November 20th, 2019 - Janet Benn (Daria, Courage, TMNT and MORE!)
Artist talks are back at AniMAtic Boston and we’ve got an incredible speaker to start things off...
If you're an animation fan, there’s a pretty good chance you’ve seen something that Janet Benn has worked on! Benn is a talented and prolific animator and filmmaker born and raised in MA. After receiving her MFA at Yale, Benn started out at The Hubley Studio. From there she went on to work with countless projects, including “Beavis and Butt-head,” “Daria,” “Courage the Cowardly Dog” and “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” doing everything from animation to layout to storyboarding and so much more. Join us on Wednesday, November 20 to meet Janet Benn, hear all about her whirlwind career, and go behind the scenes of some of her most interesting projects!
Doors open at 7pm, talk starts at 7:30pm
FREE and open to all, with a suggested donation of $5. This event is in the mezzanine, where beer, wine and snacks are available (there is also a cafe downstairs)
If you're an animation fan, there’s a pretty good chance you’ve seen something that Janet Benn has worked on! Benn is a talented and prolific animator and filmmaker born and raised in MA. After receiving her MFA at Yale, Benn started out at The Hubley Studio. From there she went on to work with countless projects, including “Beavis and Butt-head,” “Daria,” “Courage the Cowardly Dog” and “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” doing everything from animation to layout to storyboarding and so much more. Join us on Wednesday, November 20 to meet Janet Benn, hear all about her whirlwind career, and go behind the scenes of some of her most interesting projects!
Doors open at 7pm, talk starts at 7:30pm
FREE and open to all, with a suggested donation of $5. This event is in the mezzanine, where beer, wine and snacks are available (there is also a cafe downstairs)
November 12th, 2019 - Animation Trivia!
Join us on Tuesday, November 12th for ANIMATION TRIVIA NIGHT!
If you’ve ever gone to pub trivia and thought “I wish all these questions related to animation in some way” then this is the event for you! Even if you’ve never thought that, you’ll still have fun. Compete by yourself or with a team of friends and win prizes for your knowledge of all things animated.
The event is FREE and will be held at the Armory in Somerville where beer, wine, coffee and food are offered. Doors open at 7pm, trivia starts at 7:30pm.
If you’ve ever gone to pub trivia and thought “I wish all these questions related to animation in some way” then this is the event for you! Even if you’ve never thought that, you’ll still have fun. Compete by yourself or with a team of friends and win prizes for your knowledge of all things animated.
The event is FREE and will be held at the Armory in Somerville where beer, wine, coffee and food are offered. Doors open at 7pm, trivia starts at 7:30pm.
October 16th, 2019 - The MAST Film Festival - Meet the Filmmakers!
You've seen the films, now meet the talented students and alumni behind them!
It can be easy to forget that animation students perform an incredible feat: creating fully-realized short films for little to no budget, all while attending a full schedule of classes and managing all the other challenges and distractions of college life. On the evening of October 16th, join us for a chance to chat with many of the creators of your favorite films from MAST, where we'll explore their artistic journeys and discuss those challenges, as well as the inspirations behind the films and what lessons they learned while making them.
Admission is FREE! Doors open at 7pm, panel starts at 7:30pm.
The Armory has a cash bar with snacks and beverages available, and some parking spots, with nearby street parking as well.
It can be easy to forget that animation students perform an incredible feat: creating fully-realized short films for little to no budget, all while attending a full schedule of classes and managing all the other challenges and distractions of college life. On the evening of October 16th, join us for a chance to chat with many of the creators of your favorite films from MAST, where we'll explore their artistic journeys and discuss those challenges, as well as the inspirations behind the films and what lessons they learned while making them.
Admission is FREE! Doors open at 7pm, panel starts at 7:30pm.
The Armory has a cash bar with snacks and beverages available, and some parking spots, with nearby street parking as well.
October 5th, 2019 - The MAST Film Festival Presented by Planet Nutshell
On the evening of Saturday October 5th, join us to check out some of the best student films that Massachusetts has to offer! Come see the impressive work from up-and-coming local artists representing MassArt, Montserrat, Lesley, Northeastern, SMFA, and Hampshire, and help vote for the winning filmmaker, who will go home with a $200 prize!
