Straight Ahead Animation Podcast

Our guest this week is Jaylen Tate-Lucas a black storyboard artist currently working at Warner Bros. Animation. We talk about what it is like storyboarding on a show like Teen Titans Go! Jaylen also talks about his love for the Horror Genre and how it is inspiring him for his own personal project. We hope you enjoy this episode and find it insightful.

Instagram: @j_t_lucas

If you enjoy our podcast, please share it and rate us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. We want to expand our platform and amplify these BIPOC voices!

Ray and Yuki are back with Season 3 of the Straight Ahead Animation Podcast! We reflect back on Season 2 by talking about the most played episodes. We also talk about our past 3 years working in the Animation Industry. We finally wrap up by talking about what you should expect in Season 3 of the podcast!

Thank you so much for your continued support and if you enjoy our podcast, please share it and rate us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. We want to expand our platform and amplify these BIPOC voices!

Ray's Socials-

Yuki's Socials-

Our guest this week is Da-Hee Im, a Korean-American Cinematic Animator currently working at Bungie. Learn what gravitated Da-Hee towards working in the games industry over the animation industry. Learn about the ins and outs between Cinematic Animation for games and Gameplay animation. We also discuss how you should consider every opportunity that comes you way because you never know where it may lead you.     

Portfolio: https://www.daheeim.com/

If you enjoy our podcast, please share it and rate us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. We want to expand our platform and amplify these BIPOC voices!

This week we have Ren Bernal a Colombian artist currently working as a Character Designer! His journey has taken him back and forth between Character Design and Storyboards! His most notable projects has been storyboarding the Music Video Electric by Katy Perry for Pokémon's 25th Anniversary. Ren is also currently leading a team in creating an independently produced animated series titled Bit Wars. This project has garnered attention from both smaller and larger studios. Ren also talks about being a DACA recipient and wanting to show that anyone no matter their background can leave a long lasting impact by telling stories that is close to their heart.

If you enjoy our podcast, please share it and rate us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. We want to expand our platform and amplify these BIPOC voices!

Nessa Tweneboah is a Black artist working for 6-point harness painting backgrounds! Nessa explains the different roles of the background pipeline including design, paint, and the collaboration that can happen therein. They also talk about their mentorship with Valerie Schwarz, and how that lead to their first break into the industry. We continue on with their work from home experience based in Ohio, and their mistake in juggling school with two different freelance jobs. At the Rhode Island School of Design, they also sought out leadership positions to train their skills with the goal of being an art director or showrunner.

Diego & Sebastián Ramírez Jacinto, AKA the Awesombrosos, are Mexican twins and freelance Vis Dev artists! They share their experience dropping out of college, and changing their mindset from being a student to being unemployed to professional. Find out what motivated them to start creating, how their workflow evolved into a mini pipeline, and how they negotiate being a package deal. Despite their poetic outlook on life, they also have their share of down-to-earth realizations about the industry. Also throughout, feel how these incredible brothers find joy in their own culture, and don't overthink it!

Hispanic Heritage Month continues with Daniela Rodriguez de la Peña, a Hispanic Artist currently working as a Storyboard Artist at Nickelodeon! She didn't realize she wanted to do story until her final year of college. From there she honed her craft until she got her first break at Nickelodeon as a Revisionist and has been there ever since! Not too long after being a Revisionist, Daniela was promoted to Storyboard Artist, and recommends that if you have an interest in moving up in your position you need to make sure you express it!  

If you enjoy our podcast, please share it and rate us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. We want to expand our platform and amplify these BIPOC voices!

Joining us today straight out of Colombia is Juan Montoya! Juan applied and applied to several job postings until he finally got his start at Awesome Incorporated. We also dive deep on the inner workings of the H-1B Visa and how residency could be achieved. Juan also shares what he enjoys about being a background artist and the little easter eggs he leaves when given the chance. Hope you enjoy as we continue celebrating Hispanic Heritage month!

Instagram: @1montoya

If you enjoy our podcast, please share it and rate us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. We want to expand our platform and amplify these BIPOC voices!

Happy Hispanic Heritage month! We're starting out with the powerful Angélica Agélviz: a story artist from Puerto Rico. Her passion shines through everything she does, as she takes us through what it's like working on bumpers and boards. Angé has had such a full career in a short time: from animating for Adult Swim, to storyboarding for Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network, to directing the short film "Nuevo Rico". "Nuevo Rico" and her own project, Netflix Spark Grant recipient "Children of the Antilles", are both in the future indigenism genre, and we talk about the lack of both Latin-American and indigenous peoples in the sci-fi genre. We also have a serious talk about the state of boarding standards in the industry, and maintaining a healthy boundary within it.