Sat morning television including FAT ALBERT, HE MAN AND THE MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE, SHE-RA, BIKER MICE FROM MARS , CLICK AND CLACK’S AS THE WRENCH TURNS, and numerous commercials. Tom co-directed the animation for Warner Bros. OSMOSIS JONES 2001, was a storyboard artist, animator for Warner’s Bros THE LOONEY TUNES: BACK IN ACTION 2003. And he led the storyboard team for Fox’s GARFIELD THE MOVIE in 2004.

Tom Sito has produced short films, is an Adjunct Professor of Animation at the University of Southern California and UCLA and has written numerous articles for Animation Magazine and Animation World Network. He has lectured on animation at NYU, SVA, Cal Arts, AFI, SCAD, Univ.of Washington, Microsoft, Woodbury College, VFS, Capilano College and Sheridan College in Canada, EURO-CARTOON, the Ecole Du Grand Gobelin in Paris and Cartoon Masters in Erfurt Germany, ICA Channel 4/MESH in London, The Animar Festival in Palma Majorca, The Animation Workshop of Viborg Denmark and the Beijing Film Academy.  He was a key note speaker at the International Technologies Forum in Angouleme France and the Yomiuri New Media Forum in Tokyo.

He served three terms as President of the Hollywood Animation Guild 1992-2001 and was named President Emeritus. He is vice president of the International Animator’s Society (ASIFA/Hollywood), is a member of the Motion Picture Academy, the National Cartoonists Society and Hollywood Heritage.  His book DRAWING THE LINE: THE UNTOLD STORY OF ANIMATION LABOR FROM BOSKO TO BART SIMPSON( Univ Press of Kentucky 2006) has been hailed by Leonard Maltin, and the London  Review of Books as a must read.  It has received a distinguished mention in the Princeton University List of Recommended Books for 2006. He also wrote the animation chapter of the three volume anthology JEWS IN AMERICAN POPULAR CULTURE
( Praeger/Greenwood 2007). This fall his update to the classic animation manual TIMING FOR ANIMATION is due for release.

In 1998 he was named in Animation Magazine’s list of the 100 Most Important People in Animation.
Help us welcome Tom Sito to CTN-X 2009. Register Now http://www.regonline.com/ctnanimationexpo2009

Since its founding in 1996 by CEO Uri Shinar, a former television executive with decades of broadcasting experience, Aniboom has grown its community to over 7,000 animators from 72 countries around the world. These independent animators have the same talent, the same passion and the same skill sets as those working in Hollywood. They are capable of producing content of the same high quality, without relocation.  Aniboom demonstrates daily that in the 21st century, people need not occupy the same physical space to produce creative and high quality animation.  Having already worked with leading entertainment companies such as FOX, The HISTORY Channel, and Marvel Entertainment, Aniboom just announced it is teaming up with major advertising firm MRM Worldwide to help connect MRM clients with independent top-quality animators.  Aniboom’s Virtual Studio continues connecting talented and imaginative animators from across the world with major clients looking to Aniboom for innovative and inspired animation.
Help us welcome Aniboom to CTN-X 2009. Register Now http://www.regonline.com/ctnanimationexpo2009

Frank is currently the CEO of his own company, Gladstone Film, Inc., producing and directing animated projects, consulting on animation processes, filmmaking skills and story structure at major studios worldwide. Additionally, Frank continues to teach about animation, film history, production techniques and cinematic fundamentals at secondary schools, colleges and professional guilds across North America, in Europe, Asia and the Caribbean.
Help us welcome Frank Gladstone to CTN-X 2009. Register Now http://www.regonline.com/ctnanimationexpo2009

Moderator: Charles Solomon

An internationally respected critic and historian of animation, Charles Solomon has written on the subject for “The New York Times,” “TV Guide,” “Newsweek” (Japan), “Rolling Stone,” “Los Angeles Times,” “Modern Maturity,” “Film Comment,” “The Hollywood Reporter,” “Manchester Guardian,” Amazon.com and National Public Radio’s “Day To Day.” His work has also appeared in publications in Canada, France, Russia, Britain, Israel, the Netherlands and Japan. His recent books include “The Prince of Egypt: A New Vision in Animation” (Abrams, 1999), “The Disney That Never Was” (Hyperion, 1995), “Les Pionniers du Dessin Animé Américain” (Dreamland, Paris, 1996) and “Enchanted Drawings: The History of Animation” (Knopf, 1989; reprinted, Wings, 1994), which was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year and the first film book to be nominated for a National Book Critics Circle Award.

Soloman also contributed the animation article to “The International Encyclopedia of Communications” (Oxford University Press, 1989) as well as essays to the exhibit catalogues of “Japanese Animated Films: A Complete View from their Birth to ‘Spirited Away’ and Beyond” (Tokyo Museum of Contemporary Art, 2004) and “Il était une fois: Walt Disney” (Grand Palais Museum, Paris, September 2006).

He has also done animation programming for the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, the 1984 Olympic Arts Festival, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the Annecy, Ottawa and Sundance international film festivals and lectured on animation history and aesthetics at UCLA, USC, CalArts, NYU, the School of Visual Arts, La Cinèmatheque Quebècoise, CSU San Bernadino, the California Academy of Science, The Walt Disney Studios (Los Angeles, Orlando and Paris), PIXAR, Turner Animation and DreamWorks Feature Animation.

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Paul Young is a co-founder and CEO of Cartoon Saloon,  Producer of the animated feature The Secret of Kells and Executive Producer of the animated children’s series Skunk Fu! which has sold globally to territories including the BBC, Super RTL, Kids WB and Cartoon Network in the US. Paul is also an award winning cartoonist and illustrator.

Paul travels a lot to spread the good word.

Did you know:

People who have met Paul seldom realize that ‘Paul’ is the hat, the body underneath is just a drone who does the hat’s bidding.

Visit their studio. http://www.cartoonsaloon.ie/

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Tomm Moore is co-Founder and Creative director of Cartoon Saloon.

Since founding the company in 1999 with Paul Young, Tomm has worked on almost every Cartoon Saloon production in various capacities including directing and designing commercials for clients including Cadburys and the Irish Independent, illustrating graphic novels and children’s books and working as animation artist on several tv series and feature film productions.