Big thanks to our official sponsor, Planet Nutshell, for helping us present this amazing event!
Admission is FREE, and in addition to the films, we'll have an amazing raffle - bring your student ID for extra raffle tickets.
The Armory has a cash bar with snacks and beverages available, and some parking spots, with nearby street parking as well.
See you then!
Big thanks to our official sponsor, Planet Nutshell, for helping us present this amazing event!
Admission is FREE, and in addition to the films, we'll have an amazing raffle - bring your student ID for extra raffle tickets.
The Armory has a cash bar with snacks and beverages available, and some parking spots, with nearby street parking as well.
See you then!
August 29th, 2019 - AniMAtic Boston and Weird Local Film Festival Presents First or Worst
Weird Local Film Festival and AniMAtic Boston are TEAMING UP for an unforgettable summer night.
No artist is a genius from day one, and even artists who start out strong are bound to make embarrassing missteps along the way. To celebrate these awkward-but-necessary creative growing pains, AB and WLFF have invited a group of brave animators and live-action filmmakers to show off their first films, and/or their worst films, to you, our loving (and hopefully forgiving) Boston film and animation community.
On Thursday, August 29th, gaze upon our childhood camcorder creations, our overly-ambitious freshman films, and some just plain bad ideas. Let’s all relive our artistic puberty together.
Event starts at 7pm, films start at 7:30pm
Free and open to all, with a suggested donation of $5. Free parking is located behind The Armory.
This event will be held in the cafe where beer, wine and a full menu of sandwiches, salads and snacks are available.
No artist is a genius from day one, and even artists who start out strong are bound to make embarrassing missteps along the way. To celebrate these awkward-but-necessary creative growing pains, AB and WLFF have invited a group of brave animators and live-action filmmakers to show off their first films, and/or their worst films, to you, our loving (and hopefully forgiving) Boston film and animation community.
On Thursday, August 29th, gaze upon our childhood camcorder creations, our overly-ambitious freshman films, and some just plain bad ideas. Let’s all relive our artistic puberty together.
Event starts at 7pm, films start at 7:30pm
Free and open to all, with a suggested donation of $5. Free parking is located behind The Armory.
This event will be held in the cafe where beer, wine and a full menu of sandwiches, salads and snacks are available.
June 11th, 2019 -The Animated World of Kirk Wallace
Hello Boston-area animators and artists! The final event of our spring season is coming up and our special guest is sure to help us close out strong.
Kirk Wallace is an animator, illustrator and designer, and the creative force behind BoneHaüs, his commercial freelance creative studio. Kirk’s dynamic and appealing design sense has landed him work with big clients like Facebook, Uber and MailChimp, creating unique campaigns that take animation beyond just video and into the world of gifs, stickers, interactive maps and more. Kirk’s independent work as an artist and filmmaker, often starring his “paraphysical manifestation” Skülly, also takes digital art and animation to new heights. Kirk values sharing the behind-the-scenes of creating work and collaborating with other artists, so we hope you join us for a talk that promises to be both inspiring and transparent.
Event starts at 7pm, talk starts at 7:30pm
Free and open to all, with a suggested donation of $5. Free parking is located behind The Armory.
This event will be held in the cafe where beer, wine and a full menu of sandwiches, salads and snacks are available.
Kirk Wallace is an animator, illustrator and designer, and the creative force behind BoneHaüs, his commercial freelance creative studio. Kirk’s dynamic and appealing design sense has landed him work with big clients like Facebook, Uber and MailChimp, creating unique campaigns that take animation beyond just video and into the world of gifs, stickers, interactive maps and more. Kirk’s independent work as an artist and filmmaker, often starring his “paraphysical manifestation” Skülly, also takes digital art and animation to new heights. Kirk values sharing the behind-the-scenes of creating work and collaborating with other artists, so we hope you join us for a talk that promises to be both inspiring and transparent.
