This Month's Contributors

Note: Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending an e-mail to editor@awn.com.

Leslie Bishko is an independent computer animator and Director of the Computer Animation Program at VanArts. Her experimental film Gasping for Air (1993) has screened extensively in the U.S., Canada and Europe. She has published articles in Animation Journal, fps magazine and is on the board of directors for ASIFA Canada.

Lee Dannacher is an animation producer/sound track director of over 300 half hours of television films, as well as numerous network and video holiday specials. Currently based in New York, she is freelancing in audio, project development and new media productions.

Rick DeMott is the Associate Editor of Animation World Magazine. Previously, he served as Media Coordinator for Hollywood-based Acme Filmworks. He holds a BA in Film/Video from Penn State University with a Minor in Comparative Literature.

Maureen Furniss, Ph.D., is Assistant Professor and Program Director of Film Studies at Chapman University in Orange, California. She is the founding editor of Animation Journal and the author of Art in Motion: Animation Aesthetics (John Libbey, 1998).

Martin "Dr. Toon" Goodman is a longtime student and fan of animation. He lives in Anderson, Indiana.

Heikki Jokinen is a freelance critic and journalist based in Helsinki, Finland. He specializes in comics, short film and animation. He is chairman of the Finnish Art Critics' Association and the former president of ASIFA Nordic, the ASIFA regional body for the five Nordic and three Baltic countries.

Heather Kenyon is editor in chief of Animation World Magazine.

Jacquie Kubin, a Washington, DC-based freelance journalist, enjoys writing about the electronic entertainment and edutainment mediums, including the Internet. She is a frequent contributor to the Washington Times and Krause Publication magazines. She has won the 1998 Certificate of Award granted by the Metropolitan Area Mass Media Committee of the American Association of University Women.

Mike Lyons is a Long Island-based freelance writer who has written over 100 articles on film and animation. His work has appeared in Cinefantastique, Animato! and The Disney Magazine.

Bob Miller is an animation professional who has written extensively about the industry for Starlog, Comics Scene, Animation Magazine, Animato!, Animation Planet, Comics Buyer’s Guide and APATOONS. He served on the first season of Courage, the Cowardly Dog as storyboard supervisor and is currently working at Film Roman storyboarding episodes of The Simpsons.

Andrew Osmond is a freelance writer specializing in fantasy media and animation.

Christopher J. Robinson is Executive Director of the Ottawa International Animation Festival and the founder and director of SAFO, the Ottawa International Student Animation Festival. In his spare time, he is, much to the chagrin of those involved, a board member of ASIFA-Canada. Robinson has curated many film programs, served on a variety of juries, and has written articles on animation for Animation World Magazine, Fps, Animato, Take One, and Plateau. He is currently working on a book about the history of Estonian animation as well as a biography of the great hockey player, Ted Lindsay. Go figure.

Will Ryan is the producer of The Wubbulous World of Dr. Suess for which he received an Emmy Awards nomination. Ryan’s other honors include a Screen Writers Guild nomination for The Road To Ka-Larry. As a composer, Ryan has written lyrics and songs that have been recorded by Patti LaBelle and The Pointer Sisters.

Dan Sarto is an accomplished "hack" technologist and Chief Operating Officer of Animation World Network.

Sharon Schatz is a writer for a popular children’s television Web site and is also a freelance writer based in Los Angeles.

Laura Schiff is a freelance journalist and screenwriter. Previously, Schiff sold animation art for Hanna-Barbera Cartoons. Her work has been published in Animefantastique, Creative Screenwriting, People, Mademoiselle and Seventeen.

F. Rank Shaughnessy is a senior fellow with the Brinckloe Institute and is a frequent lecturer on new media. His book Behind the Meaning of Semiotics (Carswell Press) will be published in Fall 2000.

Gregory Singer is working toward an M.F.A. in Producing at Chapman University, in Orange, California. He is also the assistant editor of the Animation Journal, a peer-reviewed scholarly publication devoted to animation history and theory.

Joseph Szadkowski writes on various aspects of popular culture and is a columnist for The Washington Times.

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue, "Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing." His drawing manuals and video tapes may now be purchased in the Animation World Store.

Paul Younghusband is editor-in-chief of Visual Magic Magazine, a publication focusing on the 3-D graphics and digital effects industries.