Having completed his first feature film “The Secret of Kells” he is currently working on the graphic novels of the film and his new feature film “The Song of the Sea”.

Tomm was also a member of the once Secret crime fighting group “The living shadows” but failed miserably as a master of stealth, which lead to a lifelong love of comic books and animation.

Cartoon Saloon began as an informal partnership between a group of animators brought together by Paul Young and Tomm Moore in 1999. Cartoon Saloon has since grown into a multi-award winning animation and illustration design studio that develops and produces feature film and TV series projects while producing award winning short films, television commercials, graphic novels and children’s books.

In addition to developing and producing Tomm Moore’s The Secret of Kells, The Saloon also successfully developed and produced its first TV series, the IFTA award winning Skunk Fu! Which has been sold to broadcasters in over 120 countries worldwide, including the BBC, Cartoon Network, Canal J, France 5, Super RTL Disney and ABC Australia.

The Saloon is in development of a number of new projects.
Three new feature film projects, Song of the Sea, Skunk Fu! The Movie and Bluebeard.
Childrens animated Tv series -Galaxy Boyz, Pirate Zoe and Puffins Rock are currently in development as  for the international market.

In September 2008 and 2009, Cartoon Saloon picked up the Producer of the year tribute at the Cartoon forum 2008 and Cartoon Movie 2009. Tomm Moore received the Directors Guild of Ireland and America finders series award 2008 and European Director of the Year at the Cartoon Movie in 2009.

Please help us welcome Paul Young and Tom Moore to CTN-X in an informal discussion moderated by Charles Solomon and join us in the second only Los Angeles screening of “The Secret of the Kells” Saturday Nov 21st, 2009.
Quick Register: http://www.regonline.com/ctnanimationexpo2009

Matt will be sharing rare material personally passed on by Ronald Searle and  he will be giving an insight into this legendary illustrator’s influence on film & animation.

http://ronaldsearle.blogspot.com/

“I am happy for my name to be used in association with the CTN Expo.  I am very pleased to be honoured like this and quite surprised that people still think of me” ~Ronald Searle

“Searle was certainly a strong influence on Disney. Some of the people who could best address how much Ronald Searle influenced Disney  ( Tom Oreb, Milt Kahl, Ken Anderson, Marc Davis, Ward Kimball) are no longer around. He was a great influence on two of my favorite cartoonists Mort Drucker and Pat Oliphant. I think without question he is one of if not the most influential cartoonists of the 20th century ( and definitely one of the finest draftsmen of this century let alone British Art) and I admire his work greatly ( I bought a small Searle drawing I have framed. )” ~Animation Director John Musker

Please help us welcome the work of Ronald Searle and Matt Jones at CTN-X 2009.
Quick Register: http://www.regonline.com/ctnanimationexpo2009

Panelist Kent Melton:

Kent Melton has spent the past 25 years working in animation.  He was the first staff sculptor employed by Hanna Barbera.  He then worked as an art director at Universal Studios before embarking on a full-time career as a sculptor for feature films.  Melton has sculpted countless maquettes for Disney, Warner Bros., Don Bluth, Dreamworks, MGM, Pixar and Laika Entertainment.

Kent’s maquettes have recently been featured at the New York Museum of Contemporary Art and the Smithsonian in Washington D.C.  He is currently working on a one man show of both sculpture and oil paintings. Mr. Melton has made countless maquette sculptures, entrusted by the animators in bringing their two-dimensional drawings into a three-dimensional world.

Panelist Damon Bard:

For close to 20 years, Damon Bard has been working as a freelance artist in the entertainment industry primarily as a sculptor and designer of characters and creatures. Since then, he has contributed to nearly 30 films and other various projects during his career.

At an early age, (about 6-7 years old) Damon discovered window putty, (that stuff that holds the glass in a window frame) with the help of his sister who showed him how to make “putty ducks”. His mother would paint pictures on the glass windows during the holidays while his father had a knack for carving wood figures. He was immediately fascinated with the shapeable substance and displayed a natural talent for making sculptures out of not only “window putty” but assorted other mediums that inspired him to make forms from the fantastic to the familiar. These were some of his first exposures to the world of art. Other early inspirations were movies and fine art that fed the imagination and development of the young emerging artist.

Damon has been working along side some of the most talented, acclaimed, and awarded artists and directors in the industry and on some of the most successful films ever made; Kung Fu Panda, Ratatouille, Shrek 3, Shrek 2, Star Wars: Episode 3, Over The Hedge, Madagascar, and Madagascar II, to name a few. He is currently developing characters for several projects, one he recently finished is Henry Selick’s “Coraline”. Damon also works on his bronze figurative sculpture and oil paintings between and during projects as time allows.

Bard Sculpture Studio is committed to creating and furthering the excellence of the art of character design in the Animation and Visual Effects Industry by continuing to use traditional and modern sculpture techniques and design methods to bring the most memorable characters and creatures to life for audiences around the world to love and enjoy.

Panelist Doug Hild: (bio coming soon) … Online Link Info.

Panelist Bruce Lau: Bruce Lau’s career in sculpting can be traced back to High school, where he took a ceramics class.  He never entertained the possibility that he would one day make his living out of a hobby that he enjoyed so much.

Mr. Lau studied broadcast communications at the University of Hawaii, continuing his art classes wherever he could fit them in. He felt he received the greatest inspiration from the  life drawing studios. He next began working at Landmark Entertainment, where he sculpted toys and theme park attraction merchandise.  Not much later, a friend introduced him to Willie Ito, a character artist for the Walt Disney Company. He agreed to review Mr. Lau’s portfolio, and shortly thereafter he had his foot in the door, working as a freelance artist with Disney in 1990.

Mr. Lau found that the scale of the Walt Disney Classics Collection Sculptures were the perfect match for his skill. Since the collection began in 1992, he has created numerous pieces. His favorite is Donald on Drums from Symphony Hour, a whimsical and equally spectacular sculpture that highlights Donald’s most renowned traits: temper and tunnel-visioned focus. This sculpture captures the intense emotion of Donald Duck, in a way that has only previously been captured on film. Mr. Lau is also responsible for the charter member sculpture: “Steamboat Willie”. One of his most challenging WDCC sculptures was that of the Firebird from Fantasia 2000, recreating an incredible reproduction of melting lava.

