World Class instructors
Gavin Dell
Founder and Lead Instructor
Gavin Dell is a Writer, Director, Animator, Storyboard Artist and Character Designer. He is originally from Kansas City and moved to Los Angeles in 1989 to attend California Institute of the Arts for animation. Since then he has worked on over 25 films, games and television series at nearly every major Hollywood Studio. Director of Family Guy, Scooby Doo, Bordertown, and Central Park, Animator for Warner Bros and Chuck Jones, Tim Burton and Steven Spielberg and credits on The Simpsons, PInk Panther, Hercules, Pirates of the Caribbean, XMEN, Silent Hill, Gears of War 2, Life of Pi and more. A complete list of his credits can be seen at IMDB.com
Guest Instructors
Ron Hughart
Jason Lethcoe
Jules Aguimatang
Brian Horton
Todd Jacobsen
Mike Gurau
Mark Bachand
Mike Milo
Amber Tornquist Hollinger
Gavin Frietas
Greg Manwaring
Lee Crowe
Jeff Merghart
Lisa Blanchard
President and Director of Marketing
Lisa has been an amazing marketing consultant in the healthcare industry for several years working for, A Place for Mom, and Home Instead Senior Care, just to name a few.
She also has extensive experience in working in a school environment and was an intake specialist for the world famous, California School of Culinary Arts in Pasadena.
Lisa is an amazing resource for students and will be the point person to contact for admissions.
What others are saying
Gavin is a skilled animator and storyteller with an unquenchable desire to create amazing characters, worlds and stories. His background in traditional animation is rooted in the Disney and Warner Brother's styles, but his versatility has served him as an animator, character designer, storyboard artist, author, and video game developer. As a Director. Gavin has marshaled his 30+ years of professional experience to mentor the animators and artists he manages to achieve excellence. Gavin is a rare talent, with a deep understanding of traditional animation and design combined with the curiosity to embrace and master the trends of the future.Brian Horton
Creative Director at Insomniac Gamess
Gavin was a great lead to work under. He has a good eye for detail, a clear vision on how a shot should go and overall knows what will make a show great. Gavin brings a lot of work experience to the table and I'd high recommend himMatthew Johnson Senior Animator
@ Riot Games
Gavin's knowledge of posing and Cinematography enables him to take any animation to the next level. He's a strong leader who makes no excuses for his high standards and expects nothing less from everyone he works with. I learned a lot from Gavin, he is definitely one of the best animators I have ever worked with.John Kubasco
CEO at Motion Logic Studios
Gavin is a phenomenally talented animator. He's a fun guy to work with and a consummate professional. Gavin's experience and skill make him one of the most talented guys I've had the pleasure of working with.David Latour
Coordinator at Fanshawe College
Did you know when you are watching animation 30 frames go by per second? Did you know the voice actors act out the script into recordings for storyboard artists to then be the first to visualize the script? They say animators are actors, only with a pencil, well now they use a lot of different tools. This course will introduce you to the basic fundamentals that make animation work, and where animators fit into the process of making films, games, and television shows. We will discuss the history of animation and see where it is going. It is an eye opening introduction to the magic, the art, and the craft. Great for younger students as well ages 14 up with strong basic computer skills. On the final day of class, you will learn to animate the Iron Giant or Lego Batman!
3D Animation fundamentals will teach you how to use Autodesk Maya to create animation using character rigs. It’s like puppeting your character without drawing! You will learn the basics of weight, posing, timing and movement to create some awesome pieces for your portfolio using characters like the Iron Giant, Homer Simpson, Woody and Buzz and even Spongebob!