Agora.Community

Ready to hear the origin story for Agora.Community? 💙🙌⁠In the latest episode of our podcast, Alejandra sits down with the one-and-only David Hubert (CEO & Co-Founder at @Agora.studio-mtl )⁠David has over two and a half decades of experience in both the VFX and animation industries. He spent a lot of his early years at DreamWorks working across multiple projects, and moved on to direct at Eidos for "Deus Ex" and "Tomb Raider."⁠Along the way he discovered how remote work could revolutionize the animation industry, which led to the creation of Agora.Studio, and in turn Agora.Community.⁠

In our latest podcast, Alejandra chats with Nicholas Cabana, Founder and Co-Creative Director at Claynosaurz 🦖🦕Nic has helped establish studios like MPC and Rodeo FX (Montreal), and has a long history with visual effects and animation. Recently, he and his team have ventured into uncharted waters with Claynosaurz, reshaping the way original content is created and reimagining IP development.This podcast is perfect for artists developing their own characters and seeking advice on taking them to the next level!

In our next conversation with animation industry professionals, Alejandra sits down with Agora Animation Supervisor, Marco Foglia. Marco has been in the industry for over two decades and has worked on some hit franchises such as Transformers, Planet of the Apes and the Tomb Raider video game reboot. In this episode, Marco and Alejandra discuss leaving the VFX industry, how work from home and the internet completely changed the industry, and how his priorities changed when he became a parent.

The next guest of our podcast is Fernando Herrera. Fernando is an Annie Award winner and VES Award nominee, currently working as a Senior Animator at ILM. In this conversation, Fernando give his perspective on the anti-VFX movement and shares his perspective on what its like to animate for films like Detective Pikachu, Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3, and the hit TV show His Dark Materials. As a first time father, he also talks about how work from home has affected his family.

Agora Animation Supervisor Alejandra Alvarez was lucky to sit down with Virginie Lavallée, a Producer from The Happy Producers. This is definitely an interview not to miss if you've ever wondered what's going on in the production side of things. Virginie answers all the questions we have been wanting to ask a producer. She has a team-centric approach to production. She takes us through how to build trust with a client, how to plan for the unplannable and offers solutions on how to stay within the scope of work agreed upon. A breath of fresh air!If you like to watch this episode, you can do it on the Agora.community website here - https://agora.community/content/virginie-lavallee

We have another fun interview in store for you this month! This time it's with Agora Animator, Valerie Lim. With a decade of experience in the animation industry, Val has worked in both games and feature film, her most recent project being none other than Nimona.In this chat, Val discusses fighting against "grind" culture, the pride of working in an environment that supports representation, along with topics such as burnout and sexual harassment in the workplace. This is a very open and vulnerable conversation, and not to be missed. Get first access right now on our website.

If you've been around the gaming industry for a while, you should have heard of Richard Lico. Richard is an Annie Award-nominated Animator having worked at Bungie, Polyarc, and teaching online with iAnimate, along with his own set of tutorials through his website Animation Sherpa.In our latest interview with Agora.studio’s Animation Supervisor, Alejandra Alvarez, Richard discusses the transformative impact of AI in gaming compared to motion capture's early days, strategies for navigating industry volatility, including avoiding layoffs, and the evolving recognition and education of game animation.

Ere Santos is an Animation Supervisor at Walt Disney Animation Studios, ex-Pixar animator, Instructor at Animation Mentor, and TEDx Speaker. He and Alejandra dive into a variety of topics, including what it was like working on Across the Spiderverse, the future of AI in the animation industry, and more!⁠

If you missed our live Q&A with the animation supervisors of Love, Death & Robots Season 3 episode, Jibaro, you can catch up here! Some great questions are asked about the time that went into reference vs animating, was any mocap used and how long did it take to finish the facial animation? Don't miss our next live stream, and follow us on Twitch. https://www.twitch.tv/agoracommunity/Also, check out Agora.Community for daily content, free rigs, and assets, and order an animation review from one of our industry experts:https://www.agora.communityThanks for listening!

