L.A. Animation Artist Tired of Explaining To Fans He Didn’t Attend CalArts
The talented Ian Jones-Quartey, who serves as the supervising director of the Cartoon Network series Steven Universe, took to Twitter tonight to vent his frustration with young fans who keep asking him how to get accepted into the animation program at CalArts, even though he never attended the school:
i keep seeing people repeating the lie that you HAVE to go to CalArts to be successful in the animation industry
— ian jq (@ianjq) February 3, 2015
or worse yet getting down on themselves, saying things like "well I'd have to go to Calarts to be a success… and I can't afford it"
— ian jq (@ianjq) February 3, 2015
it's gotten to the point that last weekend at a panel someone identified @rebeccasugar as a CalArts student to her face
— ian jq (@ianjq) February 3, 2015
i have nothing against CalArts but I am against people deciding that theres only one path and giving up on themselves cause they arent on it
— ian jq (@ianjq) February 3, 2015
i have a ton of tumblr messages in my inbox from people asking me advice on how to get in to Calarts. I didn't go there!
— ian jq (@ianjq) February 3, 2015
i LIKE calarts though. i've visited several times and even spoken there. but it's weird to see it keep coming up in this context
— ian jq (@ianjq) February 3, 2015
@shhhhhionn either way im weirded out by the assumption by many that CalArts is the only option
— ian jq (@ianjq) February 3, 2015
While Quartey is proof that you don’t need to attend CalArts to have a successful career in the Los Angeles animation industry, there are advantages to attending CalArts if you’re absolutely sure that you want to work in the southern California animation industry. The industry in Los Angeles, both feature and television, has long used CalArts much like sports franchises use farm teams to develop talent. Industry artists who teach at CalArts often recruit students or recommend them for studio positions, and animation execs offer more shows to CalArts alumni than graduates of all other schools combined.
Four of Cartoon Network’s six current original series were created by CalArts alumni: Adventure Time, Regular Show, Uncle Grandpa, and Clarence. And on Disney Channel, every single one of their original series right now with the exception of Phineas and Ferb was created by an alumni of CalArts: Gravity Falls, Mickey Mouse, Wander Over Yonder, and Star vs. the Forces of Evil. This is not a judgment of the system (it is what it is) but rather an observation: if your goal is to get a TV show made in Los Angeles—especially at a major studio like Cartoon Network, Nick or Disney—you increase your odds significantly by attending CalArts.
And if you’re wondering about Quartey, he attended the School of Visual Arts in New York City, like Rebecca Sugar, the creator of Steven Universe.
