<h3>Where</h3>Online<h3>When</h3>March 24-26, 2022

Toronto Animation Film Festival

<h3>Where</h3>Online<h3>When</h3>March 24-27, 2021

<h3>Where</h3>Hot Docs Cinema | Toronto, Canada | 506 Bloor Street West<h3>When</h3>Monday April 25th

<h3>Where</h3>Online<h3>When</h3>November 11-13, 2021

Toronto Animation Industry Conference

<h3>Where</h3>Online<h3>When</h3>November 18-22, 2020﻿

<h3>Where</h3>Corus Quay, Toronto, Canada, 25 Dockside Dr.<h3>When</h3>Saturday to Sunday, November 2-3, 2019

Toronto Animation / VFX Job Fair

TAAFI News

<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.crowdcast.io/c/taafi2023/lobby">JOIN THE VIRTUAL SESSION HERE!</a> Join Bart and Chris as they do a deep dive on their recent series Psi Cops, a cartoon about two moronic supernatural investigators. They'll be talking about what it's like to make animated TV shows after getting rejected from animation school; how to unlock the stupidest possible voices from seasoned voice actors; what it was like landing their dream job in the middle of a global pandemic, and discussing their favorite cryptids. They'll share clips from the show and recount stories about how a misfired email started the whole thing.

Joel MacKenzie is an award-winning independent animation creator, director, and character designer from tropical Nova Scotia, Canada. He hopes to own a dog someday and eventually play every video game in the world.

Joel MacKenzie

Stupidnatural - A Deep Dive with the creators of Psi Cops

Bart and Chris are a comedy-art duo who began their creative partnership at Emily Carr University where they both graded with a Bachelor of Media Arts. While working for a decade as creatives in the ad world, they harboured a secret art practice, amassing as many Vancouver weirdos as they could to create comedy web shorts. In 2014 one of their animated shows, World Doctors, was picked up by Mondo Media on YouTube and garnered both millions of views and a slightly creepy cult following over its 30 episodes. Soon after, they hosted the live-action segments on Night Sweats, a 24 episode animation compilation for Adult Swim Canada. They then co-founded Oddfellows Labs in 2016 and have created multiple animated series since, including Psi-Cops, a 24x11 minute series, also for Corus.

Bart Batchelor

Chris Nielsen

<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.crowdcast.io/c/taafi2023/lobby">JOIN THE VIRTUAL SESSION HERE!</a> As the animation industry flows through a wave of uncertainty, dive into a discussion surrounding the challenges facing creative talent today. Veteran director and former animator Kevin Micallef, and creator and designer Sunita Balsara share their advice on staying afloat and remaining resilient during trying times.

Nelvana Presents: Creative Sparks in Trying Times: Navigating Animation’s Turbulent Waters

Kevin Micallef is a 29-year veteran of the Animation TV and Feature Film Industry, currently the Creative Director of Development&nbsp;at Nelvana Enterprises. Previously directing a number of shows that range from preschool to teen including the TV series Elinor Wonders Why which received Two Emmy Nominations, for Outstanding Direction and Outstanding Preschool Series. Grossology, which was nominated for six Canadian Screen Awards and Detentionaire, which received three Canadian Screen nominations as well as a nomination for Best Teen Series at the Cartoons on the Bay Festival. Prior to Directing, Kevin was an animator for Walt Disney Studios, Sony, Warner Bros and Lucas Arts on such features as Lilo and Stitch, Osmosis Jones and Eight Crazy Nights.

Kevin Micallef

Melissa&nbsp;Graham&nbsp;is a Daytime Emmy® nominated Animation Producer with over 25&nbsp;years’ experience&nbsp;in the&nbsp;animation&nbsp;industry.&nbsp;Starting as an Artist then moving into Production Management, she has&nbsp;Produced&nbsp;many key Nelvana productions such as Handy Manny, Bubble Guppies, Max &amp; Ruby, Esme &amp; Roy, Agent Binky: Pets of the Universe&nbsp;and most recently, the re-launch of Barney in CG.&nbsp;Melissa brings her&nbsp;2D and 3D&nbsp;expertise in Production, her calm professionalism and dedication to excellence&nbsp;into her current role as&nbsp;Nelvana’s&nbsp;Director of Production, where she&nbsp;oversees all original and co-produced animation content in Production.

Melissa Graham

Sunita Balsara is a designer, writer, and professional worrier based in Toronto. Sunita started working in animation a decade ago as a background and prop designer on ‘Bubble Guppies’ at Nelvana. Since then, Sunita’s been a character and prop designer for such series as ‘Corn &amp; Peg’ and ‘Thomas &amp; Friends’. She has been published twice in indie comic anthologies and has successfully pitched two short films, one of which, ‘Ostinato’, will be premiering at Spark next month. When she isn’t drawing or daydreaming, she can be found struggling to not kill her houseplants.

Sunita Balsara

Nelvana 2022

<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.crowdcast.io/c/taafi2023/lobby">JOIN THE VIRTUAL SESSION HERE!</a> The duo known as Heck reflects on their recent history as a creative studio. Michael Van Swearingen and Peter Steineck have been heavily involved in their community animation project, Hellavision Television, since 2017, and they sought to establish an in-person working space. What this endeavor led to was a creative studio with a foundation built on community efforts toward unconventional business practices. Heck discusses their experiences in starting a studio during a writers' strike and the post-pandemic online era.

Constant Yen is a Toronto-based independent animator and filmmaker. Their work combines stop-motion and 2D animation to create tactile results. They are passionate about experimental animation.

Constant Yen

Heck Studio: Building a Studio on Community

MICHAEL VAN SWEARINGEN is a motion designer and creative director. Currently co-runs HECK STUDIO. Previous clients include Adult Swim, Bento Box, Target, Abbott.

Michael Van Swearingen

PETER STEINECK is an animator, illustrator, motion designer, &amp; art director. Currently co-runs HECK STUDIO. Previous clients include Urban Outfitters, Google, Vans, Cartoon Network.

TAAFI News

Toronto Animation Film Festival

Toronto Animation Industry Conference

Toronto Animation / VFX Job Fair

Heck Studio: Building a Studio on Community

Michael Van Swearingen, Founder & Creative Director, Heck Studio

Peter Steineck, Founder & Art Director, Heck Studio

Constant Yen, Independent Animator/Filmmaker