The Animator’s Friend

Epizodes

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  101 Dalmatians with Josh Pilch! 22.07.2026 1h 23min

  The Animator's Friend's Friend Josh Pilch and I revisit 101 Dalmatians, which is screening on 35mm at Metrograph now!  We're talkin Ub, Xerox, and somehow, as usual with Josh, Anthony Kiedis. Get your ticket for the final screening of 101 Dalmatians Sunday, July 26th at 11:10am Enjoy Josh's work on City Island U.S.A. and Beach Buggy Adventures! Links to points of discussion (will update soon!): Josh Pilch's Instagram The Animator's Animations Josh's TAF episode Josh's Dani California parody for TAF Bouchra (also screening at Metrograph) Metrograph's It Started with a Mouse: Hand-Drawn Classics on 35mm - NYC The Animator's Playlist on Apple Music and Spotify The Animator's Friend on Instagram The Animator's Friend is hosted by India Lombardi-Bello, an educator based in New York City. In this series, India creates a platform where animators get to talk about themselves outside the context of their work. A questionnaire format, inspired by the 24 frames per second of animation, allows for personal, lighthearted, and unexpected conversation. Credits: Recorded, produced, and edited by India Lombardi-Bello Digital marketing assistance from Arnesh Kundu Music by Cloutmeyer Design by Sawyer Rippon Special thanks: Josh Pilch and Kaila Hier All opinions belong to the guests and do not represent any other individual or entity
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  29: Put the Rotton Tomatoes Down with David De La Fuente 20.07.2026 1h 28min

  My many attempts to discuss the Real Housewives on this podcast finally pay off with fellow expert David De La Fuente! David De La Fuente is an animation artist with interests in the moving image, semiotics, and graphic design. His work has explored themes of queerness, the aesthetic experience, and romanticism.  His films have shown in the Annecy International Animation Festival, Slamdance Film Festival, Melbourne Queer Film Festival, Ottawa International Animation Festival and others. In 2019, he was the recipient of the GLAS Animation Grant. He earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Rhode Island School of Design.  Currently, David is based in New York where he continues his process of experimental storytelling and image making. Links to points of discussion (will update shortly!): Metrograph's It Started with a Mouse: Hand-Drawn Classics on 35mm - NYC Hudson Valley Film Fest - NY Ottawa International Animation Festival - Canada The Animator's Friend on Instagram David's website The Animator's Animations GLAS Animation Festival - LA The London Dungeon - UK The Animator's Playlist on Apple Music and Spotify Alyssa Edwards' website Latrice Royale's website The Morgan Library & Museum - NYC The Animator's Favorites New York Public Library Amy Kravitz's website Rockaway Film Festival - NYC Nayon Cho's website Jack Gray's website The Animator's Friend is hosted by India Lombardi-Bello, an educator based in New York City. In this series, India creates a platform where animators get to talk about themselves outside the context of their work. A questionnaire format, inspired by the 24 frames per second of animation, allows for personal, lighthearted, and unexpected conversation. Credits: Recorded, produced, and edited by India Lombardi-Bello Digital marketing assistance from Arnesh Kundu Music by Cloutmeyer Design by Sawyer Rippon Special thanks to Motörhead the dog, Nayon Cho for suggesting/introducing me to David, my parents, and Josh Pilch All opinions belong to the guests and do not represent any other individual or entity
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  28: Good Egg with John Michael Boling & Jason Coombs 26.06.2026 1h 23min

  While Bouchra's on its world tour, I got to meet creative producers John Michael Boling and Jason Coombs who enlightened me as to why Funko Pops are a scourge on our society.  See Bouchra at Metrograph through to July 2nd or catch it in a city near you soon!   Wrestling with writer’s block for her first film, Bouchra, a queer Moroccan jackal living in NYC, starts having difficult yet overdue phone calls with her mother in Casablanca that begin influencing the project. Balancing the precarity of working as an artist in the United States, the rift in her identity between her two homes and an array of friendships and romantic interests, Bouchra’s emotional reckoning with her mother and herself becomes her path to expression.    Links to points of discussion (will update shortly!): Bouchra screening at Metrograph - NYC Bouchra's website John Michael Boling's Instagram Jason Coombs' Instagram 2 Lizards Instagram The Animator's Animations The Animator's Favorites Telfar Fondazione Prada - Italy The Animator's Playlist on Apple Music and Spotify Cynthia Chu on The Animator's Friend Twin Peaks LogPosting on Facebook The Animator's Friend on Instagram The Animator's Friend is hosted by India Lombardi-Bello, an educator based in New York City. In this series, India creates a platform where animators get to talk about themselves outside the context of their work. A questionnaire format, inspired by the 24 frames per second of animation, allows for personal, lighthearted, and unexpected conversation. Credits: Recorded, produced, and edited by India Lombardi-Bello Digital marketing assistance from Arnesh Kundu Music by Cloutmeyer Design by Sawyer Rippon All opinions belong to the guests and do not represent any other individual or entity
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  27: Beauty Marks with Pilar Garcia-Fernandezsesma 16.06.2026 1h 43min

