August 8, 2022 CalArts Ranked Among The Hollywood Reporter’s ‘Top 25 American Film Schools’ The Hollywood Reporter (THR) recently released its 2022 list of Top 25 American Film Schools,...
August 5, 2022 Erika Salazar Gutierrez Receives AIAS WomenIn Scholarship On Friday, Aug. 5, the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences Foundation announced its 2022...
August 3, 2022 H@LLOW33N IN’D@ H3@T: Pauhaus Gallery Presents First David Daniels Exhibition in 35 Years Pauhaus Gallery in Los Angeles presents H@LLOW33N IN’D@ H3@T: An exhibition of Art and...
July 28, 2022 The Pool #11: The Comeback Issue Now Online The latest issue of The Pool, CalArts’ twice-yearly alumnx/alumni magazine, is now online...
July 13, 2022 If I Were Any Further Away I’d Be Closer to Home: LA Filmforum Screens Films by Rajee Samarasinghe In his first Los Angeles solo show, Rajee Samarasinghe’s (Film/Video MFA 16) collection of films...
Daron Nefcy Character Animation BFA 09 Creator of Disney Channel’s Star vs. The Forces of Evil Daron Nefcy I was pitching ideas for shows while I was still a student at CalArts. My first job out was on Warner Bros.’ MAD. It ran on Cartoon Network for many seasons and was cool because I got to make my own mini films. Then, I worked at Nickelodeon as a storyboard revisionist on Robot and Monster. I pitched Star to Disney and, eventually, it went into development. It took a year to make the pilot, and when that was done, I took a job on Wander Over Yonder at Disney, a Craig McCracken show. Now, I’m full-time on Star, which is in its second season. I think the reason so many alumni are running shows, is that all animation students at CalArts have to make their own films every year. Producing a TV show is like making a bunch of mini CalArts films—except that you have a whole team helping you—and you have to make them extremely quickly. But the experience of learning every part of the process is so important. While you’re learning to write and storyboard, you’re also animating, finding actors, getting music, and editing. You graduate with four films, and, of course, your final film is much better than the first. It’s inspiring to be at CalArts. Everyone’s artistic style is different. You’re pretty much living with these people; working in cubicles that are open all night. It’s like being in the trenches with all these wonderful artists with whom you form close relationships. It’s really a special, special place.