Meet Ralph Miranda | Senior Union illustartor through ADG 800

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ralph Miranda and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ralph, what do you attribute your success to?

In the NES game “Legend of Zelda”, Link is given a sword to start the game. The person giving him the sword says, “It’s dangerous to go alone! Take this.” The world is a difficult place to navigate on your own, so seeking out resources and networking is the most important part to success whether that just be the support of loved ones, or friends cheering you on.

When I started out, I worked in finance and tried to work in either comics, or commercial illustration. Not really knowing the markets, I joined groups and met friends with similar goals. Eventually, my college classmate and friend, Chris Kawagiwa, helped me secure my first storyboard project, and with that, my career in art began to thrive.

Later on, my fiancée, Jen Ha Lu, and sister, Daisy Miranda, helped me co-create the animated series “Oh, Bubba Lu!”, which is the magnum opus of my work. They even got the show on Amazon Prime and YouTube, film festivals, and continue to provide support to me at conventions, panels, and promoting the show. Their support has been instrumental. It helps to give me the personal belief and motivation to try harder, which pushes me further than I could go on my own. I feel now, I really can’t do much without Jen’s support.

There have been a lot of friends helping on this journey too: Jeremy Parsons, Kelvin Chung, David Seung, Jon Lear, Mary To, Crystal Ishihara and Leang Houn to shout out a few.

I recommend anyone starting their own business or becoming an artist to find people who can support and be there for you. Also, help isn’t a one way street and you should also help support your friends and give back as well.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?

To introduce myself, I am a union storyboard artist under the Art Directors Guild Local 800. I have a client base of studios, producers, and directors that include Rihanna, Warner Bros. Games, Pepsi, NFL, NBA, NHL, Manchester United, Madison Square Garden, Monarch Films, Disney, Adobe, and many more. The majority of my work is in commercials, but I have also worked in music videos, films, poster design and many other art aspects. The idea for getting started happened in 2008, when I worked in the finance industry after college. I felt I was talented enough in art and wanted to make a living off those skills.

Working in finance was ok, and I enjoyed my coworkers, but I really wanted to draw. The desire to draw motivated me to practice constantly when I got home. Success wasn’t something that happened quickly for me. It was a long process of trying different avenues until I found one I enjoyed and could make good money at. I kept trying different fields until I found success.

At first, I tried to work in comics, but it was hard to find a constant source of income. I also tried applying for graphic design positions, but that also proved difficult, as my portfolio at that time was lacking. Eventually, through a recommendation by my friend Chris Kawagiwa, I discovered storyboarding and began to climb the ladder.

As I became more successful professionally, I made it a point to continue to focus on my personal projects, as my personal love for art is why I became an artist in the first place. What I am most proud of is the animated series “Oh, Bubba Lu!”, which I co-created with Jen Ha Lu and Daisy Miranda. The story features Bubba, an ape, and his best friend, Grumples. The two characters navigate this complex world with comedic results. Think of it like “Friends” meets “The Muppets,” with a touch of the paranormal. Anything is possible in the world of Bubba. Another aspect I love about working on “Oh, Bubba Lu” is that I get to have all my friends involved. Thankfully, I have talented friends. They lend their voices, musical gifts, and their sense of humor. This project is what makes my art unique, as it features not only my talents and humor, but the personalities of all those close to me. It is quintessentially me. I try to weave their unique skills into every episode. You can find full episodes on Amazon Prime and shorts on YouTube.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I live in Gardena, it’s a tiny city near LAX, but it has some secret sites to see and some great food. Gardena is steeped in Japanese, Korean, and Hawaiian culture and you can find some great food here. Jidaiya Ramen on Western has some of the best dip ramen around and visually the restaurant looks like a shop you’d see in Japan. Shin-Sen-Gumi has great Yakitori. If Korean is what you desire, Old Time Noodle has some of the best handmade noodles you can find. But there is also Moon BBQ if you prefer Korean BBQ. Finally, this is kind of a local secret, some of the best Hawaiian food isn’t at a restaurant, it’s at a bowling alley. Gardena Bowl houses a great Hawaiian restaurant with excellent portion sizes.  Gardena has great Italian food too, like Giuliano’s and Eatalian.

To relax after trips, we could hit up local breweries like Eureka Brewing, SoCal Vibes Co, and the Two Coast Brewing Co. If you prefer non-alcoholic drinks, Gardena has an incredible number of places to get tea and boba. Pacific Square has 5 tea shops in the same plaza, like Cafe Pruvia, Oko Cafe, Sunmerry, Negative 8c, and Nikuman-Ya

Now for places to visit. I love the Gardena Willows Wetland Preserve, though it’s only open a few days every month. The Wetlands has a funny origin story that I feel I need to animate. The Wetland is located on prime real estate and the city planned to tear it down for housing, or a convention center back in the 1970’s. Two young friends decided to save it, and they discovered a small waterway that led to the ocean. I mean small, as you could maybe sail a toy boat through it. These two young friends contacted the United States Army Corps of Engineers and argued that the waterway had strategic military importance for defense. Their plans were approved by the military and the wetlands received federal protection. Now you can see the flora, birds, and butterflies that live there. And the wetlands are truly beautiful. You’ll forget you’re in the city.

Gardena has a few other local things we can hit up, too. There is K1 Speed and Go Kart world for some fast kart excitement. We can also travel through all the local comic book shops like BOOKOff, the Comic Bug, and the Comic Cult. Sadly, Geoffrey’s comics closed down this year. Also, near Gardena is The Beach Boys memorial, which sits on the former site of their childhood home. Finally, if you’re here during the summer, the local Japanese shrines have their Obon festivals. We can play games, eat food and perform dances to welcome the dead at these festivals. So come down to Gardena, the city of freeways.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to shoutout Chris Kawagiwa. Chris and I met freshman year of college and we have been navigating the world of art together.

Chris also is an ADG union storyboard artist and an incredible talent. Chris’ eye for composition and color is second to none. He also is one of the nicest people in art. He and I have run many panels at conventions to help aspiring artists. He also regularly donates art for charities like KEPIER.

Though Chris is upbeat, he likes drawing and writing harrowing comics like “The Tell” and “The Ink Raven.”

https://www.chriskawagiwa.com/

Website: https://sideeyeent.myportfolio.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ralphinox/?hl=en

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ralph-miranda-683620b/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ralphinox

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Ralphious

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSjrMNA_jKsa8X47HZN-gOw

Other: Oh, Bubba Lu! on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Oh-Bubba-Lu/dp/B0B6S5SV89

Image Credits
All “Oh, Bubba Lu!” posters co-created by Jen Ha Lu and Daisy Miranda