  Pilar and I contemplate Minnie Mouse's wikiFeet rating.   Pilar Garcia-Fernandezsesma is a Spanish-American animator, filmmaker, and multidisciplinary artist from New York City. They received a BFA in Film/Animation/Video from the Rhode Island School of Design and are currently based in Brooklyn.   Her practice encompasses both digital and traditional techniques, typically using an interplay of the two to give a mixed-media feel to her work. Pilar's storytelling often draws inspiration from ecological systems and their symbolic qualities, and uses folk horror, magical realism, and nature to examine the emotional and psychological self through a poetic and metaphorical lens.    Get your hands on a Camp Snap Camera for $5 off by using my link! https://www.campsnapphoto.com/INDIALOMBARDIBELLO Links to points of discussion (will update shortly!): Pilar's website Pilar's Instagram Rhode Island School of Design - RI The Animator's Friend on Instagram Frog Farm - NYC Bouchra screening - NYC Adolescence of Utena screening - NYC The Animator's Animations The Animator's Playlist on Apple Music and Spotify The Animator's Favorites Amy Kravitz's website LaGuardia Arts - NYC Peter Millard's website Donald Daffy by Peter Millard School of Visual Arts (SVA) MFA Visual Narrative - low residency NYC Chris Sullivan on Instagram Consuming Spirits by Chris Sullivan Paper Trail by Don Hertzfeldt Steven Subotnick's website Pilar on NewGrounds The Animator's Friend is hosted by India Lombardi-Bello, an educator based in New York City. In this series, India creates a platform where animators get to talk about themselves outside the context of their work. A questionnaire format, inspired by the 24 frames per second of animation, allows for personal, lighthearted, and unexpected conversation. Credits: Recorded, produced, and edited by India Lombardi-Bello Digital marketing assistance from Arnesh Kundu Music by Cloutmeyer Design by Sawyer Rippon Special thanks to Lisa LaBracio, Jose Vargas, Angelica Vergel, Pilar and John Moraskie All opinions belong to the guests and do not represent any other individual or entity
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  26: Bring Back Pangea with Marcelese Cooper 19.05.2026 1h 12min

  In true TAF fashion, me and Marcelese Cooper talk about bugs.   Marcelese Cooper is an artist and educator originally from Santa Clarita, California, and has practiced throughout the Midwest and the South for nearly a decade. Influenced by their experiences as a young, black, queer individual, Cooper explores themes of identity, community, and the black/brown narrative through mediums like animation, performance art, and experimental video. They blend the DNA of dreams, science-fiction, and surreal art-house cinema in their work. Currently a Teaching Assistant Professor in the Film and Media Studies Program at the University of Pittsburgh, Cooper merges storytelling with time-based media to nurture the next generation of storytellers. Their recent artistic endeavors extend into 2D animation, video art, and sound experimentation, with a focus on community-centered projects that emphasize group storytelling and self-mythos. Learn more and contribute to Story Drive here - an ongoing video series focused on community storytelling. We interpret anonymous voicemails — dreams, memories, secrets, and more — into video art. Whether you're sharing a laugh, a personal truth, or a somber moment, your story will be heard. Donate to Marcelese's upcoming project On Good Days here - On Good Days is a short experimental documentary about what it means to live with chronic and autoimmune conditions on a daily basis. These conditions are often shown only during emergencies or flare ups, but most of life happens between those moments or potentially in spite of them. It happens in the pacing of energy, in care routines, in the small decisions that shape a day, and in the adaptations that allow people to keep moving through the world on their own terms. This film is focused on that living part, which is often the part that is least understood.     Get your hands on a Camp Snap Camera for $5 off by using my link! https://www.campsnapphoto.com/INDIALOMBARDIBELLO Get 10% off your submission to the Hudson Valley Film Festival with TAFnHVFFrCOOL   Links to points of discussion: Marcelese Cooper's website Marcelese's Instagram Story Drive's website No More Than Anyone Else Film Diary NYC On Good Days on GoFundMe The Animator's Friend on Instagram Hellavision on June 2nd - Troy NY No Fun - Troy NY Ground Zero Basement - Troy NY The Animator's Playlist on Apple Music and Spotify Smith's Hot Dogs Nathan's Hot Dogs American Museum of Natural History - NYC The Animator's Favorites The Animator's Animations The Animator's Friend is hosted by India Lombardi-Bello, an educator based in New York City. In this series, India creates a platform where animators get to talk about themselves outside the context of their work. A questionnaire format, inspired by the 24 frames per second of animation, allows for personal, lighthearted, and unexpected conversation. Credits: Recorded, produced, and edited by India Lombardi-Bello Digital marketing assistance from Arnesh Kundu Music by Cloutmeyer Design by Sawyer Rippon Special thanks to Benton Bainbridge for connecting me to Marcelese! All opinions belong to the guests and do not represent any other individual or entity
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  25: Earthwalking with Andy & Carolyn London 16.04.2026 1h 41min

  From oatmeal to the occult, the London's give equal attention to their pastimes.  They even begrudgingly give equal attention to their dislikes as well which include Long Island and the discomfort of growing up.  These are featured predominently in their most recent film 1981, where the mullets are long, the metal is heavy, and 14-year-old Douglas gets a birthday surprise that will change his life forever.   Andy and Carolyn are writers, directors, animators and co-founders of London Squared Productions. Since 1999, they’ve been creating films, music videos and animated content.      Get 10% off your submission to the Hudson Valley Film Festival with TAFnHVFFrCOOL   Get your hands on a Camp Snap Camera for $5 off by using my link! https://www.campsnapphoto.com/INDIALOMBARDIBELLO Host your podcast on Podbean, one month free trial! https://www.podbean.com/theanimatorsfriend Do businessy things on Podbean, one month free trial! https://www.podbean.com/pro/theanimatorsfriend Advertise on Podbean! https://sponsorship.podbean.com/theanimatorsfriend   Links to points of discussion: Sundance Film Festival NBC Page Program Animation Speak/Easy - NYC Lisa LaBracio's website Anna Samo Bergmann's website   The Animator's Playlist on Apple Music and Spotify Library180 - NYC East Village Shoe Repair - BK Cinanima - Portugal The Animator's Animations The Animator's Favorites The Metropolitan Museum of Art - NYC Fantagraphics Woodstock Film Festival - NYS Sonoma International Film Festival - CA Stuttgart International Festival of Animation Film - Germany Joy + Noelle's website The Animator's Friend on Instagram The Animator's Friend is hosted by India Lombardi-Bello, an educator based in New York City. In this series, India creates a platform where animators get to talk about themselves outside the context of their work. A questionnaire format, inspired by the 24 frames per second of animation, allows for personal, lighthearted, and unexpected conversation. Credits: Recorded, produced, and edited by India Lombardi-Bello Digital marketing assistance from Arnesh Kundu Music by Cloutmeyer Design by Sawyer Rippon Special thanks: my mom and dad All opinions belong to the guests and do not represent any other individual or entity We are not doctors or mental health professionals, so consult a doctor before enacting on any of our opinions
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  TAF at the Marvels of Media Festival 2026! 27.03.2026 30min