In addition to creating sculptures for the Walt Disney Classics Collection, Mr. Lau has created Disney characters for the Lenox Classics line of Disney sculptures, as well as creating animation maquettes for Disney Feature Animation. He is responsible for most of the animation maquette sculptures for the feature animated film Fantasia 2000.  Mr. Lau has also done many bronze sculptures in association with many Disney Legends for White Horse Studio.

Panelist Ruben Procopio:

Rubén Procopio has been in the animation industry for over 25 yrs., with scholarships to both Cal Arts and Art Center College of Design. He later trained under Eric Larson, one of Disneys legendary nine old men. A chip off the old block he also was trained by his dad Adolfo Procopio, a 35 yr. veteran sculptor at Walt Disney Imagineering. Rubén was instrumental in bringing back the maquette process to feature animated films in the early ’80’s. Having a wide variety of skills from 2d to the 3d world and as an Artistic Supervisor as well as head of departments he has now opened up his own studio appropriately called for his admiration of the masked heros of yesteryear, Masked Avenger Studios, where father and son have joined forces with a combination of over 50 yrs. of experience to make their talents available to the motion picture, animation, toy and collectibles community.

Panelist Leo Rijn: (bio coming soon)…Online Link Info.

For time and date please refer to CTN-X Schedule Overview….click here. (Schedule subject to change.)
Length 45 min.

Moderated by Animation Historian Jerry Beck this round table discussion with Don Bluth and Gary Goldman centers on the pioneering spirit.   Hear first hand about the passion and drive that drove these great talents along with many others to break out of the cubicle and leave their big studio careers behind. Considered by many to be one of the early feature animation film pioneers Don Bluth and Gary Goldman started their studio in the garage of a house in Culver City California in 1978 during a time when there where no computers, no youtube, no email and no internet and the only technology they could rely on was their talent and imagination.

Moderator Jerry Beck:

Jerry Beck is an animation historian and cartoon producer. His twelve books on the subject include The Animated Movie Guide, Looney Tunes: The Ultimate Visual Guide and The 50 Greatest Cartoons. He is a former studio exec with Nickelodeon and Disney, and is currently a consulting producer to Warner Bros., Universal and Disney for their classic animation dvd compilations. Beck has programmed retrospectives for the Annecy and Ottawa Animation Festivals, The Museum of Modern Art and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He has taught animation history at NYU, SVA, the AFI and UCLA. He is the host/producer of the annual “Worst Cartoons Ever” screening
at the Comic-Con International: San Diego. …more.

Panelist Don Bluth:

Trained by the nine old men, Don Bluth is one of the original pioneers of independent animation filmmaking. As an animator, producer and director he was invited by 20th Century Fox to move to Phoenix, Arizona to co-helm the creation of Fox Animation Studio in 1994, following an already illustrious career in the animation industry dating back to 1955.

His career has brought him into contact with all categories of traditional animation, from mixing colors for Ink & Paint to writing scripts, to directing and even composing songs. He was an inbetweener and assistant animator to John Lounsbery on Sleeping Beauty (1959) and Sword in the Stone (1961)…..more.

Panelist Gary Goldman:
Gary Goldman’s first animation job interview was in February at Walt Disney Productions.  He had been raised in Watsonville, CA and earned his Fine Arts degree in Life Drawing with a minor in Art History from the University of Hawaii the December before, in 1971. Three days after the interview, he was hired into their animation training program. His first assignment was as a ruff inbetweener to supervising animator Frank Thomas, on the motion picture Robin Hood.
Gary’s contributions as an animator at WDP include the films Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too (1974) and The Rescuers (1976). He was promoted to Directing Animator for Pete’s Dragon (1977) and also served in this capacity on The Small One (1978).
Gary is a producer, director and animator who shared public recognition with his artistic partners when he resigned from Walt Disney Productions in 1979 and co-founded Don Bluth Productions with Don Bluth and John Pomeroy……more.

For time and date please refer to CTN-X Schedule Overview….click here.
(Schedule subject to change.)

Gary is a producer, director and animator who shared public recognition with his artistic partners when he resigned from Walt Disney Productions in 1979 and co-founded Don Bluth Productions with Don Bluth and John Pomeroy. Since then he has animated, produced, co-directed and supervised post-production on 12 films and four video games, including, Banjo the Woodpile Cat (1979); The Secret of NIMH (1982); An American Tail (1986); The Land Before Time (1988); All Dogs Go To Heaven (1989); and Thumbelina (1994) and the hit video games Dragon’s Lair (1983); Space Ace (1983); and Dragon’s Lair II: A Time Warp (1989) and Dragon’s Lair 3D: Return to the Lair (2002).

In 1986 he, along with Morris Sullivan, Don Bluth & John Pomeroy, moved Sullivan Studios and 87 of its employees, their families and pets to Dublin, Ireland. They produced three of the films listed above and helped start an animation course at Dublin’s Ballyfermot Senior College, in association with Sheridan College, in Oakville, Ontario, Canada.

The company’s financial backing collapsed in 1992, and the studio was forced to protect itself in receivership. In early 1993, the company was purchased by Media Assets, a subsidiary of Star TV, and continued operations as Don Bluth Entertainment, Ireland, Ltd.
Recruited by 20th Century Fox in early 1994 to assist with the creation of Fox Animation Studios, Inc, Mr Goldman, along with Don Bluth, was the creative leader of the new company. Within a year and a half of agreeing to work with Fox, the duo began production on Anastasia. Fox Animation Studio was in business for six years and employed 316 artists, technicians and administrative staff. Along with Anastasia (1997), Gary was producer/director, with Bluth, on Bartok the Magnificent (a feature-length, direct to DVD (1999) and Titan A.E. (2000).

Mr. Goldman continues to partner with Bluth under the moniker Don Bluth Films, developing intellectual properties for animated feature films, and giving seminars on production to animation professionals and students from around the world at venues in New York, Chicago, Savannah, Provo – BYU Center for Animation, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Mexico, Florence, Italy and Oulu, Finland.

