Meet Tom Bancroft, perhaps the busiest man in animation whose illustrious career started at Disney in the late '80s, contributing to classics like Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and Mulan. Beyond Disney, Tom has launched ventures like Taught by a Pro and Pencilish Animation Studios, while juggling family, teaching, podcasts, and countless projects. In a heartfelt and humorous chat, he talks about the future of hand-drawn animation, the significance of finishing projects - no matter how imperfect, the evolving role of AI, and teases exciting upcoming projects and his new animation expo in Nashville, TN. For the many that already know and love Tom, this is a definite must-listen - for those that don't - if you want to learn how an ever-curious creative can successfully carves their own path, then this one too, is for you.

Host: Mike Rosado (mrcraleigh.com) (instagram.com/ekimodasor)
Post Production: Max Trujillo (instagram.com/trujillomedia)
Sponsors: MRC (mrcraleigh.com) and Burny Wild's (burnywilds.com) 

In this episode of the Pencil Pushers Podcast, host Mike Rosado sits down with Dutch designer and illustrator Don Leon for a lively conversation about his creative journey. They explore Don's path from childhood through high school, reflecting on his early struggles to find his passion before ultimately launching his own studio, De Don Leon Designs, in 2017.
The discussion dives into the heart of Don's career, touching on his design inspirations, creative process, and how he's adjusting to life as a new father while balancing his work. They also chat about some of Don's notable projects, the challenges and rewards of freelancing, and why setting boundaries is crucial when working independently.
For aspiring designers, Don offers some key advice: stay true to your authentic self, be strategic when raising your rates, and remember that limiting work hours is essential for maintaining mental well-being.Guest: Don Shuuring (dedonleon) (instagram.com/dedonleon)
Host: Mike Rosado (mrcraleigh.com) (instagram.com/ekimodasor)
Post Production: Max Trujillo (instagram.com/trujillomedia)
Sponsors: MRC (mrcraleigh.com) and Burny Wild's (burnywilds.com) 

Welcome folks to Episode 53 of The Pencil Pushers Podcast. In this convo, I speak to educator, painter and photographer, Nancy Carty. She also happened to be my high school art teacher. Nancy has been on my mind for a while to showcase on the podcast because of her art education background, steering budding creatives into a life in the arts for 4 decades. You can imagine there was plenty she'd learned and taught in that time. Nancy is perhaps not your average teacher. She grew up in Saudi Arabia, as an American child living in the middle east. This helped inform her roaming spirit and a love of culture and art. Nancy also talks about teaching in today's ever-changing world, how she got her start while living and working in several towns, cities and countries, her thoughts and advice on AI and more.I love this talk with one of my biggest cheerleaders when perhaps I needed it most. I think you will too - so, sit back, relax and enjoy my chat with Nancy.

PS: Don't forget to take advantage of our Burny Wild's promo code just for our Pencil Pushers fans. More info on the podcast intro. 
Host: Mike Rosado

@ekimodasor & @mrcraleigh
Post-Production: Max Trujillo
@trujillomedia
Sponsors: MRC & Burny Wild's
@mrcraleigh & @burnywilds

Todays episode of the Pencil Pushers Podcast takes us into the mind of Jessica Hische. Jessica is a New York Times best selling author, graphic designer and illustrator, but perhaps she's most known as one of the pivotal leaders in the new generation of lettering artists. With almost 20 years of experience, working with some of the biggest brands in the world, Jessica has created a career that is the envy of any creative.Listen in as I chat with Jessica about the emergence of AI, how she built her massive client list, how she balances her prolific work schedule while raising three young kids, her next big project and so much more.So, do yourself a favor…sit back, relax and listen in because you don't want to miss this amazing chat with Jessica Hische.

PS: Don't forget to take advantage of our Burny Wild's promo code just for our Pencil Pushers fans. More info on the podcast intro. 
Host: Mike Rosado

@ekimodasor & @mrcraleigh
Post-Production: Max Trujillo
@trujillomedia
Sponsors: MRC & Burny Wild's
@mrcraleigh & @burnywilds

Welcome folks to the Pencil Pushers Podcast. I'm your humble host Mike Rosado, illustrator, designer and lover of all things creative, and I talk with top tier artists in the hand-drawn arts. Today is no exception, where I talk to Nicolette Capuano, owner and primary artist for Nicolette Atelier, a bespoke mural and decorative arts studio specializing for both residential and commercial fields. I'd met Nicolette years ago in my hometown of Raleigh, and connected through social media, but that was about it. That said, I'd been watching her work from afar and I was always blown away by her skill and diversity of styles in a number of different spaces. Our talk here really showcases not only her love for the creative work, but how she took her families entreprenurial spirit into her own studio, giving her a solid business model that is surely the envy of many. Needless to say, there are lots of gold nuggets of wisdom for those looking to start their own successful studio. Nicolette was a joy to talk to as I'm sure you'll see. So, without further ado, do yourself a favor - sit down, relax and enjoy my chat with Nicolette.

PS: Don't forget to take advantage of our Burny Wild's promo code just for our Pencil Pushers fans. More info on the podcast intro. 
Host: Mike Rosado

@ekimodasor & @mrcraleigh
Post-Production: Max Trujillo
@trujillomedia
Sponsors: MRC & Burny Wild's
@mrcraleigh & @burnywilds

Hello and welcome Leadheads to another fine episode of the Pencil Pushers Podcast. I'm as always your humble host Mike Rosado and I'm thrilled to have one of my favorite past guest on the podcast once again…the lovely and talented Hayley Barry. Today's episode is a special one as we dive into some of the most important business tips for creatives - whether you own your own studio, working freelance or work for an agency. Every creative these days needs to learn how to maximize their professionalism. Whether it's talking about finances, how to curate your social content or how to be proactive in getting the ideal clients - this talk will leave you inspired and ready to up your game. So, without further ado, let's get right into it. Yall, settle in, relax and enjoy my chat with Hayley.

