Tell us a little about yourself and your career.
Hi! I’m Sully, and I am an artist based in Los Angeles. I work predominantly in animation as a Visual Development Artist and Designer. I’ve also worked in video games and editorial illustration.
I graduated from the University of Southern California’s animation program. I started my career in animation as a Production Assistant at Starburns Industries. There, I met Peter Chung and was eventually transferred to be his personal assistant on one of his developing projects. After that, Starburns Industries staffed me as an artist on many of their animated shows for several years. I then branched out to work for a variety of different studios on several projects. It’s been a fun ride, and I’ve met so many wonderful and talented people along the way!
What challenges have you faced in navigating a career in animation?
Probably the obvious one is finding consistent work, especially during these past few years. You really do have to hustle to keep refining your skills and promote yourself whether you’re staffed on something or not.
Who are your inspirations in the field of animation?
Some of the artists in animation I admire include: Milt Kahl, Robert Valley, Chris Sasaki, Khang Le, Cory Loftis, and Peter Chung. However, I think it’s really important to also find inspiration outside the field of animation. If you reference things that only come from animation, things can start to feel redundant and boring. You need to find things out of that sphere to keep it fresh. Whether that be from fine art, live-action movies, sports, dance, music, travel, or other life experiences.
Go outside, go to museums, get outside your comfort zone, fall in love, feel heartbreak, and observe the world around you. All of these things will give you more to draw from and feed you as an artist both consciously and unconsciously.
What do you hope to accomplish as an artist in the animation industry?
I have aspirations to art direct for projects, as well as work as a Visual Development Artist in feature animation and other larger budget projects. I like the challenge of exploring new thing and learning from others. Most importantly, I want to work on meaningful projects with talented people.
What does being in the Union mean to you?
I am grateful to be part of our Union and for the people who invest time and effort to improve it. It’s the people who make up the animation industry’s success, and I feel our Union is a great representation of that. We are stronger for the Union—their representation and advocacy, community and solidarity. Thanks to the Union, with a greater quality of life we can make greater quality art.
Learn more about Sully on his website.
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