Life & Work with Geoffrey Ciccarelli of Los Angeles

Today we’d like to introduce you to Geoffrey Ciccarelli.

Hi Geoffrey, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
When i was in high school trying to figure out what i was going to go to college for i saw a behind the scenes featurette for Finding Nemo. I turned to my mom, pointed at the screen and said “I want to do THAT”. It took a little bit of research to figure out what “that” was and ended up getting my BFA in Animation from University of the Arts in Philadelphia. After i graduated I moved out to LA to seek my fortune in animation and got my first job of one whole week of work at a studio called Big Machine. The friends and family that I made at Big Machine catapulted me into the secret Mograph underbelly of Los Angeles where i still slink around to this day!

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It was a little turbulent post college. It took me 2 years to get my first job. I ended up re-inventing my demo reel in the process, to be as attractive to motion graphics studios as I could, even though character animation was my real goal. I ended up being able to segue into a strange niche of character animation FOR motion graphics but it took a while of shimmying around to different studios to get known as that kind of animator.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
It’s an interesting question! What do i specialize in. I specialize in rigging and character animation for motion graphics. Both 2D and 3D, Maya and After Effects. It’s definitely what i’m known for, especially characters that are showier, more whimsical, child-like or theatrical. I’m most proud of animating some of the more well known mascots, especially Buzz the bee from Honey Nut Cheerios! What sets me apart a little is that I rig as well as animate. This is a little more unusual in the space, so I often get brought in a little earlier to set up rigs for myself and the other animators before animation production begins. I also like to program, so I will occasionally make little tools for myself or teammates to help speed up tedious tasks.

However, what I’m most proud of in my own personal work is another matter. I’m very passionate about puzzle games and made my own game, Plungeroo, which you can find on google play or on steam for PC! Games to me are the perfect intersection between my love of art and programming, plus i love that they add an interactive element. A person directly engages with YOU when they sit down to solve the puzzle you’ve laid out for them. Nothing has ever been more satisfying than watching someone play Plungeroo (as intended, if they play it and encounter a bug it’s mortifying) My second game is well under way and hopefully coming out next year, it’s called Shnik! Keep an eye out!

Pricing:

• Plungeroo is $1.99 on Google Play!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://geoffciccarelli.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/grumblewizardart/