Meet David Amberg

Today we’d like to introduce you to David Amberg.

Hi David, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I got started animating when I was a kid growing up in the early 2000’s. Back in the pre-YouTube world, Adobe Flash and sites like Newgrounds.com and Homestar Runner reigned supreme. I dabbled in Flash animation in my elementary school’s computer lab, though I was never any good at it. I gave up and wouldn’t try it again until I was 20, a decade later.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
At that time, I had no formal art training and had just dropped out of a political science program in Washington, DC. I was upset, dealing with clinical depression, and desperate for something else to focus on and fulfill me. After trying a lot of things, I found my way back to animation. Ever since I was young, I was obsessed with both the way things looked and the way things moved. There was something satisfying about that process of creation, being able to make something after experiencing so much failure was a great boon to improving my mental health.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am an animator, filmmaker, and comedy writer, specializing in surrealist comedy with an LGBTQ focus. Just a month ago, my most recent film, “Everything Pizza”, was a finalist in the Los Angeles Animation Festival, and I’ve had the honor of screening it in the Big Cartoon Festival, Venice Shorts Festival, and First-Time Filmmaker Sessions, hosted by the Lift-Off Network. I’m honored by all the traction that the film has received so far! The short is about a cartoon bear who orders a pizza that destroys the universe, and it will be up on YouTube once its festival run has been completed. I’m currently hard at work on my latest film project, a five-minute short called “Together/Apart”, which is loosely based on my experiences coming out as gay in my early 20’s. It should be released sometime later this year.

We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
While I’ve definitely faced my fair share of rejection, I could never say that the past few years have been unlucky. I have a family who loves and supports me, as well as a group of caring and incredible friends. They’ve made the chaos of the last year so much more bearable, and I’m beyond happy that my projects so far have been as well-received as they are. Animation has literally saved my life, and I am blessed to be able to make it my career.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.davidamberg.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pinkapee/
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/dammmberg
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/captainamberg/

Image Credits
(the image with the monster on the couch) *Monster Therapist, featuring Zilai Feng