Last Thursday UMD alumni Kirk Tingblad visited our campus and gave two talks to students about his career in animation. Kirk has worked for Warner Bros and Cartoon Network on award winning projects such as Pinky and the Brain, Johnny Bravo, Space Jam, Animaniacs and other cartoons…
Here are some comments from students about his talks:
Digital Art + Culture 
Hey Mr. Tingblad,
Thanks so much for coming to UMD to share your expertise with UMD students and staff. I enjoyed hearing the stories you had to tell about your experiences in the animation industry (I thought the Pat Morita story was humorous and enlightening). It was especially encouraging, I think, to hear that you think women bring a different insight to this creative process, and how valuable that is. We all appreciated your time and talent — please come back again!
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Mr.Tingblad,
I just wanted to say thank you for coming to UMD and talking to all of us about your job and experiences that you have had in your career. As college students with some type of art background it is always encouraging to hear the importance of attending a four-year college. Thanks again!
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Mr. Tingblad,
Thank you for coming to UMD to discuss your career. It helped to reaffirm my aspirations of working in that industry.
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I want to thank Kirk for coming and talking to us and for answering our barrage of questions. I found it motivating that you said that a woman’s perspective is always welcome in the animation world (I guess I never really knew exactly HOW male-oriented that field is), and you have inspired me to pursue a career in animation, a field I have dreamed of someday working in.
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Mr. Tingblad,
Thank you so much for coming to UMD and sharing your experiences with us! It was really interesting hearing what you went through and are now going through in the animation buisness. It was also really nice to hear how animation works. Thanks again and we hope to have you back soon!
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Mr. Tingblad,
Thank you so much for the lecture last week. Sometimes lectures get tedious but yours was interesting throughout. I was interested to learn about the different projects that you’ve worked on, and all of the people that work on a production. It’s good to know that there are some normal people working in Hollywood! Thanks again!
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Mr Tingblad,
I want to thank you for coming to UMD and sharing your career experiences in animation. I never knew how much effort went into your line of work and how difficult it can be at times. The lecture was very interesting and I learned so much.
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Mr. Tingblad,
Thank you so much for coming to UMD and sharing your experiences with us! It was very interesting and I never realized how much work is put into animation and the long hours it takes. I actually learned a lot and I didn’t know that in the animation industry you are always moving between companies. I think you had a great point that it is better to go to a four year college rather than attending a specialized school. Thank you so much again for coming!
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Kirk,
Thank you for coming to talk UMD to talk to us about your career! I thought it was very interesting. I had never really considered going into animation before; it seems like a fun area to go into! I did, however, find it interesting that it takes 7-10 weeks to make a half-hour show! I never realized how much work goes into it! Thanks again!
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Mr. Tingblad,
Thank you so much for coming to UMD to talk to us about your career. I never knew that one person worked with so many other animators to get a single show done. Thank you once again.
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Mr. Tingblad,
When I originally toured UMD and was informed that Pinky & The Brain had been produced here, I was amuzed to hear that because I used to watch that show all the time when I was a kid. Thank you so much for coming to speak to us, I was so interested by what you had to say. It was reassuring to know that you were able to acheive so many great things after attending UMD as opposed to an expensive art show. Again, thank you for coming to speak to us.
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Mr. Tingblad,
Thank you so much for coming to UMD. It was so wonderful to hear what you had to say about art students choosing schools, the process of developing a cartoon, and the fact that you were very real when talking about the relationships between you and coworkers. Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to come and visit UMD. People like you make this school a better place because we learn so much from hearing about what actually do and what it takes to get there. Thanks!
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Mr. Tingblad,
Thank you for coming to UMD and talking to us about your career in animation. I thought it was really cool that you came back and told us about all of your experiences in the business. It was funny to hear women mainly wear the suits, even though mostly men are in animation. It was also very interesting to hear how long it actually takes for a thirty minute show to be finished. Thanks again for coming and reassuring us that you don’t need to go to an expensive art school to accomplish great things artistically.
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Mr. Tingblad,
Thank you so very much for coming to UMD and talking to us about your exciting work. I enjoyed hearing how you made it from being a student here at UMD all the way to Hollywood. Your lecture was very intersting, amusing, and eye-opening. It really amazes me that it is still very male-dominated. It just makes me want to work that much harder! Thanks again Kirk!
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Kirk,
Thanks for coming to speak to us here at UMD. It was interesting to hear just how long the full production process takes for one episode alone. I thought some of the stories you shared were hilarious, and the overall presentation was very encouraging. Thanks for coming and sharing!
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Mr. Tingblad,
Thank you for taking the time to visit us, it was a very interesting and informative experience. I was amazed to see how long the process is for things that at first glance appear to be simple. Thanks again.
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Mr. Tingblad,
Thanks Kirk for coming to UMD and lecturing to our class. I was really surprised by a lot of the information you gave us. I’d have to say the most interesting was that the actual production of the story boards are not completed here in America. Another intersting factor was you never really know how long you’ll have a job because you have no idea if people will actually like the show or not. Personally, that would really scare me. But on the same note, it would be fun to move around and work on different shows; the different styles would create a very well rounded artist like yourself and keep the work interesting, new, and fresh. Your work is fantastic! Thanks again Kirk!
