Welcome to another SLAE episode. These episodes were recorded at The Salt Lake Animation Expo in March of 2024. We interviewed Expo Speakers and others who were involved with the expo. A special thanks to Jordyn Curly for allowing us to do this.

In this episode, Will and Kathryn sat down with, Julian Curi, also known as Righteous Robot, a filmmaker and animator specializing in a unique papercut animation style. Julian shares his story of how his short film "Gruff" came to life, from its inception to its completion over nearly three years. He discusses the challenges and benefits of working across various film departments, and the serendipitous birth of his animation style during the pandemic. Julian opens up about his experience with crowdfunding, detailing how a viral TikTok video in December 2022 led to an overwhelming response and support from viewers, enabling him to meet his $25,000 funding goal in just a month. He also touches on the importance of transparency in client work and how he navigates the complexities of budgeting and estimating time for his animation projects.

Join us for an inspiring and informative discussion on creativity, the power of social media, and the journey of bringing a unique artistic vision to life.

Learn more about Righteous Robot here: https://www.righteousrobot.com/
Watch the Film Gruff: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5p4s4k3eB_I

If you have a topic or question you’d like us to cover, ⁠you can submit it to http://www.openpixelstudios.com/podquestion⁠⁠ ⁠⁠

Learn more about this podcast here⁠⁠: https://www.openpixelstudios.com/behindthepixel

⁠⁠EMedia⁠⁠ produces the podcast in Easthampton, MA.

Produced by Jackson Foote and Will Colón

Written and Created by:

Will Colón: https://www.linkedin.com/in/willmcolon/

Kathryn Taccone: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathryntaccone/