The Animator’s Friend

The Animator’s Friend

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The Animator’s Friend episodes

  • TAF at the Ottawa International Animation Festival 2026!

    Ash Suh, animator, songwriter, and jewelry maker joins me, podcaster and 5D animator in making new friends at Ottawa International Animation Festival's annual Animator's Picnic! We Americans are coming around to the Canadian way of life and find taxes to be very sexy.  Hear what gets our fellow animators engines revving within.

     

    Links to points of discussion:

    • Ottawa International Animation Festival
    • Ash Suh's website
    • Ash Suh's Instagram
    • Ori Peer's website
    • Ori Peer's Instagram
    • The Animator's Friend on Instagram
    • BIRTH Screenings - Montreal
    • This Film Was Made Without AI
    • Constant Yen's website
    • Constant Yen's Instagram
    • Camp Snap Camera
    • Chris Sullivan on Instagram
    • The Animator's Favorites
    • Gina Kamentsky's website
    • Peter Millard's website
    • Not Enough Whom for the Two of Us
    • Fantagraphics
    • Frog Farm - NYC
    • Jesse Moynihan on Instagram
    • swagbski on Instagram
    • swagbski on YouTube
    • swagbski on Letterboxd
    • College Ville Marie - Montreal
    • Aaron Salter on Instagram
    • Erin on Instagram
    • Jordan Minkoff's website
    • The Animator's Animations
    • Kat Ball's website
    • Loose Frames' website
    • The Animator's Playlist
    •  

      The Animator's Friend is hosted by India Lombardi-Bello, an animation educator in New York City. In this new series, India creates a platform where animators get to talk about themselves outside the context of their work. A questionnaire format, inspired by the 24 frames per second of animation, allows for personal, lighthearted, and unexpected conversation.

       

      Credits:

      • Recorded, produced, and edited by India Lombardi-Bello
      • Co-host Ash Suh
      • Travel support provided by Ottawa International Animation Festival
      • Digital Marketing Intern: Arnesh Kundu
      • Music by Cloutmeyer
      • Design by Sawyer Rippon
      • Special thanks to Angelica Vergel and OIAF.
      • 1 hr 4 min
      • 30: The Largest Collection of Little Guys with Luca Depardon

        Luca joins the podcast to offer his insight on bug fandom being the foremost expert in the field.

        Luca Ogawa Depardon is an animator and illustrator from NYC. His animations are playful fusions of traditional and experimental animation techniques, daydreams, inventive editing, and funky characters. His films have been featured internationally at places such as the New Chintose Airport Animation Festival, Centré Pompidou, the Annecy International Animation Festival, The Ottawa International Film Festival, The Bucheon International Animation Festival, La Guarimba, and the Animation Block Party at BAM. Luca has also done work for such clients as VICE, The Children’s Museum of the Arts in NYC and Adult Swim. He earned his BFA in Illustration from the Rhode Island School of Design.

        Watch Six Finger Satellite - Simian Fever!

        Submit to NUMBER ONE ANIMATION FESTIVAL, deadline December 10th for February screening in NYC. Keep up with us on Instagram too - https://www.instagram.com/no.1animationfest/

        Links to points of discussion (will update shortly!):

        • Luca's website
        • Luca's Instagram
        • The Animator's Animations
        • The Animator's Playlist on Apple Music and Spotify
        • TAF interview with Nayon Cho
        • The Animator's Friend on Instagram
        • TAF interview with David De La Fuente
        • Vice
        • The Animator's Favorites
        • Mother's Milk
        • The Sandwich Hut - RI
        • New York Public Library Schwarzman Building
        • Talon - NYC
        • Forbidden Planet - NYC
        • Eyeworks Experimental Animation Series - Worldwide
        • Rockaway Film Festival - NYC
        • Ottawa Animation Festival - Canada
        • New York Int'l Children's Film Festival - NYC
        • Nayon Cho's website
        • Sideworld - East Coast
        • The Animator's Friend is hosted by India Lombardi-Bello, an educator based in New York City. In this series, India creates a platform where animators get to talk about themselves outside the context of their work. A questionnaire format, inspired by the 24 frames per second of animation, allows for personal, lighthearted, and unexpected conversation.

          Credits:

          • Recorded, produced, and edited by India Lombardi-Bello
          • Digital marketing assistance from Arnesh Kundu
          • Music by Cloutmeyer
          • Design by Sawyer Rippon
          • Special thanks to my mom and dad and Nayon Cho
          • All opinions belong to the guests and do not represent any other individual or entity
          • 1 hr 40 min
          • Hudson Valley Film Festival Rising Student Award-Winner Jessica Rizk!