Event starts at 7pm, talk starts at 7:30pm
Free and open to all, with a suggested donation of $5. Free parking is located behind The Armory.
This event will be held in the cafe where beer, wine and a full menu of sandwiches, salads and snacks are available.
May 15th, 2019 - Visual Effects Animation - Featuring Team Zero
Hi Boston-area animators and artists! We’ve got a special event coming up that’s sure to have an inspiring effect on you!
Visual effects are a big part of the entertainment industry, with lots of animators contributing their talents. ZERO VFX in Boston is responsible for bringing so many scenes to the next level, in films like Creed II and The Equalizer II, as well as commercials for brands like Toyota and Progressive. We’re lucky enough to be joined by some of the talented team members from ZERO VFX, including 3D Animator Alex Falcon, Production Coordinator Meagan Darcy, and Compositor Stephen Schmidt. They’ll talk in-depth about the process of creating visual effects, what it’s like to work in that industry, and how animation plays a role throughout. Plus they’ll probably show some cool videos of explosions.
Event begins at 7pm, talk starts at 7:30pm
Free and open to all, with a suggested donation of $5. Free parking is located behind The Armory.
This event will be held in the cafe where beer, wine and a full menu of sandwiches, salads and snacks are available.
Visual effects are a big part of the entertainment industry, with lots of animators contributing their talents. ZERO VFX in Boston is responsible for bringing so many scenes to the next level, in films like Creed II and The Equalizer II, as well as commercials for brands like Toyota and Progressive. We’re lucky enough to be joined by some of the talented team members from ZERO VFX, including 3D Animator Alex Falcon, Production Coordinator Meagan Darcy, and Compositor Stephen Schmidt. They’ll talk in-depth about the process of creating visual effects, what it’s like to work in that industry, and how animation plays a role throughout. Plus they’ll probably show some cool videos of explosions.
Event begins at 7pm, talk starts at 7:30pm
Free and open to all, with a suggested donation of $5. Free parking is located behind The Armory.
This event will be held in the cafe where beer, wine and a full menu of sandwiches, salads and snacks are available.
April 10th, 2019 - Lindsay & Alex Small-Butera Return!
Beloved Boston animation community, we’ve got an event coming up that certainly means a lot to us!
Lindsay and Alex Small-Butera were our first EVER AniMAtic Boston guests. Back in 2015, their energetic and inspiring appearance was a big part of what helped our little group soar from the get-go. Since then, as we've continued to grow, Lindsay and Alex have continued to create incredible work locally and around the country, while remaining an important and active part of the Boston animation fabric. We are beyond thrilled to welcome the Small-Buteras back to the AniMAtic stage to talk about everything they’ve been working on, including their Emmy-winning work on Adventure Time, and their upcoming indie game Later Alligator. Don’t miss what’s sure to be a night of inspiration and honesty with these talented artists!
Doors open at 7:00pm, talk starts at 7:30pm
Open to all, with a suggested donation of $5. This event is in the mezzanine, where beer, wine and snacks are available. There is also a cafe downstairs.
Lindsay and Alex Small-Butera were our first EVER AniMAtic Boston guests. Back in 2015, their energetic and inspiring appearance was a big part of what helped our little group soar from the get-go. Since then, as we've continued to grow, Lindsay and Alex have continued to create incredible work locally and around the country, while remaining an important and active part of the Boston animation fabric. We are beyond thrilled to welcome the Small-Buteras back to the AniMAtic stage to talk about everything they’ve been working on, including their Emmy-winning work on Adventure Time, and their upcoming indie game Later Alligator. Don’t miss what’s sure to be a night of inspiration and honesty with these talented artists!
Doors open at 7:00pm, talk starts at 7:30pm
Open to all, with a suggested donation of $5. This event is in the mezzanine, where beer, wine and snacks are available. There is also a cafe downstairs.
March 12, 2019 - An Open Conversation: Running a Small Studio with Open Pixel
Welcome back animation community! Let’s get AniMAtic’s spring 2019 season of inspiration started!