PS: Don't forget to take advantage of our Burny Wild's promo code just for our Pencil Pushers fans. More info on the podcast intro. 
Host: Mike Rosado

@ekimodasor & @mrcraleigh
Post-Production: Max Trujillo
@trujillomedia
Sponsors: MRC & Burny Wild's
@mrcraleigh & @burnywilds

Welcome once again Leadheads to another fine episode of The Pencil Pushers Podcast.

I am of course your humble host Mike Rosado and I am honored to be sharing some time with you today. Speaking of sharing time, I had the pleasure of sitting down at the studio with Skillshare founder, Michael Karnjanaprakorn to talk about a myriad of topics. For those of you few creatives that may have never heard or used Skillshare, they are pretty much the premiere online learning resource for creatives. Listen in as we talk about how Skillshare came to be, what he thinks about the strengths and weaknesses are between online and traditional learning for creatives, changing our mindsets about business and money as an artist and so much more. Michael was a delight to chat with and I think you'll find this to be one of the most insightful talks we've had yet. So, without further ado, I invite you to sit back, relax and enjoy my chat with Michael.

PS: Don't forget to take advantage of our Burny Wild's promo code just for our Pencil Pushers fans. More info on the podcast intro. 
Host: Mike Rosado

@ekimodasor & @mrcraleigh
Post-Production: Max Trujillo
@trujillomedia
Sponsors: MRC & Burny Wild's
@mrcraleigh & @burnywilds

Welcome folks to another fine episode of the Pencil Pushers Podcast.

I am of course your humble host Mike Rosado and I'm thrilled to be sharing this next chat with my new friend Derek McDonald. Derek is a West Coast vintage inspired sign painter that holds the key to some of the greatest traditional crafts of the past 150 years. Hand painted signs are an amazing part of our industrial history and Derek is not only a talented carrier of the torch, but he's also a massive historian of the craft, so I learned a lot. Derek not only had his own studio but also works full time at Disneyland as a sign painter. We get into the thick of his creative story, I learn more about the history of sign painting, how you too can get into the craft and what it's like to work at Disneyland and what he sacrificed happily to get him that remarkable once in a lifetime job. Derek was a blast to chat with as you'll soon see.

So, do yourself a favor, follow him on Insta @goldenwestsignarts while you sit back relax and enjoy my chat with Derek.

PS: Don't forget to take advantage of our Burny Wild's promo code just for our Pencil Pushers fans. More info on the podcast intro. 
Host: Mike Rosado

@ekimodasor & @mrcraleigh
Post-Production: Max Trujillo
@trujillomedia
Sponsors: MRC & Burny Wild's
@mrcraleigh & @burnywilds

EPISODE 46 LAUNNNCH!
Today, I'm excited to share with you another fantastic guest to the conversation; former animator and current animation director/producer, Saul Blinkoff. Saul's not only had a highly successful career in animation, but has spent many years touring the world, talking about how to live your best life, or like the name of his own podcast, live a Life of Awesome. Our talk ran the gamut of how to be a great leader in the creative arts to the incredible stories of working at Disney during the renaissance years in the 90's - all peppered with some of the best words of wisdom any person at any age can take with them. I had an absolute blast getting to know blast and I know you will too. Do yourself a favor - sit back, relax, grab yourself a nice cold one and enjoy my talk with Saul.
✏️
PS: Don't forget to take advantage of our Burny Wild's promo code just for our Pencil Pushers fans. More info on the podcast intro. 🔥
✏️
Host: Mike Rosado
@ekimodasor & @mrcraleigh
Post-Production: Max Trujillo
@trujillomedia
Sponsors: MRC & Burny Wild's
@mrcraleigh & @burnywilds (edited)

Post production and editing by Trujillo Media

Additional music provided by Epidemic Sound

🔥New Episode Launch!🔥

✏️
Today we are thrilled to be sharing our talk with the uber talented Martina Flor. Martina
is widely known as one of the great lettering artists of the day, but she's also an
educator, podcaster and studio head in Berlin, Germany. We went through a whirlwind of topics that start with her courageous pivot of leaving her comfy job in her hometown in Buenos Aires in Argentina two train as a lettering artist in Berlin Germany into why this is the best time in history to be a creative, how to position yourself for high profile client projects, how to do so as introverted independent creatives and her thriving academy she created for independent illustration and lettering students.
✏️
This talk was so much fun filled with all kinds of inspiring takeaways and I can't wait for you to dive in! Do yourself a favor, if you haven't already, follow her @martinaflor, stop by and tell her "hey" while you sit back, relax and enjoy our talk.
✏️
Host: Mike Rosado
@ekimodasor & @mrcraleigh
Post-Production: Max Trujillo
@trujillomedia
Sponsors: MRC & Burny Wild's
@mrcraleigh & @burnywilds

Post production and editing by Trujillo Media

Additional music provided by Epidemic Sound

Welcome Leadheads to another fine episode of The Pencil Pushers Podcast. I am as always your humble host, Mike Rosado, and we've got another banger of an episode for you.

Today, we present something a little special. As of this recording, in 1 week, I will be headed to Wilmington, North Carolina to exhibit as an artist for my new brand Burny Wild's. This will be my first ever booth exhibit at a comic con and I thought - what better way to prepare myself than talking to my good friend and personal Obi Wan Kenobi for all things comic art, Mr. Paul Friedrich? AND what better way to share his advice than in a public forum like The Pencil Pushers Podcast.

