Last week, we hosted our annual Staff Party that brought MTM’s faculty and staff together to celebrate the end of another successful school year. Held at our campus, we honoured the team’s hard work and support in guiding students toward creative excellence with a wholesome potluck!
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Here’s a look at some of the amazing artwork from our students this 2024-2025 school year:
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Artwork by 2nd Year Animation Student Karleigh Hollands – Intermediate Character Design
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Artwork by 2nd Year Animation Student J’nia Brown – Animation 2A (Background Design)
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Artwork by 3rd Year Animation Student Trinity Stephens – 2D Short Film Production
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Artwork by 2nd Year Concept Art Student David Gu – Portrait Painting in Oils
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Artwork by 3rd Year Concept Art Student Kay Lui – Advanced Props and Objects
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Artwork by 4th Year Concept Art Student Vlad Craciun – Advanced Creature Design
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Artwork by 1st Year Student Isabelle Albanese – Design and Composition
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Artwork by 4th Year Illustration Student Rafael Fernandez – Illustration 2
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Global Education Fair
On Saturday, April 26th, we were invited to the Global Education Fair at the atrium of our campus at 95 Moatfield Drive. Thank you to everyone who stopped by our booth!
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MTM Instructor Dave Ross holding up a live drawing at the Global Education Fair.
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MTM Instructor Dave Ross drawing at the Global Education Fair.
Max the Mutt’s animation diploma program graduate, Aaron Long, knew from an early age that he wanted to animate and make films. “I made my first animated film when I was nine”, says Aaron in my video interview with him from his home in Los Angeles. The film was called Hot Rod and Stinker, and he taught himself a lot from that point on how to create animated films.Â
It was drawing where he needed help. That’s where Max the Mutt came in.
“My drawing abilities were terrible” Aaron says reminiscing back on what led him to art college. Aaron recognized that being a good animator takes knowing how to draw well, something that is a significant part of the curriculum at MTM.Â
Drawing skills are key to being successful as an animator
It’s Aaron’s passion for animation that brought him to MTM, but he knew that he needed much more than just knowing how to animate. “They really pushed me to learn how to draw”, Aaron says of the instructors at MTM. Aaron wasn’t too keen on learning still life and painting, but later in his career, he understood how important that all was. It was also learning the History of Animation in year 1 that gave him his inspiration for Fester Fish, his animation series that caught the attention of the producer that hired him to work on his first studio production, TripTank, which was the reason for him moving to LA.Â
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He’s been working consistently ever since graduating from MTM in 2013. After TripTank, he was hired to work on Bojack Horseman (starring Will Arnett), then Tuca and Bertie (which Aaron claims is the most fun show to work on!). He also finds time to visit his alma mater whenever he’s back in Toronto. Aaron was last at MTM in Nov 2019 to speak with current students and his fans about his journey as an animator and to offer some tips.
Personal work key to standing out in the animation biz
“Always work on your personal stuff; it’s what makes you stand out from the crowd”. Aaron still finds time, even as a busy director/animator, to work on his own projects, which since 2015 has been the show Sublo and Tangy Mustard, set in his hometown of Toronto. The show, based on his frequenting subway sandwich shops as a student, and observing store mascots wearing their outfits performing daily mundane activities like arguing with their girlfriend over their cell phone.Â
Several years later, he’s still making personal projects, just like that nine-year-old.
So, always find time to work on your passion projects; it can really pay off in the long run.
An Interview with Animator and MTM Graduate Josh Hill by MTM Outreach Director, Natalie Kauffman
It’s a good thing Josh Hill didn’t listen to people’s advice when he was considering what kind of animation to focus on when he started at Max the Mutt (MTM) in 2014. At that time, a lot of people outside of MTM were saying 2D animation also known as traditional hand-drawn animation, was dead. Well, they were wrong.
Josh’s Journey Through Traditional Hand-Drawn Animation
We caught up with Josh, a 2018 Animation Program grad, who discusses getting his first job at YOWZA! Animation for the Netflix Series, Green Eggs and Ham, as a 2D animator. He landed this job while still completing his last year of school. He found out about the job from one of his instructors at MTM who knew that he loved traditional hand-drawn animation. Josh applied for the job by submitting a demo reel, and he got it! “I was on a high kinda after that…’cause I scored my dream job!”. It’s this kind of small community where instructors, who are working professionals, really help our grads to land the job of their dreams, that makes MTM special.Â
Take a listen to hear Josh’s story and find how he’s adjusting to working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic, and other interesting anecdotes. Images of Josh’s drawings and video clips are also played throughout the interview so you can get a good glimpse into what he does. For any students currently in or considering a career in animation, particularly 2D animation or traditional hand-drawn animation, this is a great interview of someone who pursued what he loved doing and made it work!
Recently, Max the Mutt (MTM) was pleased to welcome Kat Curwin (Production Manager) and Jack Carr (Creative Producer) of YOWZA! Animation for a visit.
Kat and Jack gave a presentation on life at YOWZA and working in the industry to our Fourth Year Animation and Concept Art students. Students then got the chance to pepper our visitors with questions, which they took full advantage of! Since Kat graduated from MTM four years ago, it was exciting to catch up with her and hear about her career journey since then. It was also pretty neat to hear how many of her YOWZA Animation colleagues are former MTM students as well.
