The animators discuss how independent paths brought them together at Phil Tippet’s studio and how their mutual trust prompted them to launch their own business - together.
Check out Terry Ibele’s Animation Industry Podcast featuring a new podcast every week focusing on the stories of today’s animation professionals - how they got to where they are and what they learned along the way. Now home to 220 episodes, the podcasts cover all areas of the industry, including storyboarding, writing, animating, directing, visual development, and game design. Guests have included returning guest Aaron Augenblick; the notorious JJ Villard; Spike & Mike’s Spike Decker; Disney Director John Musker; Sony Lead Animator Humberto Rosa; Frederator’s Fred Seibert; Tumble Leaf’s Scarlet Nelson; and many others from major animation studios all over the world.
Podcast EP 220: David Lauer & Ri Crawford On How They Formed ‘Mystery Meat Media’ Stop-Motion Studio
This episode features stop-motion studio Mystery Meat Media founders David Lauer and Ri Crawford, who have produced projects like Nickelodeon's Toymation Nation, The Moon’s Milk, and the stop-motion sequence from I’m a Virgo. In this chat, the duo shares how independent career paths brought them together at Phil Tippet’s studio and subsequently launched a studio together. They also touch on how they book a steady stream of business.
Tune in to Ibele, Crawford, and Lauer to hear:
- The two types of clients who want stop-motion work.
- How their mutual trust prompted them to launch their studio.
- The secret behind booking consistent clients and work.
Ibele has begun to publish the interviews as videos as well – you can find previous interviews here!
You can also read AWN's recent article about Mystery Meat's work on I'm a Virgo here.
Social Links:
- Follow Crawford on Instagram
- Check out Crawford’s work on Vimeo
- Follow Lauer on Instagram
- Check out Mystery Meat Media’s website
- Follow Mystery Meat Media on Instagram
Ibele, himself a stop-motion animator (see AWN’s Fresh Takes piece on his whimsical short, The Silly Duck Wizard), deftly digs into all manner of topics, encouraging interviewees to share insights and opinions on a wide range of topics like pitching shows, marketing your work online, key skills studios look for when they bring on talent in storyboarding, vizdev, character design, and animation.
In 2018, Ibele, who lives in Toronto, decided to quit his career as a Marketer and pursue his love for animation. Since then, he’s become well known for his viral animation productions, which include the previously mentioned Silly Duck Wizard, which is how A.W.N. first came to know him and his work.
Learn more about Ibele’s work and podcast by visiting terryibele.com. You can find all The Animation Podcast episodes on his Soundcloud site: https://soundcloud.com/animation-podcast.
Debbie Diamond Sarto is news editor at Animation World Network.
