Meet Ron Friedman | Senior Animator / Animation Trainer

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

Hi Ron, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I had been teaching Animation for schools when I lived in Massachusetts and Tutoring privately for the last 12 years. But as a result of work slowing due to strike related delays, It became necessary to seek alternative sources of income that do not rely on the studio system.

This new freedom allowed me the time I felt necessary to get my YouTube channel off the ground

What should our readers know about your business?
In 2012, I was asked by a student at one of the schools in Massachusetts where I taught Animation if I would be willing to tutor him privately as the curriculum didn’t provide enough focus on character animation to create enough solid work to generate a demo reel.

So I began tutoring him one on one and realized that tutoring this way provided the same kind of education and training I received as an intern working under our supervisor where I was expected to keep working on my current task until it was completed… not until the clock ran out.

Being an intern meant that I wasn’t expected to hit production deadlines and therefore had the soon-to-be-missed time and freedom to hone my skills to as fine an edge as possible with guidance and support from my trainer.

I then had students come one by one every now and then so that I always had a student or two going or had little downtime between them.

But then, as a result of the current work slowdown occurring in the entertainment industry where very little is in production, I realized that this downtime was the perfect opportunity to get my YouTube channel Animation Trainers up and running and begin creating content that would educate future animators while also creating awareness of my tutoring services… which are less than as much as a third of the cost of a traditional class-based animation education.

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?
No visit to Southern California is complete without a visit to Disneyland, Knotts Berry Farm, Universal Studios, etc as I am a HUGE theme park fan!!

I’m also a connoisseur of hamburgers and so there’s no question that we will be dining at The Apple Pan! I’ve been frequenting that gem of a burger joint since 1982!!!!

I love that Southern California has the beach and skiing within a few hours of each other as well as so many diverse restaurants, galleries, and other venues that reflect the tremendous variety of cultures and people that we have here.

I was born and raised an Angeleno and I love my hometown so very very much!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to thank my family for supporting me through all the uncertainties a career in the entertainment industry involves. I wouldn’t have the wherewithal to soldier on without you.

Website: https://AnimationTrainers.com

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

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/animation-trainers-95a51230a

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/username

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/toonimations?mibextid=JRoKGi

Youtube: https://youtube.com/@animationtrainers?si=sbKjZL7dPcX5yUr7

Image Credits
All images Ron Friedman