Celebrating the Art, Craft and Business of Animation https://www.awn.com/ en-US 15 Mon, 28 Sep 2020 14:56:37 -0700 Mon, 28 Sep 2020 17:14:40 -0700 https://www.awn.com/blog/true-costs-working-home Make sure you understand and are compensated for what it actually costs to perform your job remotely. Mark Simon https://www.awn.com/blog/true-costs-working-home Mon, 28 Sep 2020 14:56:37 PDT The Making of a Dream - An Animation Production Blog https://www.awn.com/news/mark-simon-releases-new-book-start-top-stories-help-you-succeed Author, cartoonist and story artist on productions including ‘The Walking Dead’ and ‘Woody Woodpecker’ shares dozens of lessons learned from a 30-year career filled with both successes and failures. AWN Staff Editor https://www.awn.com/news/mark-simon-releases-new-book-start-top-stories-help-you-succeed Tue, 26 Nov 2019 12:22:40 PST The Making of a Dream - An Animation Production Blog https://www.awn.com/blog/making-dream-episode-24-script-contests Winning contests are fantastic for getting publicity. Mark Simon https://www.awn.com/blog/making-dream-episode-24-script-contests Mon, 18 Dec 2017 12:29:04 PST The Making of a Dream - An Animation Production Blog https://www.awn.com/blog/making-dream-episode-23-handling-broken-deals Handling broken deals is never easy…and involves lots of crying. Mark Simon https://www.awn.com/blog/making-dream-episode-23-handling-broken-deals Mon, 16 Oct 2017 15:58:22 PDT The Making of a Dream - An Animation Production Blog https://www.awn.com/blog/making-dream-episode-22-our-deal-fell-apart Landing a production deal is heaven…and losing it is hell.  Mark Simon https://www.awn.com/blog/making-dream-episode-22-our-deal-fell-apart Mon, 02 Oct 2017 14:24:11 PDT The Making of a Dream - An Animation Production Blog https://www.awn.com/blog/making-dream-episode-21-our-1st-deal Landing a deal after years of hard work is quite SWEET! Mark Simon https://www.awn.com/blog/making-dream-episode-21-our-1st-deal Mon, 11 Sep 2017 9:29:12 PDT The Making of a Dream - An Animation Production Blog https://www.awn.com/blog/making-dream-episode-20-moving At this point in the project, I really hoped I would be further along. Mark Simon https://www.awn.com/blog/making-dream-episode-20-moving Mon, 21 Aug 2017 10:49:56 PDT The Making of a Dream - An Animation Production Blog https://www.awn.com/blog/making-dream-episode-19-henry-winklers-butt My art is on his butt! Mark Simon https://www.awn.com/blog/making-dream-episode-19-henry-winklers-butt Mon, 24 Jul 2017 12:49:53 PDT The Making of a Dream - An Animation Production Blog https://www.awn.com/blog/making-dream-episode-18-dozens-pitches-including-amazon I have pitched as many as 35 studios in one day. Mark Simon https://www.awn.com/blog/making-dream-episode-18-dozens-pitches-including-amazon Mon, 05 Jun 2017 16:29:37 PDT The Making of a Dream - An Animation Production Blog https://www.awn.com/blog/making-dream-episode-17-pitching-mouse  My pitch at Disney led to a meeting at Comic-Con…  Mark Simon https://www.awn.com/blog/making-dream-episode-17-pitching-mouse Mon, 22 May 2017 12:30:40 PDT The Making of a Dream - An Animation Production Blog https://www.awn.com/blog/making-dream-episode-16-pitch-exec-over-and-over Why in the hell did I pitch the same exec over and over?  Mark Simon https://www.awn.com/blog/making-dream-episode-16-pitch-exec-over-and-over Mon, 08 May 2017 12:55:20 PDT The Making of a Dream - An Animation Production Blog https://www.awn.com/blog/making-dream-episode-15-fox-loved-my-pitch Or did they??? What happened after that first pitch? Mark Simon https://www.awn.com/blog/making-dream-episode-15-fox-loved-my-pitch Mon, 24 Apr 2017 11:15:25 PDT The Making of a Dream - An Animation Production Blog https://www.awn.com/blog/making-dream-episode-14-life-gets-way-creating Do you ever get sidetracked from what you need to do? Mark Simon https://www.awn.com/blog/making-dream-episode-14-life-gets-way-creating Mon, 17 Apr 2017 9:23:25 PDT The Making of a Dream - An Animation Production Blog https://www.awn.com/blog/making-dream-episode-13-going-oscar-nomination Producing a high-end animation