Paul is a seasoned comic con artist, having exhibited at some of the biggest comic cons in the world, like the granddaddy of the all, San Diego Comic Con. If you're planning on having a booth at a Comic Con, this is the episode for you. Learn all the Ins and Outs of how to make your appearance a raging success. Paul was throwing flames of wisdom left and right for us and I can't wait for you to take it all in. So, without further delay, I welcome you to sit back, relax and enjoy our chat with Paul.

The Pencil Pushers Podcast is a celebration of the hand-drawn arts. I'll be interviewing friends and idols in illustration, animation, comic-art, and more.

- Mike Rosado 

Post production and editing by Trujillo Media

Additional music provided by Epidemic Sound

Welcome folks to another fine episode of The Pencil Pushers Podcast.

I am, as always, your humble host Mike Rosado and today, I am pumped to share with you my conversation with graphic artist and designer, Savannah Verville.

Savannah is the creator of all fine things produced for her brand, Little Savage Design. She is currently killing it on social, using her savvy business skills to share and sell her trippy and playful products on Instagram and TikTok. We talk about her growing up in a small southern conservative town, being known as the weird, witchy girl and how she managed to take full ownership of her love of all things "woo woo" and turn them into into a way to not only full embrace her true self, but to encourage others to do the same.

Listen in as she also gives advice on growing your social game, how to embrace your authentic self and, first time ever on the podcast, I get a reading of my natal chart by Savannah herself. I absolutely loved spending time getting to know Savannah and I know you'll feel the same. So, without further ado, I invite you to sit back, relax and enjoy our chat with Savannah.

The Pencil Pushers Podcast is a celebration of the hand-drawn arts. I'll be interviewing friends and idols in illustration, animation, comic-art, and more.

- Mike Rosado 

Post production and editing by Trujillo Media

Additional music provided by Epidemic Sound

Kendrick Kidd, an illustrator, designer, and creative director at Shepard Agency. Kendrick shares his journey from growing up in Merritt Island, Florida, with early artistic influences, to studying graphic design at the University of North Florida. He delves into his early career at a newspaper, his transition to advertising, and his two-decade tenure at Shepard. They discuss Kendrick's creative processes, balancing work and family, and the benefits and challenges of freelancing. Additionally, Kendrick offers insights into mentorship, handling creative ruts, and the potential impact of Ai on the creative industry.

• 00:59 Meet Kendrick Kidd: Early Life and Inspirations 
• 06:45 Discovering Graphic Design
• 09:50 College Years and First Job
• 16:06 Transition to Advertising
• 18:08 Joining Shepard Agency
• 19:18 Balancing Full-Time Work and Freelance
• 22:56 The Influence of Jim Phillips on Graphic Design
• 24:15 Early Beginnings in Illustration and Graphic Design
• 27:01 Developing a Unique Creative Process
• 38:26 Balancing Work and Family Life
• 41:16 Reflections and Future Aspirations

PS: Don't forget to take advantage of our Burny Wild's promo code just for our Pencil Pushers fans. More info on the podcast intro. 
Host: Mike Rosado

@ekimodasor & @mrcraleigh
Post-Production: Max Trujillo
@trujillomedia
Sponsors: MRC & Burny Wild's
@mrcraleigh & @burnywilds

Welcome to another fine episode of The Pencil Pushers Podcast. Today we present Mike's chat with comic artist, Rice University Professor and author, Christopher Sperandio.

Chris started from humble beginnings living in rural West Virginia to carving a deep niche in the pop art world, spanning comics, games, museum exhibitions, sculptures, installations, and television productions all around the world. Chris shares his love of creating collage-style comics, the importance of taking art and comics seriously and great advice on being the best and most authentic artist you can be, even if that means sometimes sometimes getting the occasional death threat. We're taking a bet that this is the perfect episode for YOU, so, sit back, relax and enjoy our chat with Chris.

The Pencil Pushers Podcast is a celebration of the hand-drawn arts. I'll be interviewing friends and idols in illustration, animation, comic-art, and more.

- Mike Rosado 

Post production and editing by Trujillo Media

Additional music provided by Epidemic Sound

Welcome folks to another fine episode of the pencil pushers podcast. I'm your humble host, Mike Rosado, and it's a pleasure to be sitting here introducing to you our very first guest of 2022: Graphic Artist, Stationer and Artrepreneur, Kate Smith. Kate was such a pleasure talking to and had a story that I found super compelling.

Picture if you will, marrying your high school sweetheart, working as a designer and living a successful American dream life, only to drop it all, sell everything you own, buy an Airstream for the two of you to travel the country, all while building a successful stationery design business that services some of the biggest retail shops in the world. Target, Wal-Mart, CVS, Bed Bath & Beyond and more.

This is the life of Kate Smith. She quickly became one of my favorite guests and I believe you're about to find out why. So, do yourself a favor, find and follow her on Instagram @katesmithcompany, while you sit back, relax and enjoy our chat with Kate.

The Pencil Pushers Podcast is a celebration of the hand-drawn arts. I'll be interviewing friends and idols in illustration, animation, comic-art, and more.

- Mike Rosado 

Post production and editing by Trujillo Media

Additional music provided by Epidemic Sound

Today we speak with independent filmmaker and animator, Dean Lennert. Dean has a storied history of working with some of the most popular TV shows and movies of the past 30 years, including Doug, Beavis and Butthead, Sesame Street, SNL's TV Funhouse, the Oscar award winning short, Bunny and the huge big screen hit, Ice Age.

