Tell us a little about yourself and your career.
I’m Nic Parris. Pause for dramatic effect… I’m originally from Hampton Roads, Va,, so yeah, from one coast to the other. I currently live in the Burbank area. I attended The Art Institute of California in Santa Monica which is what brought me to the area. I’ve been in the industry going on 15 years. Man, I’m getting old! I’m seeing some grays in my headshot.
I started as a Flash animator making webtoons for YouTube for smaller studios. Later, I realized I wanted to be more of a storyteller, so I switched over to storyboard artist and character designer. I’ve worked for companies such as Warner Bros., DreamWorks TV, Nickelodeon, and Nelvana on the shows Teen Titans Go!, Trolls: The Beat Goes On!, The Casagrandes, The Loud House, and Zokie of Planet Ruby. I’m also working on some development stuff for Nickelodeon. In my spare time I’m still drawing and even made an e-book called Let’s Learn Some Storyboarding to help anyone who wants to learn the basics of storyboarding.
What challenges have you faced in navigating a career in animation?
During my time in the smaller studios, I would have to say the biggest challenge was having to wear multiple hats to get a project done. I was directing, character designing, character rigging, storyboarding, background designing, compositing, animating, and heck, even doing IT work! Some other bigger challenges during my career were getting laid off, working without pay, and being let go from a gig. I like telling people this to show that even though things may not go according to plan, you can always pick yourself up and keep working toward your goals. So, if you’re getting discouraged from not getting a gig after doing multiple tests, or your show is suddenly cancelled and you’re let go, take a moment, it’s only natural, pick yourself up, and keep moving forward. From my experience, working hard and not letting things keep you down has paid off.
Who are your inspirations in the field of animation?
I’m one of those people who’s been drawing and watching cartoons since I was a kid. So, I was always getting inspired watching Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, Disney, Fox Kids, WB Kids, and basically anything animated and kid-friendly. I think a few artists that still inspire me to this day are Craig McCracken, Genndy Tartakovsky, and Jorge R. Gutiérrez.
Anime was and still is an inspiration, as well. It does some awesome fight sequences! My style doesn’t reflect it as much as it used to. I used to draw anime-style characters all the time. It wasn’t until one of my professors, Hayz Cruz, told me I draw anime well enough, but finding a job with that style would be challenging, so I went back to the drawing board and reworked my art style. I feel like if it wasn’t for that moment, my style wouldn’t be where it is today. I know things have changed and anime style can get you gigs now, but I’m happy where I ended up. Also, every show I’ve worked on leaks into my style, as well, so that’s another source of inspiration.
What do you hope to accomplish as an artist in the animation industry?
So far, I’ve accomplished quite a few items on my list of things I wanted to accomplish. Like doing art and animation professionally for a living, getting into a big studio, seeing my name in the credits of a televised animated show, and even getting a free professional Comic-Con badge. Which I still haven’t gone to … thanks Covid. My next goal is to become a director or any position higher than my current one. My end game is to become a showrunner or be a creator of an animated show and see “Created by Nic Parris” on the screen at least once in my life.
What does being in the Union mean to you?
I started in small non-union studios, so I wasn’t aware of how much I was being overworked and getting way underpaid. Now of course not all small studios are bad, but when I received my first offer for a Union job, I nearly fell off my office chair. Since then I just feel more secure knowing people in the Union are fighting for artists to receive fair wages and health benefits, and are trying their best to get things better for quality of living. So for me at least, being part of the Union means stability, fairness, and support.
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