Today we’d like to introduce you to Benson Shum.
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?
Hi, thank you for having me. How I got started…I always drew as a kid. And loved watching cartoons and reading comic books. As I got older, I knew I wanted to be doing something creative. I went to college to study 2D and 3D animation in Canada. After graduating, I worked at many local studios. Then got the opportunity to work in England for a couple of years. Soon after, I found my way to the US and started working at the Walt Disney Animation Studios, where I’m currently at. I was fortunate to be a part of such films as Frozen, Big Hero 6, Zootopia, Moana, Frozen 2, Raya and the last Dragon, Encanto and most recently Strange World. And while working at the studio, it inspired me to go back to my roots of drawing, and that’s how I found my second passion in writing and illustrating children’s books.
My latest picture book Anzu the Great Kaiju received a starred review from School Library Journal and was selected for the Kid’s Indie Next List recommended by American Booksellers Association. And my other book Alex’s Good Fortune was also selected to be part of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Working in the creative field has a lot of ups and downs. We get lots of rejections in both fields of Animation and Publishing, and that is totally normal. We may not see or hear about it much, but it a big part of the job. It’s a lot of failing and trying again. But the more we do it, the better we get. The more we grow as a person and as an artist.
I’ve applied to many jobs multiple times in my career as an Animator. I got rejected left and right, but eventually I landed a job. With publishing, we will write and create lots of stories that people will never see, but with every story, we get better at it. And it just takes one YES!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m a Disney Animator and Children’s book Author-Illustrator.
As an animator at Disney, we’re responsible for bringing the characters to life. To give them emotions that hopefully, the audience can connect with. I’m so proud and honored to be a part of Disney’s legacy. As a kid, I’ve always wanted to be an animator at Disney, and now I can say I got to work with the directors that made my childhood films.
As an author-illustrator of picture books. I’m very grateful I can work in this industry. To share my stories with young readers as well as grown-up readers because I believe picture books are not just for kids. There are so many layers to picture books that are most ofter overlooked. I’m most proud of my new book, Anzu the Great Kaiju. It’s about a little Kaiju (Japanese term for giant monster, like Godzilla) named Anzu. Who wants to make his family proud and live up to the legacy of great destroyers. But Anzu doesn’t have the superpower of fire breath or lightening like his family. Anzu’s superpower is…flowers. And he doesn’t want to rain destruction on his city but instead brings kindness and joy to his city. How can Anzu make his family proud and still stay true to himself?
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
For animation – Keep drawing or start drawing. Even though a lot of the industry is digital, Drawing will train your eyes to see things differently. You’ll learn to observe which is key to being an animator.
For publishing – Keep writing your stories. We need them. Be specific in your storytelling as well. The more specific, the more universal your story will be. And don’t give up!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://bensonshum.com/books/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bshum79/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bshum79
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/bshum79