He's also currently working on his passion project, Dear Anna Olson, a short animated film he's been working on for over 30 years. Although we get to chat about what it was like working for creatives like Mike Judge and studying with masters like Richard Williams, what I enjoyed most of all was talking to him about Dear Anna Olson and having him share what it's like to create an project as large and tedious as an animated film, funded solely by himself and online donations. I've seen parts of the film, and they just look ridiculously good. I can't wait to see the final film.

Learn about it all on this episode of The Pencil Pushers Podcast -  this is a great one folks - so do yourself a favor - sit back, relax and enjoy our chat with Dean.

The Pencil Pushers Podcast is a celebration of the hand-drawn arts. I'll be interviewing friends and idols in illustration, animation, comic-art, and more.

- Mike Rosado 

Post production and editing by Trujillo Media

Additional music provided by Epidemic Sound

Ok folks - here we are with another fine episode of the Pencil Pushers Podcast. I am, as always, your humble host Mike Rosado. Today we get to share with you a very special conversation with a true legend - the one and only Don Hahn. Don is largely known as the longtime producer of some of the greatest animated films of the past 50 years spanning from his start at the Walt Disney studios in the 70's to the resurgence of the public's love for animation with films like Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King and much more. Don's love of Walt Disney the man himself as well as the studio is evident in not only the films he's helped lead, but also the books he's written and the documentaries he's directed.

Pound for pound, I'd put Don at the top of the list for most interesting person at Disney's studio since Walt left the stage back in the 1960's. His perspectives as a leader working with some of the most talented creatives in Hollywood - we're talking Tim Burton, Steven Spielberg, Howard Ashman, Richard Williams, Robert Zemekis and others - has made this conversation a tough one to pack into a one hour episode. But, luckily, we got it done and I can't tell you enough how great a conversation it was. So, do yourself a favor, grab yourself a drink, sit back back relax and enjoy my chat with Don.

The Pencil Pushers Podcast is a celebration of the hand-drawn arts. I'll be interviewing friends and idols in illustration, animation, comic-art, and more.

- Mike Rosado 

Post production and editing by Trujillo Media

Additional music provided by Epidemic Sound

Welcome folks to another fine episode of the Pencil Pushers Podcast. I'm your humble host, Mike Rosado and we have got another gem today with creative mastermind, Lauren Hom.

Lauren is a highly prolific illustrator, lettering artist, foodie, and more with a massive social media following that's hit meteoric heights through her persistence to pave new paths of creative expression beyond her lettering style, and in turn, invited others to do the same.What I love about her story is that she works from her gut - never afraid to listen to her intuitive muse, even at the cost of potential "failure".

She pulls from the paths of the likes of a Picasso, one who's never satisfied with status quo, and not relying on style to define her as an artist in movement - and she works from a state of passion and curiosity that is refreshing in an era where it can be tough to pull away from what people know of your work. I found Lauren to be an absolute delight and a true dynamo who's in her element and full of pearls of wisdom.

 highly recommend you slide on over to her instagram @homsweethom to be a part of her community of creatives while you sit back, relax and enjoy our chat with Lauren.

The Pencil Pushers Podcast is a celebration of the hand-drawn arts. I'll be interviewing friends and idols in illustration, animation, comic-art, and more.

- Mike Rosado 

Post production and editing by Trujillo Media

Additional music provided by Epidemic Sound

The Pencil Pushers Podcast is a celebration of the hand-drawn arts. I'll be interviewing friends and idols in illustration, animation, comic-art, and more.

- Mike Rosado 

Post production and editing by Trujillo Media

Additional music provided by Epidemic Sound

Welcome folks to another episode of The Pencil Pushers Podcast. I'm your humble host, Mike Rosado. I come to you from Fresno, California as I'm in the middle of a road trip across America, but I'm too excited to share my chat with Jordan Kay - a super talented illustrator, animator and designer who's worked with everyone from Starbucks to Penguin Random House. Jordan's work has a joyous exuberance, filled with color and energy that showcases her extreme talent for a variety of styles and subjects. Listen in as we talk about how she worked her way from working as a lead designer at Starbucks into making a life as a successful freelance designer. If you're looking for inspiration, good feels and just an overall great chat with a couple of design geeks, this if the episode for you. So do yourself a favor and head to her Instagram account @msjordankay while you sit back, relax and enjoy our chat with Jordan.

The Pencil Pushers Podcast is a celebration of the hand-drawn arts. I'll be interviewing friends and idols in illustration, animation, comic-art, and more.

- Mike Rosado 

Post production and editing by Trujillo Media

Additional music provided by Epidemic Sound

Today, we have a very special episode where we invited my good friend Dameon Williams back to the podcast along with fellow illustrator Josh Lewis as we discuss their new creative collaboration, marking the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre. If you're not familiar with the incident, well you're most likely not alone. It's an unfortunately darker part of American history, where an entire thriving black community was attacked by its fellow citizens. A part of our history that I knew nothing about just a few years back. Beautifully illustrated, this six part series told on Instagram alone is a great reminder of the powers we artists hold in helping us all better understand the human condition, heal our wounds and bring us closer together.

Follow the storyline with their miniseries on instagram here:

@dameon_williams & @joshllewis

Join us as we discuss how the project came to be, what the story meant to them individually and what they hope the project will spark for the future. I really enjoyed my time them and hope you will too as you sit back, relax and enjoy our chat with Dameon and Josh.

The Pencil Pushers Podcast is a celebration of the hand-drawn arts. I'll be interviewing friends and idols in illustration, animation, comic-art, and more.

