Hi all :3
My names Kestin, I'm 19, a New Zealander and currently nearing then end of my first year of Classical Animation at the Freelance Animation School (and loving it so much!). I'm also a lesbian and have been curious for quite a while about whether if theres alot of other GLBT people in the animation industry.
Whilst I don't believe it's a major thing or 'need to know' (most people I've met in the industry are awesome people and wouldn't care if you were polka-dotted) I wouldn't mind knowing some more people in the industry who are.
One of my career goals (though a good ten years away) is to make animated television shows and films that are aimed at an audience of 10-16 yr olds which have various GLBT characters in them where that aspect of themselves isn't neccessarily the driving plot point (the Simpsons already has had numerous queer characters in it so its not too much of a long shot, and many anime has gay characters also) I hope to just provide an accurate portrayal of us to an audience who often get little information on the subject. I would especially like to address transgenderism as that can be one of the most confusing things for a child to go through and is often very hard for young people to get information on or even know the name for it. (i.e: an animated version of Mon Vie En Rose?)
Well thank-you for reading, any feedback will be greatly appreciated :)
Best wishes from New Zealand and me! XD
"When you make your mark on the world, watch out for guys with big erasers." -- :rolleyes:
I'll step up and answer this first because -
1: I'm from Oz, and have been an ACON volunteer on several occasions even though I am
2: a male "breeder"/het, though in the art world/media world that really means nothing, however
3: You must bear in mind the sitch here in South Pacific is diff for Canada, USA and UK.
That being said...
Having worked in comics professionally (for all the major companies), let me say comics is a closely-related issue and industry to animation. And in comics, well, sadly it is a very gender/race/age bigotted business. Being a white het male, you would not believe the crap I saw/overheard being a "trusted white lad who sleeps with women".
When it was clear I was friends with people "outside my own demographic", things "changed". Even with companies that claimed to be "queer friendly". The bastards were happy so SELL to queerfolk, take their consumer dollars, but be cool with queerfolk? cool with people cool with queer folk?
HELL NO. That went for people standing against chauvinism and racism too.
I doubt, considering the "family oriented" jist of over 90% of animation companies and individuals seeking to sell their toons at MIPCOM and other places, they will "be out of the closet". It's rare. They have nothing to gain and everything to lose, especially with crapheads like Tony Abbot and Debnam here in Oz doing the fundi Family First "Rah Rah" bit. Generally, people in animation (Ken and Phacker and Ape will correct me if I am wrong) only directly admit queerness once they have "made their mark", such as Mr. Owen did afater Harvey Krumpet won an Oscar a while back (he even tanked his Partner, but there was no mention of his queer status BEFORE the film was finished, at least not in any way that would affect his getting nominated for the Academy Awards - which is bigotted against animation anyway - he played it safe).
Once it was all over, diff story.
Like Krikfalusi (creator of Ren and Stimpy; you are young, young enough to be my daughter; you probably don't know that when Krik "came out" he suffered "troubles").
So yes, they are out there (pun intended).
But no, they don't advertise until after they make the grade, and with- sadly - good reason.
In essence, yes, they are there, but many tims they are just "quiet" and entering into things like tropfest.
enough of an answer for ya?
with that, good to see a Kiwi woman whom prefers women having a go at this industry. I wish you the best.
[I]I'll work 10 hours a day for $350.
Andreas does the photoshop posters for Paramount, gets $700 per day at 7 hours plus an hour off for lunch.
You do the math as to which is a better deal.[/I]
Thank-you very much for your informative reply :3 I'll certainly be keeping what you have said in mind and it will help me in the future.
I was a little surprised however that there is that much negativety in the comics industry, especially since there are quite alot of GBLT characters in the comics.
All this however makes me even more determined to change things in the world through animation! I've dreamed of making animated films since I was ten or so and it has never changed. I realize that USA would be the hardest place to market any one of these themes to young audiences but I think NZ and OZ would be willing to air them as well as many of the European countries... at the very least, I hope things will have changed alot in the next ten years and this concept won't be unthinkable to even the American TV networks.
Oh well, we'll just have to wait and see... thank-you again for your reply :D I really appreciate it.
"When you make your mark on the world, watch out for guys with big erasers." -- :rolleyes:
http://kestinstewart.deviantart.com/
John K came out? When? Last I remember hearing something on the subject, he was vigorously denying being gay and was being defended by the normal gang of John K. supporters and co-workers.
There are quite a few gay people in the animation industry. I think a sadder note is that there are so few women in the animation industry. At least in the art side of the business.
Aloha,
the Ape
...we must all face a choice, between what is right... and what is easy."