In this episode of Creative Mind, we sat down with Chuck Pyle, the director of the School of Illustration to talk about how to work as an artist; how to build your business. When he arrived at San Francisco’s Academy of Art University in 1972, he was an 18-year-old with big plans: Take a few classes at the Academy, then head off to New York, become a famous political cartoonist -- and bring down Nixon. 

Chuck Pyle is an internationally sought-after artist, working with clients from New York to Tokyo. His clients include Microsoft, Pacific Bell, Safeway, Avis, Ask Jeeves, Sun Microsystems, Reader’s Digest, The New York Times, The Boston Globe, Atlantic Monthly, Redbook, Good Housekeeping, McCall’s, Penguin, Bantam, Book of the Month Club, Houghton Mifflin, Seattle Opera, Nisshin Foods, and the Chicago Museum of Science and Technology. Mr. Pyle received the 2015 Distinguished Educator in the Arts award from the Society of Illustrators. Today, more than 40 years later, he is Director of the Academy’s School of Illustration (a post he’s held since 2003) and one of the university’s most beloved instructors. He continues to guide and inspire thousands of students and is revered for his patience, generosity and refusal to adhere to a one-size-fits-all method of teaching.

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Established in 1929, Academy of Art University is one of the largest private accredited art and design schools in the nation. Located in San Francisco, the epicenter of culture and technology, Academy of Art University offers more than 135 accredited degree programs spanning 40 areas of study, including entertainment arts, advertising, fashion, architecture, game development, music, communication, photography and more.

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This bonus episode of Creative Mind features the exclusive talk from Concept Artist, Anthony Jones. This is the highlight from the 2-hour-and-half talk that we provided when he dropped by the School of Game Development to give a live concept art demo.

Be sure to check out the full talk and drawing tutorials on the Academy of Art Youtube page: https://youtu.be/BO54xwnxngI

Monsters, robots and creatures - the work of concept artist and illustrator Anthony Jones can be found in work produced by Blizzard, Disney, Paramount, Wizards of the Coast, Sony and Fox. He is going to share what it takes to start and maintain the career in today’s game design, concept art and illustration.

Born in California, he attended Barstow High School; soon he realized that what he loved the most was the art. Anthony also discovers another vocation such as teaching; after having done dozens of workshops and online tutorials, he creates Robotpencil, a company founded to guide future talents to improve their skills.

Links:

Anthony Jones

Robotpencil

The full version of Anthony’s talk

School of Game Development

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Established in 1929, Academy of Art University is one of the largest private accredited art and design schools in the nation. Located in San Francisco, the epicenter of culture and technology, Academy of Art University offers more than 135 accredited degree programs spanning 40 areas of study, including entertainment arts, advertising, fashion, architecture, game development, music, communication, photography and more.

To learn more about Academy of Art University, visit academyart.edu/creativemind

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No outfit is complete without the right pair of shoes and a killer bag to match. In this episode, Bobby Brill talks with Damion Le Cappelain, the Footwear and Accessory Design Coordinator for the newly launched track at the School of Fashion at Academy of Art University.

In this episode, Damion shares how he became a fashion designer with a biology major and music industry background. As he worked in the music industry, he found his speciality as a graphic designer for music records. He then began a love for sneakers which developed into a passion for creating men’s footwear. So, he went back to school to learn the craft of footwear design and entered the fashion industry as a footwear designer for major brands after graduation.

Damion received a Masters in Menswear Footwear from the Royal College of Art, London. Prior to this, he studied footwear design at Cordwainers London College of Fashion.

Damion Le Cappelain has 8 years’ experience teaching footwear and accessory design, joining School of Fashion in 2017. Prior to this post, Le Cappelain was professor of accessory design at Savannah College of Art and Design.

Before teaching, Damion designed men’s footwear for Hudson in London and various freelance and consultation work for companies including 3.1 Phillip Lim, Tom Lipop, T&F Slack and Roots Collective. Le Cappelain continues to produce bespoke made to order shoes and bags for his customers and work on his line.

Links:

Damion Le Cappelain

If The Shoe Fits: Damion Le Cappelain

Footwear & Accessory Design Degrees

*****

Established in 1929, Academy of Art University is one of the largest private accredited art and design schools in the nation. Located in San Francisco, the epicenter of culture and technology, Academy of Art University offers more than 135 accredited degree programs spanning 40 areas of study, including entertainment arts, advertising, fashion, architecture, game development, music, communication, photography and more.

