Since 2018, Eric Calderon has been quietly, consistently blessing Youtube with priceless insider’s advice on navigating the business of cartoons. The experienced producer and executive regularly uploads videos to his channel Surviving Animation, an excellent resource for newcomers and veterans alike.
Most videos consist of a short primer on a very specific business matter. Whether he’s breaking down the byzantine structure of Warner Bros., predicting the animation strategy of Apple (in brief: they want A-listers), or giving advice on when to sign an option, Calderon is always informative, concise, and refreshingly jargon-free.
He occasionally mixes in an interview with an industry figure. In a recent video, he caught up with his friend Chase Conley, a designer and director (Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts, The Boondocks). Conley reflects on his experience as a black artist working in animation, explaining that he wants to show the African-American community by example that success doesn’t have to mean a career in music or sports.