Gary was ‘Artist in Residence’ at the Savannah College of Art & Design for the winter quarter of 2008, teaching three courses in 2D Animation, Advanced 2D Animation and Animation Production.

Gary Goldman has been a member of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences since 1976.  He and his wife, Cathy, live in Phoenix, Arizona.  They have five children and seven grandchildren.

As a feature film producer and consultant, his credits include: Something’s Gotta Give, The Holiday, Stuart Little, Father of the Bride, As Good As It Gets, America’s Sweethearts and What Women Want.

This is a rare opportunity to join Bruce outside the big studio environment as he shares his knowledge with us.

Lecture Visual Structure in Filmmaking
Length 45 min

Bruce will present a lightning version of his seminar, demonstrate the basic principles in his book, show examples from films and reveal how important visual structure is to storytelling. Thousands of artists, writers and producers have attended Bruce’s studio lectures. If your work appears in feature films, television shows or computer games, don’t miss this unusual opportunity to hear Bruce Block explain visual structure and how to use it. After the lecture Bruce and attendees will retreat to the “Shop Talk” lounge to continue the conversation and Q+A. Bruce will also be available to sign books and answer questions.

For time and date please refer to CTN-X Schedule Overview….click here. (Schedule subject to change.)

Prior to Dreamworks, she worked at Gentle Giant Studios as the Communications Director and Manager of the Digital Department.  In this position she managed the 3D scanning and modeling for the studio and interfaced with Visual Effects Producers and Supervisors from both live-action and animation films as well as Consumer Products clients.  Some of the projects include “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,” “Star Wars: Episode III,” “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” and “Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow.”

In 1995 Lepito began her journey in the animation industry as an Assistant to the Producer and Recording Assistant on the Disney Animation Studios film, “Hercules.”  She then transitioned to Production Department Manger of the Story department on “Treasure Planet” and finished the film as the Communications Supervisor acting as the film liaison to the studio.

Lepito earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in both Television Production and Political Communication at Emerson College.  Her career began with an internship at WBZ Radio on the Peabody award winning children’s show, Kid Company.

Lecture: Who’s Who in the Animation Pipeline
Length 20 min

Join Angela for her presentation on the “Who’s Who in the Animation Pipeline”. Geared for newcomers to the animation industry and anyone interested in the variety of positions that are required to complete an animated feature film. After the lecture Angela Lepito and attendees will retreat to the “Shop Talk” lounge to continue the conversation and for Q+A.

For time and date please refer to CTN-X Schedule Overview….click here. (Schedule subject to change.)

Panel Description:
Just as the animation industry is constantly evolving, so does your career in animation!

AnimationMentor.com has gathered top animators in all areas of the field; from Animation Directors & Supervisors to Jr. Animators, to discuss the differences in their day-to-day jobs.  Listen as they discuss and demonstrate the challenges that they each face in their respective positions and how they approached those challenges on 2008/2009’s biggest animation projects!  The panel discussion will also allow attendees to hear each panelist discuss and debate the pros and cons of their positions.  At the end of the discussion, the panelists will move to a more intimate setting to carry on the conversation and answer questions from the audience.

Moderator Tenny Chonin

Director of Artist and Professional Development at Walt Disney Animation Studios, Tenny Chonin combined her teaching and artistic experience to develop programs designed to enrich the creative lives of the Disney artists.

Tenny led the department that conceived and produced all training and enrichment activities for the feature animation division.
Her group provided cross-training, new software training, daily art classes, workshops, seminars, production-specific events,
mentoring and much more. Tenny had the pleasure of working closely with Disney’s studio artists and trainees, apprentices and new hires.  No wonder she proclaims that she had “the best job at Disney Animation.”

Tenny is currently consulting on projects that further the education of animators in film and television.

Motivated by her deep and continuing respect for the artists, Tenny has also created the first online art gallery exclusively representing non-Disney art by Disney artists. SUSPENDED ANIMATION GALLERY

Panelist Eric Goldberg Walt Disney Animation Studios

Eric is an animator and film director who is currently the supervising animator of the character “Louis” for Disney’s upcoming 2D feature The Princess and the Frog.

Creator of Aladdin’s Genie, he was the supervising animator of Phil in Hercules and co-director of Pocahontas.

Goldberg is also the author of the book Character Animation Crash Course! and a lecturer for Animation Mentor.

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Panelist Kira Lehtomaki Walt Disney Animation Studios

Kira graduated from AnimationMentor.com in winter 2007.

After graduating, she took an apprenticeship at Rhythm & Hues where she animated scenes on Alvin & the Chipmunks.

Shortly after, she became an animation trainee at Walt Disney Animation Studios where she was mentored for six months and was hired to animate on Bolt.

Kira is currently working on Rapunzel.

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Panelist Sean Sexton DreamWorks Animation SKG

Sean worked as a storyboard artist on Steve Oedekerk’s Thumbtanic and a character layout artist on the hit show Futurama.

Currently an animator at DreamWorks, he has worked on such films as Sinbad, SharkTale, Flushed Away, Over the Hedge, and Jerry Seinfeld’s Bee Movie.

After wrapping animation on DreamWorks’ first Stereoscopic 3D film Monsters Vs. Aliens, Sean is now working on How to Train Your Dragon. He is also a full-time mentor at Animation Mentor.

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Panelist Chris Williams Sony Pictures Imageworks

Chris is an animation supervisor at Sony Pictures Imageworks where he has worked on a variety of projects encompassing visual effects and character animation.

He is currently a lead animator on Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland. Since joining Imageworks in 2001, Williams has held various positions on both Imageworks and Sony Pictures Animation productions. His credits include Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Spider-Man 1, 2 and 3, and Open Season.

Chris is also a mentor at Animation Mentor.

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Founded in 2005 AnimationMentor.com is the only animation school built by professional animators specifically for people who want to become animators. The program teaches students the skills needed to succeed as a professional animator in the studio environment. By graduation, every student has worked in a production-style environment where mentors, who are working studio animators, stand in for directors, and assignments stand in for film or game shots. Students learn how to accept guidance and criticism, to meet deadlines and to budget and schedule their time to succeed in the working world. At the end of the 18-month program, students leave with a professional demo reel they can use as their résumé to land jobs. Upon graduation, Animation Mentor coaches graduates and connects them to job opportunities with major recruiters, video game companies, and film studios.

