5 Questions for Ziyaad:

1.) Why is animation important to you? 
Well, as cliché as it is, my love for animation stems from me binge watching Cartoon Network as a kid. There isn’t a single episode of any of those old school shows that I haven’t seen more than 5 times (at least). Cartoons have pretty much always been around for me – even now in my adult life. Intrigued by it all – I turned to it for a career path.

2.) Who/what do you look at for inspiration? I have a folder on my computer called “Reference” it contains the collective knowledge of the entire Universe combined. Well, maybe just from art I’ve gathered over the years. Same thing. That’s basically where I go every time to get inspired. Literally thousands of artworks.

3.) Share with us your proudest piece of work.
Kind of a tricky one – ’cause I’m the kind of person who’s taste changes quite frequently, so my favourite today might be my worst tomorrow – but if I had to choose, it’d definitely be this one.

Excuse the horrendous logo and font design – I did this back in 2015 in roughly 2 days, mind you.

4.) For someone finishing college/varsity this year who want’s to get into animation. What advice would you give them?
Ah yes, the age old question. My advice – quit now – just kidding. Don’t ever quit. Never lose faith in your own ability. Keep drawing, animating, making music, filming, whatever it is you do – Never. Stop. Creating. Don’t sit behind a desk in class, doodling or whatever, then go home and expect that to be enough – it never will. You have to keep working on what you do. It’s the only way you’ll get better. Also, NETWORK. It is vitally important to get your name out there and meet other artists. Social media makes for a great platform to do so from the comfort of your home! Knowing the right people in this ever expanding industry will go a really long way. Trust me. May the Force be with you, young Padawan.

5.) What has been your biggest surprise working for Studio Bolland?
The surprise definitely has to be the frequency of hilarious puns that Jake hits us with every day. How on Earth does he do it? Who writes this guy’s stuff? 11/10. (Also, momentarily breaking out into synchronized song and dance is pretty freaking amazing.)