Open Pixel is a woman-owned animation production studio in Western Massachusetts that creates really dynamic animated ads and explainers using 3D, 2D and mixed-media techniques. For our first event of 2019, Open Pixel co-founders Karen Webb, Katie Taccone and Wiiliam Colón will join us to talk all about how they got started, how they work with their clients to create such unique, appealing digital animation, and how they’ve had success growing an animation business here in MA.
Event begins at 7pm, talk starts at 7:30pm
Free and open to all, with a suggested donation of $5. Free parking is located behind The Armory.
This event will be held in the cafe where beer, wine and a full menu of sandwiches, salads and snacks are available.
Open Pixel is a woman-owned animation production studio in Western Massachusetts that creates really dynamic animated ads and explainers using 3D, 2D and mixed-media techniques. For our first event of 2019, Open Pixel co-founders Karen Webb, Katie Taccone and Wiiliam Colón will join us to talk all about how they got started, how they work with their clients to create such unique, appealing digital animation, and how they’ve had success growing an animation business here in MA.
Event begins at 7pm, talk starts at 7:30pm
Free and open to all, with a suggested donation of $5. Free parking is located behind The Armory.
This event will be held in the cafe where beer, wine and a full menu of sandwiches, salads and snacks are available.
December 12, 2018 - Jim Soper (Looney Tunes, Hero4Hire, Soup2Nuts)
Attention Boston creatives! We’ve got one last amazing speaker to close out our inspiring fall season.
Jim Soper is an animator who combines his love of the classics with a passion for creating something new, and that shows in his incredible design and animation work. Fittingly, Jim is a character designer for the brand new Looney Tunes shorts now in production. Before that, he spent much of his life and career in Boston creating designs, boards and animation for Hero4Hire Creative, Soup2Nuts and so many more. Jim will be joining us to talk about his current work with classic characters, how he’s built his successful animation career between Boston and LA, and his favorite tidbits from animation history.
Event begins at 7pm, talk starts at 7:30pm
Free and open to all, with a suggested donation of $5. Free parking is located behind The Armory.
This event will be held in the cafe where beer, wine and a full menu of sandwiches, salads and snacks are available.
Jim Soper is an animator who combines his love of the classics with a passion for creating something new, and that shows in his incredible design and animation work. Fittingly, Jim is a character designer for the brand new Looney Tunes shorts now in production. Before that, he spent much of his life and career in Boston creating designs, boards and animation for Hero4Hire Creative, Soup2Nuts and so many more. Jim will be joining us to talk about his current work with classic characters, how he’s built his successful animation career between Boston and LA, and his favorite tidbits from animation history.
Event begins at 7pm, talk starts at 7:30pm
Free and open to all, with a suggested donation of $5. Free parking is located behind The Armory.
This event will be held in the cafe where beer, wine and a full menu of sandwiches, salads and snacks are available.
November 14th, 2018 - Political Cartoonist Brian McFadden
Boston creatives, the most important thing you can do this November is VOTE!!! But after that, you should join us at AniMAtic Boston for this month's free event.
Political cartoons have been around for ages, but Brian McFadden (brianmcfadden.org) is part of a recent wave of artists who have taken the form to a new level that rises above the stale writing and limiting formats of traditional editorial work. McFadden, whose work has been seen in many publications including The New York Times and The Nib, regularly creates hilarious and often appropriately grotesque cartoon depictions of those currently in power, and has been for many years. We’re so excited to chat with Brian about how he filters current events into comics, and how he has made a career doing so as an independent artist in Boston, and how he gets Mitch McConnell's wattle to look just right.
Event begins at 7pm, talk starts at 7:30pm
Free and open to all, with a suggested donation of $5. Free parking is located behind The Armory.
This event will be held in the cafe, where beer, wine and a full menu of sandwiches, salads and snacks are available.
Political cartoons have been around for ages, but Brian McFadden (brianmcfadden.org) is part of a recent wave of artists who have taken the form to a new level that rises above the stale writing and limiting formats of traditional editorial work. McFadden, whose work has been seen in many publications including The New York Times and The Nib, regularly creates hilarious and often appropriately grotesque cartoon depictions of those currently in power, and has been for many years. We’re so excited to chat with Brian about how he filters current events into comics, and how he has made a career doing so as an independent artist in Boston, and how he gets Mitch McConnell's wattle to look just right.
