The board of directors for ASIFA-Hollywood recently elected animation educator and professional Aubry Mintz as its new executive director (ED). He held the interim ED position after Frank Gladstone retired last December.
“I look forward to working alongside the prestigious board of directors and staff at Asifa-Hollywood, and I am honoured to be chosen for this role,” said Mintz. “We have already hit the ground running and are working hard developing a strategic plan which includes fundraising for operational costs, growing our staff, and supporting our many important initiatives outside of the Annie Awards.”
Asifa-Hollywood will hold its annual general membership meeting at 7 pm PT on 14 August at the Animation Guild, 1105 N. Hollywood Way, Burbank, CA 91505 or via Zoom. A reception for all in attendance will follow the meeting.
During the general membership meeting, Mintz and the Asifa-Hollywood board and staff will discuss the various initiatives and programs that support its members and the animation community at large, including its Animation Preservation Project, Animation Educators Forum (AEF), diversity committee, support for open source software, new conventions, film festivals, screenings with Q&As, and more.
Mintz has been in the animation education space since 2000 teaching at Sheridan College and building college animation programs at Laguna College of Art and Design, Chapman University, and California State University Long Beach where he currently teaches animation filmmaking and was department chair from 2018-21. He is the co-author for the book Ideas for the Animated Short second edition and freelance writer for leading publications.
Hailing from Sheridan College in Canada, Mintz has worked as a character animator for various film and television productions. His short-animated film Nothing to Say narrated by the late Danny Aiello screened at 41 festivals around the globe and won awards at Australia Independent Film Festival, Arctic Film Festival (a United Nations SDG Initiative), Palm Springs International Animation Festival, Anchorage Film Festival, NFMLA, and Canada Shorts.
“With over 3100 members, we have an amazing diverse pool of talent to support and develop important initiatives. Together, we will help solve creative problems as we learn more about the changes and trends from around the globe. I am very excited about our future and know that Asifa-Hollywood will continue to work with and champion all human artists who keep animation relevant by pushing the boundaries of what this incredible art form can do,” Mintz added.
Asifa-Hollywood is the world’s first and foremost professional organisation dedicated to promoting the Art of Animation and celebrating the people who create it. Today, ASIFA-Hollywood, the largest chapter of the international organisation Asifa, supports a wide range of animation activities and preservation efforts through its membership. Current initiatives include the Animation Archive, Animation Aid Foundation, animated film preservation, open source software support, special events, classes and screenings.
