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

Hi Dan, how do you think about risk?
I think the saying “no risk, no reward” rings true in my career. When I decided to pursue art and animation as a career, I had to make a lot of sacrifices, both financially and personally. I left my family and went deeper into debt during a time when there was a lot of uncertainty in the future. Animation jobs were hard to come by in 2008, the year I applied to Sheridan College in Oakville, Canada. This would be my third undergraduate degree so debt was piling up, and there was no guarantee of a job after leaving school. That being said, there are ways to mitigate the risks, like dedication to your craft, having a strong work ethic, being a good person to work with, etc. Even though you might not get immediate positive feedback, these types of things don’t go unnoticed and ultimately you will see the benefits one way or another.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My art is all about storytelling through color and composition. I try to relate to my audience through the emotional impact of images I create whether that be a fearful, tense moment or more tender heartfelt connections between two characters. This all stems from my personal experience, especially from my youth. Having experienced a few huge losses as a child such gave me a unique look on life which thankfully I am able to express in my art. I grew up on a piece of land with fields and forests, in a house built by father who passed early in my childhood. Even though I had family and friends around me, I often found myself alone. The peaceful nature of the land gave me a lot of time to reflect and process the world around me. I developed a sense of empathy, for animals especially, and the natural cycles of life and death which I think shows in the images I choose to create. My teenage years were challenging, I had no idea what I wanted in life. I was one of those people who thought that you either had it or you didn’t, and drawing wasn’t a skill you could work on. That changed much later when I was working at the YMCA after school and summer programs as a camp counselor. I would draw for the kids daily and it began to show. I started treating art like I did sports; you practice to get better and so I did. I went back to school after graduating from UMaine for animation which was the single most important decision in my life. I met some of the most talented people I’d have met at the time there. It was a very competitive environment and tough at first because I was much closer to the bottom end in skill going in to my first year school despite being older than the average student but that’s what fueled the fire. By the time I finished school, I was feeling pretty good about my work – my thesis film won the Critic’s Choice Award at the Toronto Youth Film Festival in 2013 which I was pretty proud about. I soon after got my first job in animation and quickly found out that working professional artists were much better than most of the people you went to school with, so it was back to the bottom of the class, but that was a good thing. Being at the bottom pushes me to get better and climb, it is the fuel that keeps me going. Through my career it’s been a see-saw of peaks and valleys, times of growth and stagnation. I found it very difficult to push through the stagnation, I had to create reasons to be inspired rather than waiting for inspiration to hit, however it all paid off. After about a decade in the industry, mostly creating visual development artwork for Industrial Brothers Studio (series include Top Wing, Kingdom Force, Remy and Boo, Daniel Spellbound, Dino Ranch) I was noticed by Warner Bros. Animation and was offered a chance to art direct which has been the biggest accomplishment of my career at this point.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
The greatest thing about Los Angeles is its proximity to nature in my opinion. You can drive anywhere from 20 minutes from where I live to under 4 hours and see snowy mountains and giant redwoods, the desert, and the beach all in a day so I think that a lot of our time would be spent enjoying what California’s nature can offer. I couldn’t have someone here from the northeast and not see California State Route 1 from LA up to Monterey. I think that drive deserves a few days at least. Closer to home, I think LA has an amazing microbrewery and restaurant scene. I’m a huge fan of Atwater Village. Frogtown Brewery is a favorite of mine and would be a good pregame to Salazar, one of my favorite Mexican joints in the city right next door. What’s a trip to LA without a beach day? I’ve always loved the path from the Pacific Palisades to Venice Beach so I think that capped off with watching the skaters at the skate park would be a treat for anyone. Might as well hit up Bar Bohemien for a couple of cocktails while we’re out there, I love that place. Being a Canadian I think a hockey game would be in order as well, I love going to Kings games, the atmosphere is great and everyone has always been friendly despite wearing an away jersey.

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?
When young people pursue a career in art, you often hear so much about the lack of support from family. “Why don’t you get a real job” is something you hear a lot. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case for me. Both my parents were amateur artists in their youth. My dad passed when I was young and while he can’t be around to see how far I’ve come, I know he would have been supportive in my endeavors. Much of my work ethic and determination comes from him. My mom has also always been supportive of my art. She’s kept a lot of really bad drawings from my youth and even recommended continuing my education at Sheridan College after graduating from UMaine when I told her I was interested in a career in animation. I wouldn’t be here without her.

Website: www.dansprogis.com

Instagram: Sproglebee

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dansprogis/

Image Credits
Photography by Anna Keenan

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