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Art Teacher & Cartoon Person

 

​Teaching Experience

Long term Art Teacher substitute, Canton Middle/High School, November 2024-April 2025

Art Teacher, Conant Middle High School, August 2023- June 2024

Elementary Art Teacher, ConVal Elementary Schools, August 2022- June 2023

ILS Paraprofessional, ConVal Regional High School, November 2018- June 2022

 

Professional Experience

Freelance Animator for Bento Box Entertainment, March 2017

Responsible for the design and animation of a 50 second audio clip

Previsualization Artist for Elementary Films, July-September 2016

Responsible for design, gathering assets, storyboards, and animatics

Intern at Riley Animation Studios, Winter 2013

Responsible for cleaning up pre-existing character model sheets

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Education

The Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah GA

M.F.A. in Animation, 2015

The University of Hartford, West Hartford CT

B.F.A. in Illustration, 2010

 

Films and Involvements

"Box" Graduate Thesis film, 2014-2015

Director, Story, Design, Animation

"Lime" colleague thesis film, 2013

Story Consultant

"First Bite" collaborative film, 2012

Director, Story, Design, Animation

"Apollo 17 and a Half" short, 2011

Director, Story, Animation, Voice Actor

"Savannah Film Festival" bumper contest, 2011

Co-director, Concept, Design, Storyboards

"Sleep Fight" colleague thesis film

Storyboards

 

Accomplishments

Commissioned to design birthday sticker for faculty/staff 

ConVal Regional High School, 2020

Kids Con New England, Portland, ME 2019

Sold original artwork

Kids Con New England, Nashua, NH 2018

Sold original artwork and taught 45 min. class on cartoon character construction and design

Dover Comic Con, Dover DE, 2017

Sold original artwork

Gallery on the Green Member/Guest Exhibition, 2017

Holiday Mischief's Spring Craft Fair, 2017

Sold original artwork

Guest Speaker at Stepping Stones Educational Center Inc., 2017

Gave sixty minute presentation about cartoon character construction, how animated films are made, and provided original character designs for kids to color

Guest Speaker at Middletown High School, DE, 2015

Gave ninety minute presentation on how animation related to student curriculum   

Gallery le Snoot "Three little Prints" Juried Illustration Exhibition, 2013

Hung and sold prints

Gallery Espresso 20th Year Anniversary Show, 2013

Hung and sold paintings

"First Bite" shown in Films in Forsyth SCAD event, 2013

"First Bite" short featured on SCADanimate! DVD, 2012

Savannah Film Festival Bumper Contest, 2011

Contest semi-finalist

"All Hands on Deck" Exhibition and Silent Auction, 2011

Painted and donated skateboard deck

Cartoonist for The University of Hartford newspaper, 2007-2010

 

Knowledge In

Adobe Flash, Illustrator, Photoshop, Premiere Pro, Sketchbook Pro and traditional mediums including oils, watercolor, pen and ink, and acrylic paints

 

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© Zak Shapiro 2025

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