  Last night, I transcended my human form and turned into a rd carpet correspondent for the Museum of Moving Image's Marvels of Media Festival! We spoke with festival participants and organizers Dani Bowman, Jackson Tucker-Meyer, Josh Sapan, Susanna Hunt, Steven Fraser, Steph Prizhitomsky, Bob Clark, Miranda Lee, and Maxwell Scheller. The festival runs all weekend long, see details here: https://movingimage.org/series/marvels-of-media-festival-2026/ Get your hands on a Camp Snap Camera for $5 off by using my link! https://www.campsnapphoto.com/INDIALOMBARDIBELLO Host your podcast on Podbean, one month free trial! https://www.podbean.com/theanimatorsfriend Do businessy things on Podbean, one month free trial! https://www.podbean.com/pro/theanimatorsfriend Advertise on Podbean! https://sponsorship.podbean.com/theanimatorsfriend The Animator's Friend is hosted by India Lombardi-Bello, an educator based in New York City. In this series, India creates a platform where animators get to talk about themselves outside the context of their work. A questionnaire format, inspired by the 24 frames per second of animation, allows for personal, lighthearted, and unexpected conversation. https://linktr.ee/theanimatorsfriend Credits: Recorded and produced by India Lombardi-Bello & Arnesh KunduEdited by India Lombardi-BelloDigital marketing assistance from Arnesh KunduMusic by CloutmeyerDesign by Sawyer RipponSpecial thanks: Renata Luczak, Justin Solar, and ArneshAll opinions belong to the guests and do not represent any other individual or entity
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  Festival Strategy with Warren Etheredge! 25.03.2026 1h 21min

  I know I said we were on a break, but I just couldn't wait to share this bonus episode on Festival Strategy! Festival programmer Warren Etheredge shares how to get the most out of your film's festival run including insights into timeline, assessment, contact, assets, and budget. This episode will be here for you whenever you have a film ready to take out on the road! Listen, take notes, and get 75% off your submission to the Walla Walla Movie Crush this year with the code indiaisawesome! Submission deadline through to May 15th. As for your regularly scheduled TAF programming, expect to hear from me by mid-April B) Get your hands on a Camp Snap Camera for $5 off by using my link! https://www.campsnapphoto.com/INDIALOMBARDIBELLO Host your podcast on Podbean, one month free trial! https://www.podbean.com/theanimatorsfriend Do businessy things on Podbean, one month free trial! https://www.podbean.com/pro/theanimatorsfriend Advertise on Podbean! https://sponsorship.podbean.com/theanimatorsfriend   Links to points of discussion: Warren Etheredge's website The University of Washington - WA Cornish College of the Arts - WA The Red Badge Project Walla Walla Movie Crush - WA Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) - WA Bumbershoot Arts & Music Festival - WA The 25 Coolest Film Festivals in the World, MovieMaker Magazine Sundance Film Festival - UT SXSW - TX Indy Shorts Film Festival - IN Summer Shorts Film Fest - NY Le Court International Short Film Festival Clermont-Ferrand - France Annecy Festival - France Ottawa International Animation Festival - Canada Animafest Zagreb - Croatia Kristie Kish's website Michael Dondero's website "How to Network without Networking" by Warren Etheredge Tennis, Oranges trailer Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) - CA The Animator's Friend on Instagram   The Animator's Friend is hosted by India Lombardi-Bello, an educator based in New York City. In this series, India creates a platform where animators get to talk about themselves outside the context of their work. A questionnaire format, inspired by the 24 frames per second of animation, allows for personal, lighthearted, and unexpected conversation. Credits: Recorded, produced, and edited by India Lombardi-Bello Digital marketing assistance from Arnesh Kundu Music by Cloutmeyer Design by Sawyer Rippon Special thanks: Warren Etheredge and my mom and dad All opinions belong to the guests and do not represent any other individual or entity
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  24.5: Punk & Grind with Santi MacLean & Joe Zappulla [PART 2] 23.02.2026 1h 49min

