Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Coleton Bryan. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Coleton, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. So, let’s start with trends – what are some of the largest or more impactful trends you are seeing in the industry?

Animation is a constantly evolving industry. Which is very exciting to be a part of. One of the biggest trends in our industry is the ability of streamers to collect more exact data about audiences’ preferences when it comes to media and “content”. In one way this can be good, companies are able to look at exactly what audiences want and feed them the exact animated shows that, from their data, say people will love watching. It all sounds perfect but there are a lot of downsides to this. This mentality doesn’t allow creators a huge amount of freedom to share their unique voice and it doesn’t allow series of TV or media to grow. Thinking back, there are a lot of shows that may not be the best in season one but after figuring out messaging, thematic details, and characterization more in seasons subsequent we have some of the greatest TV shows. If a big streamer cancels a show right after 8 episodes because it wasn’t performing at max capacity then they could have potentially just knocked out a possible series that grows in huge popularity.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I have always loved to create. I realized you can make a living by designing worlds that many people can see in the medium of animation. It was an exciting realization and so I went to SCAD Atlanta to get my masters in animation. While at school, I learned of the job of a background artist– this is someone in animation who paints and designs the sets and locations that characters inhabit in animated tv shows and movies. Realizing this could be a perfect blend of my love of landscape paintings, architecture, and animation I knew this is what I wanted to focus on. Since then I have worked with Bento Box Entertainment, 6 Point Harness Studio, and others. I’ve contributed to shows on Netflix, HBO Max, Apple TV+ and others. I am most proud of just getting the chance to paint and draw all day for a living. It’s a goal that I have had for the past 10 years and to finally just stop and see that I’m realizing that goal is such a dream!

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

There are a lot of resources for those breaking into animation. One resource that I wish I had known about earlier on and I would suggest (specifically if you are interested in backgrounds and production design) is Armand Serrano’s Mentorship class. The price is a bit high but so affordable compared to most art schools and very worth it. Armand has an amazing resume working with most every major studio and years of experience in his field. He is also super kind and an amazing teacher. This mentorship that he offers every so often really shows you how to think like a designer and helps you get some awesome portfolio pieces.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

I am always looking to put positivity and wonder back into the world. That is my number one goal on this journey. There is so much sadness, hopelessness, and anger that can and will creep into the world. I figure, since I’m creating anyways, I want to create something that may push back against that sadness even for a little bit.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.coletonbryan.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coletonbryan/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/coleton-bryan-8a4139134/