Meet Guillermo Careaga | Feature Animator at DreamWorks Animation

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

Hi Guillermo, maybe we can start at the very start – the idea – how did you come up with the idea for your business?

Paraguay Animation is a non-profit organization, for which I serve as the President. Its goal is to bolster the animation industry in Paraguay, my home country. We do this through short film festivals, workshops, classes, networking, scholarships and many other initiatives. The idea came about when we got together with some friends who shared the same passion for animation. We saw the huge gap in opportunities, expertise and knowledge that Paraguayan artists had, especially compared to our neighboring countries. Fueled by the excitement of possibility, we decided to create an organization that would work towards closing this gap by equipping Paraguayan animators with the tools and resources they need in order to create their own animated content.

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.
I was born and raised in Paraguay, South America, where I lived until I finished high school. I then migrated to Florida to study Computer Animation at Ringling College of Art and Design. Soon after graduation, I was hired at DreamWorks Animation, where I’ve been working as an animator till now. Though I’ve been living in the US for over 22 years, my heart stayed in Paraguay. It’s a country rife with social, political and economic challenges, but it’s also home to amazing, talented, hard working people whose potential needs to be unlocked.
When I first started at DreamWorks, I was overwhelmed and intimidated by the caliber of animators working there. “I’m not going to last here,” is what I thought every day. To my surprise, these veteran animators were gracious and generous enough to share their knowledge with me. I have so many people to thank, but three names in particular come to mind. Lou Dellarosa, my mentor; Sean Mahoney, my supervisor; and Rex Grignon, my Animation Director. All three of them sat down with me countless times and very patiently explained things over and over and over again until it clicked for me. To say that I owe them my career would be an understatement.
But it wasn’t just the veteran animators, but all animators in the department, who were invested in the younger folks like myself, showing us the ropes and giving us opportunities to grow.
It was their investment in me that encouraged me to do the same for people in my country. Through Paraguay Animation, I hope I can also be generous with my knowledge and experience, pouring into others in the same way that I was poured into.

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?
This is not going to be an interesting answer –I almost never leave my 3-mile radius within Glendale/Burbank. But I’ll give it a try!

When I have family and friends visiting, some restaurants we have enjoyed are:
– Castaway in Burbank (perfect for a sunset dinner from the terrace)
– Mantee Cafe in Studio City (amazing Mediterrenan food)
– Butcher’s Daughter in Abbot Kiney (vegetarian)
– Salt And Straw (favorite ice cream)

In terms of touristy places, I greatly enjoy the Huntington and the Getty Center. The Academy Museum and Warner Brothers Studio tour have also been popular with guests.

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?
Paraguay Animation would not be possible without its Executive Board. It’s a small but mighty team. Esteban Pedrozo, a dear friend and amazing CG artist, came up with the idea of hosting Animation Festivals with international speakers, in order to drum up interest for animation in Paraguay. This is how back in 2016, we organized our first Animation Festival simply called “Animate”. It was a resounding success, and was the first of a yearly series. Esteban also came up with our logo and lent his amazing creative talent to jumpstart Paraguay Animation. Around that time, Tamara Terashima joined our team. She’s a Feature Film distributor and marketing specialist working in Paraguay. She played a crucial role in developing the Paraguay Animation brand, crafting our social media “voice” and is also the MC for our events. Tamara was instrumental in helping us understand our audience and how to best reach them.
Leticia Avalos is our Secretary, Video Editor, Motion Graphics and CG generalist extraordinaire. Not only does she create amazing content for our events and social media, but as an experienced freelancer in the Paraguayan industry, she has provided great insight into what the community needs and how we can best serve them.
Last but not least, Lucas Barrios is our Treasurer and resident CG Animator. Lucas has done a little bit of everything –from teaching Animation masterclasses to managing our finances to selling raffle tickets, .His qualities as a jack-of-all-trades and willingness to do anything to support our community makes him an invaluable member of the team.
These people, along with dozens of other volunteers, mentors and supporters, are helping to write the history of Animation in Paraguay.

Website: www.paraguayanimation.com

Instagram: @pyanimation / @guillecareaga

Twitter: @guillecareaga

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@pyanimation

Image Credits
all photos are my own