Today we’d like to introduce you to Steph Swope.
Hi, Steph. I’m so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work life, how can you bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My career started in 1999 as a production assistant on a film set. Although I was in college at the time of photography, I immediately fell in love with filmmaking’s fast-paced and collaborative nature. I worked through the ranks, eventually landing in the props/set dressing department. It was great for a while, but I soon discovered I was better at organizing and running a production, so I moved into assistant directing and producing. I was doing this when I was approached in 2006 by my friend (and current business partner), Craig Staggs. He had formed a group making short comedy sketches on this new “YouTube,” which sounded fun. Eventually, the group dissolved, but Craig and I kept going. We decided to smoosh together my organizational and planning skills with his incredible drawing talent to move into the world of animation. In 2012, we formed Minnow Mountain and have produced animation since then. We’ve created a feature film for PBS (Tower), a feature film for Netflix (Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood), and made two seasons of television for Amazon Prime (Undone). We also make short-form animations like the opening sequence for Critical Role or the Black Angel’s music video Empires Falling.
Please talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned. Looking back, has it been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Animation production is thrilling and endlessly fascinating but could be smoother and more manageable. Our projects can last up to two years, and there can be years between each. Balancing the budget with the timeline can be difficult, as there usually needs to be more. Creative problem-solving comes up frequently as we ensure we can get the work done to our standards in the time we have while ensuring nobody overworks or burns out. Animation is famous for burnout, and we want to avoid it. And, of course, there are tons of moving parts that all have to come together at the same time, so it’s an organizational challenge. My favorite kind of challenge!
Thanks for sharing that. Please tell us more about your work next.
Minnow Mountain produces rotoscope animation, and we are the only studio in the US that does it, possibly even the world. Rotoscope is animation drawn over live-action footage of an actor’s performance. We love it because it allows the actors we work with to go for it with their acting, and we get to facilitate that. Our studio concentrates on emotional storytelling that supports and buoys the talent of the actors.
What do you think about happiness?
Being in full-time production makes me incredibly happy. I like nothing better than spending all day making art; it is a dream come true. Producing animation is like putting together a vast, complex puzzle that changes daily, which I love.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://minnowmountain.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/minnowmountain/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/minnowmountain
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@MinnowMountain
Image Credits
Anna Sneed, Steph Swope, Craig Staggs
