Scholar Talk: Mark Simon

We Put the Story in Storyboards

Storyboards are a blueprint for production. They are a comic-strip of the director’s vision that is shared with the crew. But many people don’t realize how much writing a storyboard artist does while working on a production. Author and story artist Mark Simon will give you a sneak peak behind-the-scenes of creating some of your favorite movies and TV shows.

About the Scholar

Mark Simon, the Godfather of Storyboarding, has worked over 38 years in the entertainment industry known as the Godfather of Storyboards and owner of Storyboards & Animatics, Inc, as well as a producer and director for live action and animation, amassing over 6,000 production credits. Recent credits include more than 60 movies like Father of the Bride, Woody Woodpecker, Doom: Annihilation, and Chucky 7 for Universal; and TV series like Stranger Things, The Walking Dead, Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Dexter, Bad Monkey, Lincoln Lawyer, Snowfall, Woody Woodpecker, and Black Lightning.

He is the animation producer for Universal’s How High 2 and the Little Rascals movies and Fox’s Tooth Fairy 2 feature. Mark participated in a 2012 Prime Time Engineering Emmy for his work with the Toon Boom software team behind the leading Storyboard Pro software, of which he is one of their Ambassadors. He was also inducted into the DAVE School (Digital Animation & Visual Effects School) Hall of Fame. His articles have been seen in Animation Magazine, Animation World Network, Cinefex, Filmmaker Magazine, Moviemaker Magazine, and others. He is also the author of 13 books including the best-selling Facial Expressions books; the bible of the storyboard industry, Storyboards: Motion In Art, 3rd Edition; the inspirational Start At The Top; and his most recent, the memoir Attacked!, which is about when he was bullied and his family was attacked. He lectures around the world at major conferences, and universities.