We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Chris Leoutsakos. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Chris below.

Chris, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I know it sounds cliché, but I think I knew very early on that I wanted to pursue a creative career. And I was fortunate enough to have a family that would not only fully support me, but also plant the creative spark very early on. Growing up, I would absorb everything artistic, whether that was movies, shows, music, or visiting museums and art galleries. In school, I was involved in every show and event, painting backgrounds and sets, creating posters for events and booklets, and participating in drawing and art competitions. Outside of school, I would often have drawing as well as voice acting lessons while I also learned to play guitar and had an amazing time playing music with my school’s orchestra and choir. So, in a way, art was with me from the beginning.

Now being passionate about movies and animation, I also started a huge physical movie collection that I still have to this day, with more than four thousand BETA and VHS tapes, DVDs, and Blu-rays. Apart from watching and enjoying all those films, my curious young self would sit and watch all the “behind the scenes,” making-of documentaries and bonus features that were offered, providing an insight into the creative process of movie making. Whether that was animation or live-action, many ideas started flowing in my head, and it was then that I got introduced to what it really means to be an animator. In the following two to three years, I would get many “the art of” artbooks talking about how a Disney movie was made, to pose an example and other animation books that, to my surprise, I would revisit in my college journey many years later.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Well, I am a 2D animator and visual storyteller from Athens, Greece. I am currently in my senior year of college at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). I specialize in 2D character as well as effects animation, although I like putting on many more hats as a creative, such as doing storyboards and visual development. In fact, I am really excited to test the waters and expand my knowledge of what is possible now that I have recently been admitted to the New York Film Academy (NYFA) in Los Angeles to study 3D Animation and VFX after I graduate from my undergrad program! I am really passionate about art and movie making, and I love exposing myself to new challenges and ways of expanding my skill set. In my free time, I really enjoy being outside and observing the world around me, drawing, visiting museums, watching movies, and reading Edgar Allan Poe stories on repeat. I also love traveling and gaining exposure to different cultures and art types around the world.

My mission, although I strive to get better and learn new things every day, is to learn, master, and preserve the art of 2D hand-drawn animation, tell new, engaging stories, and provide powerful visuals for audiences to enjoy, always with passion and respect for the artists who came before me, while 2D animation finds its way back to the big screen in many interesting ways for future generations to enjoy. I have been in awe of what recent movies such as “Klaus,” “Puss in Boots the Last Wish,” “Spider-Man Across The Spider-Verse,” and “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” have done in terms of pushing the limits and creating their own distinct visual styles, and I am really excited to see what’s next and be part of it!

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Connecting with your audience and seeing them engage with your art. Regardless of whether that is a sculpture, a painting or a piece of animation, seeing an audience experiencing your work is an incredible feeling for us artists. It is the reason why I enjoy going to film festivals and watching movies on the big screen. There is something so powerful in going to a dark room with an x number of people and watching a film. Them laughing at the funny moments, getting emotional in other parts of the film. It is this engagement that speaks to us filmmakers’ hearts. It is the moment where all that hard work and obstacles that one might had to overcome prove that it was worth it. Especially for movies, animated or live-action, where the nature of what we do calls for a lot of collaboration between different departments and people.

Another personal favorite aspect of being an artist and an animator, in particular, is when you flip the pages of your animation or watch what we call a “pencil test,” and all those still drawings become a fully functional, moving character that has thoughts and feelings. For our readers not familiar with what a pencil test is, it is when an animator sees his rough drawings move for the first time. When you hit “play,” all those scanned drawings (done on paper or digitally in a program) get to move at a 24 frames-a-second frame rate and emote. Seeing your lines and pencil marks become something more. That feeling of breathing life is what makes me proud to be a storyteller.

Have you ever had to pivot?

It is funny to look back at moments like these because, at the time, it felt so important. As if it was the end of the world. As if everything was game over. But the years pass, and you find a way. And when you look back, you can’t stop yourself from laughing about it.

When I was in my last years of high school and had to find a way to study abroad, I was fortunate enough that my school offered the choice of applying for an IB program, an internationally recognized university entrance qualification for students studying outside of their home country. At the time, it was “the only way to go,” according to my school. Long story short, I trained for the IB exam months in advance, taking the time to fully prepare through preparation classes that my school offered in the afternoon. The big day came, and I did poorly! What was on that exam had nothing to do with what we had been taught and preparing for, all those months ago. I very vividly remember freezing the moment I turned the first page, my head being completely empty, fear taking over, and me not knowing what to do. Fast forward to when the test results came in weeks later. I didn’t pass the exam. Thinking that everything was over, I turned to the man in charge of the IB department, asking for help. I just wanted to know what went wrong. His answer was, “Accept it. There is nothing else that can be done. Find something else to do,” even refusing to show me my corrected paper. Desperate and feeling like I was at a dead end, my family and I turned to my high school success advisor, who was excited beyond belief with my news. “You were not a match for that program anyway,” she said and laughed at my shocked expression.

So, I got to experience firsthand what people mean when they say, “One door closes, another one opens.” By the end of high school and upon my graduation, I not only got accepted into SCAD for a BFA in 2D Animation but got awarded four scholarships, too. The moral of the story is that never ever let anyone tell you who you are and what you can or can’t do. And if one opportunity isn’t for you, it doesn’t mean that another one isn’t waiting around the corner! Stay passionate and focused on your goals and eventually you will achieve them.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://leoutsakoschris.myportfolio.com/work
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cl_verse.art?igsh=MW01MTZkYm45ZjBzeQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-leoutsakos-1679b51a4