After the presentation, all the students in attendance were offered the opportunity to have one-on-one interviews with Kat and Jack, to show them their work, and get individual feedback and advice. We heard from several of them about what a valuable experience this interview was, and we’re grateful to Kat and Jack for all the time they spent with us.
Animation student Kate Reid sharing her demo reel with Jack Carr (upper photo) and Concept Art student Jayesh Naidu sharing his work with Kat Curwin (lower photo).
We have to say that YOWZA sounds like a wonderful place to work! Since they are a smaller studio, there is a lot of room to showcase your individual talents, and the company works hard to ensure there is are opportunities for artistic growth. In some cases, this environment might mean you get to explore career opportunities you never expected!
One of the important elements to career success stressed by both Kat and Jack was having a great attitude and being a good team player. How you work with others can have a big impact on how well you and your team do, and how far you go in your career in the creative industries. It was a great message for everyone to hear, and something we all should strive towards, regardless of where we are in our careers!
Thank you so much, Kat and Jack for taking time to meet with us!
Tina Seemann and David Huynh with Kat Kurwin and Jack Carr from YOWZA! Animation.
Director of BoJack Horseman offers valuable advice to MTM students
Aaron Long, Canadian animator and filmmaker, well known as a director on BoJack Horseman (Netflix), was in Toronto in early November to make an appearance at TAAFI INDUSTRY 2019‘s 2-day event, which offers exclusive talks from top animation artists and creators.
TAAFI INDUSTRY 2019
At TAAFI, Aaron spoke about his career starting as an intern for the Chuck Grammage studio with little experience and a ton of passion, through to his current work as a director for Bojack Horseman and Tuca & Bertie with Netflix. He also discussed how animation isn’t just for cartoons, as new streaming services start to take animation seriously. And the ins and outs on crafting your ideas for a primetime world. And lastly was the judge on a pitching competition.
Aaron Long’s Alma Mater
Aaron Long is a 2013 Max the Mutt (MTM) graduate. We were thrilled when he reached out to say he’d love to drop by to say hi, and talk to the students about his work!
As part of his presentation, Aaron showed fascinating behind-the-scene clips from BoJack Horseman and other programs he’s worked on (like the fabulous Tuca & Bertie) and gave students insight into what working on these productions was like. He shared the story of how his career in animation launched. And he emphasized the importance (and challenges) of continuing to develop his personal work while working on other projects.
MTM students express their happiness at getting to meet Aaron Long during his November 6 visit.
Our students were inspired by his humility, the information he shared, and his love of traditional animation. He spoke about the inspiration he got from History of Animation, a first-year course at MTM, and his love of using physical movement, attitude, and timing to tell a story. He also highlighted the importance of life-drawing and other fundamental drawing skills he learned at MTM to his work.
Aaron Long created “Fester Fish” while still a student at Max the Mutt College of Animation, Art, and Design. A producer in LA who saw his YouTube channel discovered and contacted him.
A standing-room-only audience during Aaron Long’s visit to Max the Mutt.
Aaron Long enjoyed catching up with MTM Co-Directors Tina Seemann and Maxine Schacker during his November 6 visit.
Thanks for the visit, Aaron! Please come back soon.
Aaron Long is an animator and filmmaker from Toronto. He currently lives in Los Angeles, and has directed for Bojack Horseman, Tuca & Bertie, Triptank and more. He also creates independent cartoons Sublo & Tangy Mustard and Fester Fish which appear online and in festivals around the world.
As seen in the above photo taken at Brown Bag Films – from left to right:
Erik Segriff – MTM Animation Intern, Kevin Seto – Recruitment Coordinator, Christine Huot – Recruitment & Resourcing Manager, Jana Kosanavich – MTM Rigging Intern, and Ryan Persaud – Recruitment Administrator
Max the Mutt has had many graduates hired by 9 Story over the years. They have enjoyed steady employment as animators, layout artists, storyboard artists, while working in all aspects of pre-production and animation. Now, as Brown Bag Films, there are even more opportunities for working on top quality projects.
Brown Bag Films is one of the world’s most exciting, original and successful creative-led animation studios. With studio locations in Dublin, Toronto, Manchester and an office in LA, Brown Bag Films creates cutting-edge animation for the international market. It was acquired and merged with 9 Story Animation, which is now 9 Story Media Group, in 2015.
Brown Bag Films, is a creatively-driven studio with a focus on producing the highest quality, cross-platform animation with strong stories and engaging characters. It produces both 2D and 3D animation, and is known for its high-end work on series such as Doc McStuffins, Octonauts, Nella The Princess Knight and Peter Rabbit. 9 Story’s Toronto studio has been known for its popular 2D series, such as Daniel Tiger’s Neighbourhood, Peg + Cat, Wild Kratts, 3 Amigonauts and the The Magic School Bus: Rides Again.
Erik Segriff, after his second year in the Animation Program at Max the Mutt, was hired at Brown Bag Films as a summer intern in 2018, and has been asked back again to work as a full fledged animator on Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood.
