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Where Today’s Talent
Becomes Tomorrow’s Legends
Jay Francis
VP of Current/Development, Content & Inclusion – Disney Television Animation
Jorge R. Gutierrez
Steve Hickner
Sherie Pollack
Brooke Keesling
Aglaia Mortcheva
Pete Michels
Lee Crowe
Jay Francis is the VP of Current, Development, and Content & Inclusion at Disney Television Animation, where he oversees creative direction on a diverse slate of animated series and leads initiatives that foster inclusive storytelling. Under his guidance, TVA launched its first writing program—creating more than 50 staffing opportunities—and developed the TVA Music Apprentice Program to further expand pathways for emerging talent.
Jay also serves as a creative executive with BaR Productions, collaborating with Bruce Smith and Ralph Farquhar on The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder. Since joining Disney TVA in 2007, he has shepherded numerous acclaimed projects, including Phineas and Ferb, Big City Greens, and Amphibia.
Before Disney, Jay was VP and General Manager of Level13, Film Roman’s pioneering online animation distribution division. He holds a B.S. in Television and Film Production from Syracuse University’s Newhouse School and is an active member of Disney’s Leadership Learning Advisory Board, the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, and ASIFA‑Hollywood.
Emmy-winning Jorge R. Gutierrez is a Mexican animator, painter, writer, and director. A CalArts Experimental Animation BFA and MFA graduate, Gutierrez has created films, television series, and paintings that explore his lifelong love affair with Mexican pop and folk culture. Gutierrez was the director and co-writer of the Guillermo del Toro–produced animated feature The Book of Life (2014), which earned him a Golden Globe Award nomination. Alongside his wife and muse, Sandra Equihua, he co-created the multiple Emmy Award–winning Nickelodeon animated series El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera. Most recently, Gutierrez created and directed the epic event series Maya and the Three for Netflix, which won four Emmy Awards. He is currently writing the animated feature I, Chihuahua with Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias. Gutierrez also recently directed the opening for the latest The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror episode. Gutierrez is currently developing the Speedy Gonzales feature film for Warner Bros and various other projects yet to be announced.
Steve Hickner has worked at many of the fabled studios in animation: DreamWorks, Disney, Amblimation, Aardman, Hanna-Barbera and Filmation. His extensive career includes experience with both the production and artistic sides of the process, serving as Producer on such films as: American Tail II: Fievel Goes West, We’re Back! A Dinosaur’s Story, and Balto. His director credits include Bee Movie and The Prince of Egypt. Steve has contributed to theme park and location-based entertainment projects in China, Dubai, London, Singapore, Malaysia, and Hollywood. He is the author of Animating Your Career, and Animation Rules He currently teaches animation at Ringling College of Art and Design.
Sherie Pollack is an award winning, 4-time EMMY nominated Animation Writer/Director who has been creating Cartoons (Features and TV) for over twenty-five years.
Engaging characters and compelling storytelling fuels Pollack’s fire and she has delighted in directing over 150 produced (2d/3d Series) TV episodes that include DISNEY’S PEPPER ANN, CG MICKEY MOUSE CLUBHOUSE, NICKELODEON’S DORA THE EXPLORER, GO DIEGO GO, FAIRLY ODD PARENTS, CARSEY WERNER’S GOD, THE DEVIL AND BOB, and was Supervising Animation Director for CARTOON NETWORK'S WE BARE BEARS Series, Movie and more.
Brooke Keesling is a Business & Talent Development consultant for Chronicle Studios. She has worked in the animation and VFX industry for decades as a filmmaker, in recruiting & development, and in education. Prior to joining Chronicle, Brooke was the head of Animation Talent Development for Cartoon Network, Disney, Warner Bros, and most recently, Bento Box Entertainment.