Follow us on Instagram / Twitter / Facebook / LinkedIn / YouTube

This bonus episode of Creative Mind features Jean Paul Gaultier, a French haute couture and prêt-à-porter fashion designer. Enjoy the highlight of his inspirational lecture from his visit to Academy of Art University when he came to San Francisco for the opening of the exhibition at the de Young Museum, “The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk” in 2012.

You can watch the full version of his talk on Academy of Art University’s YouTube channel.  https://youtu.be/7LJHbqVPK98

Dubbed fashion’s enfant terrible, Jean Paul Gaultier launched his first prêt-à-porter collection in 1976 and founded his own couture house in 1997. Emerging as a designer in the 1970s, he developed his own dress codes that reflected the changing world around him.

Link:

The full version of Jean Paul Gaultier’s talk

Jean Paul Gaultier’s visit to Academy of Art University

School of Fashion

*****

Established in 1929, Academy of Art University is one of the largest private accredited art and design schools in the nation. Located in San Francisco, the epicenter of culture and technology, Academy of Art University offers more than 135 accredited degree programs spanning 40 areas of study, including entertainment arts, advertising, fashion, architecture, game development, music, communication, photography and more.

To learn more about Academy of Art University, visit academyart.edu/creativemind

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In this episode, Bobby and Andrea  Skillings, Fashion Product Development Program Coordinator at Academy of Art University, cover the real-world job of working in fashion - brands, design, international business, and working with factories in the US and overseas.  Andrea explains the critical and theoretical ideas about fashion product development such as technical drawings, industry-standard software, sourcing material, international shipping, factories around the globe...etc. Most importantly, she goes deep into careers in fashion and how you’re actually making money either as a small independent designer or a major big chain.

Don’t forget to check out our bonus video for this episode where Andrea takes a tour of a local clothing factory in San Francisco to get a behind the scenes look at how business gets done.

Andrea Skillings received an MA in 20th-century fashion from The New School University and a BS in Fashion Merchandising, Textiles and Design from the University of Rhode Island. She joined the Academy of Art University in 2016 as an adjunct instructor and in 2017 was appointed Program Coordinator of the Product Development program.

The program, through her leadership, focuses on the tools required to bring a fashion product from a basic concept to designing the product and into the roadmap of the product build. Through critical and theoretical discussions around product development, Skillings advocates empowering her students in developing professional skills that will translate from the classroom to the workplace.

Links:

Andrea Skillings

Bonus video: DAD Sewing Factory tour

School of Fashion

*****

Established in 1929, Academy of Art University is one of the largest private accredited art and design schools in the nation. Located in San Francisco, the epicenter of culture and technology, Academy of Art University offers more than 135 accredited degree programs spanning 40 areas of study, including entertainment arts, advertising, fashion, architecture, game development, music, communication, photography and more.

Follow us on Instagram / Twitter / Facebook / LinkedIn / YouTube

This bonus episode of Creative Mind features Ilse Metchek, the President of the California Fashion Association to discuss the business of fashion.

Ms. Metchek created California Fashion Association in 1994 with assistance from the major financial and manufacturing participants of the region’s apparel industry. Ms. Metchek was appointed to the U.S. Department of Commerce Exporters’ Textile Advisory Committee (ETAC) in 1998, and still serves in that capacity. Her public service includes participation on the Executive Board of the California Fashion Foundation, the Advisory Council of UCLA Extension, Board member of the Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation and the Vernon Chamber of Commerce.

Link:

California Fashion Association

School of Fashion

*****

Established in 1929, Academy of Art University is one of the largest private accredited art and design schools in the nation. Located in San Francisco, the epicenter of culture and technology, Academy of Art University offers more than 135 accredited degree programs spanning 40 areas of study, including entertainment arts, advertising, fashion, architecture, game development, music, communication, photography and more.

To learn more about Academy of Art University, visit academyart.edu/creativemind

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In this episode of Creative Mind, we deep dive into documentaries. Marjorie Sturm, the director behind “The Cult of JT Leroy”, walks you through how a documentary happens and how a documentary should be made.

