In anticipation of the Made in New York: Best of NYC Indie Animation showcase and panel at Metrograph this Saturday (9/13/25, 5pm), I had the opportunity to speak with Signe Baumane and Debra Solomon about the screening, making it in NYC, and 417 Hz YouTube videos.

Just as New York has long been the capital of America’s artistically ambitious “Second Cinema,” a scrappy foil to the Los Angelino industry of streamlined entertainment, it is also home to a counter-tradition of independent animation that has nothing to do with what happens out there in Burbank at the House of the Mouse. Two abundantly talented stalwarts of the NYC animation scene, Bill Plympton and Signe Baumane, have teamed to assemble a program of some of the finest (and most outrageous) work to emerge from artists living and working in the Big Apple, and will be coming to Metrograph to introduce a one-of-a-kind evening of stubbornly individualistic toons, with a number of the participating filmmakers also present. Not the sort of stuff you’re likely to catch on Saturday morning, kids!

“What makes NYC indie animators so special? Sense of timing. As we scurry from place to place trying to avoid gawking tourists, hungry rats and drag racing vehicles we internalize the sense of adventure and fast pacing, and we bring it to our work. This program showcases just a sliver of the best NYC indie animation: some of the films are Oscar winners, others are made by animation newcomers, but they all share the sense of wonder, adventure and perfect NYC timing to make you laugh, cry and be entertained.” —Signe Baumane

Post-screening panel discussion with Chris Wedge, Bill Plympton, Chris Conforti, Lisa LaBracio, Anna Samo, Patrick Smith, Peter Ahern, Alex Budovsky, Candy Kugel, Marilyn Kraemer, Signe Baumane, Debra Solomon, and Morgan Miller on Saturday, September 13th.

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The Animator's Friend is hosted by India Lombardi-Bello, an animation educator based 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 lighthearted and unexpected conversation.

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Nayon and I met on a grueling hike in the French alps after a revelrous week at Annecy International Animation Festival, bonding us in a unique way.  I can say for myself, she saw my most bratty, unvarnished self within only hours of meeting, which I can't say for most people! Hear us reminisce.

Nayon Cho is an animation director and artist born in Seoul, based in New York. She uses a technique which combines drawings, photographs, cel and computer animation. Experimenting with timing and abstraction in 2D narratives, her works explore themes of gender dynamics and social conditioning.

Upon graduating from Rhode Island School of Design with a BFA in Film/Animation/Video, her short films and commissioned works have screened internationally in film festivals, like Ottawa International Animation Film Festival, Pictoplasma, Kaboom Animation Festival, and more. Recently her commissioned piece, “Peekaboo,” made for Hulu IDs won a Webby Award for Craft-Best Use of Animation.

She is seeking to collaborate on story-driven projects, she is available for work directing, animating & consulting opportunities.

Links to points of discussion:

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.

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We're at the drive-in this week for the Hudson Valley Film Festival's 10th Anniversary!  There's no doubt how much this fest loves animation, and they invited me and my friend Kristie Kish to interview selected animators including Ryan Castrillo, Michael McGoldrick, John Quinn, Zac Max, and friends of the pod Arnesh Kundu, Michael Dondero, and Shengnan Dong.  We were also honored to be part of Laura Faith's Filmmakers Journey discussion.

The Hudson Valley Film Festival is a grassroots arts fest run by local creatives, featuring a curated and diverse selection of independent, short films screened at the Warwick Drive-In Movie Theater, located only 55 miles from NYC. The festival is in its 10th year and aims to showcase and celebrate independent filmmakers and their films. The festival supports and celebrates indie filmmaking, culture, community, and the local arts scene within the Hudson Valley…and beyond.

To my animator friends: do not miss the chance to submit your work for year 11!  The festival lived up to it's promise of taking us into the beyond with their celestial selections, cosmic connections, and a suspiciously well-timed supernova on opening night!

Links to points of discussion:

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.