            Jessica Rizk's film Cracked has us clutching our t*tties for dear life! You can see her film on Thursday, August 20th at the Hudson Valley Film Festival in Warwick, NY; a stone's throw from NYC! Watch on YouTube and Spotify, listen everywhere else!

            Links to points of discussion (will update soon!):

            • Hudson Valley Film Festival's website
            • Hudson Valley Film Festival on Instagram
            • Kristie Kish's website
            • Kristie Kish on Instagram
            • The Animator's Friend on Instagram
            • Eisenstein on Disney
            • The Animator's Friend is hosted by India Lombardi-Bello, an educator based in New York City. In this series, India creates a platform where animators get to talk about themselves outside the context of their work. A questionnaire format, inspired by the 24 frames per second of animation, allows for personal, lighthearted, and unexpected conversation.

              Credits:

              • Recorded, produced, and edited by India Lombardi-Bello & Kristie Kish
              • Opening animation by Michael Dondero and Shengnan Dong
              • Music by Cloutmeyer
              • Design by Sawyer Rippon
              • All opinions belong to the guests and do not represent any other individual or entity
              • 20 min
              • Hudson Valley Film Festival Nectar of the Projector Award-Winner Sofía Arbaiza Martínez!

                Sofía preserves important family history in her film Ingrato Sureño Invasor. You can see their film on Wednesday, August 19th at the Hudson Valley Film Festival in Warwick, NY; a stone's throw from NYC! Watch on YouTube and Spotify, listen everywhere else!

                Links to points of discussion (will update soon!):

                • Hudson Valley Film Festival's website
                • Hudson Valley Film Festival on Instagram
                • Kristie Kish's website
                • Kristie Kish on Instagram
                • The Animator's Friend on Instagram
                • Eisenstein on Disney
                • The Animator's Friend is hosted by India Lombardi-Bello, an educator based in New York City. In this series, India creates a platform where animators get to talk about themselves outside the context of their work. A questionnaire format, inspired by the 24 frames per second of animation, allows for personal, lighthearted, and unexpected conversation.

                  Credits:

                  • Recorded, produced, and edited by India Lombardi-Bello & Kristie Kish
                  • Opening animation by Michael Dondero and Shengnan Dong
                  • Music by Cloutmeyer
                  • Design by Sawyer Rippon
                  • All opinions belong to the guests and do not represent any other individual or entity
                  • 14 min
                  • Hudson Valley Film Fest Indie Shoestring Award-Winner Alex Greenblatt!

                    We had so much fun talking to Alex Greenblatt that we barely got to ask him about his film Four Days of Exams! You can see his film on Thursday, August 20th at the Hudson Valley Film Festival in Warwick, NY; a stone's throw from NYC! Watch on YouTube and Spotify, listen everywhere else!

                    Links to points of discussion:

                    • Alex's website
                    • Alex's Instagram
                    • Hudson Valley Film Festival's website
                    • Hudson Valley Film Festival on Instagram
                    • Kristie Kish's website
                    • Kristie Kish on Instagram
                    • The Animator's Friend on Instagram
                    • The Animator's Favorites

                    • The Animator's Friend is hosted by India Lombardi-Bello, an educator based in New York City. In this series, India creates a platform where animators get to talk about themselves outside the context of their work. A questionnaire format, inspired by the 24 frames per second of animation, allows for personal, lighthearted, and unexpected conversation.

                      Credits:

                      Recorded, produced, and edited by India Lombardi-Bello & Kristie Kish

                      Opening animation by Michael Dondero and Shengnan Dong
                      Music by Cloutmeyer
                      Design by Sawyer Rippon
                      All opinions belong to the guests and do not represent any other individual or entity; additionally, We are not doctors, so consult a doctor before enacting on any of our opinions!

                      19 min
                    • Hudson Valley Film Fest Out of this World Award-Winner Mira Seeba!

                      All week, Kristie Kish and I are speaking with Hudson Valley Film Fest (HVFF) award winners, starting with Mira Seeba!  Kristie and I present the Out of this World Award to Mira's film HEAVEN'S ESCAPE for deeply original filmmaking that literally takes us out of our earthly plane.  You can see her film on Wednesday, August 19th at the HVFF in Warwick, NY; a stone's throw from NYC! Watch on YouTube and Spotify, listen everywhere else!

