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Podcast EP116: Stop-Motion Animator Max Winston on Running an Independent Studio

Famed for ‘I Live in the Woods,’ the artist shares the journey that led to launching his own company, RatBat Studios.

Take a moment to head over to Terry Ibele’s Animation Industry Podcast, home now to 116 in-depth interviews he’s done with a very cool selection of artists from animation and related industries. With a new podcast every week, Ibele is dedicated to sharing the stories of today’s animation professionals - how they got to where they are, and what they learned along the way.  Episodes cover all areas of the industry, including storyboarding, writing, animating, directing, visual development, game design, and more. Guests have included the notorious JJ Villard, Spike & Mike’s Spike Decker, Disney Director John Musker, Sony Lead Animator Humberto Rosa, Cuphead’s Tina Nowracki, Frederator’s Fred Seibert, Tumble Leaf’s Scarlet Nelson, and many others from major animation studios all over the world.

His most recent interview is Episode 116: Stop Motion Animator Max Winston on Running an Independent Studio

This episode features stop-motion animator Max Winston (of I Live in the Woods fame) who shares the journey that led to launching his own independent studio, RatBat Studios.

Tune in to Ibele and Winston to hear:

  • How he landed clients like Cartoon Network
  • Three tricks that have improved his animation performance
  • What it took to emotionally leave his steady job and go independent

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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 AWN first came to know him and his work.

Learn more about Ibele’s work and podcast by visiting www.terryibele.com. You can find all The Animation Podcast episodes on his Soundcloud site: https://soundcloud.com/animation-podcast.

Dan Sarto's picture

Dan Sarto is Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network.