News

04-13-2014 - I finished the short Norm and Cory, posted it on my Vimeo account, and it has already been submitted to some festivals! So far it will have its world premiere at the first Animation Torrent in Park Ridge, Illinois on April 17th! Also, it played in the independent shorts jury screening for the 45th ASIFA East Awards in May, so cross your fingers! I was elated to see it on the big screen for once, and I can't wait for it to play in front of a festival audience! Special thanks to Taylor Armstrong for managing all the Animation Torrent entries!

Toons These Days has ended early because Alex Dudley wants to move on to other projects. But I am pleased with all the finished episodes on Blip and YouTube.

09-21-2013 - It's been over a year and I have an excuse. Not only does an animated short like this take a long time to make especially when you're the only one heading everything involved with it, but the full-time job I have actually restricted me in working on it until over the weekends, and I had misc. smaller projects pop up that I was a part of in the meantime. Norm and Cory the animated short is planned to be finish very soon, and it will be posted online on November 20th, my birthday! I will link to it here!

Over the end of the summer, I had the priviledge of co-writing the second season of a web review show called Toons These Days. The show is created by Alex Dudley, and is based on a comic he made about 4 years ago. The second season premieres today! You can see the previous episodes of Toons These Days by going to DToons Productions' website, and its YouTube channel! Or by simply watching the entire season in one video. Premieres will go live on his own website first. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook!

At work, I made some development art for a Sarbakan game that has yet to go live on iTunes due to our client dealing with financial issues, but I DID design monster characters for an online Pepperidge Farm's Goldfish game, Monster Mayhem, which you can play now!

08-27-2012 -I give you the Ultra Reel, the 2012 edition! This is the first reel edit I made since 2009 and I was due for a new one. I actually completed this edit in July but legal red tape made me wait a long time for approve rights to all these clients I did work for at the ad agency I work at, so I just decided to take those out. It makes the reel shorter this way anyway. I will get around to posting this on this site instead of linking to it.

Personal content is (C) me, and studio work is (C) their respective owners. Do not use for your own unless by legal permission.

04-26-2012 - After Orbis Park was completed, I started on development for my next short, and have since. But not before some happy news came this week! Orbis Park will screen at the 43rd Annual ASIFA East Awards this Sunday the 29th. Yes, this also means it's getting an award! This would be Orbis Park's first actual public premiere.

Now that The Productive reached their goal on Kickstarter to fund starting it, I have made good use of the co-working studio. I will produce the short to follow Orbis Park there, as well as work on some freelance animation for an upcoming series that I can't tell you about yet, but I am excited about it. If you're a digital animator/artist/programmer in or near Manhattan, check out the site and see if it's a fit for you.

AnimationInsider interviewed me. The interview is, to me, "brutally honest", but no worse than what, say, John K would say to you lol. The last part is supposed to be formatted into a list with margins, but you can otherwise recognize where they're divided by looking at which sentences are bold. Some never-before-seen concept sketches for my next short are included.

12-14-2011 - You can view Orbis Park only on Vimeo in its entirety. http://vimeo.com/32943938

The ASIFA East Viewseum blog, by Emmett Goodman, has some information about how I concieved the idea for the short, and some things about the production process. http://asifaeast.com/aNYmator/2011/12/12/orbis-park-by-andrew-kaiko/

Cartoon Brew even posted it not too long after it was posted online. http://www.cartoonbrew.com/shorts/orbis-park-by-andrew-kaiko.html

11-17-2011 -

10-10-2011 - Well, the animated short I been plugging is nearly completion. I just need to wait for the composer to finish his work, edit it in, and render everything together! Now, a behind-the-scenes development reel has been edited! And it was screened at the ASIFA East Open Screening on September 29th (go to the organization's blog here), the first time any kind of work in this short was publically premiered! You can view it on YouTube or on my new Vimeo account!

Look forward to the completed short soon.

I also plan to eventually put it on DVD with bonus commentary.

04-20-2011 - With the short underway, I thought I'd share some work I been doing for G2. I was put in charge of animating Xtreme, the energetic, awesome goldfish cracker, for Pepperidge Farm's Goldfish brand official website! I only animated him in the Team Xtreme sections of the site, as the animation on the other sections were finished beforehand. He takes kids around the world on 20 different locations, 15 or so of which have been finished now, as part of the NBA All-Stars 2011 sweepstakes! Check out the animation, and see what kind of excuses I had to make from not updating this site enough! I also worked on projects from various other companies at G2!

Note: The section above includes large videos. You may need to wait between loading to see every page, and some may skip.

04-04-2011 - Since getting hired at G2, I have never touched this site, since I been pretty secure financially, and all my time as been invested in the day-job,... until several months ago! I decided now was the right time to make my first full animated short since graduating college! It's called Orbis Park, and will be finished by December 2011! I will post pics and development sketches of it shortly! Laters.

