Animation Guild | We are 839 Digital Magazine
Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1475854
FALL 2022 7 E D I T O R ' S N O T E WHITNEY FRIEDLANDER ("A Passion to Paint") is an entertainment journalist who lives in Los Angeles with her husband, son, daughter, and infamously ornery cat. A former staff writer at Los Angeles Times and Variety, she has also written for Esquire, Marie Claire, and The Washington Post, and currently contributes to CNN. Freelance writer and author KAREN BRINER ("Emmy Lookback") grew up in Cape Town, South Africa where her garden was home to wild chameleons. Her most recent novel is Snowize & Snitch: Highly Effective Defective Detectives. SONAIYA KELLEY ("Color Her Unimpressed") is a film reporter at the Los Angeles Times. The Bronx, N.Y., native previously served as a digital producer at Essence and Allure magazines and has contributed bylines to Complex, Mashable and Patch.com. An alumna of Stony Brook University's School of Journalism and the Bronx High School of Science, you can find her on Twitter @sonaiyak and on Instagram @sonaiya_k. L.A.-based photographer TIM SULLENS has one wife, two daughters, and six cameras. Over the years, he has captured images of musicians and performers, political rallies and weddings. In this issue, he snapped "The Long Game." Yes, he was grateful that he worked in an industry that champions creativity and allows him to be artistic, but it's not just about luck as any of our Animation Guild members know. It requires hard work, dedication, and developing your natural talents. As the new film Luck (p.34) explains, luck is random. But the artists and storytellers who worked on the film know that crafting this tale required research, commitment, and skill. You can't control your luck, but you can control how you approach your work and your colleagues. And, indeed, flexibility and a good attitude are among the qualities that ensure a long career in the animation industry. Just ask James Baxter, Shavonne Cherry, and Jennifer Yuh Nelson. These three animation veterans share the secrets of their success in The Long Game (p.20). And, luck played no role in it! As summer ends and fall begins, we celebrate the work of Animation Guild members in time for the Emmy Awards. Contenders for this year's Primetime Outstanding Animated Program talk about what makes their shows unique in Behind the Screen (p.26). We also look at how Miranda Tacchia explored her creative freedom through Post-it notes (p.10), the way Kitty Tomblin's art fuses religion and The Who (p.9), and more. Now, don't get me wrong, appreciating your opportunities whether in your career or life is important. Because at the end of the day it's up to you to take advantage of the chances you are given and make the most of them. That being said, let's all wish for a healthy dose of good luck in our lives! Alexandra Drosu editor@tag839.org WHEN MY HUSBAND ERIC USED TO TELL PEOPLE HE WORKED ON ANIMATED FILMS, THE REACTION WAS ALWAYS ENTHUSIASTIC. PEOPLE WOULD PEPPER HIM WITH QUESTIONS AND CONGRATULATE HIM ON HIS "LUCK" LANDING SUCH A FUN AND COOL JOB. "YOU ARE SO LUCKY!" THEY WOULD SAY. WHO NEEDS LUCK? CONTRIBUTORS