short takes a lot of time. So what do I plan to do with my ‘Dream Factory’ short when we’re done? Mark Simon https://www.awn.com/blog/making-dream-episode-13-going-oscar-nomination Mon, 10 Apr 2017 13:34:25 PDT The Making of a Dream - An Animation Production Blog https://www.awn.com/blog/making-dream-episode-12-will-someone-steal-my-idea Does pitching or sharing your idea make it easier to steal? The answer may surprise you. Mark Simon https://www.awn.com/blog/making-dream-episode-12-will-someone-steal-my-idea Mon, 03 Apr 2017 11:39:33 PDT The Making of a Dream - An Animation Production Blog https://www.awn.com/blog/making-dream-episode-11-mixing-animation-styles ‘Dream Factory’ includes various styles of animation. Is that good? It depends on the idea. Mark Simon https://www.awn.com/blog/making-dream-episode-11-mixing-animation-styles Mon, 27 Mar 2017 11:29:31 PDT The Making of a Dream - An Animation Production Blog https://www.awn.com/blog/making-dream-episode-10-pitching-multiple-versions-dream-factory How do I pitch various versions of the same show or movie? Mark Simon https://www.awn.com/blog/making-dream-episode-10-pitching-multiple-versions-dream-factory Mon, 20 Mar 2017 11:35:46 PDT The Making of a Dream - An Animation Production Blog https://www.awn.com/blog/making-dream-episode-9-how-concept-can-grow Years of working on a project can result in big changes. Mark Simon https://www.awn.com/blog/making-dream-episode-9-how-concept-can-grow Mon, 13 Mar 2017 12:56:34 PDT The Making of a Dream - An Animation Production Blog https://www.awn.com/blog/making-dream-episode-8-dream-team Meet the creative team behind the development of ‘The Dream Factory’ animated concept. Mark Simon https://www.awn.com/blog/making-dream-episode-8-dream-team Mon, 06 Mar 2017 13:29:06 PST The Making of a Dream - An Animation Production Blog https://www.awn.com/blog/making-dream-episode-7-first-development-session Ed Kang visits Mark Simon’s studio for the first development session on 'The Dream Factory' animated series. Mark Simon https://www.awn.com/blog/making-dream-episode-7-first-development-session Mon, 27 Feb 2017 11:00:59 PST The Making of a Dream - An Animation Production Blog https://www.awn.com/blog/making-dream-episode-6-dream-factory-pitch Watch as Mark Simon pitches the ‘Dream Factory’ story. Mark Simon https://www.awn.com/blog/making-dream-episode-6-dream-factory-pitch Mon, 20 Feb 2017 11:56:37 PST The Making of a Dream - An Animation Production Blog https://www.awn.com/blog/making-dream-episode-5-ed-s-museum-studio Mark interviews Ed Kang, the creator of ‘Dream Factory,’ about how he got his studio housed inside a cartoon museum. Mark Simon https://www.awn.com/blog/making-dream-episode-5-ed-s-museum-studio Mon, 13 Feb 2017 12:46:07 PST The Making of a Dream - An Animation Production Blog https://www.awn.com/blog/making-dream-episode-4-option-agreement Mark Simon shares the details of his Option Agreement for ‘Dream Factory.’ Mark Simon https://www.awn.com/blog/making-dream-episode-4-option-agreement Mon, 06 Feb 2017 11:32:13 PST The Making of a Dream - An Animation Production Blog https://www.awn.com/blog/making-dream-episode-3-how-did-i-find-dream-factory Mark Simon shares how he found the comic book ‘Dream Factory’ that he turned into a movie pitch. Mark Simon https://www.awn.com/blog/making-dream-episode-3-how-did-i-find-dream-factory Mon, 30 Jan 2017 12:45:34 PST The Making of a Dream - An Animation Production Blog https://www.awn.com/blog/making-dream-episode-2-inspiration-dream-factory The ‘Dream Factory’ creator shares with Mark Simon the inspirations behind his creation. Mark Simon https://www.awn.com/blog/making-dream-episode-2-inspiration-dream-factory Mon, 23 Jan 2017 12:37:18 PST The Making of a Dream - An Animation Production Blog https://www.awn.com/blog/making-dream-episode-1-what-blog-about Mark Simon introduces his new production blog detailing the history and the production of his latest project, 'Dream Factory.' Mark Simon https://www.awn.com/blog/making-dream-episode-1-what-blog-about Mon, 16 Jan 2017 16:16:09 PST The Making of a Dream - An Animation Production Blog