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ASIFA-East Team on hiatus til the fall

May 15, 2012
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Tis that time of year again when the team here at ASIFA-East takes a break til the fall.  A huge thank you to all our board members for their hard work and dedication throughout the year, and to all our lovely members who make our organization what it is today.  The aNYmator will still post from time to time as well as our email  newsletter, but just not as frequent.  The events calendar will be updated come the fall.  If there’s a delay in returning an email, it may mean said board member is on a vacation. Stay tuned for drawing class updates as well as traveling sketch group events.  We have a few things in the works and we’ll update here and on FB when we do. Enjoy your summers!!!!!

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Video Footage of ASIFA-East’s 1980 Animation Festival

May 14, 2012
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Video Footage of ASIFA-East’s 1980 Animation Festival

Guest post by Michael Sporn.  This article was originally posted on the Splog. Howard Beckerman brought a DVD of his home movies of he ASIFA East Animation Festival of 1980. (Actually, I think there are two separate years on this video. People are wearing different clothes in the latter half. However, I can’t be sure.) These are the faces of the crowd who came to those wine and cheese gatherings before the awards. Now, you have sandwiches, wine, beer and soda AFTER the awards. It’s still the place to see a large group of the animation cognoscenti in NY. I’ve tried to identify as many people as I can and have printed out some stills to do just that. Here are some people to look for. Here’s the silent video of the Festival celebrities. See if you can identify any of those I missed (and let us know in the comments.)

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In Memory of Buzz Potamkin…. by Candy Kugel

May 10, 2012
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In Memory of Buzz Potamkin…. by Candy Kugel

Buzz Potamkin, one of animation’s most beloved producers on both coasts, passed away from pancreatic cancer on Sunday, April 22nd. Buzz, always interested in film, left Columbia University for a job as an “editor” at Stars and Stripes Forever, the hippest animation studio in New York.  While there, he quickly sized up animation production, and seeing the talent of designer/director Hal Silvermintz, left with Hal to form Perpetual Motion Pictures in 1968.  BBDO was their biggest client and with them they created seminal Clio winning commercials for 3M, DuPont, Bell Telephone and the Wall Street Journal. Perpetual became one of the 3 biggest commercial studios in New York in the 1970′s, adding Hawaiian Punch, Burger King, and other consumer products to the long list of commercials.  In 1977, Hal Hoffer and Mordi Gerstein were added to the studio, which then numbered more than 30 employees. I (Candy Kugel) came to Perpetual Motion in 1970 as an art student for a summer job.  I was called a “gofer” but I was really what would now be called an intern. For $25 a week, a promise to stay out of the way and to stay the summer, Buzz hired me.  Later on...

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Museum of Comic & Cartoon Art Festival

May 2, 2012
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Museum of Comic & Cartoon Art Festival

Article by Tristian Goik. Once or twice, I have heard of people talking about how they ‘got a table’ at the MoCCA Festival. The Museum of Comic & Cartoon Art Festival is a gathering of artists (mostly illustrators) at the Lexington Avenue Armory. Only this year have I been fortunate and intelligent enough to go. It is a large, but manageable convention. The armory is filled with both young and more mature artists, who are manning their tables filled with comics, illustrations, posters, and more. Some of them are eager: smiling over their work with the confidence that they...

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43rd ASIFA-East Animation Awards Special Thanks!

May 1, 2012
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43rd ASIFA-East Animation Awards Special Thanks!

We owe a heap of thanks to many people for helping to put this Festival, Awards Ceremony, and Reception together: Thanks again to Tracy Gromek and the New School’s Caitlin Hickey, and Anezka Sebek for having us. Our Festival Co-Chairs were Nancy Keegan Lennert and Linda Simensky. The 43rd ASIFA-East Signal Film was created by Chris Conforti and Kristen Chiappone. William Hohauser edited our Festival Reel. Our projectionist for the Awards Ceremony was Brian Kase. Our Awards Certificates were laid out by Caresse Singh with designs from the signal film. Adrian Urquidez, Dayna Gonzalez, and Katie Cropper kept us...

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43rd ASIFA-East Animation Awards Photobooth!