- Mike Rosado 

Post production and editing by Trujillo Media

Additional music provided by Epidemic Sound

Welcome folks to another episode of the Pencil Pushers Podcast and I'm your humble host Mike Rosado. Today, we speak with my good friend and go-to creative partner for all signs hand-painted, Joseph Giampino. Joseph is what one might call a blue collar artist. A sign painter that gets the call for virtually every new hot retail shop, restaurant, brewery and more. Hand painted signs have been around for millennia, reaching it's height during the industrial age, but had a steep decline with the advent of vinyl lettering, causing the near death of one of the great artistic trades. Joseph is one of the artists that have felt a deep and profound passion for the storied craft and it shows in his stellar work around the state of North Carolina. We talk about what it takes to make it as a commercial sign painter, the history of the craft internationally and how he used his talents to contribute to the powerful street art that was born out of the tragedy of George Floyd's death. Do yourself a favor, head over to Instagram and find him @spclsigns - while you sit back, relax and enjoy our chat with Joseph.

The Pencil Pushers Podcast is a celebration of the hand-drawn arts. I'll be interviewing friends and idols in illustration, animation, comic-art, and more.

- Mike Rosado 

Post production and editing by Trujillo Media

Additional music provided by Epidemic Sound

Welcome folks to the pencil pushers podcast, where I, your humble host, Mike Rosado talk to some of the movers and shakers in the hand drawn arts about their craft, their careers and then some. Today we speak with uber talented Eisner Award nominated independent comic book artist, Matt Lesniewski. Listen in as we talk about his brand spanking new graphic novel, STATIC, which I got an early copy of in advance of our chat and let me tell you - it does not disappoint. We also talk about what it's like to work as an indie comic artist, tips on how to stay motivated, how he approaches his craft and even got deep about what it's like living the life of an artist in todays world. It's something we all know about way to well, so it was great to connect so openly about it. Matt was a blast to chat with and I'm already looking forward to our next hang. So, without further ado, do yourself a favor: find him NOW on instagram @mattdrawscomics while you sit back, relax and listen in on our chat with Matt.

The Pencil Pushers Podcast is a celebration of the hand-drawn arts. I'll be interviewing friends and idols in illustration, animation, comic-art, and more.

- Mike Rosado https://www.instagram.com/ekimodasor/

Produced and edited by Trujillo Media

Additional music provided by Epidemic Sound

Rachel Castaneda, a muralist, lettering artist, illustrator, businesswoman, and mother of three. Rachel shares her journey from teaching to becoming a full-time artist, discussing the challenges of balancing her creative career with family life. She talks about her initial struggles, the importance of social media in her success, and how she manages her schedule with the help of family support. Rachel also touches on her experience illustrating children's books and gives advice to aspiring artists. The episode highlights the thriving creative community in Raleigh, North Carolina, and dispels the myth of the starving artist.

• 01:16 Rachel's Journey to Becoming a Working Creative
• 03:51 The Influence of Family and Early Life 08:40
• Transition from Teaching to Full-Time Artist
• 12:16 First Mural Experience and Learning Curve
• 21:37 Building a Business and Client Process
• 28:44 Pitching Creative Ideas
• 29:29 Navigating the Creative Process
• 30:58 Children's Book Illustration Journey
• 34:51 Balancing Work and Family
• 37:17 The Business of Murals
• 50:32 Advice for Aspiring Artists
• 52:27 Conclusion and Social Media

PS: Don't forget to take advantage of our Burny Wild's promo code just for our Pencil Pushers fans. More info on the podcast intro. 
Host: Mike Rosado

@ekimodasor & @mrcraleigh
Post-Production: Max Trujillo
@trujillomedia
Sponsors: MRC & Burny Wild's
@mrcraleigh & @burnywilds

The Pencil Pushers Podcast is a celebration of the hand-drawn arts. I'll be interviewing friends and idols in illustration, animation, comic-art, and more.

- Mike Rosado https://www.instagram.com/ekimodasor/

Produced and edited by Trujillo Media

Additional music provided by Epidemic Sound

Welcome folks to the Pencil Pushers Podcast. I am your humble host, Mike Rosado, here with another banger episode with our very special guest, Ron Husband. Ron is a master illustrator and animator who was employed by the Disney animation studio from the mid-70's until 2013. He worked on classic characters during their renaissance in the 80's and 90's such as Gaston, Jafar, Pumbaa, John Smith, Dr. Sweet and more. Which we do talk about, but the real meat of our conversation comes when we dive into his passion for drawing and a passing of the torch, as we talk about his decades of knowledge through teaching at schools as well as his amazing book, Quick sketching with Ron Husband. This ones a little personal too. Ron was the first animator that ever connected with me when I wrote Walt Disney Studios as a 12 year old dreaming of working there as a career. He was candid, open and super humble as he talked about the importance of being a team player and working for the greater vision of an artistic project. I'm super pumped to share this discussion with you, so do yourself a favor, follow him on ronhusband.blogspot.com while I invite you to sit back, relax and enjoy our chat with Ron.

The Pencil Pushers Podcast is a celebration of the hand-drawn arts. I'll be interviewing friends and idols in illustration, animation, comic-art, and more.

- Mike Rosado https://www.instagram.com/ekimodasor/

Produced and edited by Trujillo Media

Additional music provided by Epidemic Sound

Welcome Leadheads - You are listening to yet another banger episode of The Pencil Pushers Podcast. Today, we present my chat with super talented extraordinaire Jessica Borustki. She's currently director for The Loud House, the hit sitcom style animated show currently on Nickelodeon. We walk through her already rich career of working with such classic characters like Ren and Stimpy, Looney Tunes, Thundercats and more, what it takes to be a director in animation, her goals to develop her own original work, which may or may not be revealed here and so much more. Jessica was so fun to chat with and I think you'll have just as much fun listening in. So, do yourself a favor, ease your seat back, relax, grab yourself some snacks, a coffee, some tea or whatever your beverage of choice may be and enjoy our chat with Jessica.