Marjorie Sturm is an award-winning filmmaker whose films span a broad perspective: narrative, documentary, and experimental. Her film "The Cult of JT Leroy" pierces the heart of this (both figurative and literal) cause celebre. Her film explores the fact and fiction surrounding the rise and fall of JT Leroy, those caught in the elaborate web of artifice and the ultimate real-world consequences. Currently, she teaches documentary editing at Academy of Art University in San Francisco.

Links:

Marjorie Sturm

The Cult of JT Leroy

School of Communications and media technology

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Established in 1929, Academy of Art University is one of the largest private accredited art and design schools in the nation. Located in San Francisco, the epicenter of culture and technology, Academy of Art University offers more than 135 accredited degree programs spanning 40 areas of study, including entertainment arts, advertising, fashion, architecture, game development, music, communication, photography and more.

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Tell me your story. Give me your pitch. That sounds easy, but for most of us crafting a pitch can be nerve-racking. In this episode Academy Award winner and Executive Director of the Schools of Entertainment at Academy Art University gives us the good, the bad, and the ugly on a simple pitch for a movie.

Jana Sue Memel is an Academy Award-winning producer and writer. Ms. Memel has produced over 25 movies and over 65 half-hour, live-action shorts that have played as television series in more than 30 countries. The films she has produced have won Writers Guild and Directors Guild Awards, Emmys, CableACE Awards and the Humanitas Prize.

Link:

School of Motion Picture and Television

*****

Established in 1929, Academy of Art University is one of the largest private accredited art and design schools in the nation. Located in San Francisco, the epicenter of culture and technology, Academy of Art University offers more than 135 accredited degree programs spanning 40 areas of study, including entertainment arts, advertising, fashion, architecture, game development, music, communication, photography and more.

To learn more about Academy of Art University, visit academyart.edu/creativemind

Follow us on Instagram / Twitter / Facebook / LinkedIn / YouTube

No matter the budget, Doug Campbell can still tell a great story.  In this episode, film director/writer Doug Campbell sat down with the host of Creative Mind podcast, Bobby Brill and Steadicam operator Justin Jach (both former students of Doug's) to discuss the in's and out's of what goes into making a Hollywood feature in less than 15 days, how to work with low budgets, and how to get the most out of your script. And most importantly, how to be a director that runs a set that people want to be on. 

Of the 35-plus features Doug has directed, over 20 of them he wrote or co-wrote. Doug grew up in the San Fernando Valley north of Los Angeles, making his first Super-8 when he was 14.  Doug wrote and directed his first feature at age 24. An actor's director, Doug runs a well-organized, fun, fast-paced set, and his films are consistently on-time and on-budget. His films regularly air on Lifetime, Netflix, Amazon Prime, and more.

Photo credit - Eugenio Castro

 ***** 

Established in 1929, Academy of Art University is one of the largest private accredited art and design schools in the nation. Located in San Francisco, the epicenter of culture and technology, Academy of Art University offers more than 135 accredited degree programs spanning 40 areas of study, including entertainment arts, advertising, fashion, architecture, game development, music, communication, photography and more. To learn more about Academy of Art University, visit academyart.edu/creativemind Follow us on Instagram / Twitter / Facebook / LinkedIn / YouTube

This bonus episode of Creative Mind features Chris Moore, a Hollywood producer who is known for Manchester by the Sea (2016), Reindeer Games (2000) and The Adjustment Bureau (2011). This is an exclusive recording from the event where he sat down with the executive director of Schools of entertainment and Academy Award winner Jana Sue Memel during his visit to the School of Motion Pictures & Television at the Academy of Art University. He generously shared insights into the entertainment industry and what it takes to work in the industry as he answers questions from students.

A 25-year veteran in Hollywood, Moore started in a studio mailroom before working as an agent selling scripts. When he saw that the films of the scripts he sold weren’t sticking to the vision he imagined, Moore jumped to producing. When elements of that didn’t follow his liking, he teetered a bit into directing before ultimately deciding that the producer hat suited him best.

Link:

School of Motion Picture and Television

*****

Established in 1929, Academy of Art University is one of the largest private accredited art and design schools in the nation. Located in San Francisco, the epicenter of culture and technology, Academy of Art University offers more than 135 accredited degree programs spanning 40 areas of study, including entertainment arts, advertising, fashion, architecture, game development, music, communication, photography and more.

To learn more about Academy of Art University, visit academyart.edu/creativemind

Follow us on Instagram / Twitter / Facebook / LinkedIn / YouTube