Being An Artist: #UdacityTalks with Eric Darnell, Chief Creative Officer of Baobab Studios
The range of subjects we’ve been able to cover during our Udacity Talks episodes has really been incredible, and now that we’ve been able to host Eric Darnell, that list has grown significantly!
Eric Darnell is currently leading a creative revolution in the still-very-new field of Virtual Reality, but he has in fact been at the forefront of storytelling and technology for nearly two decades. He directed the first fully computer-animated film for DreamWorks (Antz), and then moved into the mainstream in an even bigger way as director and screenwriter for four of the Madagascar films, which together have pulled in over $2.5 billion at the box office!
Now, he’s heading up the newly-launched Baobab Studios, which is poised to be the preeminent animation studio for VR. With Eric as Chief Creative Officer, Maureen Fan as Chief Executive Officer (formerly VP of Gaming, Zynga) and a Board of Advisors that includes Alvy Ray Smith (Co-founder, Pixar), David Anderman (former COO, Lucasfilm), and Mireille Soria (Co-President, DreamWorks Animation), it’s safe to say that whatever the future holds for VR, Eric Darnell will be leading the way.
All of which is to say, Eric is involved in some VERY amazing work!
But you know what? There’s something really special about the Udacity Talks format. No matter how different our guests may be, somehow, we find ourselves connecting in very similar ways each time; we always seem to find ourselves talking about dreams, and how we pursue them.
Have a look at some of the wonderful and inspiring quotes that emerged from this episode of #UdacityTalks:
“If you have a great idea and you don’t do it, then you’re not an artist!”
This is exactly the kind of challenge we love! And so we say to you all, take your great idea, and go do it!
And while you’re at it, make sure to RSVP for Episode 5 of Udacity Talks, featuring wildly successful serial entrepreneur Anand Rajaraman.
Lastly, keep practicing … consistently!
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(This post was written by Christopher Watkins, Senior Writer, Udacity)
