Meet Sam Kestin of Culver City

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sam Kestin.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Culver City, born and raised! This spot changed so much over the years, but Film/TV still feels like the local coal mine holding this area together. The adults in my neighborhood worked blue collar entertainment union jobs, the kids were studying to enter the industry. It didn’t take any hard convincing for my parents to let me attend Cartoon College.

My childhood Animation obsession hit me like a truck. I collected Powerpuff Girl merchandise like the apocalypse was coming and we were preparing for the All-Powerpuff currency system. Something about Bubbles, this kindergartner who could cry and kick ass simultaneously, spoke to me like no adult could. But at 10, folks told me I was already too old to learn drawing. Accepting my eternal failure, I filled the void with storytelling alternatives like writing and theater.

Once I learned that cartoons were made by real adults with actual jobs, it was off to the races. I bounced from Santa Monica College to San Jose State with no portfolio, using my leftover theater kid energy to open doors my skills could not. Even with low teacher confidence, I managed to land internships at my dream studios back in Los Angeles. I’ve been living in the Valley since 2016, slowly growing from an assistant to a flourishing career as a Color Designer. I’m slowly filling out my major animation studio punch card, but so far I’ve hit Disney TV, Dreamworks, Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, Crunchyroll and Sanrio. Turns out I actually could still learn to draw! Who knew?

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I made the fundamental mistake of assumed that one attended Art School to learn how to draw. When I got there, my classmates had already been drawing for 20+ years. People usually grow the passion from the first moment they hold a crayon, not me. I quickly got comfortable being the bottom of my class, which it taught me how to have a sense of humor around visibly failing.

I still have saved emails discussing the most merciful C+ my painting teacher ever gave me. While I was a pleasure to have in class, I just couldn’t paint. Another teacher told me I’d make incredible spreadsheets one day, and I had a promising career in management. I know some incredible managers, I probably would have been great! But it’s a rough thing to hear in art school.

With no other feedback, I assumed this was true. Years later when I was an assistant inside Cartoon Network, I was able to annoy the Story and Art Directors incessantly for feedback and advice. Turns out everything that was wrong in University was right in Television! I’m grateful for letting myself blunder through the university’s art style. If I’d had try to conform, I’d never have discovered the style that makes me unique today.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
It’s all about color! Saturation! Texture! Generally, projects hunt me down for the brilliance and vibrancy I bring to my work. There is no corner of the visible light spectrum safe from my wrath.

In the last few years, after working on the awesome final season of The Owl House, I’ve contributed on a few more small queer horror projects. Its been very soul-fulfilling! I think this is an incredibly significant moment in history for queer art and literature. Especially with how many major studios have been cancelling their queer projects, authentic queer art will mostly come from the grassroots for a while. I’m immensely proud to be a player in this space! I’ve had some moments where, because of my work, I become the first trans-nonbinary individual that a person meets. I get the opportunity to demystify the trans experience for someone, and it incentivizes me to bring as much fun and joy into my work as I can fit.

My last 10 years of animation work have all been for major companies, but lately I’ve started branching out into my own original works. For the first time since I started pursuing animation, I can step back and see how working amongst my creative heroes has influenced my independent style. It’s pretty neat! I’m looking forward to seeing how my experiments turn out.

What makes you happy?
I’ve spent a few years on this project that means the world to me – “Working Neurodivergent in Animation”. On the surface its researched theory and strategies for artistic productivity, but underneath its the story of all the huge mistakes I made while studying my craft. I get to bonk myself on the head with a rolled up newspaper backwards through time by helping other students avoid my mistakes.

I take so much care in how I present information like this. Not only does it have to be engaging and colorful, it needs to be honest and kind in delivery. Learning is hard, but there is a freedom in being happily terrible at something!

Just a few days ago, I presented it on stage for the first time at Lightbox Expo in Pasadena. The room was packed!! The audience was rowdy! It was exhilarating! That level of face-to-face validation from the crowd I designed it for, there’s nothing like it. The laughter was direct immediate feedback that these lessons hit home.

I’ve received enthusiastic requests for a book version from students and professionals alike, so hopefully that’s the next step. Cross your fingers for me! Hit me up if you know someone in publishing!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.samkestin.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samkestin/
• Other: https://bsky.app/profile/samkestin.bsky.social

Image Credits
Personal Photo by Lindsey Ruth, Styling by Maripo$a