Today we’d like to introduce you to Johnny Chew
Hi Johnny, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I grew up in a small town in Maine where animation and the entertainment industry weren’t on my radar. I was going to be a fisherman; however, I’d always been interested in animation growing up, and slowly taught myself its fundamentals from an old Disney training book that my father had. In my senior year of high school, I met an art teacher who had done backgrounds for animation, and he arranged for me to meet with a small independent animation studio called 360Kid. They offered me an internship where I worked for two years before deciding I wanted to attend the Massachusetts College of Art and Design to pursue their animation program. I learned how to animate both traditionally and digitally there, and after working at various studios around Boston, Mass Art offered me a role in teaching their introduction to animation classes. While teaching animation for the year, I developed a series of independent music videos and had one gain popularity online. From there, I got an animation rep and began pitching on projects, ultimately leading to potential job opportunities if I could relocate to Los Angeles. I packed up my truck and moved out to LA a little over ten years ago. In Los Angeles, I worked on animating and directing a range of projects but always stayed focused on the music industry, which drew me in with its wide scope of variety and creative freedom. After working freelance for a decade, I decided that I wanted a more permanent position and got a job at AWAL, a record label that I had often freelanced for. Now I am the Director of Video Production and continue to animate, direct, and edit for artists on their label.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Oh boy! It has absolutely not been a smooth road. There are many challenges in the animation and entertainment industry that you can’t predict until they’re right at your doorstep. I’d say the biggest struggle along the way was distinguishing myself from all the other talented artists in Los Angeles. Focusing on making art that was unique and stood out from the crowd was key, and ultimately helped bring back return clients enough so that I could build up a name for myself in the indie music scene. It has been a very long road to get to where I am today, with many steps forwards and backwards. The road one takes as an artist is only visible when looking back, with what’s ahead being unknown. Trusting my gut, artistic abilities, and the universe was really all I had for quite some time, but each project was a small step that would lead to where I am today. It has been a long and bumpy road, but one that I would not trade for anything.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I direct both live action and animation and animate and edit all my own work. I would say I’m best known for mixed media and collage work, drawing inspiration from the 90’s metal and punk scene. I try to make each work independent from one another, focusing on tailoring the visuals and style to the artist rather than having one sweeping style across all my work. I am most proud of my ability to adapt and cater to a wide variety of artists, clients, and styles. Whether it’s a pop music video or an alt-punk project, I take pride in being able to adapt to whatever challenge lay before me.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
I’m a very visual person, so I am most drawn to movies, documentaries, animation, and comics. I try to find media that will challenge me as a viewer and force me to engage with subjects or ideas that I may not otherwise have a perspective on. Every time I watch something, whether it be a documentary or fluff binge-watching, I try to pay attention to the choices and decisions the creators are making. If you know the rules, then you can break the rules- so, seeing what people are doing in their own work is a great way for me to question and reinforce my own decisions when making art.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.johnnychew.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnny_chew/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnny-chew-21855922/