  Continue your friend-of-the-pod/avatar/oink-oink drinking game with the final portion of my chat with filmmakers Santi MacLean and Joe Zuppulla!  Don't sleep on Doomscrolling and the whole Fun pet namez series! A young man talks himself through a panic attack. In Doomscrolling, Santi MacLean layers multimedia documents and data moshes on top of a vulnerable outcry. With bulging eyes and spaghetti-like green hair, the young man speaks in the form of a 3D-animated figure. In a high pitch voice, the character extrapolates on recent feelings of self-hatred and general aimlessness, due to financial pressures and up-keeping physical and intellectual standards while encountering romantic hook-ups. Micro-aggressions stretch the narrator’s mental bandwidth into oblivion and his cryptic self-recorded videos, along with other digital images, disintegrate into the next. While the outside world and its tactile elements offer moments of calmness, only so much can heal until the state of reality hits yet again. MacLean’s film moves quickly but packs a final punch, capturing the overwhelming influx of textures and feelings siphoned into a young person’s feed, and mind, today. Get your hands on a Camp Snap Camera for $5 off by using my link! https://www.campsnapphoto.com/INDIALOMBARDIBELLO Host your podcast on Podbean, one month free trial! https://www.podbean.com/theanimatorsfriend Do businessy things on Podbean, one month free trial! https://www.podbean.com/pro/theanimatorsfriend Advertise on Podbean! https://sponsorship.podbean.com/theanimatorsfriend   Links to points of discussion: The Animator's Animations Santi MacLean's website Santi's Instagram Joe Zappulla's Instagram Fun pet namez on Instagram NoBudge Purhcase College - NY SUNY Oneonta - NY The Animator's Playlist on Apple Music and Spotify The Rizzler on Instagram The Animator's Favorites Brooklyn Public Library The Sweatbox Louvre Museum - France Julian Glander on TAF Art Sqool by Julian Glander Silvia's Kitchen on Instagram L&B Spumoni Gardens - NYC The Animator's Friend on Instagram   The Animator's Friend is hosted by India Lombardi-Bello, an educator based in New York City. In this series, India creates a platform where animators get to talk about themselves outside the context of their work. A questionnaire format, inspired by the 24 frames per second of animation, allows for personal, lighthearted, and unexpected conversation. Credits: Recorded, produced, and edited by India Lombardi-Bello Digital marketing assistance from Arnesh Kundu Music by Cloutmeyer Design by Sawyer Rippon Special thanks: Talia Frank-Stemple, Ash Suh, and my mom and dad All opinions belong to the guests and do not represent any other individual or entity
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  24: Punk & Grind with Santi MacLean & Joe Zappulla [PART 1] 16.02.2026 1h 29min

  We may be in Month 2 of 2026, but Santi MacLean, Joe Zappulla, and I are still feeling the new year's energy in TAF's first ever two-part episode!  Relive the feelings of optimism that January 2nd gifted as your resolutions start to lose meaning, like the thumbs-up react on that text message you sent. A young man talks himself through a panic attack. In Doomscrolling, Santi MacLean layers multimedia documents and data moshes on top of a vulnerable outcry. With bulging eyes and spaghetti-like green hair, the young man speaks in the form of a 3D-animated figure. In a high pitch voice, the character extrapolates on recent feelings of self-hatred and general aimlessness, due to financial pressures and up-keeping physical and intellectual standards while encountering romantic hook-ups. Micro-aggressions stretch the narrator’s mental bandwidth into oblivion and his cryptic self-recorded videos, along with other digital images, disintegrate into the next. While the outside world and its tactile elements offer moments of calmness, only so much can heal until the state of reality hits yet again. MacLean’s film moves quickly but packs a final punch, capturing the overwhelming influx of textures and feelings siphoned into a young person’s feed, and mind, today. Get your hands on a Camp Snap Camera for $5 off by using my link! https://www.campsnapphoto.com/INDIALOMBARDIBELLO Host your podcast on Podbean, one month free trial! https://www.podbean.com/theanimatorsfriend Do businessy things on Podbean, one month free trial! https://www.podbean.com/pro/theanimatorsfriend Advertise on Podbean! https://sponsorship.podbean.com/theanimatorsfriend   Links to points of discussion: The Animator's Animations Santi MacLean's website Santi's Instagram Joe Zappulla's Instagram Fun pet namez on Instagram  NoBudge The Animator's Friend on Instagram Julian Glander on TAF The Animator's Playlist Bakeri - BK The Animator's Favorites Brooklyn Public Library   The Animator's Friend is hosted by India Lombardi-Bello, an educator based in New York City. In this series, India creates a platform where animators get to talk about themselves outside the context of their work. A questionnaire format, inspired by the 24 frames per second of animation, allows for personal, lighthearted, and unexpected conversation. Credits: Recorded, produced, and edited by India Lombardi-Bello Digital marketing assistance from Arnesh Kundu Music by Cloutmeyer Design by Sawyer Rippon Special thanks: Talia Frank-Stemple, Michael Dondero, Kristie Kish, Malt Adult, my mom and dad. All opinions belong to the guests and do not represent any other individual or entity.
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  23: The Duck Man's Quandary with Julian Glander 02.02.2026 1h 42min

  Me and the homies have been geeking over the animated feature Boys Go to Jupiter for months and months so it was a thrill to get to talk with Julian Glander about it, but mostly we tried to drum up some animation-world drama. A teenager in suburban Florida desperately hustles to make $5,000 in this dreamy and surreal animated coming-of-age story. Stream Boys Go to Jupiter on Amazon Prime! Watch our chat on YouTube or Spotify! Get your hands on a Camp Snap Camera for $5 off by using my link! https://www.campsnapphoto.com/INDIALOMBARDIBELLO Host your podcast on Podbean, one month free trial! https://www.podbean.com/theanimatorsfriend Do businessy things on Podbean, one month free trial! https://www.podbean.com/pro/theanimatorsfriend Advertise on Podbean! https://sponsorship.podbean.com/theanimatorsfriend   Links to points of discussion: Julian Glander's website Julian Glander's Instagram The Animator's Animations The Animator's Playlist Pigeon Bagels - PA The Animator's Favorites Buddhist Gumby tshirt from JustinsShirtStore on Etsy TAF At Ottawa International Animation Festival! Tubulus Plasticus by YOON Five Points Bakery - PA The Animator's Friend on Instagram   The Animator's Friend is hosted by India Lombardi-Bello, an animation educator based in New York City. In this series, India creates a platform where animators get to talk about themselves outside the context of their work. A questionnaire format, inspired by the 24 frames per second of animation, allows for personal, lighthearted, and unexpected conversation. Credits: Recorded, produced, and edited by India Lombardi-Bello Digital marketing assistance from Arnesh Kundu Music by Cloutmeyer Design by Sawyer Rippon Special thanks: Kaila Hier; my mom and dad; Kristie Kish; Michael Dondero All opinions belong to the guests and do not represent any other individual or entity.
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  22: Getting Through It with Natalia Poteryakhin 20.01.2026 1h 34min