In this conversation, Brent and Jacob catch up with Tomáš Jech, indie game developer and co-founder of Studio Tandemi. Tomáš is currently developing the spooky, top-down, co-op game, Begone Beast (link below). In this chat the gang discuss Tomáš' rocky beginnings as a pixar intern, through to animating at studios such as Riot and Blizzard, and the current state of being a game developer. You can learn more about Begone Beast at https//www.begonebeast.comAlso, check out Agora.Community for daily content, free rigs, and assets, and order an animation review from one of our industry experts:https://www.agora.communityThanks for listening!

Pierre Perifel, Director of The Bad Guys, joins us again for a deep dive into the making of the fil and talks about creating the style of the film, developing the characters and answer questions from the fans!Also, check out Agora.Community for daily content, free rigs, and assets, and order an animation review from one of our industry experts:https://www.agora.communityThanks for listening!

Get ready to meet video game actor, Shawn Baichoo. Shawn has provided a large amount of work for Assassin's Creed II from motion-capture work to voice acting, as well as starring as Antonio Maffei in Assassin's Creed: Lineage. Other games inShawn’s CV include the Watch Dogs series, Outlast, Far Cry. In this conversation we chat about Shawn's career in both film and video games, the differences between the both of them, overcoming doubt and finishing off with a Q&A from the chat!Also, check out Agora.Community for daily content, free rigs, and assets, and order an animation review from one of our industry experts:https://www.agora.communityThanks for listening!

In our conversation with Aaron Gilman, CEO of Steamroller Studios, the gang speak on some great topics like leadership in animation, not taking things to heart as an artist and answer some questions from the chat.Also, check out Agora.Community for daily content, free rigs, and assets, and order an animation review from one of our industry experts:https://www.agora.communityThanks for listening!

In this episode of our ‘A Conversation With’ series, David and Brent catch up with video game actor, Amber Goldfarb. In this chat the gang cover topics such as recognizing predators in positions of power, overcoming self-doubt as an artist and what life is like as an actor in video games!Also, check out Agora.Community for daily content, free rigs, and assets, and order an animation review from one of our industry experts:https://www.agora.communityThanks for listening!

In this 'A Conversation With', we’re catching up with Dony Permedi! Dony is currently Animation Director with Nickelodeon. HOWEVER, you most likely know Dony from the 2006 animated short film KIWI. (Yes, we are shedding a tear as well). Dony was the mastermind behind this touching short film that won Youtube’s ‘Most Adorable Film’ in their first Annual Youtube Video Awards, going on to receive widespread media attention. In this conversation, we’ll talk to Dony about the short film, how it’s helped him grow his career to where he is today, and how creating personal projects could potentially do the same for you!Also, check out Agora.Community for daily content, free rigs, and assets, and order an animation review from one of our industry experts:https://www.agora.communityThanks for listening!

Our next guest on our ‘A Conversation With’ series is Mary DeMarle. Mary is the Executive Narrative Director of Eidos Montreal. She's recently finished up on the Guardians Of The Galaxy Video Game and helped introduce a new generation of gamers to some of the industry's most amazing franchises. We’ll be having a chat with Mary about her 20 years of experience working as a writer in video games, how to stay true to an already established franchise, and how to create games with a deep, engaging narrative that keep you playing for hours!Also, check out Agora.Community for daily content, free rigs, and assets, and order an animation review from one of our industry experts:https://www.agora.communityThanks for listening!

If you're considering kickstarting your career in animation and want to know more about animation schools, this is a stream not to miss! We'll be hanging out with industry veteran Wayne Gilbert, current Head Of Animation at VanArts, Vancouver BC. Even if you're in the industry, this is one not to miss! Wayne has worked on some amazing franchises throughout his career such as Star Wars, The Mummy, and Jurassic Park.Also, check out Agora.Community for daily content, free rigs, and assets, and order an animation review from one of our industry experts:https://www.agora.communityThanks for listening!