                      Links to points of discussion:

                      • Mira Seeba's YouTube
                      • Mira Seeba on Instagram
                      • Mira Seeba's website
                      • Hudson Valley Film Festival's website
                      • Hudson Valley Film Festival on Instagram
                      • Kristie Kish's website
                      • Kristie Kish on Instagram
                      • The Animator's Friend on Instagram
                      • Eisenstein on Disney
                      • The Animator's Friend is hosted by India Lombardi-Bello, an educator based in New York City. In this series, India creates a platform where animators get to talk about themselves outside the context of their work. A questionnaire format, inspired by the 24 frames per second of animation, allows for personal, lighthearted, and unexpected conversation.

                        Credits:

                        • Recorded, produced, and edited by India Lombardi-Bello & Kristie Kish
                        • Opening animation by Michael Dondero and Shengnan Dong
                        • Music by Cloutmeyer
                        • Design by Sawyer Rippon
                        • All opinions belong to the guests and do not represent any other individual or entity
                        • 12 min
                        • 101 Dalmatians with Josh Pilch!

                          The Animator's Friend's Friend Josh Pilch and I revisit 101 Dalmatians, which is screening on 35mm at Metrograph now!  We're talkin Ub, Xerox, and somehow, as usual with Josh, Anthony Kiedis.

                          Get your ticket for the final screening of 101 Dalmatians Sunday, July 26th at 11:10am

                          Enjoy Josh's work on City Island U.S.A. and Beach Buggy Adventures!

                          Links to points of discussion (will update soon!):

                          • Josh Pilch's Instagram
                          • The Animator's Animations
                          • Josh's TAF episode
                          • Josh's Dani California parody for TAF
                          • Bouchra (also screening at Metrograph)
                          • Metrograph's It Started with a Mouse: Hand-Drawn Classics on 35mm - NYC
                          • The Animator's Playlist on Apple Music and Spotify
                          • The Animator's Friend on Instagram
                          • The Animator's Friend is hosted by India Lombardi-Bello, an educator based in New York City. In this series, India creates a platform where animators get to talk about themselves outside the context of their work. A questionnaire format, inspired by the 24 frames per second of animation, allows for personal, lighthearted, and unexpected conversation.

                            Credits:

                            • Recorded, produced, and edited by India Lombardi-Bello
                            • Digital marketing assistance from Arnesh Kundu
                            • Music by Cloutmeyer
                            • Design by Sawyer Rippon
                            • Special thanks: Josh Pilch and Kaila Hier
                            • All opinions belong to the guests and do not represent any other individual or entity
                            • 1 hr 24 min
                            • 29: Put the Rotton Tomatoes Down with David De La Fuente

                              My many attempts to discuss the Real Housewives on this podcast finally pay off with fellow expert David De La Fuente!

                              David De La Fuente is an animation artist with interests in the moving image, semiotics, and graphic design. His work has explored themes of queerness, the aesthetic experience, and romanticism.  His films have shown in the Annecy International Animation Festival, Slamdance Film Festival, Melbourne Queer Film Festival, Ottawa International Animation Festival and others. In 2019, he was the recipient of the GLAS Animation Grant. He earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Rhode Island School of Design.  Currently, David is based in New York where he continues his process of experimental storytelling and image making.

                              Links to points of discussion (will update shortly!):

                              • Metrograph's It Started with a Mouse: Hand-Drawn Classics on 35mm - NYC
                              • Hudson Valley Film Fest - NY
                              • Ottawa International Animation Festival - Canada
                              • The Animator's Friend on Instagram
                              • David's website
                              • The Animator's Animations
                              • GLAS Animation Festival - LA
                              • The London Dungeon - UK
                              • The Animator's Playlist on Apple Music and Spotify
                              • Alyssa Edwards' website
                              • Latrice Royale's website
                              • The Morgan Library & Museum - NYC
                              • The Animator's Favorites
                              • New York Public Library
                              • Amy Kravitz's website
                              • Rockaway Film Festival - NYC
                              • Nayon Cho's website
                              • Jack Gray's website
                              • The Animator's Friend is hosted by India Lombardi-Bello, an educator based in New York City. In this series, India creates a platform where animators get to talk about themselves outside the context of their work. A questionnaire format, inspired by the 24 frames per second of animation, allows for personal, lighthearted, and unexpected conversation.

                                Credits:

                                • Recorded, produced, and edited by India Lombardi-Bello
                                • Digital marketing assistance from Arnesh Kundu
                                • Music by Cloutmeyer
                                • Design by Sawyer Rippon
                                • Special thanks to Motörhead the dog, Nayon Cho for suggesting/introducing me to David, my parents, and Josh Pilch
                                • All opinions belong to the guests and do not represent any other individual or entity
                                • 1 hr 29 min
                                • 28: Good Egg with John Michael Boling & Jason Coombs
                                  While Bouchra's on its world tour, I got to meet creative producers John Michael Boling and Jason Coombs who enlightened me as to why Funko Pops are a scourge on our society.  See Bouchra at Metrograph through to July 2nd or catch it in a city near you soon!
                                   
