RISING STARS

Lauren Stassen

Story Artist, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Sony Pictures Animation)

Age, Birthplace: 34; Vancouver, BC.

Cartoons/movies I loved as a kid: I was very into ’90s Disney movies when I was a young kid, but by the time I entered high school anime had become an obsession for me! One Piece by Eiichiro Oda was especially influential on the development of my art as a child, and still informs my work to this day.

I knew I wanted to work in animation: From the moment I learned that it was a job I could actually have! All I’ve ever wanted to do was draw. Throughout my childhood, art was always the subject I enjoyed and excelled at the most — so, once I hit high school and learned that animation was something I could pursue as a career, it really felt like a natural progression for me. Storyboarding, however, wasn’t something I discovered until later on in college when I took a class on the subject.

First job in animation: I was a character face painter in the puppet department at Cinderbiter, Henry Selick’s stop-motion animation studio in San Francisco. My first job in story, however, was as a storyboard revisionist on We Bare Bears at Cartoon Network.

What I love about my current project: I’m currently working on the upcoming, untitled Ghostbusters animated feature, and the crew is so fantastic and collaborative! The creative minds behind it are amazing, and I am so excited about the incredible and truly fun possibilities of this movie!

Biggest challenge: Probably just getting my foot in the door. It took me almost three years of trying to find jobs before I got my first storyboard revisionist position on We Bare Bears at Cartoon positions before I was given a chance on We Bare Bears.

Best career advice: I think my best advice would be to draw what you love and are passionate about. It might sound pretty basic, but when you are working on something you care about, it shows in your work– especially when crafting a portfolio!

Aidan Sugano

Production Designer, Nimona (Netflix

Age, Birthplace: 34, California.

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Cartoons/movies I loved as a kid: My Neighbor Totoro, Castle in the Sky, Kiki’s Delivery Service, Jurassic Park, Lilo & Stitch, Rugrats, Doug

I knew I wanted to work in animation when: It was during the first month of my first job. I looked around me at the immense amount of thought and craft going into every decision and was finally able to internalize an idea that others had told me but I had yet to fully grasp. More than almost any other medium, animation is one where you can literally bring art to life. It is a poetic marriage of art, movement and storytelling that lets you bring an entire world to being all in service of communicating one story. I knew I wanted to play in this medium from that point on.

First job in animation: Junior designer at Blue Sky Studios.

What I love about my current project: The story. I have had a connection to the characters and their story since the moment I read the graphic novel. I feel so lucky to have been able to work on Nimona. It feels like one of those rare projects that only come around a few times in your career and I am really thankful that I have gotten to be a part of it. Plus, sci-fi, medieval fantasy, knights, lasers, monsters, dragons, dramatic lighting, the style … what isn’t there to love?

Biggest challenge: Executing a cohesive, holistic artistic vision that embraces the limitations of the style without getting in the way of the story is tough. Luckily, as a collaborative art form there are a lot of people who are much smarter than me to lean on and make it possible. Best career advice: Thoughtful choices and ideas are much more important than pretty execution. Since the story in animation is mostly expressed visually, making sure every design choice thoughtfully reinforces the story leads to a deeper, richer result. It is a constant challenge, but I try to have a clear, story reason for every visual choice I make. ◆