Jim Richardson

Meet Jim Richardson

2D Animator (Disney, Warner Bros)
Jim Richardson

About Jim

About Jim

Mentor of 2D Animation

Jim has worked in various animation roles on commercials, film, TV, and games, as well as teaching 2D Animation. He runs a YouTube channel called Animateducated which features interviews with animators, authors, artists and other creative folks, past and present. He continues to happily teach animation online while working at CG Spectrum.

  

Jim's work

Credits include Scooby-Doo! Curse of the Lake Monster, Medal of Honor: Allied Assault, Medal of Honor: Frontline,  and Tiny Toon Adventures,  to name a few.

Jim Richardson demo reel

Q&A with Jim

Which city are you currently based in?

Burbank, California, USA

What did your pathway into the industry look like?

I studied at Columbia College in Chicago where I won a student academy award for my student film Cat & Rat. I freelanced in Chicago in animation, working on  commercials and as an Art Director at Leo Burnett USA. I also assisted with animation on Warner Bros' Tiny Toons, Tazmania and Animaniacs. I also started teaching 2D animation at Columbia.

Eventually I moved to Portland to work on the first M&M commercial in CG. While I was there for 5 years, I animated both 3D and 2D projects as well as teaching.

I moved to California to EA Games on the Medal of Honor games, learned some magic at the Hollywood Magic Castle, worked on a few feature projects at Rhythm and Hues and eventually began to teach more at Woodbury University in Burbank.

What has been the best experience of your career so far?

Working with other creative people, not just in production, but in education as well.

What's your advice for your students?

Learn as much as you can and figure out what you enjoy doing. Ask questions, get answers, make contact with others. You will always be learning something new and while you are doing all this, make some short films to show people your storytelling and artistic skills.

Learn animation from industry pros

What do you enjoy most about being a CG Spectrum mentor?

Helping people see what they can do in animation and to gain a critical eye.

How do you stay creative outside of work?

I have a YouTube channel called Animateducated. Recently I added clips of animated commercials I have collected, but there are a lot of interviews with directors, producers, animators and other creative folks. Subscribe if you like what you see or learned something new!

What excites you most about the future of animation?

Animation is a powerful medium that can get a message across to anyone who can view it in an entertaining or educational way.

Learn more about Jim's experience or connect with him on LinkedIn.

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