In this live event, we'll be caught up with Emile Ghorayeb, Animation Director at MPC. Emile is taking time out of his busy schedule on Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts to chat with us about his career spanning over 20 years working on some amazing projects such as the Shrek and Transformers franchises, the epic Avengers: Endgame, and his time in video games working on Halo 3 and Batman: Arkham Origins.Also, check out Agora.Community for daily content, free rigs, and assets, and order an animation review from one of our industry experts:https://www.agora.communityThanks for listening!

In this ‘A Conversation With’ we’re hanging out with Stephanie Desforges, Cinematic Director at Ubisoft, Montreal. Stephanie started her career in games in 2004 working as an animator on trailers and cinematics. Her most recent project is Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla, directing over 16 hours of design content, directing mocap shoots, and establishing pipeline tools and guidelines to ensure a smooth process across the department.In this conversation, we’ll talk about her progression in the games industry, her learnings when it comes to directing cinematics, and her personal experiences in the gaming industry.Also, check out Agora.Community for daily content, free rigs, and assets, and order an animation review from one of our industry experts:https://www.agora.communityThanks for listening!

Khai Nguyen has been working as a professional artist for pretty much forever! He started his career as a 2D Animator on projects such as All Dogs Go To heaven II and Space Jam. In the early 2000’s he transitioned into Video Games where he has pretty stayed ever since, working as a senior concept artist and now Art Director/Animation Director.In this conversation, we’ll be discussing his beginnings and moving from animating into a different position in a different industry, moving up the professional ladder in video games, and the current state and the future of video games.Also, check out Agora.Community for daily content, free rigs, and assets, and order an animation review from one of our industry experts:https://www.agora.communityThanks for listening!

Films and Game development can go for a LONG time! It can be hard to keep perspective and motivation. Steve talks about how to keep perspective when working on a project that might not be as well-received as the team would hope!

Working in games is a huge task and can be quite a stressful environment. Steve doesn't lie in this clip when he talks about his experiences in the stress of making a video game.

The team talks about what happens when things suck and you're beginning to lack motivation. A topic that often comes up in our conversations. This is the take from an audio director!

A lot of the time, we get an idea in our head that has to be the way we want something to be. However, it's important to remain open to other possibilities. Steve shares his experiences on this.

In this clip Steve talks about the importance of team chemistry and why getting along with your team helps you get through the day and how it can help you grow!

Steve gets asked where do you even begin to learn scoring for games and film. Some great tips in here for anyone musically inclined and want to navigate their career in this direction.

We have an amazing first on our ‘A Conversation With’ series to kick off the New Year. It’s the first time we’ve had an audio director on the show! Steve Szczepkowski is a Senior/Executive Audio Director with 20 years of experience working in the film and gaming industries. Steve has just finished being Senior Audio Director for Marvel’s recent Guardians Of The Galaxy Video Game. In this stream, we’ll cover Steve’s broad history of creating different styles of music to suit the needs of a project, how to communicate between departments to achieve the best outcome, and the awesome work that went into staying faithful to the 80’s inspired Guardians Of The Galaxy lore.Also, check out Agora.Community for daily content, free rigs, and assets, and order an animation review from one of our industry experts:https://www.agora.communityThanks for listening!

A lot of people get taught to block in stepped, but a question was asked about when do you block in spline? In this clip, Leif talks about when he'll block in stepped vs. when he'll block in spline.

In our Q&A, Leif gets asked if it's difficult to get into Disney...a very tough question to answer indeed, but if this is your dream studio, it might be best to have a listen to this clip!

If you want your posing and animation to shine, you have to exaggerate the emotion. But what does this mean? Leif talks about one of the best pieces of advice he ever got when it came to animating.