                                  Wrestling with writer’s block for her first film, Bouchra, a queer Moroccan jackal living in NYC, starts having difficult yet overdue phone calls with her mother in Casablanca that begin influencing the project. Balancing the precarity of working as an artist in the United States, the rift in her identity between her two homes and an array of friendships and romantic interests, Bouchra’s emotional reckoning with her mother and herself becomes her path to expression. 
                                   

                                  Links to points of discussion (will update shortly!):

                                  • Bouchra screening at Metrograph - NYC
                                  • Bouchra's website
                                  • John Michael Boling's Instagram
                                  • Jason Coombs' Instagram
                                  • 2 Lizards Instagram
                                  • The Animator's Animations
                                  • The Animator's Favorites
                                  • Telfar
                                  • Fondazione Prada - Italy
                                  • The Animator's Playlist on Apple Music and Spotify
                                  • Cynthia Chu on The Animator's Friend
                                  • Twin Peaks LogPosting on Facebook
                                  • The Animator's Friend on Instagram
                                  • The Animator's Friend is hosted by India Lombardi-Bello, an educator based in New York City. In this series, India creates a platform where animators get to talk about themselves outside the context of their work. A questionnaire format, inspired by the 24 frames per second of animation, allows for personal, lighthearted, and unexpected conversation.

                                    Credits:

                                    • Recorded, produced, and edited by India Lombardi-Bello
                                    • Digital marketing assistance from Arnesh Kundu
                                    • Music by Cloutmeyer
                                    • Design by Sawyer Rippon
                                    • All opinions belong to the guests and do not represent any other individual or entity
                                    • 1 hr 24 min
                                    • 27: Beauty Marks with Pilar Garcia-Fernandezsesma
                                      Pilar and I contemplate Minnie Mouse's wikiFeet rating.
                                       
                                      Pilar Garcia-Fernandezsesma is a Spanish-American animator, filmmaker, and multidisciplinary artist from New York City. They received a BFA in Film/Animation/Video from the Rhode Island School of Design and are currently based in Brooklyn.
                                       
                                      Her practice encompasses both digital and traditional techniques, typically using an interplay of the two to give a mixed-media feel to her work. Pilar's storytelling often draws inspiration from ecological systems and their symbolic qualities, and uses folk horror, magical realism, and nature to examine the emotional and psychological self through a poetic and metaphorical lens. 
                                       

                                      Get your hands on a Camp Snap Camera for $5 off by using my link! https://www.campsnapphoto.com/INDIALOMBARDIBELLO

                                      Links to points of discussion (will update shortly!):

                                      • Pilar's website
                                      • Pilar's Instagram
                                      • Rhode Island School of Design - RI
                                      • The Animator's Friend on Instagram
                                      • Frog Farm - NYC
                                      • Bouchra screening - NYC
                                      • Adolescence of Utena screening - NYC
                                      • The Animator's Animations
                                      • The Animator's Playlist on Apple Music and Spotify
                                      • The Animator's Favorites
                                      • Amy Kravitz's website
                                      • LaGuardia Arts - NYC
                                      • Peter Millard's website
                                      • Donald Daffy by Peter Millard
                                      • School of Visual Arts (SVA) MFA Visual Narrative - low residency NYC
                                      • Chris Sullivan on Instagram
                                      • Consuming Spirits by Chris Sullivan
                                      • Paper Trail by Don Hertzfeldt
                                      • Steven Subotnick's website
                                      • Pilar on NewGrounds
                                      • The Animator's Friend is hosted by India Lombardi-Bello, an educator based in New York City. In this series, India creates a platform where animators get to talk about themselves outside the context of their work. A questionnaire format, inspired by the 24 frames per second of animation, allows for personal, lighthearted, and unexpected conversation.

                                        Credits:

                                        • Recorded, produced, and edited by India Lombardi-Bello
                                        • Digital marketing assistance from Arnesh Kundu
                                        • Music by Cloutmeyer
                                        • Design by Sawyer Rippon
                                        • Special thanks to Lisa LaBracio, Jose Vargas, Angelica Vergel, Pilar and John Moraskie
                                        • All opinions belong to the guests and do not represent any other individual or entity
                                        • 1 hr 44 min

                                        About The Animator’s Friend

                                        From the publisher's feed

                                        Befriending animators, 24 questions at a time. The Animator’s Friend creates a platform where animators get to talk about themselves outside the context of their work. A questionnaire format, inspired…