Stephen Chiodo, Creative Director & Director of Animation:
Stephen Chiodo has established himself as a highly creative special effects director with an expertise in stop-motion animation. Supervising every aspect of the Animation Department, his direction begins with translating the script to storyboards then through character fabrication, set building and continues to the performance of the animation elements. Stephen perfected his animation and directorial skills at Rochester Institute of Technology, where he was awarded “Best Young Director” at the Cannes Film Festival for his ten-minute short, “Cricket” which he wrote, produced, directed and animated. In the early eighties, Stephen collaborated with Tim Burton and Rick Heinricks as a Technical Director and Animator for the acclaimed animated short “Vincent”. His directing credits include the first feature length clay animated film “I Go Pogo” and the cult classic “Killer Klowns from Outer Space”. Over the years Stephen has worked with such notable Hollywood directors as Jay Roach, Jon Faverau, John Landis, Matt Stone & Trey Parker.
Most recently Stephen has developed and directed pilots for CNN, ShowTime and the Disney Channel and has been sharing his experiences and knowledge by teaching stop motion animation at the prestigious California Institute of Art.