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Toronto Animation Film Festival

Toronto Animation Industry Conference

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Where: Toronto Reference Library & Online

When: November 2-4, 2023

Previous Events:

Toronto Animation / VFX Job Fair

Presented by:

sponsor

Guru Studio presents Mecha Builders

Sat, Nov 12th

11:45AM - 12:45PM

Reference Library: Epic Hall

From feathered and furry friends to robo super-heroes-in-training, find out how animation powerhouse Guru Studio helped reimagine the iconic muppets of Sesame Street into supersized CGI for the newest series, Mecha Builders. Join Guru Studio’s Yurie Rocha (Series Director) and Andrew Strimaitis (Studio Animation Director) as they discuss how Cookie Monster, Elmo and Abby Cadabby were re-imagined to expand the Sesameverse for a whole new generation.

speaker

Andrew Strimaitis, Studio Animation Director, Guru Studio

Andrew Strimaitis has animated and directed animation for several shows over his 15 years in the industry, including MTV fan-favourite Celebrity Deathmatch, musical adventure series The Backyardigans, Mattel’s Ever After High, Guru’s own Emmy nominated series Justin Time, and the global smash hit PAW Patrol. With a background in stop-motion, Andrew brings a unique approach to 3D, specializing in animation workflow. Always eager to help animators improve their skills, he enjoys sharing his unique method of animating which finds the ideal acting choices to best perform scenes.

speaker

Yurie Rocha, Director, Mecha Builders, Guru Studio

Yurie Rocha is a Canadian director born and raised in Toronto, Canada. After graduating from Sheridan College for Classical Animation in 2004, Yurie joined Guru Studio where he honed his love for lighting, cinematography and character development, working on CG animated commercials for companies like Kraft and Tropicana. In 2012, Yurie was tapped to creatively direct and CG supervise the creation of the hit animated series PAW Patrol in partnership with Spin Master and Nickelodeon. As a senior creative lead at Guru Studio, Yurie would go on to spearhead the launch of new properties such as Dinopaws (Cbeebies) and True and The Rainbow Kingdom (Netflix). Yurie's focus then turned to directing where he was instrumental in launching Pikwik Pack for Disney Junior and Hulu. Yurie is currently working with Sesame Workshop to direct Mecha Builders (HBO Max) which stars Elmo, Cookie Monster and Abby as giant CG robots. Yurie continues to be most passionate about bringing characters to life that children will love, trust and cherish.

speakerMODERATOR

Sabrina Zaczek, Social Media Director, TAAFI

After graduating from Loyalist College with an Advanced Diploma in Animation, Sabrina now works as a Production Assistant for Big Jump Entertainment. Sabrina brings her love of the industry and passion for bringing new people together to the role of Ambassador Coordinator. When she's not knee deep in a new project, Sabrina can be found reading, cooking, or 3D printing things she may or may not need.

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