A celebration of the talent and legacy of important animated projects with the creators who made them happen.
In this first of a two-part interview, David Silverman sits down to talk all-things Simpsons. From the origins on The Tracy Ullman Show, to becoming its own series on Fox, TV sit-com families, opening couch gags and guest appearances, we unpack it all. Including the secret to why America’s favourite family is yellow.
Don't miss Part 2 of the conversation!
Join the live Q&A on 28 October at 6p m PDT. JOIN THE WEBINAR.
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
David Silverman
Director, Writer, Producer
(Extinct, The Simpsons Movie, Ice Age, Monsters, Inc.)
Born on Long Island, NY, and raised in Silver Spring, MD, David Silverman started drawing at age four, and he’s never found a good reason to stop. Winning various student awards for animation contributed to this inability to stop drawing. And going to the UCLA Animation Workshop didn’t help much in getting him off that drawing habit.
Much of David’s career has revolved around The Simpsons. After graduating from UCLA in 1983, he freelanced illustration and animation until, in 1987, he landed a job animating on The Tracey Ullman Show — where The Simpsons began. Animating on all 48 shorts led to directing the first shows of the series. Starting with the Christmas Special in December 1989, and then the premiere episode the following month, he soon became Supervising Animation Director and a producer on the show. All told, he has directed 24 episodes and has won 4 Emmys along the way.
When no one was looking, he snuck away from The Simpsons to work at DreamWorks (The Road to El Dorado – co-director), Pixar (Monsters, Inc. – co-director), and Blue Sky (Ice Age, Robots – writing and boarding). But, he came back to the show full-time at the end of 2003 and directed The Simpsons Movie, released in 2007.
In 2012, David directed and co-wrote the short film The Longest Daycare, which went on to earn him an Academy Award nomination. Two more Maggie shorts followed, Playdate with Destiny (2020), and The Force Awakens from Its Nap (2021). Also, this year David directed The Good, the Bart, and the Loki for Disney+, and the special “half episode” for Balenciaga, released on YouTube 10/02/2021.
And – David completed the CG animated film Extinct in early March 2020, which will be available in North America very soon. Or so he’s been told.
Keith Blackmore
Sr Lecturer // Vancouver Film School
As an animation historian, Keith Blackmore has been a passionate cheerleader and a voice for all-things animated in the Vancouver area for almost 30 years. As one of the producers of the SPARK ANIMATION Festival and an active member of the local SIGGRAPH chapter, Keith has presented, interviewed and moderated at many festivals, local and national.
Since 1995, Blackmore has educated, entertained and inspired students in the history of animation and media studies at the Vancouver Film School. When he’s not reading, teaching or talking about animation, he’s watching it.
A celebration of the talent and legacy of important animated projects with the creators who made them happen.
In this first of a two-part interview, David Silverman sits down to talk all-things Simpsons. From the origins on The Tracy Ullman Show, to becoming its own series on Fox, TV sit-com families, opening couch gags and guest appearances, we unpack it all. Including the secret to why America’s favourite family is yellow.
Don't miss Part 2 of the conversation!
Join the live Q&A on 28 October at 6p m PDT. JOIN THE WEBINAR.
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
David Silverman
Director, Writer, Producer
(Extinct, The Simpsons Movie, Ice Age, Monsters, Inc.)
Born on Long Island, NY, and raised in Silver Spring, MD, David Silverman started drawing at age four, and he’s never found a good reason to stop. Winning various student awards for animation contributed to this inability to stop drawing. And going to the UCLA Animation Workshop didn’t help much in getting him off that drawing habit.
Much of David’s career has revolved around The Simpsons. After graduating from UCLA in 1983, he freelanced illustration and animation until, in 1987, he landed a job animating on The Tracey Ullman Show — where The Simpsons began. Animating on all 48 shorts led to directing the first shows of the series. Starting with the Christmas Special in December 1989, and then the premiere episode the following month, he soon became Supervising Animation Director and a producer on the show. All told, he has directed 24 episodes and has won 4 Emmys along the way.
When no one was looking, he snuck away from The Simpsons to work at DreamWorks (The Road to El Dorado – co-director), Pixar (Monsters, Inc. – co-director), and Blue Sky (Ice Age, Robots – writing and boarding). But, he came back to the show full-time at the end of 2003 and directed The Simpsons Movie, released in 2007.
In 2012, David directed and co-wrote the short film The Longest Daycare, which went on to earn him an Academy Award nomination. Two more Maggie shorts followed, Playdate with Destiny (2020), and The Force Awakens from Its Nap (2021). Also, this year David directed The Good, the Bart, and the Loki for Disney+, and the special “half episode” for Balenciaga, released on YouTube 10/02/2021.
And – David completed the CG animated film Extinct in early March 2020, which will be available in North America very soon. Or so he’s been told.
Keith Blackmore
Sr Lecturer // Vancouver Film School
As an animation historian, Keith Blackmore has been a passionate cheerleader and a voice for all-things animated in the Vancouver area for almost 30 years. As one of the producers of the SPARK ANIMATION Festival and an active member of the local SIGGRAPH chapter, Keith has presented, interviewed and moderated at many festivals, local and national.
Since 1995, Blackmore has educated, entertained and inspired students in the history of animation and media studies at the Vancouver Film School. When he’s not reading, teaching or talking about animation, he’s watching it.