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Tala really knows what it means to live life creatively! She blurs the boundaries between her art practice and personal life to lead an existence that feels like a work of art in and of itself. You can experience this rapturous reality by attending one of her many retreats, workshops, and community events! Join her orbit: @talaschlossberg.

Tala Rae Schlossberg is an American experimental artist known for her distinct animated style, original voice and inventive storytelling. Her animation practice merges rhythm, wordplay, and systems of logic to construct entirely new ways of seeing. Schlossberg’s distinctive visual language—at once ironic, pastoral, and incisively original—reimagines the relationship between image, meaning, and motion.

Links to points of discussion:

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.

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Cynthia and I are passionate about being able to communicate with cockroaches one day, but for now, we'll have to settle on talking to eachother. Listen to us in our middle-of-the-night post-lasagna daze, spiraling over roller-coasters, ghosts, and crystals.

Cynthia Chu is a 2D illustrator and cel animator originally from NYC. Her style goes between painterly and moody to silly and simple. Past Clients include Nickelodeon, SONY, Girl Rising, STARZ, MTV, and Court TV.  She is available for freelance Color Design, BG Paint, and 2D Cel Animation.

Links to points of discussion:

The Animator's Friend is hosted by India Lombardi-Bello, an animation educator at the School of Visual Arts 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 lighthearted and unexpected conversation.

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We are live-to-tape at the 2025 Annecy International Animation Festival!  Take a pew with me and my friend Barnaby Catterall (who I met at Annecy 8 years ago!) as we chat with Animation Talent Picnic attendees about how well they tan, what animal would play them in a Better Man type biopic of their life, and what they have or have not yet seen at the festival this year.

Links to points of discussion:

The Animator's Friend is hosted by India Lombardi-Bello, an animation educator at the School of Visual Arts 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 lighthearted and unexpected conversation.

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In the interest of making new friends while attending Animafest Zagreb this year, I hung out at the festival picnic to record some impromptu conversations. This feels especially meaningful since Animafest is where I got the idea for the podcast this time last year! I was graciously joined by Sawyer Rippon, designer of the TAF logo, to chat with some new buds about Animafest's programming, frogs, and the beauty of the animation community with guests.

Links to points of discussion:

The Animator's Friend is hosted by India Lombardi-Bello, an animation educator at the School of Visual Arts 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 lighthearted and unexpected conversation.

Credits:

Listen to my chat with my two favorite Annecy Achievers Michael Dondero and Shengnan Dong, whose film Nostril has been programmed into Annecy International Animation Festivals 2025's WTF Block!  If you are going to Annecy, book your ticket for one of the WTF blocks ASAP or rush day of!

Links to points of discussion:

The Animator's Friend is hosted by India Lombardi-Bello, an animation educator at the School of Visual Arts 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 lighthearted and unexpected conversation.

Credits:

Two episodes in one month!? Don't get used to it!... yet.

Brent Sievers was in NYC a few weeks ago to receive a Webby for his show The Land of Boggs, becoming the podcast's first Angelino; allaying any blind East Coast/West Coast allegiances with his holistic perspective on the bites, the vibes, and the views.

Links to points of discussion:

The Animator's Friend is hosted by India Lombardi-Bello, an animation educator at the School of Visual Arts 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 lighthearted and unexpected conversation.

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The Animator's Friend reaches Unc Status by having Jasper Lin on the show. In our chat, Jasper does everything in his power to get us both canceled by crowning me the Joe Rogan of Animation, starting animation beef with Oscar winners, and attempting to settle multiple disputes with me on mic. 

Jasper is an animator, computer artist, and educator. His work ranges from narrative short films to experimental video and sound pieces, but his interdisciplinary background and DIY work ethic have led him to fill a wide variety of roles in production, design, and academia.  Jasper received an MFA in Computer Art from the School of Visual Arts in 2011 and is an Assistant Professor of Digital Art and Design at Queensborough Community College.  His most recent film The Misprint is now available to stream on Youtube.

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