Animation Mentor delivers a much more personal and interactive learning experience than other online education programs by pairing students up with professional animators and giving them access to highly interactive communication tools. Some primary features are:

•    Focus on character animation
•    Online mentor/apprentice teaching model
•    High level of interactivity with mentors and other students
•    Networking opportunities through the online community
•    Innovative use of production-style tools and technology
•    Web 2.0 proprietary tools such as eCritiques®, and live Question & Answer sessions
•    Personal support
•    Caring environment

Founders: Bobby Beck, CEO/President/cofounder; Shawn Kelly, cofounder; Carlos Baena, cofounder
Mission: To provide the most personal and fulfilling learning experience on the planet!

His many distinctions include the prestigious Hamilton King Award from the Society of Illustrators, a Clio Award for a Nike television commercial, a Spectrum Annual of Fantastic Art gold medal and a Soleil d’Or award from the Festival BD Sollies Ville in France.

He lives in Brooklyn, NY, with his wife, Randall (with whom he recently collaborated on his first children’s book, The Duchess of Whimsy) and their two daughters, Paulina and Fia.

Join Peter de Sève at CTN-X where he will premiere his new book “A Sketchy Past, The Art of Peter de Sève“, a hardcover collection of Peter’s work along with Randall and Peter de Sève’s children’s book “The Duchess of Whimsy” and for a rare one on one interview about his career.

A Spotlight Career Interview with Peter de Sève
Length 20 min
Join CTN-X in welcoming Peter de Sève to the round table for a one on one interview about his remarkable career.  After the interview Peter and his audience will retreat to the “Shop Talk” lounge to carry on the conversation and Q+A.

Live Demonstration
Peter de Sève will be demonstrating live at CTN-X. Watch how he works and see the decisions he makes while creating his characters and art.

http://peterdeseve.blogspot.com/

www.peterdeseve.com

For time and date please refer to CTN-X Schedule Overview….click here. (Schedule subject to change.)

He participated in the first animation training program at Disney, supervised by veteran animator Eric Larson.  Other veteran animators still working there at the time included Milt Kahl, Frank Thomas, Ollie Johnston, John Lounsberry and Les Clark.  Andy recalls, at the time he didn’t appreciate the amazing artistic resource these men offered, and only in maturity did he realize these men actually shaped his childhood.   At age five, Andy saw Lady and the Tramp and was so moved by the spaghetti scene that he acted it out over and over with his friends! Later in life, he discovered Frank Thomas had animated that scene, thereby conferring a sort of honorary parenthood on Frank, (or was it perpetual childhood for Andy?)
Disney became a baseline for Andy for many years, culminating in art direction credits for Lion King, Hercules and Treasure Planet.   The crash of hand-drawn animation in the early 2000’s sent many artists scurrying to learn 3d skills, and Andy was one of them.  Today he works at Sony Pictures Animation, performing visual development and art direction functions.

There is a message Andy wants to communicate to anyone who is new to the business:  no matter what technique animation might employ; hand-drawn or CG, the most important attributes of a movie have nothing to do with technique.  The two most important attributes are: Story and design.  Get good at those.

A Spotlight Career Interview with Andy Gaskill
Length 20 min
Join CTN-X in welcoming Andy Gaskill to the round table for a one on one interview about his career. After the interview Andy and his audience will retreat to the “Shop Talk” lounge to carry on the conversation and Q+A.

A Round Table Discussion “The Color Script”
Length 45 min
Moderator (TBA) Participants: Dice Tsutsumi Art Director from Pixar, Andy Gaskill Art Director from Sony, Tom Cardone Art Director from BlueSky (TBD).  At the conclusion panelists and attendees will retreat to the “Shop Talk” Lounge to continue the conversation and Q+A.

For more details and the time and dates please refer to CTN-X Schedule Overview….click here. (Schedule subject to change.)

An editorial illustrator for over 25 years, O’Keefe began his art career at The Tampa Tribune as a promotion artist, dabbled in editorial cartooning under mentor, Wayne Stayskal, and spent several years as the Special Projects Illustrator for the newsroom.  His sardonic caricatures and humorous illustrations also appeared  on the covers of Sports Illustrated, Sports Illustrated for Kids, Mad Magazine, The Village Voice and within the pages of TIME.  His advertising clients include Coca-Cola, WaffleHouse, Fuji and SunCom Communications.

In 2007, David left his day job to pursue his passion of painting and sculpting pop culture icons. O’Keefe’s work is transformative, capturing not just the likeness of his subjects, but their personalities as well. He has recently released an epic depiction of the characters from The Godfather and of the entire I Love Lucy cast. His company, David O’Keefe Studios distributes his work through galleries across the country and in Europe.  David O’Keefe Studios also operates a solo gallery on St. Armand’s Circle in Sarasota, Florida.

O’Keefe’s work has won numerous awards from such organizations as The Society of Illustrators (NY and LA), American Illustration, Communication Arts, National Headliner Awards, Dimensional Illustrators, Art Director’s
Club of NYC, and the Society of News Design.

He considers himself blessed to pursue his dream and finds great joy in his work and in his family. O’Keefe currently resides in the Tampa Bay Area with his wife, Janice and their four children.

Join David in this rare appearance at CTN-X where he will be demonstrating and speaking about his career and talent as a sculptor.

For more information about David O’Keefe click here.

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BLAKE SNYDER In his 20-year career as a screenwriter and producer, Blake Snyder has sold dozens of scripts, including co-writing Blank Check, which became a hit for Disney, and Nuclear Family for Steven Spielberg.

His book, Save the Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You’ll Ever Need, was published in May, 2005, and is now in its eleventh printing. It has prompted “standing room only” appearances by Blake in New York, Los Angeles, London, San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago, Vancouver, Toronto, and Barcelona. Apparently it is not quite the last book on screenwriting you’ll ever need, as the eagerly awaited sequel, Save the Cat! Goes to the Movies: The Screenwriter’s Guide to Every Story Ever Told, was published in October, 2007 – shooting to #1 in the “Screenwriting,” “Screenplay,” and “Movies History and Criticism” categories on Amazon.com.

