Pixar filmmaker (& CCAD grad) pays us a visit

Columbus College of Art & Design welcomed alum Dan Scanlon (Illustration, 1998) to its virtual campus on Thursday, May 7, 2020, for a Zoom conversation that saw the director, producer, and animator providing current and prospective students expert advice on finding success in animation. And Scanlon should know. Since graduating from CCAD, he directed (and co-wrote) the critically lauded Onward and the box office-hit Monsters University, as well as contributed his talents to two other movies you may be familiar with: Cars and Toy Story 3. Scanlon, Vice President of Creative at Pixar Animation Studios, is involved in key creative decision-making at the studio and consults on films in both development and production. He is set to serve as the Executive Producer on two upcoming (and as-yet-unannounced) Pixar films.

While the live online conversation facilitated by Professor and Animation Chair Charlotte Belland was exclusively for the CCAD community, we’re sharing Scanlon’s key advice in this recording for a limited time*. From succeeding in academics (don’t procrastinate on homework assignments!) to landing a job at Pixar (even a cafeteria job can lead to a creative position), Scanlon shared insider tips on how to design a successful creative career.

* If you're reading this, it means, unfortunately, that this recording is no longer publicly available.

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