Today we’d like to introduce you to Sam Tilson.
Sam, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
It’s no accident that I’m an artist. Even at a young age, it allowed me to do something without outside interference. Traditional art tends to be a very singular activity. My dad was also an artist, so it was always something I was encouraged to pursue as a kid. A career in animation was always something that I wanted to do with my life.
So much so that my high school teacher told me that she thought it was just a phase and that I’d grow out of it. Before it came time to apply for college, I spent a summer at the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design studying animation. It was a good test run to see if I wanted to spend the next four years of my life learning to animate.
When it came time to go to college, normal universities weren’t even a consideration for me. After four years at Ringling College of Art and Design, I graduated with a BFA in Computer Animation. Following a brief stint in the animation and video games industry, I decided to strike out on my own in an effort to not be in front of the computer 24/7.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
After college, I couldn’t get a job in the animation industry. I applied to every studio in every country. So I stayed at home, in the Midwest working on my portfolio because you can’t keep applying with the same work.
My parents assumed the error was my own because all my friends had jobs. I had been interviewed by many animation studios but they just never pulled the trigger. I went to the conventions most years. I took the online classes. I checked for jobs daily. After years of the runaround, it was evident that in order to increase my chances of work I had to be local. I moved from St. Louis, Missouri to Los Angeles, California.
And then immediately got an internship in San Francisco. I slept on friends couches to make it work. After the internship ended my dad unexpectedly passed away. As did both of my grandmas. I went back home, and after a year I came back to Los Angeles to continue the search. At which point I learned that not only was my mom moving out of our childhood home but she also had cancer.
My years of 24, 25 and 26 were a complete upheaval. When you go through all of these things that most people generally don’t have to deal with until they are in their 50’s, it definitely left me in a place where I had a hard time relating to people.
At age 27, I was unemployed. No one could relate to anything going on in my life even if they wanted to. I was unable to date because I didn’t even have my own life let alone one I could share with anyone else. I did all the right things. Nothing ever seemed to make a difference.
Now I’m 30, no longer wanting to wait for permission to be an artist I started my own production company. I have my first ever apartment, and a dog named Trouble (he’s not) and people pay me to make things.
Super Silly Films – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
My production company is called Super Silly Films. It was originally called Silly Films until I realized that something could be SUPER SILLY! My logo is a Groucho Marx fake nose and mustache. My dad had a fairly prominent mustache, and I like that it’s a fun reminder to keep things silly even if the work I’m creating isn’t very silly.
I do anything from animation to photography to filmmaking. My background is in animation, so I enjoy bringing those principles to real life instead of just limiting them to the screen. I’ve covered an entire house in post its, gift-wrapped a bedroom for Christmas and I’m currently finishing a stop motion animation made entirely out of yarn. At the end of the day, it’s all storytelling regardless of the medium.
Last year, I finished the first season of a documentary series I created called Why Art. I traveled the country and interviewed various types of artists. They ranged from Tattoo Artists, Puppet Makers, Neon Benders, Fashion Designers, Costume Designers, Animators, Illustrators, to Crochet Artists. Not all the artists are successful either. The series focused more on depicting people that look like you and struggle like you.
The only question that I asked them was Why? Why do you do that thing you do. Being an artist is a life choice not just something you happen to do. Most of the time when you see interviews and videos on Art/Artists all they do is ask How? Tell us how you made this. How long did it take? How many things are there? It felt backwards to me, so I took it upon myself to fix it.
The series was accepted into the Cleveland International Film Festival, and I’m proud to say that it is currently streaming on Comcast’s Streampix!
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Success to me is merely the act of making something real that previously only existed in my head. If I have an idea that I have managed to pull out of my brain, then it’s a success. Period.
I don’t care if anyone sees it or likes it or if it makes me any money. Success to me simply comes down to: Did I make this thing?
Contact Info:
- Website: www.supersillyfilms.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samoblamo/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/supersillyfilms
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/samo_blamo
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/samtilson
Image Credit:
Shanan Sussman & Seth Rogers
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