Blake’s method has become the “secret weapon” of many development executives, managers, and producers for its precise, easy, and honest appraisal of what it takes to write and develop stories that resonate. Save the Cat! The Last Story Structure Software You’ll Ever Need has codified this method in an easy to use CD-Rom. Blake is a member of the Writers Guild of America, west. Please join Blake Snyder at his 45 min workshop at CTN-X09.

BLAKE SNYDER

His career has brought him into contact with all categories of traditional animation, from mixing colors for Ink & Paint to writing scripts, to directing and even composing songs. He was an inbetweener and assistant animator to John Lounsbery on Sleeping Beauty (1959) and Sword in the Stone (1961). He left Disney and returned to Brigham Young University where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English Literature. He spent three years in the mid-sixties as the producer/director of live musical plays with his brother, Toby.  He returned to Disney in 1971, after three years in TV animation as a layout artist. His career began to skyrocket, first as an animator on Robin Hood (1973); as a directing animator on Winnie the Pooh and Tigger, Too (1974) and The Rescuers (1976); then as director of animation for Pete’s Dragon (1977) and producer/director on The Small One (1978). His name came to the public’s attention in 1979, when he resigned his post at Walt Disney Productions, along with long-time partners and fellow animators, Gary Goldman and John Pomeroy, to found Don Bluth Productions.

Their first film, Banjo the Woodpile Cat was produced in Mr. Bluth’s garage during nights and weekends over a four and a half year period while working at Disney. Since then, he has written, directed, produced and designed characters and environments for 12 films and three laser disc video games. These include The Secret of N.I.M.H. (1982); Dragon’s Lair video game (1983); Space Ace video game (1983); An American Tail (1986); The Land Before Time (1988); Dragon’s Lair II: A Time Warp video game (1989); All Dogs Go To Heaven (1989); Thumbelina (1994); Anastasia (1997) Bartok the Magnificent (1999) and Titan A.E. (2000).

Mr. Bluth has given seminars on storyboarding, character design, animation and directing at schools across the nation and in Mexico City, Mexico and Florence, Italy. Recently, he has authored two books; the first, titled The Art of Storyboarding was released in November 2004 and the second, The Art of Animation Drawing, in the first quarter of 2005.
Don and Gary Goldman were honored in 2001 by Animation Magazine with a Lifetime Achievement Award for their contribution to the art of animation. In 2004, Don was honored with the prestigious Winsor McKay Award, at the annual Annie Awards ceremony by the International Animated Film Society for his Lifetime Artistic Contribution to the Animation Industry. He & Gary Goldman were honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award in Animation by the Savannah College of Art & Design in 2005.
Don Bluth has been a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences since 1976. He makes his home in Scottsdale, Arizona. He continues to work on the development of animation education, produces and directs musical plays with  young members of his church, and works with Goldman on developing new properties for feature animation.

Join Don Bluth, Gary Goldman and John Pomeroy for a discussion on their experiences from big studio to independants and join in the crew reunion

Before joining DreamWorks, Altieri worked at Disney Feature Animation as a background supervisor on “Aladdin,” the featurette “The Prince and the Pauper,” and the Roger Rabbit short “Tummy Trouble.”  She was also a background painter for such animated successes as “The Lion King,” “The Little Mermaid,” “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” and another Roger Rabbit short, “Roller Coaster Rabbit.”  It was this opportunity at Disney, working directly with Jeffrey Katzenberg that made her talent and work ethic known.

Kathy attended the University of California at Los Angeles as an Art Major and also studied Illustration at Pasadena’s Art Center for three years.  She frequently teaches and speaks at conferences, festivals and at various schools about art, animation and hard work.

Join Kathy Altieri as she lectures on “Production Design:  an inside look at the process, the latest Dreamworks art, and the career path.”

The presentation will be focused on illustrating the production design process using artwork from How to Train Your Dragon (to be released March 26,2009), plus examples from other films.  In addition, Kathy will be talking about the career path to Production Designer, the kinds of skills we look for, and how to get your foot in the door.   I’ll be showing our trailer for “How to Train Your Dragon” as well!

For almost 20 years Harald is designing characters for a range of animation-studios worldwide most notably for WALT DISNEY FEATURE ANIMATION in Burbank California.  Harald’s credits include among others :

* Who Framed Roger Rabbit ?
* Mulan
* Tarzan
* The Emperor’s New Groove
* Treasure Planet
* Brother Bear
* Enchanted ( Disney)
* Space Chimps ( Vanguard )

As well as Designs for the upcoming Lissy Und Der Wilde Kaiser ( herbiX ).

Harald also works as a commercial illustrator in Hamburg Germany and together with famed Dutch Entertainer HERMAN VAN VEEN he is creator of the award winning TV program ALFRED J. KWAK. Harald Siepermann is lecturing character design at several FilmSchools in Cologne, Berlin, Ludwigsburg, Hamburg and Viborg, Denmark.

Join us at CTNX with a rare appearance from Harald Seipermann.

CTN Member Harald Seipermann
An Interview with Harald by Rhett Wickham on CTN’s Draw2gether series . “Germans are Funny!”

Dave was most recently Head of Character Animation on DreamWorks Animation’s March 2009 release, “Monsters vs. Aliens.”  Prior to Monsters vs Aliens, he was Head of Character Animation on  the mini-movie “Hammy’s Boomerang Adventure,”  and has been a Supervising Animator on  “Bee Movie” and “Over the Hedge,” as well as Animator on “Madagascar,” and “Shrek 2.”

David got his industry start assisting filmmaker John Weldon at the National Film Board of Canada in Montreal.  He gradually made a shift to animating for television commercials at Michael Mills’ Commercial Studio in Montreal and later at Animation House in Toronto.

In 1990, he began working at Walt Disney Feature Animation in Burbank, CA.  At Disney, he worked on many of their most successful productions.  His assignments included:  Supervising Animator on “Tarzan” (Professor. Porter) and “The Lion King” (The Hyenas), as well as working as an Animator on “Beauty and the Beast” (Gaston/Bimbettes) and “Aladdin” (Genie), among many others.