05-25-2010 - Man it seems like such a long time since my last entry, when in fact it was only two weeks... I now have a new full-time job at G2, an ad agency in New York City. In fact, it started on May 3rd, but I wanted to hold off on adding this news to my site in case any turn of events happened that would change it. But now I am waist-deep in a tight deadline for a involved project with a big team collaborating with a mirror studio in Pennsylvania... and I am now permenantly settled in! This is the first full-time job I had since the company for my last full-time job had a massive lay-off in 2008, and am grateful for this! :)

05-09-2010-Happy Mother's Day! In the Animation section, I just added a new fan animation I made based on the graphic novel BONE, by Jeff Smith, in response to the recent news of the first volumes becoming a CG feature film! I plan to email him this video once I find a way to contact him, and propose a suggestion.

Now that I got this out of the way (and this video took a LONG time to do!), I should do something completely original for my next personal project, as the last two projects were adaptations of something else (see entry below). I DO have a new full-time job though, and we'll see how much time I have to work on my own things...

04-01-2010- Added a new image to the Portfolio section. It's a pretty in-depth result of something I had been speculating for a while now... what would it be like if Kappa Mikey were to become a feature film or television movie? I wrote an entire storyline, made some mock screenshots, and compiled them all into a mock movie poster! :) Considering I used to WORK on this show, it's not really fanart, and I am in good graces with the studio. I even made an entire trailer of it on YouTube. It was a good conceptualization, and it inspires me to one day write my draft on hard copy sometime in the future!

This is not an April Fool's joke!

03-22-2010- A client of mine prohibits me of posting a new animation online, as he wants to use it for specific purposes. So... I am still working on stuff guys... we just can't see it on the net.

03-16-2010- Updated the Portfolio section with a new traditional painting I made for my family's lakehouse in Vermont. It's not something they decided on quickly- it's a very involved and slow process- this house took 4 years to complete from planning up to now, and I took my time finishing this up for the house! I may sell it in the future after it stays in the house for a while. Check it out!

In other freelance news, Queer Pets Adventures will make it's world premiere at the Miami and Ft. Lauderdale Gay and Lesbian Film Festival on April 23rd to May 2nd! I'm not sure if only 5 or all 10 episodes will premiere. Keep yourself up-to-date on the schedule on their site! Also, I just completed the first real episode of Charles the Chef, and it will be online shortly!

2-27-2010- So February's been pretty unproductive, as freelance jobs have been slow due to waiting for replies from clients, and rates have been delayed for all sorts of reasons, but things will turn around! I am learning Maya and HTML, and am doing some voice acting practice with my own mic that you can see on YouTube. In fact, I should link them here too.

I also completed animation for the intro to a series of books called 'Let's Get Cooking!' with Charles the Chef. You can see them here too!You can find out more about this series at their official site!

2-2-2010- Over the holidays I helped to clean-up and animated a 30-second commercial for New York's United Federation of Teachers in time for Martin Luther King Jr. Day! It's been airing on basic channels all across the nation (even during Obama's speech!), and only now has it been uploaded to YouTube! You can view it here, and I also added a link to it in my Animation section!

01-02-2010- 2010 already! I added new observational drawings in Observational Drawing section of the Portfolio page, as well as a new Jack Magic one-shot comic, "Pere Noel Day", on the same page!

Coming to festivals this year, through Casque D'Or Films, will be a series of 1-minute animated shorts called Queer Pet Adventures. Like the Flash series Queer Duck, this will aim to share appreciation for the gay and lesbian culture, while still being universal in its story, humor, and message. I designed, animated, and edited the entire series myself, and worked closely with the head of the company, Veronique Courtois, through to completion! Be sure to check on her website often to hear new updates and schedules for venues! :) Also, stop by my Portfolio page to see never-before-seen screenshots from the series right now!

12-28-09- I suppose there won't be a new update past New Years', so Happy New Year! Go 2010!

Want to know what I've been working on behind my secluded room for the last six months?! A new series of shorts for a California studio that will be submitted to festivals! It's being produced by Casque D'Or Films! More news to come...

12-14-09- I know my site does not have a links page, but I think it's time I mention my brother Erik here. Erik is currently working just outside Chicago, IL as an actor and teacher with his girlfriend Megan. You can read his site here and his blog here!

12-9-09- Happy Holidays! :) I worked on this for the past month on my freetime.

I attended a John Dilworth presentation planned by ASIFA East held at the School of Visual Arts' theatre yesterday. John, as some of you may be aware, created and executive produced CN's Courage the Cowardly Dog years ago, and he has not lost his touch ever since. The presentation was among the most colorful and involved ASIFA has ever planned, complete with a guy in a Courage costume, an SVA band, many many animator cameos, and even the voice of Courage himself. His latest shorts 'Life In Transition' and 'Rinky Dink' were screened.

I also finished a freelance project that last SIX months just yesterday, and I will announce it here very soon!

11-23-09- Added new piece of character design and concept for another story idea I have. I may flesh these characters out more as the days go by.

