U.S filmmaker and children’s media writer to host GAN’s second writers’ workshop

PERSONS attending the second animation writing workshop which is being hosted by the Guyana Animation Network (GAN) Inc. and its affiliate, GAN Studios, later this month, will experience a packed two-day masterclass with Emmy-nominated Children’s Media Writer of Netflix’s Karma’s World, Darnell Lamont Walker.

This year, attendees are also being promised three days of application and storytelling preparation for showcase.

“The workshop intends to continue the GAN trend of high quality content and opportunities to engage with world class trainers and fellow creatives from March 27-31, 2023, from 5:30 PM,” GAN has announced.

This workshop aims to create present and future generations of screen and script writers who can recreate Guyanese and Caribbean stories for animated film and the big screen. The first engagement was successfully hosted in 2022.

Walker, a U.S filmmaker and children’s media writer, has reportedly expressed his interest in hosting the workshop for GAN as one way of allowing himself to support communities and cultures that do not see themselves on the current screen offerings.

Darnell is the writer behind popular children’s animated shows such as, “Blues Clues and You”, Netflix’s “Karma’s World”, “Work It Out Wombats” and “Rubble and Crew” to name a few.

Walker has noted that through his talent, imaginative and playful spirits, he advocates strongly for the importance of representation in animation by creating content for children who rarely get to see themselves on screen.

GAN aims to utilise this 2023 writing workshop to continue its work in training, “developing and empowering a generation of talented writers” who can create global content through animation shaped by their experiences, culture and upbringing as Guyanese and Caribbean people.

With the help of Darnell, and GAN’s team of executives and volunteers, attendees will be exposed to award-winning techniques, tools, direction and examples for crafting scripts that can be used to produce animated content.

“This workshop provides a great way for Guyana to tell its own stories for the big screen. As someone who has always been passionate about seeing a Guyanese hero or protagonist showcased in animated film or shows similar to Cinderella, Mulan or Penny in Disney’s proud family, this workshop brings us two steps closer to making this dream a reality,” Jubilante Cutting, CEO and Founder of GAN, said in a press statement.

She acknowledged that this is GAN’s second training focused on helping writers to bridge the gap between their own cultural experiences and what they can create for the screen (animation).

As GAN prepares to roll out “a series of animation pipeline training”, its executives acknowledge that writing is just one and arguably the first ingredient in the animation production pipeline.

“Before experiencing a good story, show, film or episode on TV, it all begins with what is written in the script. Characters are born and emerge from a good script that consumers and audiences come to enjoy,” GAN said.

Persons interested in registering can visit bit. ly/gan2023workshops or GAN’s social media pages.