Jul 12, 2022

Black-owned studio Smokescreen launches in L.A.

Brothers Chris and Chase Wimberly have opened Studio Smokescreen, a relatively rare example of a black-owned L.A.-based animation studio. To mark the occasion, the studio produced a short film in lieu of a business card titled "Tent Sale."

"Tent Sale" was neither a pilot nor intended for wide distribution, but was produced as a business card replacement for companies interested in working with Smokescreen.

According to the co-founders, the studio's mission is to discover, support, train, and prepare animation talent from marginalized communities. The long-term goal, envisioned as a bridging studio, is to develop and train new animation talent in service-oriented projects that will equip them with skills to work in larger studios and create a more diverse workforce across the industry.

Chris Wimberly is an established animation director, producer, and storyboard artist, most recently working on Disney's Firebuds (premiering this fall on Disney+) and Elena of Avalor. He has also worked for major studios including Nickelodeon Animation, Universal Pictures, and Cartoon Network. He is currently developing a new series produced for Disney+.

Chase Wimberly will handle the business side of Studio Smokescreen. He is currently a member of Amazon's Corporate Business Development team, supporting worldwide operations. Previously, he was Chief Strategy Officer at Multiply/Answers Corporation.

Cartoon Brew interviewed Chris Wimberly about the launch of Studio Smokescreen.

Sounds like you've been busy. Can you talk a bit about how you plan to divide your time between production work and being the founder of the studio?

It's been an interesting challenge so far, but the biggest help in that area is to carefully put the right kind of help in place as we build the infrastructure of the studio. This is also important in terms of what we are trying to accomplish, which is to develop the next generation of talent in the industry. So, by placing experienced, active industry professionals who believe in the studio's mission in leadership positions, I can focus where I need to be while keeping the wheels turning. Ultimately, I plan to move away from the more dedicated creative spots and remain an executive producer on projects where I am needed. That way, I can effectively run the smokescreen knowing that I have worked hard to put the right talent where it is needed.

Where do you plan to find and hire the talent you are trying to develop in your studio? And what kind of artists are you looking for, in addition to portfolio reviews on behalf of Disney at places like the CTN Expo, which has drawn a lot of undiscovered talent my way. Also, our social media presence is growing every day and we are flattered by the number of cold callers eager to work with us. We also have high-level industry veterans who may not be able to offer (jobs), sending us people who know what we can offer. But in the near future we would like to be more active in going out to schools, having a presence at conventions and expos, meeting people in person and offering guidance. And we are looking for marginalized people (POC, queer, women) who are struggling with various barriers to entry, but who have shown not only talent, but also plenty of potential. That includes a hunger to learn. It is also important to note that we are looking for active industry professionals who recognize that they belong to a marginalized group, but face hurdles in their quest for leadership positions. We are excited to hire our first Director, Story Editor, Production Manager, and more.

Why is now the right time to embark on such a venture -

The success and momentum of my own career and the political climate surrounding the entertainment industry are at a perfect intersection, which obviously permeates animation. However, having dealt with many of these hurdles myself, it is very personal for me as a professional and I have learned how to overcome these hurdles. Both Chase and I agree that we (like many audiences) are eager to see diversity and representation on the screen that we can relate to, created by people who live those stories for our children as well as our own entertainment. So it is a great time to take what I have accomplished and learned prior to promoting diversity and to do so not only by scaling myself up as a product of the industry, but also by passing on my knowledge to those who are equally deserving.

Have you and Chase worked this closely together professionally before? Can you talk about that dynamic and what it meant to you to start this studio together? We like each other's professions, and we're like, "Yeah, so ......" and we get along well, so we've had some interesting ideas together before. So working together on something like this is wonderfully exciting for us, and it makes me feel silly that we haven't done it before. But things have their moments. And although Chase always reminds me that I am in the driver's seat, kind of like "Walt" to his "Roy," we just want to make the best of this opportunity and create something special that will mean a lot to all of us in a time when we are all so hungry for change.