 We're certainly accustomed to taking chances, and also to the world of crowd-sourcing support to further our mission as an animation studio. Still, we're thrilled to see the response we received applying to Chase's Mission Main Street Grant. This generous grant for small businesses in the U.S. is funded by Chase and supported by Google. Since 2012, they've allotted a $3,000,000 fund annually to award 20 individual grants of $150,000 to selected businesses. 'What the heck' we figured: looking at past recipients and reading about Chase's goals in providing the grant, we felt the studio was a perfect fit. So, we dutifully submitted our short essay responses to their grant questionnaire, which is always an interesting process to filter and refine our broader mission statement to the world. The thing that really impressed us, was the groundswell of support we received from our Social Networks on: We're on to the next round now, having qualified for eligibility for the grant, placing us under review by the committee, and we should know by January of 2015 if we are selected - fingers crossed. Regardless of what happens next, we'd like to extend a huge thanks to everyone who voted for us, and especially for those who went out of their way to share our mission with their peeps.
1 Comment
Hey Kids! A fun, retro design from outer-space for Worker Studio Animation's original character - Cosmo, the CosmoNut! We've got Cosmo in Blue, Red or Orange on Men, Women and Kids T-shirts.
See 'em all...
4/21/2014 Disney's Greatest Sell - The Influence of Wartime Propaganda Films in AdvertisingRead Now One of the most ambitious examples of how animation is used in advertising, Disney's studios during World War II also helmed one of the most ambitious branding campaigns in the 20th Century. Read the metrics and history on how Disney's Donald Duck cartoon, or more appropriately Propaganda Film, The New Spirt, inspired Americans to file their income tax.
The article, composed by Worker Studio's own Minister of Message & Propaganda, is published on The Agency Post: - www.agencypost.com/disneys-greatest-sell-the-influence-of-wartime-propaganda-films-on-advertising/ "United in Orange" on the Red Planet!
Our little pal Cosmonut, is a huge Denver Broncos fan, and sent this transmission from Mars, just in time for Super Bowl XLVIII this weekend. Gravity on Mars is roughly 1/3 of Earth's, which inspired our team at Worker Studio Animation in Colorado to ponder: if Cosmo can do this, what would the Broncos' longest field-goal record holder, Matt Prater, be able to do in that environment?
Worker Studio created this video as a piece of fan art to support our home team, and has no affiliation with the NFL or Denver Broncos organization. Only Cosmo could be this merry on Mars. Our flagship character, CosmoNut, is finally in action for this animated Season's Greetings from the Worker Studio team. We've had lots of help developing Cosmo over the past year, and we're ecstatic to see him up running.
Enjoy it, and we'd love it if you thumbs-up the video on YouTube and leave us a comment! Happy Holidays. Worker Studio's Founder & CEO, Michael "Ffish" Hemschoot, is also our animation director, or Minister of Motion. We had Ffish pick five brilliant animated performances that influenced him creatively, and he responded with these unforgettable moments from master animators. It is these very animated performances that left an indelible influence on Ffish's youth, setting forth his own career in animation and filmmaking. This is #4 in a series of posts. #4 Professor Ratigan - Disney's The Great Mouse Detective (1986) As the clip above from the Making of The Great Mouse Detective proclaims: there's nothing quite as memorable as a Disney villian. This is certainly true in the gears of inspiration that turn the creative mind of Michael "Ffish" Hemschoot. We see from his picks in Bill Tytla's Chernabog in Fantasia and Stromboli in Pinocchio, to Milt Kahl's Shere Khan in The Jungle Book and now Glen Keane's Ratigan from The Great Mouse Detective, it's the villains that rule the day. Ratigan's personality fills the frame as a wolf in sheep's clothing... or rather a rat disguised as a mouse. Glen Keane crafted Ratigan's brilliant performance as a freelancer at Disney, well before he was staffed for the new dawn of Animated Features such as Little Mermaid, and as supervising animator on Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin.
Worker Studio's Chief Creative Officer, Barry Kooser was a background Artist and Supervisor for 11 years at Walt Disney Feature Animation, contributing to films such as as The Lion King, Mulan, Lilo & Stitch, and Brother Bear, among others. He also ventured his painterly eye as a Fine Artist, exhibiting his work in galleries around the country. We're lucky to have this master artist inform Worker Studio's production design. We asked Barry what the Top 5 Production Designs that influenced his career in filmmaking are. As you'll see his influences range from classic Disney films to some of the most gorgeous live action films of the past 30 years. This is #3 in a series of posts.  #3 Road to Perdition (2002) |
| | KIKI’S DELIVERY SERVICE From the legendary Hayao Miyazaki comes the beloved story of a resourceful young witch who uses her broom to create a delivery service, only to lose her gift of flight in a moment of self-doubt. It is tradition for all young witches to leave their families on the night of a full moon and set out into the wide world to learn their craft. When that night comes for Kiki, she embarks on her life journey with her chatty black cat, Jiji (Phil Hartman) landing the next morning in a sea-side village, where a bakery owner hires her to make deliveries. Rarely has the animator’s art been so brilliantly rendered as in this delightfully imaginative film – a beautiful and timeless story of a young girl finding her way in the world. |
Archives
July 2017
June 2017
January 2017
October 2015
August 2015
January 2015
October 2014
August 2014
July 2014
April 2014
February 2014
January 2014
December 2013
November 2013
September 2013
August 2013
July 2013
May 2013
Minister of Message
Announcer of all things Worker.
Categories
All
Animated Shorts
Animation Industry News
Barry Kooser
Cosmonut
Interviews
Kickstarter
Michael "Ffish" Hemschoot
Nine Old Men
Production Design
Worker Studio Artwork
Worker Studio News
RSS Feed