Michael Sporn Animation – Splog

- These photos come from 1989 just after my studio moved downtown from 34 West 38th Street to 632 Broadway. It was a dynamic new area of NY in the Village that was popping with people. We remained in this space until 2002.

At the time these photos were taken, the studio wasn’t crowded. Those pictured here were among the mainstays for awhile and were with me for a number of years.

The studio, itself, was a big, wide open space. An ex-Art Gallery, it was separated by dividers that contained paints, cels, paper, et al. At one point or another, these dividers housed people preparing the art for camera.

Back row L to R: Theresa Smythe, Mike Winiewski, Ray Kosarin, George McClements.
Sitting L to R: me, Jason McDonald, Steve MacQuignon, Mary Thorne, Masako Kanayama

Above: The wall, just behind us in this group photo, led to an editing room where the editor worked. (At the time it was Greg Perler, who soon moved to Hollywood, and was replaced by Ed Askinazi.) The green room to the back left of the editing area was used for storage. We’d obviously just moved in because the walls here were covered with steel shelving not too long after this photo was taken.

Against the wall R to L: Ray Kosarin, Mike Wisniewski, George McClements, a divider, Steve MacQuignon, Masako Kanayama. Theresa Smythe sat all the way in the back during this photo shoot. Normally, she sat up front.
To the left is Mary Thorne (who most often worked across from me outside of the picture frame.) Out of picture is Jason McDonald just behind Mary.

(Above) This is the studio from my space. In the foreground is a divider and a shelving unit (in which my tape machines & video equipt were housed) which were part of my space.

L to R: Masako, Steve (partially hidden), George, Ray (standing), Mary.
(Jason isn’t at his desk. At the time he was a p/t runner/artist; so he may have been on a delivery. He eventually rose in the studio to Art Directing/Bg Artist.)

(Above) And here we are from the back of the studio looking forward. You can get a glimpse of my area all the way at the end, behind the shelving units in back of Ray.

4 5
4. Jason MacDonald, rendering
5. George McClements & Mike Wisniewski, both animating

6 7
6. Mary Thorne, rendering on cels
7. Masako Kanayama, production coordinating

8 9
8. Theresa Smythe, animating
9. Stephen MacQuignon, coloring art

I’m not quite sure what we were working on at the time. I believe we were in the middle of a video called Baby’s Storytime which had Arlo Guthrie narrating favorite tales – mostly Aesop.
We were about to start The Red Shoes and a series of six other half-hour shows. We had just completed Abel’s Island and The Hunting of the Snark a couple of months prior.

Things were good at the time.

10. Ray Kosarin, animating

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