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After his training at Dreamworks, Thomas went straight into crunch time! Davis asks him how he recognised his burnout. This is helpful if you think you might be going through the same thing.

Physics at school was boring, right? Well, have a listen to David, Brent and Thomas as they discuss why knowing some of these basic principles are super important to know as an animator!

In this clip, Thomas shares one of the things that helped him the most in becoming a better animator.

Thomas gets asked a big question of how do you keep your motivation after a big crunch and you don't get any time off after the project?

Thomas was a supervisor on How To Train Your Dragon 3, and during our Q & A he gets asked how exactly DO you animate a four-winged dragon when there's no real reference?

You might recognize our next guest on 'A Conversation With'. He’s one of our Agora Experts! Thomas Grummt has been working in animation for 15 years, and has been an Animator and Supervising Animator at DreamWorks Animation for the past 10 years. He just completed work on the upcoming adventure "The Croods: A New Age", and recently worked on the critically acclaimed "How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World" as Supervisor of the Light Fury dragon. In this sit-down, we’ll chat about the longevity of staying in a studio, traditional vs. online schools, and honing your craft to be able to teach others.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 clip, J.F. discusses an exhibit he created for the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. If you want some ideas on how to create immersive experiences for groups, have a listen to this!

After watching J.F.'s crowdfunding campaign trailer of an elderly man experiencing a location he wished he'd always visited through VR, J.F. recalls how the gentleman was having a bad day, and how the V.R. experience impacted his few remaining days on earth.

J.F. recounts a very personal experience of when he left Ubisoft to find purpose in his life and career that didn't just revolve around a salary. Such an important thing to consider when things in life might seem off-balance.

In this clip, J.F. talks about how he was given a lot of responsibility at an early age and how it had an effect on his life. Have a listen if you find yourself in the same position and what you might need to adjust to make things a lot more manageable as a leader.

Salary isn't the most important thing when it comes to accepting a job offer. Brent gives his thoughts on what you should be really be looking for in a job when considering multiple offers.

J.F.'s career revolves around Virtual Reality and using it to aid in mental health practices for aged care. In our chat, J.F. gets asked where he sees the future of V.R. when it comes to more medical practices.

JF Malouin, is a digital artist and entrepreneur. He has shown his work (mostly VR) all over the world, including Montreal, New York, Sao Paulo and Seoul. He has also spent 15 years, as an artist and managing creative teams. JF is the founder of Super Splendide, which creates immersive virtual reality to bring nature, beauty, and culture to those who are unable to reach them. In this conversation, we will discuss what created his passion to bring immersive experiences to the masses, the journey starting a company, and where he sees the future of VR heading!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!

Leo talks about his first project experience of being part of a studio that all of a sudden gets shut down!

More insight from another pro about the pros and cons about working in a studio vs. working remotely!

In this clip from our conversation with Leo, he gets asked if there's any advice he can give to animators to make the life of a character modeller a lot easier!

Starting a studio from scratch is a very difficult thing to do. It requires a lot of commitment and a lot of hours. Leo discusses his journey in starting a business and David also brings up some of his own discoveries when running a studio.

When Leo first started his career, he wanted to be an animator. However, his path took a turn into character artist. It isn't that he quit the idea, but he followed his interests, and ended up where he is now. He also gives his advice on what he takes from learning animation that helps him with his character design.

It didn't take Leo long to get promoted within his studio. In this clip, Davis asks how it was possible, and Leo gives his answer...which might not be as complicated as you think!

In this ‘A Conversation With’, we are sitting down with Leo Sanchez. With twenty years of experience in the 3D Animation Industry, Leo Sanchez is a renowned reference in Character Modelling and a name consistently associated with some of the most successful productions of recent years. Having worked across Disney and Dreamworks on films such as Bolt, Tangled, and How To Train Your Dragon 2, Leo formed his own studio in which all disciplines such as Look Dev, Rigging, and Animation would be tightly brought together contributing to a much more solid character development practice. Leo Sanchez Studio has now contributed to productions such as How To Train Your Dragon 3, Croods 2, Larrikins, Angry Birds, and plenty more!In this chat, we discuss character modeling and development in the industry, Leo’s decision to form his own studio, and the benefits and challenges that came along with it!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!

Ravi was asked about what goes through his mind when he's planning a shot, and one of the first things he said is he thinks not so much about workflow, but mindset. He explains more in this clip!

Have you ever watched the Annies and ever wondered how exactly someone gets their work recognised enough to be nominated? Ravi talks about his experience of being nominated and what it takes.

Ever wondered what an Animation Supervisor does? Ravi talks about his experiences of being an Anim Supe with Dreamworks and the different roles it entails.

David asks Ravi if he ever gets unmotivated and what does he do to overcome this feeling? Yes, even dome of the greatest animators get unmotivated!

The planning stage is one of the most important parts of animating. In this clip, Ravi breaks down his planning for animating his shots.

Ravi is well known for creating for some amazingly cartoony animation. In this clip, Ravi talks about moving forward, breaking rigs, and cheating animation and causing possible issues in the rest of the pipeline, or do you adjust your planning?

