Guys With Pencils

We were lucky enough to chat with the super talented & all around nice guy, ROSS STEWART! Ross works out of Kilkenny, Ireland and has worked on such features as Cartoon Saloon's Oscar nominated "The Secret Of Kells" as the Art Director, and he just recently finished work on Laika's  "PARANORMAN". Have a Listen as Ross goes though his process of coming up with the world for Paranorman and also talks about his developement process when making his work.

This week the boys play catch up as they talk about the work that has been creeping up on them. Special thanks to Braden Poirier for the fantastic banner art! Click here to check out more work by this insanely talented guy!http://amazingactionape.blogspot.ca/

This week the boys head to Fan Expo 2012! Canada's largest Sci fi/Horror/Comics/Gaming con! A chance to the creators and stars to meet up with their fans! This con is so important to so many people. People will spend up to a year saving their money on hotels/transportation/priority passes just for this 4 day event. Have a listen as we talk to the creators of content and the fans who make up the Fan Expo!

Alex Behtke and Andrew Traviss from Golden Gear Games join us this week! They both run Golden Gear Games and have worked with Adam and Rosemary at previous T.O. Jams. We chatted them up about working on in the game industry from the perspective of the progamming side of things. We also get in to the "biznaz" as we talk about how the Andrew and Alex moved on from working for a company to creating their very own!for more info click the links!Alex Bethke TwitterAndrew Traviss TwitterGolden Gear Games Twitter

Shawn McGrath is the creator of DYAD and we were fortunate enough to sit down with him and talk about his career in the indie game industry. A really great guy to chat with and has a lot of good points to make about the ongoing changes in the video game business. Have a listen if you want to hear how a high school drop out made a name for himself with his fresh and engaging ideas.

This episode was was recorded after a long work week, so the guys are a little all over the place. They still manage to talk about business (biznaz?) and their thoughts on all sorts of things. Have a listen, and tell us what you think!

Guys with Pencils do their first live show at Con Bravo 2012! The boys are joined by the lovely and talented Katie Shanahan, The adorable Adriana Blake, and the Sexy Stephen Daymond! When you create something and show it to the world, what comes next? How do you deal with the fame? How do you deal with the struggles of getting attention? How can you improve on your work to blow everyone away with your next project? These are the questions we as during the panel with our guests!Thanks to everyone at Con Bravo for all their help and support! Great times were had by all!

This week, the boys chat it up over the final installment of the Dark Knight Rises which leads them in to a discussion about the future for DC characters and their potential movies. Along with that, they talk about their most recent updates with how work is going. This week we jump back into doing some fresh Top ScoresALSO! Dont forget we will be hosting a panel at CON BRAVO in Burlington! Episode 70 will be recorded with some awesome stuff for those who attend! Click the link below for more details! See you there!Andrew's Top ScoreAdams Top ScoreINFO ON CON BRAVO

Paul Rugg. When one hears the name many things come to mind. Writer, Musician, Voice Actor, Director, and the list goes on. But one thing Paul is known for among all others is that he is FREAKAZOID! This week we chat it up with the man behind the voice of Freakazoid. Talking about his beginnings in the animation business, his work from the 90s, to his current jobs that have been keeping him busy while raising his family on the west coast of the States.Paul's Blog

This week the boys head to TAAFI 2012! The first year of the festival! They got to speak with indie animator Nick Cross and his wife Marlo Meekins. Nick Cross is currently working on his own animated feature BLACK SUNRISE and Marlo is gaining a lot of attention with her comics that she has recently made available over the internet! Have a listen to what they think about working as hard as they can to make a living in this business! NICK CROSSMARLO MEEKINS TUMBLR

 Mike Roush & Allison Craig are animators currently working at TITMOUSE INC. in California. We had the good fortune of chatting with them one night after work. Both are super talented and super friendly. If you'd like to hear about their own personal film projects and how they both came to be working together on some of the coolest shows on TV, then have a listen! You might learn a thing or two! ALSO!TAAFI  is NEXT WEEKEND!!!  Need Tickets? Info on events?? --> CLICK HERE!!!

