Meet Jeremy Mowery | Stop Motion Animator

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

Hi Jeremy, what are you inspired by?
Hi, Jeremy Mowery here. I’m very happy to be apart of the shoutout interviews and this question really excites me. I am inspired by a lot of things – art, nature, and people are probably the biggest categories. There is so much inspiring art out there and always something new to discover. I am inspired by what other stop motion animators are doing today. There are many films that have inspired me over the years as well. A few examples for me include the Wallace and Gromit shorts, Ray Harryhausen films, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Koyaanisqatsi, all the Rankin/Bass projects (stopmo and 2D films), The Muppets, The Dark Crystal, and the list goes on and on. Another major inspiration for me is music. Music is incredibly important. I listen to countless playlists and albums every night while I work. I feel that music is as important as oxygen is to me. I mostly listen to classical, prog rock, prog metal, 80’s punk, two-tone ska, psychobilly, and other similar genres. It’s very therapeutic. I’m also very picky with music. I can’t listen to a song unless it really makes me feel something, almost as if it plucks at my heart strings (don’t know any other way to describe it). Besides that, I also have been very inspired by other artists, mostly painters. Hilma Af Klint, Dali, and Escher are probably the top most inspiring painters for me. I also love just staring up at the sky or being engulfed in nature on a good secluded nature hike. It feels the best when I’m alone in nature for sure. It’s very peaceful. Good people are inspiring as well. There are too many bad people in this world, so it is very refreshing when you hear someone doing something good for a change. That about sums it up for me. There is definitely a lot to be inspired by.

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 usually goofy, wacky, trippy stop motion animation. That is what I’m best at and what I love to do. My company is called Sock Dolly Productions. We do freelance animation and post production for live action projects as well. Over the pandemic we completed two original short films, the first being a needle felted stop motion project, called, “Bert and Greg,” which has screened at several festivals. The second is about a friendly, vegetarian zombie named, “Dead Fred.” Currently we are having a blast working with a really fun band – the Radioactive Chicken Heads. Can’t get into details yet, but we’ve got some fun projects in the works with them. It has taken several years of hard work, studying at school, practicing my craft and making good friends along the way. It is definitely not easy, but the longer I’ve kept at it the better it has gotten. One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is to work with people who inspire you. I’ve worked with others in the past who I didn’t vibe with and that never ends well. I’m going to continue working on stop motion and other film projects with my close friends and colleagues who inspire me and see where it leads us. So far we have worked mostly on short films and music videos, but sometimes an indie feature here and there, and I only see more projects on the horizon.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
My favorite gastro pub is Father’s Office, so definitely go there. Also on Friday and/or Saturday nights there is La Cita. You have to walk through the Mexican Restaurant and go all the way into the back, that’s where they play punk rock. I would probably take them to a punk show at Los Globos or the Echo Plex as well. Go see a movie at New Beverly Cinema. Go on a quest to find a secret hike (one with no people). Maybe a darkwave night at the Offbeat. Also the Tomorrow! Show with Ron Lynch at the Elysian Theatre. And then the academy museum to check out the Studio Ghibli exhibit. There is a lot more I’m forgetting!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There are too many, I don’t know where to begin. I would like to dedicate my shoutout to, my Mom and Dad who always have my back along with my wife, Claudia and little Ziggy. Then there is my creative partner in crime, Adam Thebault, who has worked on all my projects with me. Then there are a bunch more including all my friends from AI, MSMU, and Woodbury, too many names to name.

Website: www.sockdollyproductions.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sockdollyproductions/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremy-mowery-3b7248123/

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

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCb5WOoz1YXz91cxhxX1Wu8A