Toronto Animation Arts Festival International unveils two-day industry event highlighting talks with Walt Disney Animation Studios, WOW! Unlimited, Skyship Entertainment, and more.
TORONTO -- The Toronto Animation Arts Festival International has announced its keynote speakers for the official TAAFI Industry 2018 event. The two-day conference will offer exclusive talks from top animation artists and content creators who have done work for Walt Disney Animation Studios, WOW! Unlimited, Skyship Entertainment, Netflix, National Film Board of Canada, Nickelodeon, and more. The event will run from November 3 & 4 at Corus Quay in Toronto.
The keynote speakers are as follows:
- Fred Seibert, CEO of Frederator Networks and CCO of WOW! Unlimited
- Jessica Borutski, Supervising Director of Loud House (Jam Filled Entertainment, Nickelodeon)
- Joe Ksander and Kevin R. Adams Directors and Writer of Next Gen (Tangent, Netflix)
- Dan Haskett, veteran animator, and designer (The Little Mermaid, The Simpsons, Batman The Animated Series, Animaniacs)
- Michael Hirsch, CEO of WOW! Unlimited, co-founder of Nelvana Limited, co-founder Cookie Jar Entertainment
- Morghan Fortier, Co-Owner & CEO of Tinman Studios and Skyship Entertainment (Super Science Friends, Super Simple Songs)
“We are proud to provide the animation community with two days of programming consisting of world-class speakers, panels, and industry mixers,” said TAAFI co-founder and chair, Barnabas Wornoff. “This year’s conference is the first of its kind for Toronto as TAAFI continues to focus on bolstering its programming to celebrate animation in Toronto, including our most important asset -- the community of talented artists and creators!”
In addition to the programming, the conference will host The Big Pitch competition and Pitchapalooza, a speed-dating pitch meeting with production executives. This pitching series connects creators with broadcasters and production studios looking for the next break-out hit.
Submission Deadlines:
- The Big Pitch - October 18
- Pitchapalooza - October 16
Limited early bird tickets are available through October 5 on taafi.com, with more speaker announcements and the final program arriving October 18.
Source: Toronto Animation Arts Festival International
