COVID-19 Chronicles: Chris Prynoski Talks About Paro Regulation With "Work From Home"
Titmouse, Inc. is one of several super busy animation houses that have been able to smoothly transition to this new COVID-19 "work from home" period. The thriving studio, which has three locations in Los Angeles, New York City and Vancouver, was founded in 1999 by Chris and Shannon Prynoski. Among the many shows they are currently working on are Tigtone, Ballmstrz: 9009, Archibald's Next Big Thing, Bless the Harts, Cleopatra in Space, Green Eggs and Ham and the long-awaited Penn Ward / Duncan Trussell series The Midnight Gospel, which will premiere on Netflix on April 20. We were delighted when studio chief Chris Prynoski answered some of our questions about how he keeps Titmouse in the air during these difficult times:
Animag: We know that your busy production pipeline buzzes as usual. How have the policies of social removal and homework influenced the shows currently in production?
Chris Prynoski: It was certainly strange. In some ways, it can be more efficient. How can you join multiple meetings in one day because there is no driving time between customer locations. The physical connection between being in an editing room together or throwing gags at a story reunion is definitely missing. It's harder to share a gag you just scribbled on a post-it with everyone. You need to keep it on your webcam or take a picture with your phone and text, etc. The productions are moving forward, but the dynamic is different as we have had to shift our creative methods a bit.
What technologies do you use to share huge animation files?
We use everything from Google Drive to specialized file sharing and review services like Egnyte, Frame.IO and Wiredrive. Some staff members also have VPN access to connect to our servers.
Will you still be able to deliver all the shows on time or will they be slightly delayed?
So far, we are keeping schedule without much delay. Time will tell if the plans need to be extended. If this lasts for a long time, there will probably be some impact on our timing. It is difficult to say how much at this point.
How to maintain a positive spirit and inspire the working environment despite all the challenges?
We communicate a lot. I have never participated in so many video calls! Shannon sends funny and heartwarming emails to all staff, putting them in the state of the studio. I also played D&D games with staff from all three of our remote locations. We are lucky to work in cartoons and lucky we can laugh every day!
Any advice for entertaining friends who are trying to get through this difficult period?
If you're not in a city like Los Angeles, New York, Vancouver, etc., this is actually a great opportunity to get into the industry. With all the work done remotely, your physical location matters less than it did four weeks ago.
Are you hiring - and if so, what skill sets are you looking for?
We are always looking for talented artists! Skills vary by concert. Skill and professionalism are always appreciated! Check out our careers page where you will find more than 25 open positions: https://titmouse.net/careers/
