Visual Development Artist Pablo Rivera shares his love of natural environments, his goals to work on creatively challenging projects, and his belief that the Guild gives dignity to workers. Tell us a little about yourself and your career. Originally from Cali, Colombia, I grew up in the weird and unique landscape of South Florida. This meant a large amount of my time as a kid and teenager was spent out in nature—ranging from kayaking through shady mangrove forests to cycling on levees overlooking the endless water of Florida’s Everglades. This all contributed to a love of natural environments ..read more

Storyboard Artist Kathy J. Liu believes a happy art career is sustained by a happy art community, the business of animation is about creating good humans, and the Guild nurtures a culture of generosity. Tell us a little about yourself and your career. Ello, I’m Kathy!  I’m a movie and TV junkie like most other animation folk here. I also love to roller-skate and eat my way around town. Sushi? Ethiopian? Sichuan food? Yes, please. I’m a storyboard artist and filmmaker, currently boarding at Marvel Animation. I’ve previously had the pleasure of jamming with the teams on Wings of Fire, Worl ..read more

Iranian Storyboard Artist Raha Dabiri shares her thoughts on battling imposter syndrome, serving as a beacon of hope, and using the Guild as a safe space for discussions about inclusivity and representation. Tell us a little about yourself and your career. My name is Raha, and I’m an Iranian Storyboard Artist from Laguna Niguel, California. I attended California State University, Fullerton. I’ve been in the industry for about five years now, and what a wonderful time it’s been! I am currently working on The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder at Disney TVA. I p ..read more

Showrunners drive their series’ vision and ensure every part of the show collaborates seamlessly. Here, four TAG showrunners share typical workdays, on-the-job challenges, and words of advice.  Mairghread Scott  Dragon Age: Absolution TAG Executive Board member and Writers’ Craft Committee Chair Mairghread Scott got her start more than a decade ago as a Writer’s Assistant on Transformers: Prime, where she wrote her first freelance script. Then came staff and more freelance jobs before her first showrunning gig on Dragon Age: Absolution.  How wo ..read more

Stevan Wahl uses found objects and a love of mythology to create masks. From his first job doing layouts on The Brave Little Toaster in 1985, Stevan Wahl calls his career a wild ride. He’s worked as everything from Assistant Director to Lead Animator on projects as wide-ranging as Disney’s Tarzan and the TV series Futurama.  Wahl’s artistic interests expanded when his son, Marsden, was eight. “He became interested in world mythology and theology, and I became drawn to it by reading and talking about it with him,” Wahl says. The more he studied the subje ..read more

Photo by ND Stevenson. With love for animation and graphic art, Molly Knox Ostertag enjoys successful careers in both fields.  It’s hard enough to excel in one medium, but Molly Knox Ostertag has found success as an animation writer and a graphic novelist. She’s worked on shows like Star vs. the Forces of Evil and The Owl House and has gained a following for her young adult webcomics and graphic novels like the bestselling The Girl from the Sea and The Witch Boy trilogy—the latter of which, Netflix is turning into an animated musical. All ..read more

A colorful view of life enables Storyboard Artist and Stand-up Comic Angelo di Nallo to go beyond the laughs. On most days, Angelo di Nallo works as a Storyboard Artist on Bob’s Burgers, but some evenings you’ll find him performing stand-up at Flappers Comedy Club dressed in a wardrobe that’s bright and colorful—just like his disposition. The animator and stand-up comic always wears vibrant colors and embellishes each look with a rainbow lei, which he’s worn daily for years, ever since he experienced a mind- and life-altering encounter at a transformational arts and music festival.  ..read more

Color Designer and Background Painter Courtney Coffman shares her thoughts on using all the crayons in the box, failure as a stepping stone, and the Guild as a source of empowerment. Tell us a little about yourself and your career. I’ve always been a “use all the crayon colors” kind of artist, especially as a kid. I would rush past the line-drawing portion of a piece to jump into throwing blotches of paint everywhere. Turns out, in the world of 2D animation, there is a role that fits just that! My career has focused on both color design and background painting, and I love to see how I can tak ..read more

Art Director April Apodaca discusses her eclectic creative interests, her love of serious stories in animation, and why she appreciates the Guild for bringing members together. Tell us a little about yourself and your career. Hello hello! My name’s April. I’m an Art Director, Visual Development Artist, and Illustrator currently working in TV animation. I was born in Norwalk, a smaller city on the south side of Los Angeles. While going to community college, I dabbled quite a lot. I’ve worked professionally on everything from stage painting/design, theme park ..read more

Lead Character Technical Director Areeba Khan shares the challenges of career pivots, her passion for a hand-drawn look, and how the Guild creates safe space for creativity. Tell us a little about yourself and your career. Hello everyone! My name is Areeba Khan. I am originally from Orange County and went to Chapman University to study animation. After I graduated, I worked in visual effects for a couple of years before switching to animation. I worked on various TV shows and films in multiple roles from Technical Director to Rigging Artist. Some of my favorite projects are Guardians of ..read more