Today’s interview is with Evan Spiridellis of JibJab. Evan will be presenting “Cut, Paste, Animate: Collage Animation” at Flashforward2006 Seattle. Enjoy!

Flashforward: Can you introduce yourself briefly?

ES: I’m Evan Spiridellis, Co-Founder of JibJab Media Inc. and “Head Art Guy”. I’m an animator and artist by trade, and have been producing animation for almost a decade.

FF: Tell us a bit about your session, and why people will want to attend.

ES: My session will document the process that we use to produce our signature style of Flash animation at JibJab. I’ll take attendees through the design, asset prep and all the way through the actual animation.

FF: Are you using any new features of Flash 8 that you’d like to share?

ES: We just upgraded to Flash 8 recently so I’m still getting my hands dirty.

FF: What projects do you have in the pipeline?

ES: Currently, we are working on a short spec trailer for a feature film. If it is well accepted by the studio, then it will be a feature. We’re also working on our original work for the web, and work for an advertising client. JibJab.com is also being transformed into more than just a place to host our animations, and I am helping to guide that transition.

FF: What inspires you these days?

ES: Everyday more and more amazingly talented people seem to be putting their work online. There are countless artist blogs out there and I love discovering new artists, illustrators and designers.

FF: Care to share what excites you about Flashforward or the Film Festival?

ES: Flash is an amazing tool that has served us so well throughout our 6 years in business and it’s so great to see it come into its own and breakout into the world of broadcast and film animation. Events like Flashforward and the Film Festival help to show the world how much Flash can do, and give the tons of talented folks using the program a great platform to showcase their work.

FF: Any sessions that you’re looking forward to attending?

ES: Judging from my past experiences at the conference every session offers something unique and I’m something of a wanderer by nature. I’ll be checking out as much as I can but will be certain to check out the other animation sessions.

FF: Any parting words to encourage people to attend your session and or the conference?

ES: There are tons of great sessions happening at Flashforward and I don’t want to hype my session over someone else’s, but I can say that the festival in general is a golden opportunity for anyone who works with Flash to see some quality work, learn some new tricks and make great connections.

This entry was posted on Monday, January 16th, 2006 at 11:59 pm and is filed under Flashforward News, Profiles. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.