With SpongeBob Staff Writer, Richard Pursel and Director/Animator/Writer of the Sky Princess on Vudu & Amazon Prime, Dara Harper
Workshop Application Open Registration from – January 18, 2022, to February 2, 2022
Workshop Dates:
Workshop Start Date: February 2, 2022 / Workshop End Date: February 11, 2022
Workshop Duration: 2 Weeks (Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays only)
This two-week Workshop (February 2-11) teaches primarily Guyanese and Caribbean nationals how to create their own 3-page animation scripts with a comedy/funny genre focus. This Workshop was designed to challenge Guyanese and Caribbean artists, animators, writers and creators to create narratives about Guyana and Caribbean culture that could be consumed and understood by global audiences. It is also aimed at creating cross-cultural collaborations with Guyanese and Caribbean diaspora and international writers with an interest in creating animation and TV content featuring Guyanese and Caribbean culture. The ultimate purpose of this Workshop is to strengthen the skills capacity of all attendees and to be a space for long-form and short-form animation writing and story development. Work created in this Workshop will be published in many outlets including video generated content by all attendees pitching their script. The videos generated by attendees pitching their scripts will be posted on social media for public voting.
Summary: It’s for Guyanese and Caribbean Nationals or International Writers interested in Guyanese and Caribbean culture to develop scripts turning Guyanese stories into animation scripts for production.
This 5-day workshop will be held on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays only between the Workshop period of February 2 – 11, 2022. It will provide attendees with group workshopping, writing training and structuring of a 3-page animation script with a comic focus.
From the writers of SpongeBob and The Sky Princess, workshop days will feature animation script mappings, outlines and structure, idea discussions, collaboration among writers, story brainstorming and script production. On Non-Workshop days between the Workshop period (Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays) attendees will have take-home assignments to present on subsequent Workshop days during the Workshop period. Attendees will have time to work on their own scripts, receive individual and group feedback and participate in group discussions to perfect their scripts for the pitches.
Top scripts and participants will receive an opportunity to work on a paid animation project.
This Animation Writers Workshop is open to a general audience. However, our ideal participants are Guyanese and Caribbean nationals who are fiction and non-fiction writers, authors, poets, spoken word artists, singers, songwriters, musicians, filmmakers, animators, artists and persons professionally seeking to enter the animation industry through writing and storytelling. The Workshop is also open to the Guyanese and Caribbean Diaspora as well as international animation writers seeking to tell Guyanese and Caribbean stories through mainstream animation and TV.
Please note that this Workshop will be conducted in English and participants are accepted for the development of English language scripts with variations of Caribbean creole, dialect and slang translatable to their English equivalent.
Accepted participants are expected to attend Zoom sessions on Workshop Days and complete take-home assessments on non-Workshop Days.
Director, Author & Animator of
The Sky Princess
Staff Writer for
SpongeBob SquarePants,
Storyboarded for
Cow and Chicken and Ren & Stimpy
Open Lecture and Information Session: January 31, 2022
Animation Writers Workshop Day 1: February 2, 2022
Animation Writers Workshop Day 2: February 4, 2022
Animation Writers Workshop Day 3: February 7, 2022
Animation Writers Workshop Day 4: February 9, 2022
Animation Writers Workshop Day 5: February 11, 2022
Script Video Pitches: February 12 – 13, 2022
Pitch Announcement Winners: February 15, 2022
Job Placement Invitations: February 30, 2022
This event is hosted by:
GAN Studios, a studio powered by the Guyana Animation Network (GAN) Inc., in collaboration with Richard Pursel, Storyboard Artist and Writer of SpongeBob Squarepants, and Dara Harper, Author and Animator of The Sky Princess.
The Organizing Team behind the Workshop is comprised of:
Jubilanté Cutting, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Guyana Animation Network (GAN) Inc.
Francine Leitch, Director and Lead Designer of the Guyana Animation Network(GAN) Inc.
Martin Massiah, Animation Executive and International Business Development Expert, Owner of Massiah Capital Animation
It is important to follow all steps in registering for the Workshop to attend.
Step 1:
Complete the Registration Form – Register here
Step 2:
Pay your Workshop Fee – Collect Payment Information
Email [email protected]
Step 3:
Submit your proof of Payment – Submit Screenshot and Document
Step 4:
Access Workshop Material and Zoom Log in Information
For questions on the registration process, payments or partnerships, please contact our organizing team:
Jubilanté Cutting, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Guyana Animation Network (GAN) Inc. – [email protected]
Francine Leitch, Director and Lead Designer of the Guyana Animation Network(GAN) Inc.- [email protected]
Martin Massiah, Animation Executive and International Business Development Expert, Owner of Massiah Capital Animation – [email protected]
For business or animation collaboration queries, please contact:
GAN Inc. and GAN Studios Teams – [email protected]
Aim:
We are equipping Guyanese with the skills they need to take up immediate jobs in animation and graphic and digital design.
Social Media:
To receive social media updates
Dara Harper was born in Detroit and developed a passion for storytelling at an early age.
She is a novelist, Off-Broadway playwright, journalist, artist and award-winning filmmaker for “Passing”, “Sweeter Without Sugar” and won the Best African American Filmmaker Award (Brooklyn Film Festival) for her animated short, “la Revolution.” She has worked on projects for Disney, MTV and Nickelodeon. She authored several novels and directed and wrote the CG-animated feature film, “The Sky Princess” (available on Vudu and Amazon Prime). One of her scripts was recently selected as a top 30 semi-finalist from over 700 entries in BET’s Project CRE8 TV competition.
A product of the Detroit High School for Fine and Performing Arts and International Academy of Design and Technology in Chicago, Dara was accepted into the Harlem Writer’s Guild Guild, past members include Maya Angelou and Terry McMillian. Her plays, “Half Truth, Full Plate” and “Shades of War” were recently produced at Hollywood’s Stella Adler Theatre, in residence with the Towne Street Theatre. She currently lives in the Los Angeles area. Dara is an active member of Women of Color Filmmakers.
Richard Pursel is best known for animation comedy writing.
With his start on THE REN & STIMPY SHOW he earned his first Emmy Nomination for the half-hour Nickelodeon/MTV special, “Son of Stimpy.” A staff writer for Cartoon Network’s COW AND CHICKEN led to story editing for I AM WEASEL, which got him another Emmy Nomination. He was story editor of two seasons of TOM AND JERRY TALES for Warner Bros./Cartoon Network.
Five years as Nickelodeon staff writer for SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS led to his first series Emmy Win for his story his first series Emmy Win for his story submission, “Cephalopod Lodge.” Writer/developer of legacy properties: MICKEY MOUSE for Disney; BUGS BUNNY for Warner Bros; WOODY WOODPECKER, Universal. Head writer of two seasons of MIGHTY MAGISWORDS for Cartoon Network. He has “Written by” credits for animated independent features, AMERICANO, Netflix; and K-9 WORLD CUP, Amazon Prime. Writer of the MIGHTY ONES for Dreamworks/Hulu. Most currently co-creator and executive producer of THE COLONY, a half-hour adult animated sitcom for Netflix, starring Jack Black.