Born and raised in Orange County, California, Dave attended the Emily Carr College of Art & Design in Vancouver, BC, and graduated with Honors in Animation in 1981.  Prior to that, he attended Vernon Senior Secondary School in Vernon, British Columbia.

He is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, and over the years has taught animation courses in various colleges, universities, film festivals, conferences as well as on-line.

David Burgess will be hosting an exciting panel at the CTN-X 09.

He has been a professional at this for twenty years and has shown his art in shows nationally and internationally.  As a former Disney Animator, Dave contributed his talents to such modern classics as “Beauty and the Beast,”  “Aladdin,” “Pocahontas,” “The Lion King,” “Hercules,” “Fantasia 2000,” and many others as part of the second Golden Era of Animation.  Dave teaches workshops on creativity to artists and others and  his family workshop, Wondrous Stories is a fun-filled weekend of writing children’s stories with your children.

He has taught and lectured at UCLA, USC, Art Center College of Design, Disney, Sony and Esalen Institute among others.  He has been the featured artist for several years at Esalen for their fundraising events, and he is also the featured artist for the organization Humanity Unites Brilliance, a global humanitarian entrepreneurial network.  He has designed logos for corporations and individuals, done portraits of famous folks as well as friends, and created commissioned images for clients.  With acclaimed speaker and world’s leading gerontology expert,  Dr. Ken Dychtwald,  along with Ken’s wife Maddy and Dave’s daughter Grace, he co-wrote and illustrated a magical children’s book about transformation entitled “Gideon’s Dream- A tale of new beginnings,”  which is on bookshelves now.   Dave is illustrating Dr. Deepak Chopra’s first children’s book, “You With The Stars In Your Eyes,” which will be published by his publishing company Conscious Kids in June 2009.

Dave is also working on a documentary film project with Soul Fabric Films (www.soulfabricfilms.com) dealing with the return of sacred story to traditional Hawaiian culture through the hero’s journey of the outrigger canoe.  Dave lives with his wife Robin, who is his Muse, their brilliant daughter Grace, the perfect dog, Rosie and a tortoise named Sweetheart on a small ranchette in the horse country of Chatsworth, California.  Dave makes art mostly from his studio and alchemical laboratory (la-BOR-a-tory) twenty steps from his house.

Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003) (animator)
Stuart Little 2 (2002) (animator)
Osmosis Jones (2001) (animator)
Fantasia/2000 (1999) (animator) (segment “The Firebird Suite”)
Hercules (1997) (animator: “Gods” and “Miscellaneous”)
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996) (animator: “Phoebus”)
Pocahontas (1995) (animator: “John Smith”)
Aladdin (1992) (rough inbetweener)
Beauty and the Beast (1991) (rough inbetweener)

Come listen to this fascinating artists Dave Zaboski at CTN-X
CTN Member Dave Zaboski

He was born in Baltimore, Maryland, to Argentine immigrant parents. In 1976 his family moved to Southern California, where his father started an auto repair shop.  Marcelo graduated from West Covina high school in 1983, and that same year began his formal art education at Otis Art Institute of Parson’s School of Design.

Marcelo began working as a commercial artist in 1985 doing black and white illustrations for the Los Angeles Times Syndicate; his illustrations were featured in 56 newspapers across the United States. Two years later Marcelo embarked on a career in television animation, as a storyboard clean up artist and character designer.

In 1989 Marcelo would establish a relationship with the Walt Disney Company that would span well over a decade, both in feature animated films and theme park design. During which, some of that time he was working as a freelancer while living in St. George, Utah.

In 2003, Marcelo Vignali returned to Southern California to join the creative team at Sony Picture Animation. Since then he has worked on a variety of Sony projects. In addition to Surf’s Up, Marcelo has also worked on Open Season (2006), Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009), and Hotel Transylvania.

He currently resides in Southern California with his wife and two daughters.

Join Marcelo at CTN-X 2009
CTN Member Marcelo Vignali

15 Books / 1000 Talks / 5 Businesses
Teaching business lessons that last a lifetime for the creative thinker.

THE BEST PRESENTATIONS solve people’s problems. Lee Silber is known as “The Wild Idea Guy” for focusing on innovative and imaginative solutions to workplace and business problems. Silber concentrates on the Big Idea and as a result there are always a lot of “Aha!” moments when he speaks, and even more “Wows!” when he’s done.

LEE SILBER IS ALSO KNOWN FOR:

Being prepared, professional and easy to work with

Entertaining, captivating and motivating audiences

Having a simple and clear message

Taking a creative approach to topics

Using memorable phrases that inspire change

Lee  has joined the crew of CTN-X 2009 as a speaker and after the presentation he will retreat to the “Shop Talk Lounge” to carry on the conversation and have Q+A.

Monsters vs. Aliens (2009) (animator)
Kung Fu Panda (2008) (animator)
Bee Movie (2007) (animator)
Flushed Away (2006) (animator)
Over the Hedge (2006) (animator)
Madagascar (2005) (character development)
Shark Tale (2004) (animator)
Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas (2003) (animator: “Marina”)
Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (2002) (animator: “Spirit”)
The Road to El Dorado (2000) (supervising animator: “Tzekel-Kan”)
The Prince of Egypt (1998) (additional animator)
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996) (supervising animator: “Frollo”)
Pocahontas (1995) (character designer)
Aladdin (1992) (animator: “Jafar as Beggar/Snake”)
FernGully: The Last Rainforest (1992) (character designer) (leading character animator: “Hexxus”)
The Rescuers Down Under (1990) (supervising animator)
The Little Mermaid (1989) (character animator)
Oliver & Company (1988) (character animator)
The Great Mouse Detective (1986) (character animator)
The Black Cauldron (1985) (additional animator)
Mickey’s Christmas Carol (1983) (animator)

Kathy Zielinksi has joined the crew at CTN-X 2009.
CTN Member Kathy Zielinski

After graduating from the European School of Animation (aka Senior College, Ballyfermot), Ireland in 1993, with a student of the year award from Don Bluth (creator of An American Tail and Land Before Time), Jason started straight in as a 2D animator working on various German feature productions. After a brief time in London as an Animator in computer games Jason got the call from Walt Disney Animation Studios in 1995 to animate on Fantasia 2000 (Tin Soldier segment), Dinosaur (Kron and Carnataur), Animation Supervisor on Magic Lamp (CG genie in 3D), Animation Supervisor on Mickey’s Philharmagic (classic Disney characters in CG and 3D) and Supervising Animator on Chicken Little (the character Chicken Little). At Dreamworks Animation he was a Supervising Animator on the movie Monsters vs Aliens and is currently a Supervising Animator on Shrek4.

