Tell us a little about yourself and your career.
Hi, I’m Amish! I’m a first-generation Indian-American storyboard artist and director from Huntington Beach, California. In seventh grade, I realized I could put my MS Paint drawings in PowerPoint. While googling PowerPoint animation techniques, I stumbled across the Flash animation community. Soon, animating consumed all my free time. Despite this, I never even imagined myself working in animation until 2001. The Pixar website had just added a section called “Artist’s Corner,” and it featured an interview with Sanjay Patel. I would keep visiting the page just to see his name. I couldn’t believe an Indian person was working in animation!
At 17, I finally admitted to myself that animation was a dream I wanted to pursue. The decision was unpopular with my parents and also the animation schools I applied to. Despite my enthusiasm, I had a lot to learn to be at the same level as my peers. I began attending community college as well as taking classes in Burbank. Eventually, I transferred to Cal State Fullerton and graduated in 2016. It still feels surreal to say, but my first job in animation was as a revisionist on one of my favorite shows, Steven Universe. The mentorship I received from the Steven Universe crew is something I’ll forever be grateful for. After a season, I got promoted into a Board Artist position.
Once the show ended, I started to work on Craig of the Creek. Craig was also such a wonderful experience. It’s where I felt I really began to find myself as an artist. The crew was so supportive, and the biggest highlight was being able to write and board an episode about my grandma. After boarding the episode, I was offered the opportunity to be an Episode Director at Netflix on Boons and Curses, a South Asian action-adventure show. It was the first time I had worked with other South Asians, and there are so many more of us in the industry than I imagined! Although the project was ultimately shelved, the year I spent working taught me so much. After Boons, I became a Character Layout Artist on #1 Happy Family USA at A24. Many of the people in the layout department were Craig of the Creek alumni, so it was a joy to reunite with them to learn about the adult animation pipeline. Currently I am freelancing as a Storyboard Artist at Warner Bros. but will be back on the job hunt soon!
What challenges have you faced in navigating a career in animation?
So many challenges come to mind. However, the one I’m currently learning to overcome is the shortening of episode orders. From my experience, the first season of shows can often be chaotic and stressful. It’s understandable since everyone is still learning the shows needs. But as an artist, to constantly be working on shows in that stage is difficult. I think as an individual, too, you’re learning about your co-workers and how you mesh with them. It’s really satisfying to learn a show so well that you can proactively avoid notes, easily throw in jokes, and just be really efficient. There’s also the added stress of always having to be on the lookout for your next gig. I’ve worked with people who have to dip in and out of the industry because they’re unable to build savings. I feel fortunate to have started in a time where working at the same studio for five years was normal.
Who are your inspirations in the field of animation?
My co-workers are my biggest inspirations! You’re typically facing the same constraints, and I am constantly impressed at the quality of work everyone does given the challenges. To name a few folks: Maya Petersen is an amazing artist. We started at the same time on Steven Universe, and she continues to get better and better. Recently, I’ve noticed how good her acting is, and it pushes me to keep up. Chris Pianka, my first board partner, is so good at dreaming up worlds you want to get lost in. I sometimes get bogged down by technical details when drawing. In those situations, I often look at the work of Kris Mukai and Tiffany Ford. Both are artists who can channel 100% pure fun into their drawings. I remember on Craig of the Creek, being in a character design brainstorm with Tiffany, and she just kept pumping out the funniest designs. I secretly would get mad when they weren’t used, they were so good. Rhea Dadoo, who also directed on Boons, is able to board with some sense of magic that immediately gets me invested in whatever story she’s telling. Amanda Lodge, who I worked with at A24, has incredible show ideas that are unlike anything I’ve heard before. Jeff Liu and Nick Winn are both artists whose talent crosses disciplines. Their work has a sense of freedom that I also want to achieve!
Of course there are also big names in animation that I look up to, but in terms of inspiring me to create art, friends are unmatched. I can easily get stuck imagining what it would be like to have my own project at a studio, then be bogged down by all the challenges and barriers standing in the way. When I see my friend right next to me make something, I can’t help but want to create, too.
What do you hope to accomplish as an artist in the animation industry?
One of the goals Ben Levin and Matt Burnett had for Craig of the Creek was to tell stories from our childhood we never saw represented on TV. It’s stuck with me ever since. My grandma was homesick when she immigrated to America. I would fantasize about taking her on an adventure to cheer her up. I pitched that memory as an episode premise to the show, and I felt so lucky to bring it to life with such an amazing crew. When the episode aired, I had a number of fans comment on how it resonated with them. It was scary to put something so personal out into the world but cool to see it embraced. I would love to tell more stories you don’t often see.
Similarly, one of the goals Jay Hasrajani had for Boons and Curses was to open the door for the next generation of South Asian artists. I’ve met a number of extremely talented students who are struggling to break in. I am happy to see more interesting and cool South Asian characters appear on screen. However, that shift isn’t always represented in the crew. There have been times where I’ve been the sole South Asian person on a production and had to act as an unofficial cultural consultant. It’s stressful; it feels like if the show gets anything wrong you’ll be singled out in the credits as someone who gave their stamp of approval. I’d love to leave the industry knowing that the next generation doesn’t face the same hurdles many of us still do.
What does being in the Union mean to you?
I owe the Union so much! When I couldn’t get into art school 15 years ago, I started taking classes at the Union. The classes were really affordable. To whoever set up AAI, thank you. This was back at the old brick building in North Hollywood. I remember walking in the first time and feeling like a career in animation was possible. I was a teenager at the time. Since then, I’ve seen the Union continually grow stronger.
The biggest gain I’ve seen in recent years is solidarity. People are fired up to advocate for themselves and their co-workers! I feel like outside of the annual holiday party, people used to be less tapped into the Union. Now, there’s so many people my age or younger that I can ask Union questions. It’s just really cool to see, and I have a lot of hope for the future!
Learn more about Amish at his website.
Follow him on Instagram.
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