Andy Belanger is one bad ass comic artist! Don't believe me? Check out his site of Bad-assery! -->CLICK HERE!Like what you saw? Of course you did!! Want to know how Andy got to be so good at what he does?? Then you're in luck because we got to talk with him this week!!!Andy is currently working on his mini comic BLACK CHURCH!  Andy was getting tired of doing things for other people other publishers or coming up with what would sell to a massive market. He started feeling like creators need to start behaving more like bands. He wants to play the music he wants to play and if you don't like it well too freakin' bad for you. Straight up... He's a metal head.ALSO!Looking for tickets and info on  TAAFI events?? --> CLICK HERE!!!

WARNING! THIS EPISODE MAY CAUSE YOUR CREATIVE JUICE TO FLOW AND YOU MAY GET REALLY INSPIRED TO DO SOMETHING AWESOME...JUST SAYIN'. We had the good fortune of going over to Bento Miso this week and chat with Henry Faber & Jennie Faber. They came from Vancouver to Toronto within the past year to develop a way for developers and creators to work together under one roof. This is one of the most interesting conversations we've had regarding nurturing creators. If you want to learn a thing or two from people who know a thing or two, then you should REALLY listen to this episode! Enjoy! (Don't forget to check out more at the link below!)   http://bentomiso.com/about

Miguel Sternberg is a veteran game developer of Toronto’s indie game scene. His pixel art has graced the back cover of Scott Pilgrim Gets it Together, the movie Crank, the web game Legends of Zork, as well as countless unplayable cellphone games based on major movie franchises. He helps run The Hand Eye Society, an indie game arts and culture group and recently organized the Comics vs Games art show as part of TIFFnexus. This week, the boys sit down to talk about his current game " THEY BLEED PIXELS " Check out the awesome work from their site and have a listen to this in depth talk about making independent games.Also Check outhttp://www.spookysquid.com/Miguel's Twitter

Animator/Comic Artist/Story Teller/Painter/Nice Guy - That's Tyson Hesse (pronounced Hess, not like Reese..just to be clear) all wrapped up in a perfect package. Tyson is the creator and owner of BOXER HOCKEY! The online comic that has gained him much attention throughout the comic industry. Have a listen as we talk to Tyson about his throughts on making comics and getting your work out there through the power of the internets!

So this week they boys pull out their nerd cards. Comics/Games/Movies are the general topic of conversation between them. This episode we just focus more on our current day to day living while trying to maintain or jobs. Sometimes it's just nice to sit back and talk about the stuff that reminds us why we like to work in this business. But it's not all sunshine and rainbows. We get in to a discussion about the current situation with going out to a movie and how the industry needs to change with the times to survive.

It's been almost a year since we last spoke with Mark Mayerson and now we are catching up with him to see what its been like with another year of teaching under his belt. This episodes focuses on the animation industry from the school perspective. Where things are going. How things are changing. What is being done to improve on whats needed. Where will the schools be in the future with the rise of tuition and the rise of technology?This is a REALLY great episode that will touch on a lot of topics that a lot of animation professionals and students might be wondering themselves. Have a great work week!

In this special episode we go live on the spot at TCAF 2012 to check out the amazing talent that is brewing in the city and around the world. Have a listen as we get to know the people who come to TCAF, run TCAF and work TCAF. If you have ever wanted to experience the sights and sounds from the perspective of two nerdy podcasters than this is the episode for you!ALSO - CHECK OUT THIS LINK FOR VIDEO FOOTAGE FROM OUR TCAF 2012 VENTURE!

Indie Game: The Movie was screened at the Bloor cinema during the Toronto Hot Docs fest. They boys took this chance to stand inline and do a quick pre screening record, and then a review of the film afterwards. Check it out and check out Indie Game: The Movie!

Our good friend Ashlyn Anstee joins us this week for a nice talk about her career to date. Ashlyn has been working in the animation business for a year now down in the US. This episode focuses on what's like for a recent graduate to leave their surroundings and take a chance in a brand new environment. Grab some coffee and join us for a nice chat with our talented and lovely guest.Ashlyn's BlogAshlyn's Twitter