Today we’d like to introduce you to Jose P. Cespedes.
So, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I was born in Costa Rica and moved to Florida when I was 15 years old. After completing my Undergrad in 2007, I decide to move to California to pursue my passion for CG Animation. And a few months later I enrolled for an online Masters at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco.
My first ever networking event was the 2008 San Diego Comic-Con. And this was also the first time I got to meet the recruiters at Nickelodeon. I remember I was super nervous. They immediately asked me where I was from because of my accent. I told them I was from Costa Rica but was completing my Masters in northern California. Since I had never worked in animation before, they suggested I apply for their internship.
However, I wasn’t legible to do an internship according to my school.
Fast forward to 2010, I was in Costa Rica at the bar with my cousin. I started to peel off the tag off of our iconic national beer: “Imperial.” My cousin asked me what I was doing and I told him I was getting an internship at Nickelodeon. Not really following, he said “ok” and continued to enjoy his beer.
But I had a plan. A few weeks later I returned to LA, just in time for SIGGRAPH 2010.
And the first thing I did was go straight to the Nickelodeon Booth.
I saw the recruiter from the 2008 San Diego Comic-Con. She vaguely recognized me, but I was hopeful my plan would work. I placed the “Imperial” beer tag at the table and she immediately remembered! I told her how my school hadn’t allowed me to apply for the internship a few years back, but I had sorted everything out in advance and was eligible this time around. And so I applied.
A few weeks passed before I got the first phone called from the Nickelodeon Internship Program. They were interviewing me for an internship in the mailroom. I thought the phone screening had gone well and was expecting them to call me in the coming weeks to let me know the results, but two weeks passed and they never called. So I decide to move to San Francisco to finish school on campus.
Two days after I moved into my new place in Oakland I received a phone call from an LA number. It was Nickelodeon. And, you guessed it, they were offering me the internship. I was beyond excited, but I had JUST settled into my new place. But I couldn’t let this opportunity pass. This was my passion! And so I took a deep breath and asked them what day they wanted me to start.
It was too expensive to move back to L.A so I decided I was going to drive from Oakland to Burbank for my internship.
Here’s a quick breakdown of what a normal week would look like:
Sundays I’d work at the Vitamin World store at a mall in the Bay Area. They closed at 6pm and by 7pm I was driving down to Ontario, CA where I would crash at my friend’s couch. I’d get there around 2am and then had to be up at 7am to start the drive to Burbank.
I was at my internship Monday-Wednesday. And while this was an unpaid internship, I have to say I loved every single day of it.
Wednesdays at 3pm I’d start my drive back to Oakland. I’d get there right around 10pm.
Thursdays and Fridays I’d go to class.
Saturdays I’d do my homework.
And then we were back to Sunday at Vitamin World to start the week all over again, for four months.
After a year from the internship, I got offered a PAID job in the mailroom. And after a year and eight months there I got my first job as an artist doing Asset Finalising for TMNT! Soon after I was promoted to Environment Modeler on TMNT, and that’s how my career in animation started.
I got the chance to work on so many different and exciting projects at Nickelodeon, but my favorite job to this day was being a Lead Environment Artist on “Santiago of the Seas,” created by Niki López, premiering this Fall on Nick JR!
Since the end of last year, I have been taking courses to improve my design and modeling skills and have been freelancing on different projects all over the world, getting a chance to grow and push myself even further. But I’m excited to announce I’ll be returning back to Nickelodeon this October.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Well, it was definitely hard not knowing anyone in the industry. I didn’t have a mentor nor knew of anyone who had taken a similar path, so learning how to network and who the key players were was very valuable for me. And as much as I love to drive, being on the road for 6.5 hours from SF to LA and back every week for four months was kind of crazy. But taking this internship and pursuing my passion was very important to me, and I wasn’t going to let anything get in the way.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I love to model environments and hard surfaces. What I’ve been most proud of so far is my work on both “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” (the 2012 TV series) and “Santiago of the Seas”, an upcoming preschool show premiering this Fall on Nick JR. TMNT holds a special place in my heart because I grew up watching those characters in Costa Rica! My cousins and I were so immersed in that world when we were kids that our grandfather ended up making wooden ninja weapons much like the Turtles for our “turtle adventures”.
For “Santiago of the Seas”, I’m really excited to be part of a show that authentically celebrates the rich diversity of Latino-Caribbean culture! Plus, it’s got pirates, and what kid doesn’t love that?
What were you like growing up?
I have always loved drawing. I would daydream 24/7 growing up (and still do) and what better way than to express your wild imagination than by drawing?!
I used to draw so much that my mom was actually concerned there was something wrong with me and took me to a therapist. But drawing was my safe place. It was my way of coping when we moved to the US and had to fit in and understand a new culture. It was and continues being my way of expression, and for that, it holds a special place.
Contact Info:
- Website: josep3d.com
- Phone: 5616443348
- Email: [email protected]
Image Credit:
All those Models Are Own By Nickelodeon Animation Studios
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