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!

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!

Tune in as we talk to JohnTom Knight, a Cherokee Native writer working in animation. JohnTom mentions how the book We Had a Little Real Estate Problem: The Unheralded Story of Native Americans & Comedy landed him his Script Coordinator Position on Spirit Rangers! We also talk about how on Spirit Rangers he became known as The Lore Keeper!

IG: @JohnTomKnight

Twitter: @JohnTomKnight

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!

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

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

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

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/

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

If you like our podcast, please consider sharing this episode. We rely on word of mouth to help us expand this platform for other rising BIPOC voices!

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

In today's wonderful episode we have the one of a kind Abelle Hayford! They are a Ghanaian American Freelance Illustrator, Character Designer, and Color Stylist. Abelle has worked for a multitude of companies and is constantly advocating for black stories and black artist. You might know them as the creator of the hashtag #DrawingWhileBlack, that was originally started as a way for them to connect to other black artist. The more you listen to this episode the more you will learn how alot of their success and choices in their animation journey is attributed to their sense of authenticity and genuineness. 

Instagram
Twitter
Portfolio
Drawing While Black Directory
Who Sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott?: Rosa Parks

Join us in todays JAMED PACKED episode with the amazing Marie Lum! She is a Chinese-American Story Artist currently working as an Assistant Director at Disney TVA. We talk about hey journey from being a Storyboard Revisionist on Craig of the Creek to her current position now and what she has learned along the way. We also dive into her role as the Co-Leader of the Deaf, Disabled, and Neurodiverse (DDNV) group within The Animation Guild 839. Marie also is not afraid to share her opinions about her experience attending Otis College of Art and Design. Finally we also talk about the importance of taking care of your health and how deadlines should not come before your well being. However, this is all just the surface, to find out more you're going to have to sit back, relax, and give it a listen!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/puccanoodles/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PuccaNoodles
Portfolio: http://www.marielumart.com/
Signing Animation: https://www.signinganimation.com/

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

What a wonderful day to be joined by Emily Rodriguez a Cuban-American 2D animator based in Atlanta, and Mandalorian enthusiast extraordinaire. She details her journey into the industry, how her homeschooling upbringing and can-do attitude helped her develop a good work ethic. We touch on her seemingly bottomless optimism, and how that is helped by her strong religious faith. This and much more on today's episode!! Check out bio for links on where you can listen. 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emilyrod.art/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/emyy_faith
Portfolio: https://emilyrodriguezart.wixsite.com/mysite

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!

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/

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

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/

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/

Katherine Nguyen is a Vietnamese-American storyboard artist, currently working at DTVA on Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur. She talks about the different gigs she’s had from feature to television boarding, and the benefits of not only starting in a story revisionist role, but the benefits of being flexible between a storyboard and revisionist position. Kat dives deep and gets pretty real about her struggles and even bad work habits during her school years. Despite the downs, she focuses on the bright side, and never gives up (and neither should you)! Don’t miss out on this week’s wonderful episode!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/curiouskat_art/
Artfol: @katnguyen
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katherine-nguyen/
Portfolio: https://katherinenguyen.myportfolio.com/

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

Maaike Scherff is a jack of all trades, though currently a Character Designer, she has previously done work in prop/FX design, storyboard revisions, background paint, and even episode titlecards! She interned at multiple studios both in TV animation, and even in video games at Sony Playstation. However, don't let this intimidate you, Maaike is one of the sweetest people we've had the pleasure of interviewing. Laugh along with us in this episode packed with life lessons, particularly: if someone on DeviantArt tells you to go to a university art program you've never heard of, you should definitely do that without researching it at all.

Website: maaikescherff.com
Instagram: @yesmaaike
Twitter: @yesmaaike
Business Card

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/

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

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/

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!

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/

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

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

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

Marvin Madrid is our guest on Straight Ahead this week! He is a filipino artist that also attended San José State University. We talk about many things, including his experiences popping between action and comedy storyboards in DreamWorks TV’s unique environment. We hope you enjoy hanging out with Marvin as much as we did!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marvinnator/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/marvinnator_
Portfolio: https://marvinmadrid.myportfolio.com/

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/

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/

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

It's the exciting first of our regularly scheduled weeks! Tune into our interview of Sofia Guerra, a Mexican artist from SCAD working as a 2D animator at Awesome Inc. RWBY weapons, 24 hour animation challenges, and tennis are just a few of the exciting subjects we get into (aside from her day job, of course). 

Instagram: @squeeshee_art
Portfolio: http://sofianimation.com

In today's episode we interview Rebecca Chan, a mixed Chinese-White artist from SJSU working as a Visual Development Artist at Tonko House. We talk about her working experience at Tonko House both as an intern and full time, as well as being the visual development lead on the award winning short film Kaeru, and alot more!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_rebchan/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/_rebchan
Portfolio: https://www.rebeccawchan.com/

Time for a throwback! This is a recording from 2021 of a panel Straight Ahead hosted during Geek Girl Conline. We hosted a round table discussion with Samia Khalaf, Steph Rizo, and Li Cree. We take this rare opportunity to share some of the many different paths one can take breaking into the animation industry. We talk about personal pitfalls in our early years, and how relatable those experiences can be. Samia tells us about her film she painted in VR, Kteer Tayyeb, and why she chose to tell this story. Steph talks about working on the bluesky phase of feature film. Li tells us the "secret" to how she creates so many personal projects. This and so much more as we take a dive back in time!

Many thanks to Alyssa Askew, Alyssa Jones-Comtois, Marina Martinez, and the entire GGC staff for inviting us to host this event.

GGC - https://geekgirlcon.com/

Samia Khalaf - @samsoomfull (instagram)

Steph Rizo - @steph_rizo (instagram)

Li Cree - @li_cree (instagram)

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/

In today's episode we interview Trilina Mai, a Vietnamese/Chinese artist from CSULB working as a Freelance Animator. We talk about her internship experience at Pixar, her award winning short film Push, and a lot more! 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trilinamai/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TrilinaMai
Portfolio: https://trilina.wixsite.com/portfolio
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trilina/

Welcome to Straight Ahead Animation Podcast! This episode we explain what Straight Ahead is and the purpose/goal behind the podcast!

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

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

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

Ashley Chung works as an Associate Animator in the video games industry! In her first job working at Steamroller Studio she was thrown into the deep end working on Mortal Kombat 1! Ashley also talks about taking additional animation classes post graduation really helped her improve as an animator. Tune in and find out more about the world of animating for video games!

Portfolio: ashleychung.com

IG: @ashthemush

Twitter: @ashthemush

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

Steve Sandoval talks about how he slipped into the cracks of animation. Out of high school Steve started working as a carpenter with his cousins, unfortunately was laid off in 2007 due to a recession. However, Steve took this as an opportunity to go to school to study animation! One of the things Steve loves to do is plein air paint and posting it to social media. Eventually Robh Ruppel came across his works and asked if he wanted to work on Entergalactic. Steve has had an amazing journey into animation, find out more by checking out this episode!

IG: @Sketchinsteve

Portfolio: Sketchinsteve.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! If you'd like to support us directly, we have a tip jar open at ko-fi.com/straightaheadap

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

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!

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

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

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

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