Reference is something that should be in every animator's toolbelt. In our conversation with Leif Jeffers, the team did a deep dive into reference footage. In this clip, Leif talks about analysing reference and getting the most out of it.

Leif gets asked just how long it would take to animate a 10-second shot. It really depends on the shot, but then he and the gang go over what the animation expectancy is per week on a feature film.

Once upon a time, if Leif was animating a super cartoony shot, he'd try to capture that in his reference, but he soon discovered that it's better to just find the truth of the motion. He goes into more detail in this clip.

When in a studio, how exactly should you present your blocking to your director, and do they need to see your reference? Leif covers over when he thinks his blocking is suitable to present and when or if he shows any reference he has shot.

Catch up on this week's conversation with Leif Jeffers, Senior Animator at Disney. In this conversation, David, brent and Leif chat about his experiences working across multiple studios, how he handles reference footage and a Q & A from the audience. Also, check out Agora.Community for daily content, free rigs, and assets, and order an animation review from one of our industry experts:https://www.agora.communityThanks for listening!

In this amusing clip, Mark talks about his first opportunity to pitch an idea to Nickelodeon and its epic failure!

It's no doubt that streaming has disrupted the film and television industry. After more than 20 years of working in cartoons, Mark shares his thoughts on the disruption!

In this clip from our chat with Mark Thornton, he talks about Total Drama Island and what goes on behind how much it costs for cartoons to get made, the bias of networks, and why shows might not get picked up. Very interesting to listen to!

If you're interested in pitching your idea to a studio or network, Mark was asked a very good question about when does the topic of money come into it? Should you have costs figured out beforehand and bring it up in the pitch?

Mark spoke about how NOT TO pitch your idea to a network, but here are his thoughts on good ways TO pitch!

In this 'A Conversation With' episode, we are hanging out with Mark Thornton. Mark has over 20 years of experience working in the 2D Episodic format.He has worked with hit shows and companies such as “Total Drama Island”, DHX Media & Brown Bag Films. From studying classical animation at Sheridan College, Mark has worked his way from being a key clean-up artist to animator, and director, and eventually co-founding Neptoon Studios. as a way to create his own I.P. for greenlighting and getting out into the world.

We've all done it. Now that we are working from home, those pajama bottoms can stay on for a little bit longer as you check your work emails. Wrong! Daniel gives some very important advice that he received about why if you are working from home, you should still get dressed like you're on your way in to the studio.

Did you know once upon a time, close-up edits in a film weren't really a thing? They were discovered by accident. In this clip from our conversation with Daniel Gies, he talks about our brain and what we need to perceive, and how we are starting to achieve that in our media.

The gang feels like we haven't quite found the right place for VR to be a part of our everyday lives. In their conversation with Daniel Gies, they touch on why, and where we are probably missing some opportunities.

It's always important to hear where other people find their sources of inspiration. It helps us think of new ways that we can inspire ourselves. This is where award-winning film maker, Daniel Gies finds his inspiration!

Daniel and the team share their insights on why a hybrid workplace is most likely the future of the industry. Most specifically why being back in a studio is so important.

Where does Daniel find his motivation to keep plowing through when things get overwhelming? Have a listen and find out!

Even people who go off on their own to create a studio and make award-winning films get imposter syndrome! This is Daniel's experience!

In our next "A Conversation With" let's meet Daniel Gies! Daniel is an amazingly talented self-taught artist. He has created tutorials for Pluralsight (Digital Tutors), teaching the techniques in the Adobe Creative Suite that have made him stand out so much amongst other artists. In 2012 Daniel co-founded e.d.films , an animation and film production studio based in Montreal.Also, check out Agora.Community for daily content, free rigs, and assets, and order an animation review from one of our industry experts:https://www.agora.communityThanks for listening!

Everyone feels the old Imposter Syndrome, even supervisors. David asks Thomas about his experience of imposter syndrome as a supervisor at Dreamworks.