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Mr. Tingblad,
Thank you very much to take time out of your busy schedule to help us learn more about what you do. It is very inspiring to know that you too attended UMD. Thanks again!
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Dear Kirk,
Thanks again for the generous energy you spent with our students. I also learned some new things… For example, I was surprised to hear that the 3 camera model pioneered by Desi Arnaz is the way storyboard artists approach drawing for animation. That never ocurred to me!
The craft of storyboarding is a skill we could focus more on here at UMD. It sounds like it’s one way for young artists to break into the field. With so much animation production work shipped overseas, it would be good to know more about what jobs young artists could do stateside.
I also loved your descriptions of the collaborative process between writers and visual artists. That’s another thing I’d love to see our students do more.
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Mr. Tingblad,
Thank you very much for taking the time to talk to us. You were a very entertaining speaker and I really enjoyed hearing from you. I liked hearing about the though process that goes into the camera angles of an animation. It was a very interesting topic. It was also neat to hear you talk about how important it was to get a well-rounded education to really bring more to the table. Again, thanks for coming!
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Thank you for the rare glimpse of studio atmosphere and office politic, important concepts less often thought of and even less commonly shared.
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Mr. Tingblad,
Thank you for taking the time to come speak with us at UMD. I did not know anything about animation previous to your lecture, and I found it very interesting. Although this is not a direction I see myself taking in life, I was very appreciative to get a view of what the animation industry is really like. You were very inspiring, and I hope you consider coming to speak to students at UMD again sometime in the future.
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Mr. Tingblad,
I really enjoyed your lecture last week in the Tweed and just wanted to say thank you for sharing your experiences with us. It’s inspiring to hear how someone from UMD made it into the big scene of Hollywood. I love your work and hope to someday achieve greatness like you!
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Mr. Tingblad,
Thank you for coming to UMD and sharing your experiences with us. You gave great advice, and opened my eyes to how much time is put into one show or movie. I now have a better understanding about the whole process of animation. Thanks!
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MR. Tingblad,
Thank you for sharing your time and experience with us.
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Mr. Tingblad,
Thank you so much for coming to UMD and sharing the stories of your career. It was very interesting to know the workings of animation and how many steps it took you to become who you are today. Thanks again and I hope you enjoyed your visit as much as I did.
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Thanks Kirk! My goal career is in the field of animation and having you come in and talk to us students was very enlightening, and I am going to change my minor to theatre to get an edge, thanks for the knowledge and great stories.
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Hey Kirk!
Thanks for coming out and giving us a talkin to. I really enjoyed your honesty and sense of humor, it good to here from people who aren’t afraid to express their true emotions, especially while talking about their career. I have always been interedted in animation and comics, and it was inspiring to here that there was a need for more women in the field. Thanks again for coming out!
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Mr. Tingblad,
Thank you so much for coming to speak to us about your career in animation. Although I am not interested in that profession myself, it was amazing hearing about it for the first time, I can also really apreciate what you do. Hopefully someday I will achieve something that great. Thanks again!
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Mr. Tingblad,
Thank you for coming to UMD to share information with us about your career. I have never heard anyone talk about what it is like to work in the animation field, and it was quite interesting! It was encouraging to hear you say that it is a good thing to be attending a university where we can get experience in many different areas of study. Thank you for showing us and telling about some of your projects. It was intriguing to hear about.
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Mr. Tingblad,
I have wanted to be in animation and design since I was a child watching cartoons and movies. I have recently decided to instead try to work with storyboards for films. Your advice about taking background film classes will help a lot and I thank you for coming back to Duluth for the lecture.
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Mr. Tingblad,
I really enjoyed your visit. You didn’t sugar-coat anything and that was so refreshing. I can see why you have advanced so far in you career. Please come back!
P.S. I love Pinky and the Brain!
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Thanks for coming to umd i enjoyed your talk
i thought that it was real interesting to find out that most of the actual aniamation is done over seas
once again thanks
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Mr. Tingblad,
Thank you for coming, I was unable to attend your lecture, but I was able to take a look at your work. I really enjoy animation, and your work was a big inspiration. Its cool knowing that somebody from UMD worked on such iconic media. Thanks again, and hopefully i will be able to hear your next lecture.
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Very interesting lecture. Your reference to the 3 camera operation was an eye opener for me. I had no idea that sitcom style cameras had an influence on cartoon animation. Also it was interesting to hear about the struggles that are involved in selling ideas. Very enjoyable.
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Kirk, thank you very much for talking with us about your career. It was interesting to hear about your experiences. It was also very helpful to hear advice on what to focus on in school for your particular career. Thanks again.
Sara O’Donnell
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Send Me money 😀
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Come on my it’s Birth Day send money and you don’t have to tell me the same stories over and over again.
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