I made some Holiday cards that I linked to on my other sites, and which you can buy on both Cafepress and Zazzle! :)

In other news, I have been pretty busy with job searching... and for my birthday, I had to cope with the new operating system I decided to get for my birthday, and all the problems that came along with it. I have wanted to use this form as a way to talk about animation news, but I have fallen back on that. In short, I saw Where the Wild Things Are, and Fantastic Mr. Fox, which were both very good. The Cat's Piano I mentioned earlier became an Academy Award nominating runner! :)

Get ready for an original animation featuring my Jack Magic characters in a holiday greeting soon, as well as a Christmas comic!

10-29-09- I realized that companies usually look for ONE SINGLE REEL to get a picture of your best work, while I always had several reels by studio or personal project. To remedy the situation, I give you the Ultra Reel 2009! :) It covers both my best personal projects, as well as the best of my studio work!

10-26-09- Animation Collective, the independent animation studio in New York City that I have been working with for a long time, is in a deal with Handmade Films to be acquired by them for a $12 million backing, according to AnimationMagazine.com . What this means about my current employment relationship with them is yet to be revealed- I don't even know if I'm going to return. But I wish them luck with this new venture.

In other news, I updated my old Cafepress account with more holiday cards. Buy em now while it's still that time of year! :) I know I don't have a section on this new site for a Store link, but one day, I may even revive the account with new stuff and add a link. I am also trying to find other services that will also use my designs, and create more exposure!

10-12-09- Follow Derrick Fish's Dandy and Company this entire week for 5 daily strips I created for his Total Chaos Guest feature! It's starting today!

10-11-09- I've added a brand new video: The Foxy Scrambler, which is my entry into Nickelodeon's '15-Seconds-To-Fame' Animation Contest. This version on my site is actually 20 seconds, to make the text appear clearer. Now that the date for Nick's finalist list has come and gone, it's a good bet that I didn't get in, but that means I can upload it online! It's also on my YouTube account!

9-22-09- That was quick! The open drawing slides work after all!

My 2006 Senior thesis Mime For A Day has been uploaded to the brand new animation community called AnimationHut.tv (similar to YouTube, but WAY smaller), established by long-time animator Bill Pressing. Many have already joined the site and uploaded videos. Unlike YouTube, it is only for animation, JUST started, is NOT backed by a major company, and is personally monitored by the administrator. I hope it grows into a healthy community. Mime For A Day is covered on the site's blog too!

9-21-09- Some observational figure drawings were added to the Portfolio section. Check them out. So far, I'm trying to figure out what's wrong with the coding, because you can only view the first one, after which follows the Norm & Cory comic 'Torn A' Plenty', instead of the succeeding drawings, so hang in there.

9-11-09- I observe the 8th anniversary. ...of 9/11.

...

Okay that's that!

My friend James Sugrue spent the past year making a holiday-themed short that he entered into FOX's Aniboom Holiday Contest! You can vote simply watching the short, which automatically count as one vote! Git him up the list!

Back in August, I decided to enter Nickelodeon's 2009 '15-Seconds-of-Fame' Animation Competition on a whim. You can see the entry here. Entries were closed on September 8th, and they are in the judging stage now. I may delete it if Nick actually selects it for the next round.

9-04-09- I made a painting for my brother Erik's 24th birthday TODAY! He's getting by as an actor in Illinois, and his last job JUST ended, so visit his site!

In other news, as you all know by now, Disney bought Marvel Comics for 4 billion dollars! I see this as something pretty unimportant, but it was quite a shock when first hearing about it. Crossover jokes are too tasty to ignore, but they are just that: jokes.

Also, I recently saw "The Cat Piano", a short film directed by Eddie White and Ari Gibson, which blends beautiful hand-drawn animation to a very definite mood. The other is the non-budgeted "Santaman" project, which is basically a Santa version of Batman, and was entered into the 2009 FOX Aniboom Holiday contest! Both are well worth your time!

8-27-09- This main page has replaced the old one, making this site officially live! I also just added a account for my videos as an alternative for viewing the Quicktimes files, which need to be loaded before playing. Explore, make suggestions about how to improve the site, and don't forget to read the resume for hiring!

8-24-09-

The Hooked-On-Phonics animation I helped to complete at Flickerlab has now been publically announced on AnimationMagazine.com . Funny, in that I personally never knew their Learn To Read lessons weren't being produced anymore before approaching Flickerlab!

8-22-09- I added a few new still pieces in my Portfolio page above, one of which is fan art. I also added my first personal storyboard, 'Overdue'.

8-22-09- Welcome to the new layout! This is a test to see how the new format works. It will take me some time to get used to editing the site this way, but I will get it eventually. In the meantime, look around and explore. There are many places that need work, so don't worry if you run into a dead link or an awkward-looking page. This format is brand new.

I have to thank Neil Orians for the hard work in designing the new look for the site! The link to his own site and his work are below in the disclaimer.

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HELLO!