The Pencil Pushers Podcast is a celebration of the hand-drawn arts. I'll be interviewing friends and idols in illustration, animation, comic-art, and more.

- Mike Rosado https://www.instagram.com/ekimodasor/

Produced and edited by Trujillo Media

Additional music provided by Epidemic Sound

This is yet another power-packed episode of The Pencil Pushers Podcast. Today, we talk to Brent Engstrom - a super talented illustrator who's spent the better part of the past 15 years working for The Topps Company, drawing some of the most beautifully disgusting and hilarious cast of characters with the iconic Garbage Pail Kids, Wacky Packages, Mars Attacks and more. Brent talks about how his life came full circle, from being a massive fan of the collectibles as a kid to now being part of the small rag tag team of artists that get to make a living, living out their childhood dreams. So, let's dive right in folks - grab yourself a cold one, sit back, relax and enjoy our chat with Brent.

The Pencil Pushers Podcast is a celebration of the hand-drawn arts. I'll be interviewing friends and idols in illustration, animation, comic-art, and more.

- Mike Rosado https://www.instagram.com/ekimodasor/

Produced and edited by Trujillo Media

Additional music provided by Epidemic Sound

Welcome Leadheads to another episode of the pencil pushers podcast. I'm your humble host, Mike Rosado, and I'm really excited to share with you my conversation with the uber-talented illustrator, Ricky De Los Angeles. Ricky is currently a character artist for Disney products, where he gets to flaunt his multi-versatile artistic stylings for all of the characters we've all grown up loving. Listen in as talk about a day in the life of a character artist, his love for caricature art, how he stumbled along the way like most artists to "make it" and what he's learned along the way about how to succeed in this hyper-competitive industry. I've loved getting to hear his story and I think you will to - this is a fun one, folks, so sit back, relax and enjoy our chat with Ricky

The Pencil Pushers Podcast is a celebration of the hand-drawn arts. I'll be interviewing friends and idols in illustration, animation, comic-art, and more.

- Mike Rosado https://www.instagram.com/ekimodasor/

Produced and edited by Trujillo Media

Welcome Leadheads. This is the Pencil Pushers Podcast, episode 28! Today we speak with illustrator, muralist and figurative artist, Taylor White. Listen in as we speak about her artistic path and stylings, how her travels around the world opened her eyes to a whole new career and what it's like to be a street artist these days and how its perception has changed with the public. She was a blast to speak and already looking forward to having her back. Check her our on Instagram @taylurk and online at taylorwhite.art to peer into her work. Now, sit back, relax and enjoy our chat with Taylor!

The Pencil Pushers Podcast is a celebration of the hand-drawn arts. I'll be interviewing friends and idols in illustration, animation, comic-art, and more.

- Mike Rosado https://www.instagram.com/ekimodasor/

Produced and edited by Trujillo Media

The Pencil Pushers Podcast is a celebration of the hand-drawn arts. I'll be interviewing friends and idols in illustration, animation, comic-art, and more.

- Mike Rosado https://www.instagram.com/ekimodasor/

Produced and edited by Trujillo Media

Welcome Leadheads. Today, we are back again with another banger for your ears. Yea, folks - Episode 26 brings us to one of my personally most anticipated interviews with animator Joey Capps. Joey's journey is power-packed with gracing his talents on a multitude of animation projects that most of us have heard of, whether you're an animator or not, including Teen Titans Go, Steven Universe, Adventure Time, Scooby Doo and finally his current hot gig, the all new return-to-form Looney Tunes cartoons on HBO Max, serving the role of animation supervisor. Joey talks about making his way in a very competitive industry, surrounding himself with as many talented folks as possible, navigating the tough waters of hand-drawn animation at a time when a lot of folks thought it was dead and how he landed the gig with Looney Tunes. Joey was about a nice a guy as you could hope for in a guest. But, don't take my word for it. Grab yourself a nice cold one, sit back, relax and enjoy our chat with Joey.

The Pencil Pushers Podcast is a celebration of the hand-drawn arts. I'll be interviewing friends and idols in illustration, animation, comic-art, and more.

- Mike Rosado https://www.instagram.com/ekimodasor/

Produced and edited by Trujillo Media

Leadheads! We are back again for another banger episode. Today we bring a veteran of the show back into the studio, George Hage. His band Jack the Radio has a new album hot off the presses called Creatures. But it doesn't stop there. George decided to do something a little unique by producing an accompanying comic book called Creatures Anthology. The book features dozens of artists from all across the globe to help tell the story of the album. Listen in on how one even pulls something like that together, particularly in the midst of a pandemic year like 2020. Sit back, relax and enjoy our chat with George!

The Pencil Pushers Podcast is a celebration of the hand-drawn arts. I'll be interviewing friends and idols in illustration, animation, comic-art, and more.

- Mike Rosado https://www.instagram.com/ekimodasor/

Produced and edited by Trujillo Media

This episode we speak with my good friend and super talented artist, Dameon Williams. Dameon's a Father of three, husband of one, doing what literally most artistic people do - working a not-so-artistic full-time job - at a hospital no-less, smack dab in the middle of a pandemic, while spending most of every other waking moment crafting beautiful illustrations. His art is playful and informative, using his skills to help showcase historical and social elements dealing largely with people of color and beyond. It was great to catch up with him on how he's personally handling Covid-19 through his hospital work as well as a being a concerned citizen who happens to also be African American during a historical moment following the death of George Floyd. Take a listen and enjoy our talk with Dameon!

The Pencil Pushers Podcast is a celebration of the hand-drawn arts. I'll be interviewing friends and idols in illustration, animation, comic-art, and more.