Keesling earned her MFA at Cal Arts where she produced the stop-motion film, Meatclown and the Student Academy Award winning film Boobie Girl. Upon graduation, she worked in practical and miniature VFX on many films such as Inception, The Dark Knight, Hugo, and The Aviator. Brooke is an active member of the Motion Picture Academy, the Television Academy, Women in Animation, and she’s the Vice President of ASIFA Hollywood. Brooke is also on the advisory board of the GLAS Animation Festival, and she has been happily teaching in the Character Animation department at CalArts for the past fifteen years.
Aglaia Mortcheva is an Emmy Award–winning animator, character designer, illustrator, and educator with more than 20 years of experience in the animation industry. She has worked with leading studios including Nickelodeon, Disney, Klasky Csupo, and Fox TV Animation, contributing to both children’s and prime-time animated productions. Her professional credits include animation for South Park and its feature film South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut, as well as character design work across numerous acclaimed television series. She is also recognized as the voice of Vendetta in Nickelodeon’s Making Fiends, demonstrating her multidisciplinary expertise within the field. In addition to her industry career, Aglaia is an Assistant Professor of Animation at California State University, Northridge (CSUN), where she mentors emerging artists and helps shape curriculum aligned with evolving industry standards.
Pete Michels earned a BFA in Illustration from Jersey City State College and an MFA in Animation from UCLA. After landing a job on “The Simpsons” in 1990, Pete quickly moved up the ranks to become a Director by 1995. Staying on to direct for several more seasons, Pete then accepted a post as Supervising Director on “Family Guy”. Eventually directing more than
a dozen “Family Guy” episodes, including the direct to video movie “Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story”. Pete is currently Supervising Director on Adult Swim’s new show “Rick and Morty”, coming this Fall, and continues painting watercolor landscapes as time will allow. He and his wife, Emily, have two sons, Sam, and Eddie, and live in Stevenson Ranch, CA.
Lee Crowe is originally from Atlanta, GA, and worked as an artist in the animation industry in Los Angeles, CA, for over 25 years at Warner Brothers (Space Jam, Osmosis Jones, Scooby Doo), Disney (The Little Mermaid, Rescuers Down Under, Brother Bear), Nickelodeon (Hey Arnold!, Rocko’s Modern Life), and Fox (The Simpsons, Family Guy). She has a BA in art from LaGrange College in LaGrange, GA, an Applied Arts diploma in character animation from Sheridan College in Oakville, Ontario, Canada, and an MFA in Illustration from Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah, GA. She currently resides in Savannah and teaches animation at SCAD.
Lee has worked at Buena Vista Visual Effects at Walt Disney Studios and worked as senior animator on “Antz” and “Shrek.” His work has been featured at Sundance, Slamdance, SXSW, the Ottawa International Animation Festival, Boston Museum of Fine Arts, and the Smithsonian Institution. A world-renowned expert in the VFX field, Lee has written high-end software books that have sold 25,000 copies, has authored VFX training videos for Lynda.com, has taught at the Gnomon School of Visual Effects in Hollywood, is a member of VES (Visual Effects Society), and is the executive director of the Dam Short Film Festival.
Lee Lanier
Charles daCosta
Charles daCosta is an Australian-based animator, scholar, and educator with extensive international teaching experience. He has played a key role in developing animation training programs across Europe, West Africa, and the United States. Formerly an Animation History professor at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), he has also taught animation and media studies at the University of Westminster, Kingston University, University College for the Creative Arts, Morley College, and the London Center of Samford University. His visiting lectureships and workshops include the National Film and Television Institute (NAFTI) in Ghana, Nigeria Television Authority’s TV College, and schools in the United States.
Beyond teaching, daCosta is an active contributor to international conferences and currently serves as historian for the Society for Animation Studies (SAS).
Lars Deutsch
Emmy winner Lars Deutch went from heavy metal guitarist, to singer, to songwriter, to a Masters in classical composition, to international performances of his classical works, to lecturing in composition and audio production. As a result he has a unique sound for his film music, as well as a cutting-edge approach to audio post production. Lars has scored over one hundred fifty films that have collected over one hundred awards, and his songs are also in high demand. As an audio branding expert, he has created audio logos for a range of companies.
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