  Episode 22 is a lucky one with director Natalia Poteryakhin, sharing anecdotes of endurance, logging off, and blind faith, all bolstering her animation career. Further blessing this episode is the appearance of non-human guest Zoe Lombardi-Bello. Watch on video on Youtube or Spotify! Sunny Side Down is a sci-fi parody series where existential dread is served hot with a side of 90’s nostalgia.  Just beyond the event horizon of a supermassive black hole floats a tiny diner, frozen in time. Every super short episode drops in on whichever weird alien just got pulled into the black hole’s grasp, cutting between their arrival and off-the-wall conversations with the diner’s cryptic cook, Yabba, about what actually lies beyond.  There is no way back. You either stay at the diner forever, or risk passing through the hole.  Think Spaceballs-level absurdity meets Cheers-style diner regulars, filtered through a radical 90’s sci-fi lens. Expect visual gags, fast setups, and parody riffs on classics like Men in Black, Terminator 2, The Matrix, Starship Troopers, and Contact. This is not hard sci-fi. Physics is optional. Absurdity is mandatory.  At the center of it all is Nat, a human waitress and accidental astrophysics prodigy stranded at the diner after a light travel experiment went wrong. She is stubborn, brilliant, snarky, and desperate enough to believe she can build a machine strong enough to escape a black hole. While serving coffee and dodging alien drama, she secretly hoards space junk to engineer her way home to Earth.  Running the diner is Yabba, an ancient, chainsmoking, four-armed mentor who has kept this place running for millennia. She is tired. She wants to retire. But her only option is the black hole itself, and she will not go unless someone is ready to take over the diner.  Sunny Side Down is not a kids show. Things do not have neat morals. Good behavior is not rewarded. It leans into existential dread, the horror of living in the shadow of a black hole, and the strange comfort of routine in a place you cannot leave. It is purgatory with pancakes. Get your hands on a Camp Snap Camera for $5 off by using my link! https://www.campsnapphoto.com/INDIALOMBARDIBELLO Links to points of discussion: Sunny Side Down Natalia's website Natalia's Instagram The Animator's Animations MAKE Originals on YouTube Nice Moves - MN Creator on YouTube Tess Martin on TAF The Animator's Playlist Anne Beal on TAF Hellavision The Animator's Favorites Emory Allen's website Anatola Howard's website Nicole Otaola on TAF The Animator's Friend on Instagram   The Animator's Friend is hosted by India Lombardi-Bello, an animation educator based in New York City. In this series, India creates a platform where animators get to talk about themselves outside the context of their work. A questionnaire format, inspired by the 24 frames per second of animation, allows for personal, lighthearted, and unexpected conversation. Credits: Recorded, produced, and edited by India Lombardi-Bello Booking assistance from Chris Hollis & Amy Steman Digital marketing assistance from Arnesh Kundu Music by Cloutmeyer Design by Sawyer Rippon Special thanks: my mom and dad; Kristie Kish; Michael Dondero; Barnaby Catterall All opinions belong to the guests and do not represent any other individual or entity.
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  21: Human Timings with Ugo Bienvenu & Félix de Givry 12.01.2026 1h 9min

  Conducted my interview with Arco creators Ugo Bienvenu and Félix de Givry ~on twos~ to learn about their penchant for sandwiches as well as gain more insight into the driving forces of their beautiful film. Experience the podcast with video for a change! I prefer you watch on YouTube B) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHBrnoduxTs A magical and beautifully animated journey through time, Arco is a dazzling adventure about a 10-year-old boy from a peaceful, distant future who accidentally travels back to the year 2075 and discovers a world in peril. As Arco develops a charming and touching friendship with young girl named Iris, they band together and along with her trusted robot caretaker Mikki, set out on a quest to get Arco home, while the two children may also be the only ones who can save our planet. A wondrous odyssey filled with hope and optimism for our future, Arco is an enchanting fable from breakout filmmaker Ugo Bienvenu, produced by Remembers’ Bienvenu and Felix de Givry, and mountainA’s Natalie Portman and Sophie Mas. Oscar voting opens today, so if you are a member of the Academy, I hope you will consider Arco as you cast your ballot. Get your hands on a Camp Snap Camera for $5 off by using my link! https://www.campsnapphoto.com/INDIALOMBARDIBELLO Links to points of discussion: Arco Ugo Bienvenu on Instagram Félix de Givry on IMDB "Voyage Cromatique" at Metrograph - NYC The Animator's Animations TAF at Annecy 2025 Remembers Studio Barnaby Catterall's website The Animator's Favorites CalArts The Animator's Playlist The Animator's Friend on Instagram   The Animator's Friend is hosted by India Lombardi-Bello, an animation educator based in New York City. In this series, India creates a platform where animators get to talk about themselves outside the context of their work. A questionnaire format, inspired by the 24 frames per second of animation, allows for personal, lighthearted, and unexpected conversation. Credits: Recorded, produced, and edited by India Lombardi-Bello Booking assistance from Cori Futrovsky and Kaila Hier Digital marketing assistance from Arnesh Kundu Music by Cloutmeyer Design by Sawyer Rippon Special thanks: my mom and dad; Nikolas Fortune Hagen; Michael Dondero; Ash Suh All opinions expressed by host and guests are their own and do not represent the opinions of anyone else or any entity
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  20: Anarchistic & Anti-Capitalistic with Andres Salazar 08.01.2026 1h 42min