- Mike Rosado https://www.instagram.com/ekimodasor/

Produced and edited by Trujillo Media

We go deep into the fascinating career journey and insights of Sandro Cleuzo, a Brazilian animator, including his transition from local studios to working with global animation giants like Disney and Fox, his passion for hand-drawn animation, experiences with different animation styles, and the thrill of creating personal projects like his short film.

PS: Don't forget to take advantage of our Burny Wild's promo code just for our Pencil Pushers fans. More info on the podcast intro. 
Host: Mike Rosado

@ekimodasor & @mrcraleigh
Post-Production: Max Trujillo
@trujillomedia
Sponsors: MRC & Burny Wild's
@mrcraleigh & @burnywilds

Leadheads - at long last, episode 23 is here, loud and proud! Here, we take the podcast on a field trip to Greensboro, NC to witness one of the great mural cities of the country, due in large thanks to the visionary real estate developer Marty Kotis. Kotis is a huge fan of public art and sees the clear value it brings to beautifying a space and a community, and this is why he started Kotis Street Art, an organization focused on supporting and propping up incredible artists, now with a dedicated space where they can travel to and stay at, collaborate with others, grow their craft and simply explore. We talk with Kotis and some of the artists visiting this space and what it means to them and the street art community as whole. Listen in and enjoy! ***** 

The Pencil Pushers Podcast is a celebration of the hand-drawn arts. I'll be interviewing friends and idols in illustration, animation, comic-art, and more.

- Mike Rosado https://www.instagram.com/ekimodasor/

Produced and edited by Trujillo Media

Welcome ladies and gents to the Pencil Pushers Podcast! I'm your humble host, Mike Rosado and I'm super stoked to bring you our chat with editorial cartoonist extraordinnaire V. Cullum Rogers. 

Rogers is a career cartoonist, just recently retired after decades of work with the Durham Herald and the independent weekly. We talk about his illustrative career in the field, what it takes to make it in the industry, how he crafts his ideas and what this challenging but vital medium looks like today and in the future. 

He was thoughtful, hilarious and as good a storyteller as you'd expect for someone of his ilk. This one's a classic folks - so do yourself a favor - pull up his sites at magazineparody.com and vcrogers.com while you sit back, relax and listen on our chat with Cullum.

****** 

The Pencil Pushers Podcast is a celebration of the hand-drawn arts. I'll be interviewing friends and idols in illustration, animation, comic-art, and more.

- Mike Rosado https://www.instagram.com/ekimodasor/

Produced and edited by Trujillo Media

Welcome folks to The Pencil Pushers Podcast and episode 21 (we're officially legal) and our VERY first for what we're calling the tip top year of creativity and growth, 2020! I, of course, am still your humble host, Mike Rosado. And today, we're very thrilled to be sharing our interview with Tara Donovan - one of the few artists who has successfully broken into both traditional and CG animation, working on hand-drawn animated classics like The Thief and the Cobbler and Asterix Conquers the World to CG animation for blockbusters like Justice League, Aquaman and the upcoming King Kong vs Godzilla. We dive into how to break into the animation world, how being insatiably curious will help with growth and employment and things you can do to remain healthy in an incredibly stressful and sometimes unpredictable industry. Find and follow her online @taranimator and just add a .com to check out her site. And now, without further ado, do yourself a favor - ease your seat back, relax and enjoy our chat with Tara.

****** 

The Pencil Pushers Podcast is a celebration of the hand-drawn arts. I'll be interviewing friends and idols in illustration, animation, comic-art, and more.

- Mike Rosado https://www.instagram.com/ekimodasor/

Produced and edited by Trujillo Media

Welcome Leadheads to the Pencil Pushers Podcast. You are listening to Episode 20! I'm pumped to share with you my conversation with the masterful Mary Kate McDevitt.

Follow her art along with the show here: https://www.instagram.com/marykatemcdevitt/?hl=en

@marykatemcdevitt

She is without a doubt a force in the graphic arts world, largely focused on hand-drawn illustration and lettering. Here we talk about her prolific career that is already jam-packed with work that anyone at any age would be proud of, working with such companies as Target, Smuckers, Sesame Street and more - but we also have a great talk about some of the deeper, yet very common issues that we all deal with, like burn-out and how to work through it. This is one of my favorite chats, coincidentally with one of my favorite artists working today - So, I invite you to sit back, relax and enjoy my chat with Mary Kate.

****** 

The Pencil Pushers Podcast is a celebration of the hand-drawn arts. I'll be interviewing friends and idols in illustration, animation, comic-art, and more.

- Mike Rosado https://www.instagram.com/ekimodasor/

Produced and edited by Trujillo Media

Leadheads!

In Episode 19, I invite you to listen in on our fantastic conversation with Louise Lockhart, the founder and creative force behind The Printed Peanut. Louise talks with us about her journey and juggling the life of a prolific artist, business-woman and now mother of a new-born. If you're looking for a window into the path of a truly dedicated entrepreneurial artist, you've found your spot. Do yourself a favor, first find her on https://www.theprintedpeanut.co.uk or on insta @theprintedpeanut, while you listen in. Enough talk - just sit back, relax and enjoy our chat with Louise.

****** 

The Pencil Pushers Podcast is a celebration of the hand-drawn arts. I'll be interviewing friends and idols in illustration, animation, comic-art, and more.

- Mike Rosado https://www.instagram.com/ekimodasor/

Produced and edited by Trujillo Media

Welcome Leadheads.