Event begins at 7pm, talk starts at 7:30pm
Free and open to all, with a suggested donation of $5. Free parking is located behind The Armory.
This event will be held in the cafe, where beer, wine and a full menu of sandwiches, salads and snacks are available.
October 24th, 2018 – The Making of “Class of ‘84”
Happy October, Boston creatives! We’ve got a great Halloween short and the sometimes-scary behind the scenes tale behind it!
In February of 2017, Alex Salsberg (who you’ve probably seen hosting many of our events) and his writing partner Joe Andrade decided to make a 14 minute comedy with almost no money and no time, with the goal of premiering it THAT October. What followed was a journey that had so many amazing moments, like casting “Dr.” Katz and assembling a crew of talented Boston animators. But there were also some dark moments, like sorting out misunderstandings with the Screen Actor’s Guild and losing all the lipsync 12 hours before the premiere.
Alex is going to tell us about all of it and give a completely honest look into what happens when you stop saying “I should make a film” and make one. Anyone who plans to make a film, from college students to people who have been putting it off for years, should check out this talk!
Plus, you’ll get to watch the film and it’s funny.
Event begins at 7pm, talk starts at 7:30pm
Open to all, with a suggested donation of $5. There’s a free parking lot located behind The Armory. This event will be held in the cafe, where beer, wine and a full menu of sandwiches, salads and snacks are available.
In February of 2017, Alex Salsberg (who you’ve probably seen hosting many of our events) and his writing partner Joe Andrade decided to make a 14 minute comedy with almost no money and no time, with the goal of premiering it THAT October. What followed was a journey that had so many amazing moments, like casting “Dr.” Katz and assembling a crew of talented Boston animators. But there were also some dark moments, like sorting out misunderstandings with the Screen Actor’s Guild and losing all the lipsync 12 hours before the premiere.
Alex is going to tell us about all of it and give a completely honest look into what happens when you stop saying “I should make a film” and make one. Anyone who plans to make a film, from college students to people who have been putting it off for years, should check out this talk!
Plus, you’ll get to watch the film and it’s funny.
Event begins at 7pm, talk starts at 7:30pm
Open to all, with a suggested donation of $5. There’s a free parking lot located behind The Armory. This event will be held in the cafe, where beer, wine and a full menu of sandwiches, salads and snacks are available.
October 11th, 2018 – Director Bryan Newton (Rick and Morty, Teen Titans Go!)
LA-based director Bryan Newton has spent his career boarding and directing on many shows, including many episodes from all three seasons of the Emmy-winning show Rick and Morty. And AniMAtic Boston is bringing him to town for one night only!
Bryan will join us at the Armory to discuss how he built a career boarding and directing in Hollywood's TV animation industry. And of course, we'll discuss his work on the runaway hit that is Rick and Morty, from helping develop the pilot to what he's currently working on for season 4. The evening will include a chat with our host followed by a Q&A with the audience.
This is our yearly ticketed charity event, so we hope you join us to help give back. For this year's charity, we've chosen barcc.org, a local group that works to end sexual violence and help survivors of sexual violence.
Bryan will join us at the Armory to discuss how he built a career boarding and directing in Hollywood's TV animation industry. And of course, we'll discuss his work on the runaway hit that is Rick and Morty, from helping develop the pilot to what he's currently working on for season 4. The evening will include a chat with our host followed by a Q&A with the audience.
This is our yearly ticketed charity event, so we hope you join us to help give back. For this year's charity, we've chosen barcc.org, a local group that works to end sexual violence and help survivors of sexual violence.
September 12th, 2018 - Design for Animation Panel
June 7th, 2018 - Animator/Author/Illustrator Sarah Lynne Reul
Lindsey and Alex blew everyone out of the water as the inaugural AniMAtic Boston guests. They discussed their animation process, their hit webseries “Baman Piderman,” and how to stay inspired to work on personal projects when it feels like their aren’t enough hours in the day.
