Hey all you “Little Mermaid” fans out there. Be sure and
keep Thursday, May 21st open.
Why For? Because ASIFA-Hollywood will be staging a “Little
Mermaid” 20th reunion event at Woodbury University that evening. And among the
animation luminaries who are expected to be on hand that evening will be Ruben
Aquino, Andreas Deja, Mark Henn, Gary Trousdale and Tina Price.
What’s that you say? “Who’s Tina Price?” You’re kidding,
right?
I mean, how can you not know Tina Price? She’s that 30-year
vet of the animation industry who actually began her career out in Don Bluth’s
garage, inbetweening and painting cels for “Banjo the Woodpile Cat.” Tina’s also one of the co-founders of the computer
animation department of Disney Feature Animation. And did I mention that Ms.
Price did visual development on every Disney animated feature from “Hercules”
to “Treasure Planet” ?
But all of that pales in comparison to what Tina did after
she left the Mouse House back in 2006. This was back when Disney had decided to
get out of the hand-drawn animation business. Ms. Price -– through her sharp
business acumen and drive — created, designed and launched the Creative Talent
Network. Which is the online community for experienced animators, illustrators,
designers, production artists and other creatives to “stay connected”
and market their talents.
Starting with just 4 members, CTN has quickly grown over the
past 4 years to the point that it is now home to over 330 artists and
animators. Each of which now has an online portfolio and storefront that
possible clients and fans can review. More importantly, these animation professionals now have an online
resource that allows them to stay connected.
(First row, l to r) Steve Gordon, Doug Krohn, Reuben Aquino, Barry Cook, Tony DeRosa
and (second row, l to r) Dan Hansen, Jay Jackson, Mark Henn, Tina Price
and Phil Nibblelink at a 1986 computer graphics workshop for WDFA employees
Mind you, not everyone can join the Creative Talent Network.
Truth be told, CTN is an exclusive network of top animation industry talent. To
meet its admission criteria, you must first have three feature film credits OR
your work published 3 times in book form OR be a full-time teacher in the
animation or art related field and it is an honor to be accepted.
But – that said – Tina is also determined to be inclusive.
To make industry outreach a crucial part of Creative Talent Network’s mission.
Which is why CTN will be staging its first-ever CTN Animation Expo (CTN-X)
November 20th – 22nd.
This 3 day-long event – which will be held at the Burbank Airport
Marriott Hotel & Convention Center – during which Burbank will declare to
be officially “animation
week,” CTN-X will be something that
both animation students & professionals just can not miss out on. A weekend
of inspiration and opportunities with round table discussions, business
symposiums, guest speakers as well as major studios right on site recruiting
talent for upcoming projects. Not to mention hundreds of networking
opportunities with some of the best talent in the business.
Trust me, folks. Tina’s a legend in this industry. She’s got
some great stories to tell (which is one of the main reasons that you should
definitely attend next month’s “Little Mermaid” reunion events at Woodbury
College). More to the point, Ms. Price is the powerhouse behind CTN. An
organization that’s really made a difference in a lot of artists’ lives over
the past five years.
So if you’re an industry vet or someone who’s just getting
started in animation, you’re really going to want to be in Burbank this coming
November. When top professionals from both the traditional and digital
animation world will come together for the first-ever CTN Animation Expo.