  The Animator's Friend podcast has been turning into The Animator's Italian-American Friend for some time now, and 3D artist/designer Andres Salazar has made matters worse by getting your host's spaghetti in a knot with some hot takes on Italian cuisine. Andres is a Colombian-American designer and 3D artist based in Astoria, New York. His work explores the magic in the mundane, blending photorealistic 3D creations with surrealist visuals to spotlight the beauty of quotidian spaces. He is drawn to procedural software like Houdini and inspired by 20th-century design movements. He lives at the junction of visual effects and design. Get your hands on a Camp Snap Camera for $5 off by using my link! https://www.campsnapphoto.com/INDIALOMBARDIBELLO Links to points of discussion: Andres Salazar's website Andres Salazar's Instagram Josh Pilch's RHCP parody song Josh Pilch on TAF DCOY Studios Camp Snap website Michael Dondero on TAF The Animator's Playlist The Animator's Favorites Beacon's Closet Crossroads Trading Massawa - NYC Spicy Village - NYC TikTok of guys trying out new cuisines in NYC Chris Rutledge's website Ehsan Parizi on Instagram Joseph Toreki's website XK Studio Future Deluxe Studio Papel de Punto Jasper Lin on TAF Wenyi Zhang's website The Animator's Animations Ars Electronica - Austria Brand New School Jimena Martinez's website The Animator's Friend on Instagram   The Animator's Friend is hosted by India Lombardi-Bello, an animation educator based in New York City. In this series, India creates a platform where animators get to talk about themselves outside the context of their work. A questionnaire format, inspired by the 24 frames per second of animation, allows for personal, lighthearted, and unexpected conversation. Credits: Recorded, produced, and edited by India Lombardi-Bello Digital marketing assistance from Arnesh Kundu Music by Josh Pilch (the song is parody and should be enjoyed as such) and Cloutmeyer Design by Sawyer Rippon Special thanks: Andres & Jimena for hosting me; my mom & dad; Darren Santa Maria; Malt Adult
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  19: Zero Stars for Patriarchy with Tess Martin 20.12.2025 1h 30min

  I enjoyed chatting with fellow Beatles freak Tess Martin about our other shared fixation: The Netherlands. What business does their coffee have being so good? How easy is it to be a working artist there? Is the countryside really like those old Dutch paintings? Find out within. Tess Martin is a film and visual artist based in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. She brings her perspective as someone who was raised between cultures to exploring themes of belonging, identity and connection. Her short films, videos and installations address our vulnerability: in relation to nature, the onslaught of time and the precariousness of memory. Tess has both a classical fine art and an animation background and these come together in her work: she pushes the conceptual potential of hand-made animation and the narrative potential of site-specific pieces.  How Now, House? investigates our yearning to leave traces behind through the prism of one house in Rotterdam. Using archives, personal memories and the philosophy of time, the film questions whether a space can ever really belong to one person, or time period, at all. How Now, House? will be screened at the upcoming London Short Film Festival, Jan 23-Feb 1, 2026. Get your hands on a Camp Snap Camera for $5 off by using my link! https://www.campsnapphoto.com/INDIALOMBARDIBELLO Links to points of discussion: Tess Martin's website Tess Martin's Instagram The Holidays at Metrograph The Animator's Friend on Instagram Camp Snap website Animator's Picnic - NYC How Now, House? 1976: Search for Life The Animator's Animations Science New Wave Festival - NYC Alice Saey's website Nienke Deutz's website Kaboom Animation Festival The Animator's Playlist Revolution in the Head by Ian MacDonald The Animator's Favorites Leon & Cocina's website Anifilm - Czech Republic Animafest Zagreb - Croatia Annecy International Animation Festival - France Architecture Film Festival Rotterdam - Netherlands International Film Fest Rotterdam - Netherlands Turku Animated Film Festival - Finland Animateka - Slovenia Kristie Kish's website Brooklyn Public Library St. Joost School of Art & Design - Netherlands Dok Leipzig - Germany London Short Film Festival - UK   The Animator's Friend is hosted by India Lombardi-Bello, an animation educator based in New York City. In this series, India creates a platform where animators get to talk about themselves outside the context of their work. A questionnaire format, inspired by the 24 frames per second of animation, allows for personal, lighthearted, and unexpected conversation. Credits: Recorded, produced, and edited by India Lombardi-Bello Booking assistance from Beth Quittman Digital marketing assistance from Arnesh Kundu Music by Cloutmeyer Design by Sawyer Rippon I thanked an overwhelming amount of people in the recording, so here I'll just thank these linkable entities: Mother's Milk, Commodore II, and Malt Adult.
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  18: Another Hobby with Danielle Goldwert 03.12.2025 1h 19min

