Today we’d like to introduce you to Nathan Dreschel.
Hi Nathan, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I’ve been animating since I was 8 years old. My dad bought me a camera, and when I hooked it up to the computer, it had a stopmotion animation software on it. I was instantly hooked and started telling stories with little lego stop motions. A bit later, he downloaded a program called Pivot for me, which as basically a 2D stick figure animation software. I fell in love. I actually ended up doing a science fair project on animation that year.. Eventually I upgraded to Adobe Flash and animated all through high school. After graduating, I went to school to study animation at Edinboro University. I ended up really enjoying my stopmotion classes and decided to focus on it. After college I moved to California and worked on a few feature films. I had the opportunity to work on a stopmotion fashion show for Paris Fashion Week in New York, and worked on other various projects including an American Girl Doll Miniseries. I got a job in Mississippi working another feature film, and eventually moved to Philadelphia to work on projects for Walmart and Burger King for a studio based there. When work inevitably dried up, I decided to go freelance and form my own studio, working on many various projects. Right now I am working with many different brands to bring their visions to life, with a main focus on Stopmotion Animated Ads/promos for social media. It’s been a wild ride and I’m excited for everything that the future has in store.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It’s definitely been a rocky road. One of the main struggles has been financial stress. In the field of animation, work tends to be inconsistent. Especially now as a business owner, you kind of have to find and make your own work. It’s an entirely different job than just as an animator (which on its own was already pretty inconsistent). You have to learn marketing, branding, learn how ads, google SEO, that sort of thing. Going to school for art, these were never things that crossed my mind when it came to making a career in animation. But despite the struggles, it’s been fun and exciting and I’ve never felt more passionate pursuing a career before in my entire life.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m an animator. I specialize in stop-motion animation- and I guess that’s what I’m most well known for! I’ve been fortunate enough to work on amazing projects such as Oscar Nominated Marcel The Shell With Shoes On as well as work with some pretty big brands (like Walmart, Tech Deck to name just a few). I’m most proud of the fact that I’m still able to make a career making things by hand in today’s day and age. Most people right now are using Ai for everything, so being able to do things by hand has definitely made my work stand out amongst the crowd.
What matters most to you?
Creativity! One of the things my brand is known for is coming up with out of the box solutions. Rather than seeing the same thing over and over, the things we make stand out and grab attention immediately because it’s something people don’t see often.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.natedreschel.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nateanimates_/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nate-dreschel-532ba11a1/