May 1, 2012
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43rd ASIFA-East Awards Best in Show Winners: The Rauch Bros. (Mike & Tim)

This gallery contains 34 photos.

Upcoming Animation Screenings by Area Schools

May 1, 2012
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Upcoming Animation Screenings by Area Schools

Pratt Show 2012 Industry Night Monday, May 7, 2012.  6-9 pm. The event will be held at the Manhattan Center, 311 W. 34th street. The best work from Pratt will be on display! Please RSVP today! http://www.pratt.edu/student_life/pratt_show/tickets/ _____________________________________ 2012 NYU Spring Animation Showcase Thursday, May 10, 2012 4:00pm until 9:00pm ANIMATION and FREE FOOD, the two best things in the world! https://www.facebook.com/events/153405554787146/ The animation students have been slaving away at their drawing tables and computers all year and now you can see the fruits of their labor, at the annual NYU SPRING ANIMATION SHOWCASE! Thursday May 10th, from 4PM...

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43rd Annual ASIFA-East Awards Ceremony

April 30, 2012
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Last night, ASIFA-East held its 43rd Annual ASIFA-East Awards Ceremony, a culmination of our 2012 Animated Film Festival in which films are screened throughout the month of March.  The event was held at The New School, in their wonderful Tishman Auditorium, which was followed by a reception upstairs.   Films are entered into the festival among a number of different categories.  These are then screened over the course of a few nights.  Screenings are open to anyone, but only current members of ASIFA-East are eligible to participate in the voting process.  Ballots are anonymous and given to an independent...

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And The Winners Are….

April 30, 2012
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The 43rd Annual ASIFA-East Animated Film Festival Awards were held this evening.   Congratulations to all the winners!!!  Expect more posts in the following days documenting the evening but for now, without further adieu, here are the winners!!! BEST IN SHOW John and Joe StoryCorps/Rauch Brothers BEST EXPERIMENTAL FILM 1st Place Taxonomy Karen Aqua – Director 2nd Place Two Steven Subotnick – Director 3rd Place Old Man Leah Shore – Director BEST MUSIC VIDEO 1st Place the light that died in my arms Alan Foreman – Director 2nd Place (Baby) It’s You! David Cowles, Jeremy Galante, Brad Pattullo – Directors...

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A Chat with Animator Chris Conforti

April 28, 2012
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A Chat with Animator Chris Conforti

Interview by Richard Gorey   Last month I spoke with New York Animator Chris Conforti, whose work I first saw when I guest-lectured in Dave Levy’s “Careers in Animation” class at SVA. At that time Chris was in the throes of finishing his thesis film, and he was zonked for much of my endlessly fascinating lecture. He introduced himself  (and apologized for nodding off) during the break, and I found him to be sincere, dedicated, and very gifted. No wonder Chris was tired that evening. It takes almost everything we have as artists to finish a thesis film…as many...

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Weekend of Festivals!

April 27, 2012
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Weekend of Festivals!

It’s going to be a busy weekend!  This Saturday and Sunday, be sure to stop by Mocca Fest!  The festival is a fundraiser for the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art, whose purpose is the collection, preservation, study, education, and display of comic and cartoon art. So far, we know these ASIFA-East members will be exhibiting: Dan Pinto: Table D18 (Fakeheads table) Alisa Harris: Table H7 Robert Kohr: Table I5 If we’ve missed anyone, please add them to the comments section.  For more info on the festival, visit Mocca Fest 2012. MoCCA Fest is held in Manhattan at: The...

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2012 Blue Sky Studios Summer Internships! Deadline April 30.

April 27, 2012
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2012 Blue Sky Studios Summer Internships! Deadline April 30.

Morning all! We’ve just received word that Blue Sky has expanded its summer internship program to include all of its departments. The deadline to apply is April 30th. I have confirmed that this internship is indeed a paid one.  Kudos to Blue Sky!  It looks like a great program.  So get your applications in before it’s too late! http://blueskystudios.com/content/company-internships.php Did you ever imagine what it may be like to spend the summer working alongside Animation professionals? Here at Blue Sky, our Summer Internship Program offers that and so much more! We have an array of positions available for the...

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