  I learned all about Danielle Goldwert's numorous hobbies and have a feeling I barely scratched the surface! Stop-motion animation is just one of her many interests, which she executes perfectly in her film waterlogged. Hear about how Danielle's creative interests and doctorate research converge. In waterlogged, a climate scholar confronts the haunting reality of his research as surreal environmental catastrophes unfold around him, blurring the line between his personal despair and the global human experience. The story explores the psychological toll of inaction, asking whether hope can be found amid the rising tides of collective negligence. Danielle is a Ph.D. student in social psychology at NYU, and a member of the Center for Conflict and Cooperation at NYU and the Climate Cognition Lab at Stanford. Her research program integrates social psychological theory with large-scale behavioral science methods to identify, test, and translate effective strategies for motivating collective action on climate change. She addresses a core challenge in social psychology: how to change beliefs and behaviors in politically polarized, emotionally charged, and globally diverse contexts. In her work as an artist, she primarily use portraiture to explore the human condition and my own experiences, while also extending her artistic pursuits into filmmaking. Get your hands on a Camp Snap Camera for $5 off by using my link! https://www.campsnapphoto.com/INDIALOMBARDIBELLO Links to points of discussion: Danielle Goldwert's website waterlogged's website dgoldwert on Instagram Hudson Valley Film Fest's website Hudson Valley Film Fest on Instagram Hudson Valley Film Fest on FilmFreeway TAF at the Hudson Valley Film Fest TAF Interview with Kristie Kish The Animator's Friend on Instagram The Animator's Playlist Creative Spaces/Contested Spaces: Reinterpreting Italian-American Public Art in New York City Akaine Kramarik The Animator's Favorites RiverRun International Film Festival Tribeca Film Festival TIFF Indie Shorts Awards The People's Union Economic Blackouts The Animator's Animations   The Animator's Friend is hosted by India Lombardi-Bello, an animation educator based in New York City. In this series, India creates a platform where animators get to talk about themselves outside the context of their work. A questionnaire format, inspired by the 24 frames per second of animation, allows for personal, lighthearted, and unexpected conversation. Credits: Recorded, produced, and edited by India Lombardi-Bello Digital marketing assistance from Arnesh Kundu Music by Cloutmeyer Design by Sawyer Rippon Microphones provided by SVA MFA Computer arts Special thanks to Darren Santa Maria; my mom and dad; Michael Dondero; Kristie Kish; Nayon Cho; Hudson Valley Film Fest
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  17: The Mastermind Mosquito with Simeon Kondev 19.11.2025 1h 10min

  Between moments of being outsmarted by a mosquito, hear Simeon Kondev expose the metal-head within. Simeon is a Bulgarian-American animator whose latest cartoon Society Animals deserves your follow on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Get your hands on a Camp Snap Camera for $5 off by using my link! https://www.campsnapphoto.com/INDIALOMBARDIBELLO Links to points of discussion: The Animator's Friend on Instagram University of Kentucky The Animator's Playlist Emily Curran at Buzzfeed Kate Costello's website Emily Zullo's website The Animator's Favorites NPR Morning Edition Ichthus Music Festival - KY Brent Sievers on The Animator's Friend Gooeyduck on YouTube skincrawlies on YouTube Fruit Suit Critters on YouTube The Animator's Animations   The Animator's Friend is hosted by India Lombardi-Bello, an animation educator based in New York City. In this series, India creates a platform where animators get to talk about themselves outside the context of their work. A questionnaire format, inspired by the 24 frames per second of animation, allows for personal, lighthearted, and unexpected conversation. Credits: Recorded, produced, and edited by India Lombardi-Bello Digital marketing assistance from Arnesh Kundu Music by Cloutmeyer Design by Sawyer Rippon Microphones provided by SVA MFA Computer arts Special thanks to Darren Santa Maria; my mom and dad; Miyu Distribution
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  16: Croissant Cafe Club with Loick Du Plessis D'Argentre & Simin He 12.11.2025 1h 22min

  Preempting their Student Academy Award win for their student film The Shyness of Trees, listen to Loick Du Plessis D'Argentre, Simin He, and me giggle over unexpected animation crushes, rats, and French cliches. In the film, Hélène, 40 years old, comes to visit her aging mother in the french countryside. But her mother isn't being her usual self. She seems to have formed a strange bond with the plants, insects, and the old oak tree at the end of her garden... Get your hands on a Camp Snap Camera for $10 off by using my link! https://www.campsnapphoto.com/INDIALOMBARDIBELLO Links to points of discussion: The Animator's Friend on Instagram The Shyness of Trees on Youtube The Animator's Animations Loick Du Plessis D'Argentre's website Loick Du Plessis D'Argentre's Instagram Simin He on Instagram Gobelins The Animator's Playlist Routard Guide Sables - NYC The Animator's Favorites   The Animator's Friend is hosted by India Lombardi-Bello, an animation educator based in New York City. In this series, India creates a platform where animators get to talk about themselves outside the context of their work. A questionnaire format, inspired by the 24 frames per second of animation, allows for personal, lighthearted, and unexpected conversation.   Credits: Recorded, produced, and edited by India Lombardi-Bello Booking assistance from Luce Grosjean at Miyu Distribution Digital marketing assistance from Arnesh Kundu Music by Cloutmeyer Design by Sawyer Rippon Microphones provided by SVA MFA Computer arts Special thanks to my mom and dad; Darren Santa Maria; Sarah Shmidt; Luce Grosjean & Emma Berebbi at Miyu; Lena Greene; Michael Dondero; Kristie Kish
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  15: Under the Pergola with Amanda Bonaiuto 15.10.2025 1h 30min