Erik Segriff at Brown Bag Films, Summer 2018 intern
We were delighted to have recruiting and resource manager Christine Huot visit us this spring, accompanied by several animation and pre-production directors. They looked at demo reels and interviewed this year’s concept art and animation graduates weeks before our Industry Event.
Why is Brown Bag Films interested in Max the Mutt graduates and students?
“Brown Bag Films has had tremendous success finding very strong talent from the classes at Max the Mutt. Many of our very successful long-term employees are graduates of the Animation program. When I attend recruitment events I have been very pleased with how the students professionally present their work and themselves. With the staff we have hired from this program have very well honed artistic skills and they are very employment ready when they come into the workplace. These past 2 summers we have been highly successful with hiring students from the Animation program for summer internships. Erik Segriff has joined us for his second summer in a row this year and he is a very valued addition to the team, his teammates and supervisors were thrilled he could join us again this year. We also have Jana Kosanavich joining us this summer as a Rigging Intern. We are very happy to support the Animation Program at Max the Mutt and will continue to have them at the top of our list for Campus recruitment.”
Max the Mutt will be hosting a First Year Student Art Show, an exhibition of first year student art work from all programs, on Saturday, April 27th and Sunday, April 28th from 11 am to 3 pm !
Our semester is ending, and soon we’ll be setting up this year’s show! Below are photos from last year’s preparation ……
All are invited! So save the dates and come help us celebrate our students’ extraordinary achievements that came from their dedication, hard work, inspiration, and the great instruction they received from MTM faculty!Â
Where you will enjoy representational drawings, paintings, design, perspective drawing, and classical animation too!
We look forward to seeing you!
And for more information, email us at admissions@maxthemutt.com or contact us if you have any questions. Make sure to check out our newest art workshops and upcoming dates.
 Yowza! Animation  dropped in to talk to our Animation and Concept Art students last Friday.
Sally Walker, Studio Coordinator of Yowza! Animation, gave us a call in January to suggest visiting MTM for early portfolio reviews with year 4 Animation and Concept Art students. We agreed on February 22 to give students a little more time to get ready for this very early and exciting chance to show their work (they won’t be graduating until May!).
Yowza, a major Toronto animation studio that does work for Disney, Warner Bros, and Dreamworks to name a few, is also well known for how well they treat their employees!
We were very happy that Animation Director Tom Joliffe, Art Director Jeffrey Timmins and Studio Coordinator Sally Walker took the time out of their busy schedules to visit us.
They were able to enjoy a quick tour of the college and saw three floors of halls with student work on exhibit. Then they gave their presentation to year 2, 3 and 4 students. During the presentation they spoke about Yowza’s philosophy and artistic aspirations, and the skills the studio is looking for — then they gave us a chance to see some of their beautiful recent work! We were truly excited about the quality and beauty of what they are creating. Sally tells us that Yowza is contributing to a high-end 2D feature film, several hand-drawn series, and a stop motion preschool show for CBC (Kiri & Lou).
The presentation was followed by the opportunity for each graduating Animation and Concept Art student to have a personal portfolio review with both Tom and Jeff.
Year 3 students were also encouraged to submit applications for paid summer internships! This was an exciting and inspiring visit for all of us!
Thanks so much to Tom, Jeff and Sally from YOWZA! Animation for your time! We look forward to your next visit!
PSÂ Â Sally recently emailed us: “About the visit, …. the students were a beacon of intelligence in our future industry and we are thrilled to have a connection with the school. Working with MTM graduates for years has been a pleasure and we see them going very far.”
For more information about Max the Mutt Contact us to schedule a tour and learn about what our school offers and why studios, like Yowza, want to hire our students.
Whether you’d like to start formal studies in art and design, animation, concept art or a sequential arts program, it helps to learn more about how to prepare the portfolio required for your review. For an outstanding portfolio, we suggest that in addition to the required pieces asked for by the college, you should consider asking if you can include extras that you feel good about. These pieces can reflect some of your personality; your ideas, technical skill and interests. This helps set your portfolio apart from others when college admissions officers review it.
Tips for Preparing a Portfolio for Art College
The following tips and guidelines will help you prepare a better portfolio.
Double Check the Requirements – One of the most basic, and biggest mistakes you can make is to miss something that is clearly stated in the college’s application requirements. If it isn’t stated, a rule of thumb is to include 10 to 20 pieces in the portfolio. And submit your portfolio on time!
Pay Attention to the presentation:
if you need to photograph some pieces, do it well! The best concept art ever can look terrible if it is photographed in poor lighting.
Clean up your drawings. If you are showing your sketchbook, for example, use a kneaded rubber eraser to clean up smudged or messy pages.
Organize the pieces so that is easy for the reviewer to check off required pieces.
Double check that you have everything required for your application! What else did you need to include besides the portfolio? The care you take is an indication that you will be a serious, focused student who can follow directions.
If the college does an in-person interview, get there a few minutes early. Think of this as a job interview. Be sure you are well groomed. Smile. Make eye contact… Introduce yourself.
If you liked this post, check out our article on how to begin a career in animation and many others on fine art, graphic design, and much more.