In this “A Conversation With” episode, we are catching up with Ravi Kamble, supervising animator at Dreamworks. But, you may have also seen his face around the Agora.community website as Ravi is one of the Agora Experts ready to take on your reviews. Ravi started his professional career in 2007 and has worked in several countries including Spain, UK, India and China. In 2014, Ravi was nominated for an Annie Award for his Lead Character Animator performance on “Penquins Of Madagascar”In this conversation, we’ll be discussing the importance of having a diverse range of experiences, the journey to an Annie Award nomination and adjusting to life in different countries.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!

Peter sure hopes that directors can direct their own stories! He's trying to do that at the moment. In this clip, Peter answers a question from the chat and gives insight on what you need to know if you want to tell stories and direct them.

Peter gets asked what some of his favorite books on learning Directing and Story Telling are. If you want to learn from where the masters learn, listen to this clip and get these books!

Peter gets asked a question from the chat about how a lot of big-name directors seem to start in their early 20's. But is it possible for someone entering their 40's to do make it big as well?

Peter gets asked a question from the chat about how a lot of big-name directors seem to start in their early 20's. But is it possible for someone entering their 40's to do make it big as well?

In this clip from our conversation with Into The Spiderverse director, Peter Ramsey, he talks about the experience of discovering just what exactly was possible when it came to creating the art style of the film.

In this clip, Peter talks about his experiences when it comes to directing animators, and how to create moments that would come naturally if directing live actors.

Peter Ramsey has worked on many, many movies over his career. In this clip he talks about how to hook an audience to keep them engaged and wanting more.

Are your Spidey-Senses tingling? Ours are! We are sitting down with the Director of Into The Spiderverse and Executive Producer of Across The Spiderverse, Peter Ramsey!But don't get us wrong, Peter has worked on so many more amazing films and projects across his 30+ year career starting as an illustrator/board artist and working his way through to producing some of the most amazing work of our time!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 the Q&A section of our conversation with Justin Rasch, he was asked about the differences between planning for stop motion vs. CGI. He goes on to talk about how he approaches each style of animation.

Working in stop motion can create a very different connection you have with the characters you move. In this clip, Justin talks about such an interesting concept and it could help you stand out among the rest of your peers!

The team talk with Justin Rasch about his ability to capture such physical reference footage and the benefits of maintaining some form of physical activity in your life.

It's not uncommon for artists in the industry to be a lead one moment, and then go back to being an animator the next. If you've ever seen this happen, there's usually a good reason for it!

In this clip, Justin Rasch gives some very honest advice for anyone aspiring to become a stop motion animator. This advice can be applied to all sorts of artistic disciplines!

Justin's life changed when he started posting his work across social media. In this clip, he talks about how in this day and age, artists don't need studios to make a living anymore! It may be a tougher road, but listening to Justin's enthusiasm, one can't help but wonder if this is the right path for them as well.

In this conversation, we are sitting down with Justin Rasch, an animator of many talents. From trying to find any nuggets of information he could in magazines like Cinefex, Starlog, and Fangoria to being completely blown away by the very first Jurassic Park film, Justin has built a career in CG animation and is a stop motion extraordinaire having worked at Laika.He’s currently residing as a Director and Senior Cinematic Animator at Blizzard, and has a raving social media presence and YouTube Channel. We’ll be chatting about the multiple disciplines of animation and their differences, what you can learn from different styles of animation, and building an online presence.If you'd like to watch this episode you can find it here.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!

There is a certain toll, a certain cost, of being an ambassador of diversity. Osama is no stranger to this and discusses his experience in this clip from our conversation with him.

There's a lot more bias going on when it comes to hiring than you might think. In this clip, Osama and Brent discuss their thoughts, and Osama tells of a shocking experiment that was held when auditioning Orchestra musicians.

Osama and Brent talk about how important it is to attend conferences and lectures outside of your scope of practice. Even if you learn 10% of something new, it will have a major impact on your career!

To expand upon expanding your horizons, Osama and Brent discuss how you should learn a little bit of every department so that you can contribute to the greater good of the project. Trust us, it will make you a rockstar!

It's important to always be open to new opportunities in your career, especially if what you're currently doing is feeling stagnant. listen to this clip if you need a boost of motivation to take a step in a new direction!

Brent and Osama discuss the way that games can be used as tools for teaching empathy and understanding across different cultures.

Osama talks about his own experience of learning that his hobby was something that could be a viable career path.

In this conversation, we are sitting down with Osama Dorias. Osama is currently the Lead Game Designer at WB Games Montreal. With nearly 15 years of experience within the games industry in Montreal, Osama loves empowering people in expressing themselves through game making. A natural-born leader, a living incarnation of hugs and fueled by tea (his words) Osama has hosted game jams, workshops, and other community-based events which eventually lead to the co-founding of the Montreal Independent Games Festival. In our chat, we’ll discuss such topics as what makes great level design, the culture in the gaming industry, and the importance of creating community.If you'd like to watch this episode you can find it here.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!