Today, we have a lot of fun chatting with on-the-rise artist Lisa Quinn, who's best known for her comic series Monsters in the Merlot. https://www.instagram.com/monstersinthemerlot/

Lisa dives into the ever-real-life-world of what many of us can relate to…building street-cred as an indie artist while juggling sometimes 2 or 3 totally separate non-creative jobs.

We also chat about how art can be used as a way to navigate serious and very personal issues like depression and bi-polar disorder.

She was a total delight and I already can't wait to talk with her again. So, everyone follow her on instagram while you listen in @monstersinthemerlot.

And now, I invite you to sit back, relax and enjoy our chat with Lisa.

****** 

The Pencil Pushers Podcast is a celebration of the hand-drawn arts. I'll be interviewing friends and idols in illustration, animation, comic-art, and more.

- Mike Rosado https://www.instagram.com/ekimodasor/

Produced and edited by Trujillo Media

https://cleonpeterson.com

Leadheads! Today we release into the wild, episode seventeen and I'm so pumped to share our great convo with the incomparable Cleon Peterson. Someone who knows the true role of what it means to be an artist - to push you to think, feel and perhaps even act. Cleon's work is nothing short of astonishing in it's scale and it's fearlessness. I found him to be a joy to talk with - an open book and completely ready and willing to share his journey. So sit back, relax and enjoy our chat with Cleon.

****** 

The Pencil Pushers Podcast is a celebration of the hand-drawn arts. I'll be interviewing friends and idols in illustration, animation, comic-art, and more.

- Mike Rosado https://www.instagram.com/ekimodasor/

Produced and edited by Trujillo Media

****** 

The Pencil Pushers Podcast is a celebration of the hand-drawn arts. I'll be interviewing friends and idols in illustration, animation, comic-art, and more.

- Mike Rosado https://www.instagram.com/ekimodasor/

Produced and edited by Trujillo Media

****** 

The Pencil Pushers Podcast is a celebration of the hand-drawn arts. I'll be interviewing friends and idols in illustration, animation, comic-art, and more.

- Mike Rosado https://www.instagram.com/ekimodasor/

Produced and edited by Trujillo Media

Alright Leadheads! Episode 14 coming in hot. And this ones packed with tons of advice and info. Listen in as we kick through the short list of how to make it in comics without making it in comics. Enjoy! @paulfriedrichdotnet.

****** 

The Pencil Pushers Podcast is a celebration of the hand-drawn arts. I'll be interviewing friends and idols in illustration, animation, comic-art, and more.

- Mike Rosado https://www.instagram.com/ekimodasor/

Produced and edited by Max Trujillo Productions https://www.instagram.com/mxtrjll/

Explore Clarence Heyward's transformation from a midlife crisis to a celebrated artist, highlighting his struggles, artistic growth, and advice for navigating the art business. Gain insights from Hayward on networking, artistic insecurities, AI influence in fine art, and the representation of black artists in the industry.

PS: Don't forget to take advantage of our Burny Wild's promo code just for our Pencil Pushers fans. More info on the podcast intro. 
Host: Mike Rosado

@ekimodasor & @mrcraleigh
Post-Production: Max Trujillo
@trujillomedia
Sponsors: MRC & Burny Wild's
@mrcraleigh & @burnywilds

Today's show is a retrospective of the life of the greatest animator of all time: Mr. Richard Williams, who recent'y passed away. I was humbled to have a panel of talented working animators, documentarians, authors and collaborators discuss Mr. Williams' life.

We speak with Tony White, Tara Donovan, Dean Lennert and Kevin Schreck. 

****** 

The Pencil Pushers Podcast is a celebration of the hand-drawn arts. I'll be interviewing friends and idols in illustration, animation, comic-art, and more.

- Mike Rosado https://www.instagram.com/ekimodasor/

Produced and edited by Max Trujillo Productions https://www.instagram.com/mxtrjll/

I am honored that I get to present to you my chat with inarguably one of the most important graphic designers and design thinkers in history - the one and only Mr. Milton Glaser. Our talk found him ever-inspiring, often deeply philisophical and sometimes fiery and brutally honest with his critique of the modern design world and some hopeful advice on what can be done about it. This ones for the books folks.

****** 

Y'all! Join me for the release for my show, The Pencil Pushers Podcast - celebrating the hand-drawn arts. I'll be interviewing friends and idols in illustration, animation, comic-art, and more.

- Mike Rosado https://www.instagram.com/ekimodasor/

Produced and edited by Max Trujillo Productions https://www.instagram.com/mxtrjll/

Episode 11 finds Mike in a reflective mood, as he chats about accepting creative challenges as a way to work through personal fears of failure, rejection and judgement, an issue all artists deal with on a regular basis. Grab some tips along the way and share your stories on Instagram. Let's start a conversation.

****** 

Y'all! Join me for the release for my show, The Pencil Pushers Podcast - celebrating the hand-drawn arts. I'll be interviewing friends and idols in illustration, animation, comic-art, and more.

- Mike Rosado https://www.instagram.com/ekimodasor/

Produced and edited by Max Trujillo Productions https://www.instagram.com/mxtrjll/

This week, we sit down with my friend, Lenny Terenzi. Lenny is the owner of Hey Monkey, (https://www.heymonkeydesign.com) a studio that produces screen printing, illustration and graphic design.

He is also the president of the AIGA Raleigh chapter (https://raleigh.aiga.org) and raising a daughter who is following her own creative outlets. 

****** 

Y'all! Join me for the release for my show, The Pencil Pushers Podcast - celebrating the hand-drawn arts. I'll be interviewing friends and idols in illustration, animation, comic-art, and more.

- Mike Rosado https://www.instagram.com/ekimodasor/

Produced and edited by Max Trujillo Productions https://www.instagram.com/mxtrjll/