  You can find Amanda, me, and her dog Bacca under the pergola, discussing our shared provenance which includes italianess, shyness, and punkness.  Her film Confetti is available online for the first time through Director's Notes and her and fellow animator James Thacher have just started their own studio called Magician with a screening coming up at Ridgewood Community Cinema on 11/2/25 at 7pm.  Amanda Bonaiuto is an animation director, artist, and assistant professor of Illustration at Parsons School of Design. Her films have screened at film festivals and institutions globally, including Slamdance Film Festival, Annecy International Animation Festival, Ottawa International Animation Festival, Ann Arbor Film Festival, among others. Her work has been recognized by press outlets such as It’s Nice That, The New Yorker, Vimeo, and NPR. She holds an MFA in Experimental Animation from the California Institute of the Arts, and a BFA from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. She offers workshops, mentorship, and animation publications through a collaborative project called Magician Studio. Amanda uses animation to experiment with choreographic movement, relational ruptures, and the ever present tension between bodies and space. Her work examines experiences of turmoil in mundane spaces; the bedroom, the funeral home, the emotional dance created through chains of physical association. She is fascinated by the porousness of lived experience. Her films consider how our environments exert influence as we reciprocally construct our own world. She hosts Animator Picnics in NYC several times a year (one forthcoming in October). Reach out if you’d like to be added to the email list: a.t.bonaiuto@gmail.com   Links to points of discussion: Amanda Bonaiuto's Instagram The Animator's Animations Cooking classes at Eataly The Animator's Playlist The Animator's Friend on Instagram Art Shack Bedstuy "Material Worlds: Amanda Bonaiuto" by Case Jernigan with Evergreen Haneen Koraz on Instagram The Animator's Favorites Hedge by Amanda Bonaiuto Anibar Fest Anca Kaboom Animation Festival GLAS Animation Festival   The Animator's Friend is hosted by India Lombardi-Bello, an animation educator based in New York City. In this new series, India creates a platform where animators get to talk about themselves outside the context of their work. A questionnaire format, inspired by the 24 frames per second of animation, allows for lighthearted and unexpected conversation.   Credits: Recorded, produced, and edited by India Lombardi-Bello Digital marketing assistance from Arnesh Kundu Music by Cloutmeyer Design by Sawyer Rippon Microphones provided by SVA MFA Computer arts Special thanks to my mom and dad; Darren Santa Maria; Jose Vargas; Malt Adult; Lisa LaBracio; Andy London; Anna Samo; Kristie Kish.
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  14: Ourselves but Hotter with Lena Greene 01.10.2025 1h 34min

  If you need a bar recommendation, enjoy Lena's encyclopedic knowledge of cool karaoke bars, including the ones that exist only in her mind. Throats Karaoke Bar is the setting of her latest short film Tuna Tartare, which challenges you to be yourself but hotter. Set in post-apocalyptic Los Angeles, Tuna Tartare is a trashy, karaoke musical about an expired can of tuna fish and her BFF Susan (a fake Louis Vuitton purse) as they struggle to pursue their artistic dreams in a world that has long since dismissed them. Upcoming screenings include Tuna's NYC premiere at The Downtown Festival on 10/11 at 2:30pm and at the Woodstock Film Festival's Saturday Evening Cartoons block on 10/18 at 4:30pm. Lena Greene is a director, animator, illustrator, storyboard artist and character designer based in NYC. Her work is campy, playful, and absurdist, and her characters are often striving to “make it” in a world that has long since overlooked them. She has directed widely screened animations for Lauren Greenfield, Lana Del Rey, Celeste, Gohar World, Comedy Central’s Saturday Morning(ish) Cartoons, and Blumhouse’s Crypt TV. Lena was a storyboard artist on seasons 1 and 2 of Adult Swim & HBO’s Teenage Euthanasia, season 2 of PBS & Augenblick Studio’s City Island, and a character designer on season 3 of Adult Swim & HBO's Smiling Friends. She has made animations for clients such as Vice, Droga5, Edelman, Gucci, Knoll, Tory Burch and collaborated on four large-scale 3D zoetropes with Camille Henrot. Lena was an adjunct animation professor at Queens College, and is a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design where she received a BFA in film, animation and video. Lena hosts a recurring karaoke talent show on Montez Press Radio, which has been highlighted in Document Journal, The New York Times, Frieze, Dazed, Cultured Mag, and the LA Review of Books. Links to points of discussion: Tuna Tartare's website Lena Greene's website Lena Greene's Instagram The Downtown Festival - NYC HollyShorts Film Festival - LA Ficus Interfaith on Instagram Earth on Instagram - LA Plank Skate Mag Montez Press Radio Insa - NYC Woodstock Film Festival Miyu Distribution Animest - Romania The Animator's Playlist Planet Rose - NYC Montero's - NYC Winnie's - NYC Singer's - NYC Gogopa - NYC Mary's Crisis Cafe - NYC Asia Roma - NYC The Animator's Favorites The Animator's Friend on Instagram Christopher Rutledge Andrew Onorato on Instagram Lucas Ansell's website The Animator's Animations   The Animator's Friend is hosted by India Lombardi-Bello, an animation educator based in New York City. In this new series, India creates a platform where animators get to talk about themselves outside the context of their work. A questionnaire format, inspired by the 24 frames per second of animation, allows for lighthearted and unexpected conversation.   Credits: Recorded, produced, and edited by India Lombardi-Bello Booking assistance from Luce Grosjean at Miyu Distribution Digital marketing assistance from Arnesh Kundu Music by Cloutmeyer Design by Sawyer Rippon Microphones provided by SVA MFA Computer arts Special thanks to my mom and dad; Cynthia Chu; Michael Dondero, Kristie Kish; Darren Santa Maria; Malt Adult and Sarah Schmidt; Montez Press Radio.