Animation Guild | We are 839 Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1203639
SPRING 2020 17 D E PA R T M E N T GET TO KNOW JUPEY Hailing from Minnesota, Jupey moved to Los Angeles in 2002 and within weeks landed a job at The Animation Guild. He has a passion for design, creating positive characters and playing video games (when he has the time). He has proudly served the TAG community for 18 years. JUPEY KRUSHO, FACILITIES MANAGER T H E L O C A L SPRING 2020 17 TELL US A LIT TLE BIT ABOUT YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES NOW AND WHAT YOU DO AT THE GUILD. In 2002, I started as a receptionist, then moved to administrative assistant and now I'm performing duties under two job titles: Facilities Manager and Admin Assistant. Overall, I'm responsible for making sure that the building (inside and out) meets the needs of the people that work in it. TELL US A LIT TLE ABOUT YOUR BACKGROUND. I grew up in small towns in Minnesota where I was the only black kid. I was a nerd trapped in a jock's body so I was just as happy watching Saturday morning cartoons as I was wrestling or playing football. I attended Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, MN and was majoring in Physical Therapy, minoring in Art. After a few years I realized I was sick of being in sports year-round and just wanted to focus on art so I transferred to MCAD (Minneapolis College of Art & Design) and received a BFA in Media: Animation. TELL US MORE ABOUT YOUR COMPANY, JUPEY KRUSHO. I started JUPEY KRUSHO (jupeykrusho.com) in 2008 right after doing freelance for a string of bad clients. I was fed up with wasting my time on projects I had no passion for but freelance paid well so I had to make a crucial life decision—Good money plus unfulfillment or live modestly and wake up excited to create my own concepts. I vowed I would only do creative work for myself. I create character IPs in various age ranges, but they all are born from a place of pain, suffering or negativity. "Turn negatives into positives" is one of my company's main themes and the creation of the company itself follows this concept. I created one of my first characters "Memo Me the Loving Lion" after a dear friend was diagnosed with cancer and was unable to hug her toddler due to the chemo treatment. Buying a 'get well' card didn't seem sincere enough so I made my own. Someone saw the card and asked if there were more. One week later there were seven more. Soon people began to ask if there were more cards or other items. This pushed me to create activity books, comic books, stickers, pins, plush and other items of the character. Now the character has over 40 items, but it all began as a single card to lift the spirits of a friend. ANYTHING ELSE YOU WANT TO SHARE WITH THE MEMBERSHIP? I just want to thank the members (many whom I call friends and creative colleagues) for motivating me to keep creating. EXPRESS SCRIPTS The newly designed Express Scripts app lets you easily manage prescription needs. Find a preferred pharmacy, refill your prescriptions, check your order status and access your ID card. IATSE SAFETY APP The IATSE Safety Info Reporting App allows one to report harassment on a job. You can call the hotline or use the dropdown menu in the app and select "harassment" as your topic. MPIPHP Created for the Motion Picture Industry Pension & Health Plans, the app is designed to provide a quick guide: learn about health and retirement benefits, pay for health coverage premiums, calculate retirement benefits and view ID cards. Register your account at MPIPHP.org before signing in on the app. OPTUM MYLIVEANDWORKWELL This app can help you find answers. Use it to learn about your EAP services, find providers and get authorizations— anytime, anywhere. You can even connect with an EAP specialist instantly via the click-to-call and chat features. VANGUARD Use the app to manage your 401K account activity (monitor performance, view account statements and messages) and stay informed (use the portfolio analysis tool, track market index trends, research investments, view and share the latest news). UNION PLUS APP Union members get access to thousands of discounts on everything from pizza and the zoo to movie tickets and oil changes! You'll receive notifications about nearby offers, instant in-store discounts at nearby restaurants and retailers, and more. MEMBERS-ONLY: If you aren't registered for Union Plus Entertainment Discounts, please go to www.union-plus.org/entertainment-discounts and sign up. WHAT'S APP-ENING!