Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Chang.
Michael, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I moved to the Los Angeles in the mid 90’s after graduating from college in Illinois with a BA in art. After working in comics for a year I got a job in animation as a clean up/revision artist at Sony Animation on a show called ‘Extreme Ghostbusters’. I worked my way up the animation ladder to become a director on a show called ‘Roughnecks: Starship troopers Chronicles” based on the movie ‘Starship troopers’. From there, I have worked on many different shows at various companies throughout the animation business.
Has it been a smooth road?
Like many types of work, challenges are both put in front of you and those that are self-induced. Many of my challenges came from miscommunication within the work environment, at times my own self-doubt, juggling work and family life.
What’s the hardest part of your job?
The hardest part of the job is mostly juggling different episodes at the same time while trying to maintain all their different deadlines. I have juggled up to 4 or 5 episodes at a time, each in a different phase of production. For example one episode, I can be giving notes on an outline while another is in the storyboarding phase and another in the revision process. Trying to keep them all in order and on track can be very taxing at times, but fortunately most of the time I enjoy the process.
How do you define success?
I think success is all relative. I try not to put too much into job titles and job markers. I think they can take away from the enjoyment of what you do. Sure it’s nice to get some level of notoriety and acknowledgment, but in the end, if I’m happy with what I’m doing and I am comfortable with the way I’m living. I’m okay without certain job titles that may be attached to my name. In the past, I’ve chased what I’ve thought I needed to be successful and I started to neglect other parts of my life and in the end, it just wasn’t worth it.
What are your plans for the future?
I’m not sure I have anything set in stone as far as what I want for the future. I have many interests that I would like to dip my toe into. Working in live action feature film, eventually finishing a graphic novel I’ve been working on far too long, produce my own animated show. I really just love all types of storytelling.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://aaaokaymc.carbonmade.com/
- Email: mcartstuffs@gmail.com
- Other: http://michaelchangartstuffs.tumblr.com/
Image Credit:
Michael Chang
