Today we put Natalie’s parents in the hot seat! They share embarrassing stories from Natalie’s childhood, what they’ve learned about animated movies, and remind us to change our oil every 2,000 miles. 

Plus, Natalie freaks out when she learns where Alexis got married.

Grab a coffee and join us as we discuss a recent Variety article that poses the question: why doesn't Hollywood respect animation? Alexis and Natalie have surprisingly different views. 

And if you listen to the end, you’ll learn which one of us grew up an award-winning horse rider and which one got a participation award for a mandatory jog-a-thon.

Alexis and Natalie sit down with Virginie Lavallée, an animation and VFX producer and founder of The Happy Producers. She shares her unconventional path from French literature to producing, the origins of her production training courses and what AI means for production management.

So will the AI bots replace us? We discuss what current AI tools can and can't do, the hype versus reality, and why clean data and soft skills remain irreplaceable.

Plus, Virginie inspires us with her latest career pivot! 

The Happy Producer links:
Website: https://www.thehappyproducers.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thehappyproducers/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_happy_producers/
Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/21AeWNzY5QJwWGRMv09JDS?si=01720fd7c6e74d91

AI is everywhere so we should probably talk about it. In this coffee break episode, Alexis and Natalie discuss their fears and curiosity about dipping their toes into this very divisive topic as it pertains to animation production. 

In today’s episode we put Alexis’s parents in the hot seat and ask: what is animation production? Plus we get sage advice on how to deal with assholes at work. 

Plus Alexis and Natalie get really existential about our careers. What does it all mean??

This episode is dedicated to Crookshanks, my dream 🍊 tabby cat. RIP 🧡

What's actually sitting on an animation production desk? Alexis and Natalie compare desk setups, from minimalist workspaces to the surprisingly difficult art of knowing when you've collected too many toys.

Alexis and Natalie welcome therapist Kristine Magat Douglas, LCSW, MPH, to unpack our collective animation production baggage. We dive into burnout, unemployment shame, crying on the job, global stress, work anxiety and more! It’s fun, we swear! Plus: surprising life lessons from Kpop Demon Hunters. 

NOTE: The content of this episode is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical or mental health advice. 

More information about Kristine Magat Douglas at:

https://kristineyourtherapist.com/

Our guest, Elise Scanlan, Production Supervisor at Walt Disney Animation Studios, joins us with stories from her work on many Disney films, including the Oscar nominated Zootopia 2. She also talks to us about her creative side quests including co-producing an animated short and writing romance novels. 

PSA: Production people are creative AF!

Plus, is this the year Alexis and Natalie attend the Annecy Animation Film Festival???

Check out Elise’s books here:

https://elisescanlan.com/books/

This week we’re sharing a mini coffee break episode to discuss our feelings on working while sick (Spoiler: just stay home)

Alexis and Natalie talk to Emily Wilson about her unconventional path to Pixar, the key soft skills in animation production management, and the very serious business of perfecting an alien drink in ELIO. Plus, Alexis reveals the extremely important job she was assigned while catering Pixar’s UP premiere.