While working back in Ireland as an animator Jason also worked as a classical animation Instructor for the European School of Animation and curing the production of Chicken Little he was a mentor with Animationmentor.com.

Animation Tutorials: http://jasonryananimation.com
Live Webinars: http://jrawebinar.com

Jason is taking time out of his busy schedule to visit CTN-X 09 and share his knowledge about, you guessed it, “animating”.
CTN Member Jason Ryan

Simpson is an Emmy-nominated Producer of “Coconut Fred’s Fruit Salad Island,” a Flash-animated series that aired on Kids’WB! in 2005. In addition, at Warner Bros., he produced over a dozen development shorts while producing the “Johnny Test” pilot for the 2005-2006 season. Prior to Warner Bros., Simpson was Senior Producer of Original Content at Sony, where he helped architect a forward-thinking entertainment portal, Screenblast. Also, in 2006 and 2007, Simpson held the title of Vice President, Animation & Development at JibJab Media.

Simpson recently produced the development pilot for Comedy Central’s animated series Gay Robot. As a sought-after animation consultant, his client list has included Nickelodeon, Animax Entertainment, Mondo Media, Six Point Harness and Sony Pictures TV Animation.

In 2005, Aaron was a judge at KOCCA’s Star Project Awards in Seoul, and he has presented at SXSW, Digital Hollywood, Flashforward and FITC Hollywood. In September 2006, he was featured in the Flash Tenth Anniversary online video presentation at adobe.com, and more recently Simpson was nominated to chairman of the board for the upcoming 2010 Platform International Animation Festival, which is now the biggest animation event in the United States.

Join Aaron at CTN-X where he will be speaking on a subject TBA.
CTN Member Aaron Simpson

Pilar jump-started her career in film as a script reader for Amblin Entertainment. With the formation of DreamWorks, she became Senior Story Analyst and a reader liaison between the studio and Robert Zemeckis’s company, ImageMovers. Her expert script analysis was also sought out by The Robert Evans Company, Cineville Entertainment, Handprint Entertainment and Saturday Night Live Studios, and work at Interscope Communications led her to a position as Senior Story Analyst for Scott Kroopf’s production company Radar Pictures.

Pilar was later bitten by the “teaching bug” while teaching screenwriting and story analysis at the UCLA Writers’ Program. In 2001 she started her own company, “On the Page,” and in 2004 opened the On the Page Writers Studio in Sherman Oaks, California. In the interest of expanding access to her teaching tools, Pilar has created a new instructional “On the Page” DVD. She also presents weekly “On the Page” podcasts with guest hosts from within the industry. The shows regularly appear in the iTunes Top 100 list of film and TV podcasts.

Lecture “Crafting the Pitch”
Length 45 min
Pitch quickly and avoid producer tune-out.  This class helps writers define the key elements of their screenplay or television series.  Writers learn to pitch their ideas in a brief, concise and entertaining manner that emphasizes the hook and eliminates “writer-babble.”

For time and date please refer to CTN-X Schedule Overview….click here. (Schedule subject to change.)

Beck started his career in film distribution, working at MGM/UA, Orion Classics, Cannon Films and Expanded Entertainment (Tournee of Animation), before starting his own company, Streamline Pictures in 1989, the first U.S. distributor to import anime features such as Otomo’s Akira and Miyazaki’s Laputa: Castle In The Sky. Beck was instrumental in launching Animation Magazine, and has written for The Hollywood Reporter and Variety. Beck was also the West Coast Bureau Chief forKidscreen magazine in 2000. He has also created, written and produced animated films for various clients. His latest animation project, Hornswiggle, recently aired on the Nicktoons Network.

Join Jerry at CTN-X where he will moderate and interview animation talent from yesterday, today and tomorrow.
CTN Member Jerry Beck

In his role at Exodus Films, Howard is responsible for production and development.  Prior to assuming his current role as president of Exodus Film Group in 2007, Howard served as president of Warner Bros. Feature Animation and senior vice president of Disney Feature Animation.  During his time at Warner Bros. Feature Animation, Howard oversaw the award-winning animated feature “The Iron Giant” and the international hit “Space Jam.” He oversaw about 600 staff members while he was at the helm.

During his twelve years at Disney, Howard was one of the senior architects of the company‘s animation renaissance, collaborating on such animation successes as “Who Framed Roger Rabbit,” “The Little Mermaid,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “Aladdin,” “Pocahontas” and “The Lion King.”  These films were honored with 13 Academy Awards® and 11 Golden Globe awards.

Most recently he worked alongside Jeffery Katzenberg at DreamWorks as an executive producer on “Spirit, Stallion of the Cimarron” for DreamWorks Animation.

Originally getting his start in the U.K., Howard established and ran the Disney U.K. studio during the making of “Who Framed Roger Rabbit,” then came to the United States to launch and lead the Florida studio for Disney.  After spending six years with the company, he oversaw the move into Disney’s iconic “Hat Building” in Burbank, California and opened their studio in Paris. He then made his move to Warner Bros. and as president of feature animation was responsible for additional memorable films.

Memberships include the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences (AMPAS), British Academy of Film & Television Arts (BAFTA), and Association Internationale Du Film D’Animation (ASIFA). He has received ASIFA-Hollywood’s Certificate of Merit and UNICEF’s Children Fund Award. Join him at the CTN Animation Expo as he speaks to the virtual studio experience.

Join Max at CTN-X for his experience and knowledge of running a virtual studio for high quality feature film animation.

CTN Member Max Howard

Join Bill at CTN-X 09 where his will be joined by other experts in from 2D, 3D and VFX as he hosts some engaging round table discussion on the subject of animations.
CTN Member Bill Kroyer