Gavin Dell Founder of the Hollywood Animation Academy

HAA FOUNDER

GAVIN DELL

Hollywood animator, director, story artist, and character designer

Gavin Dell is a Hollywood Writer, Director, Animator, Storyboard Artist and Character Designer. He is originally from Kansas City and moved to Los Angeles in 1989 to attend California Institute of the Arts for Animation.

Gavin has worked on over 25 films, games and television series at nearly every major Hollywood Studio. Director of Family Guy, Scooby Doo, Bordertown, and Central Park, Animator for Warner Bros and Chuck Jones, Tim Burton and Steven Spielberg with credits on The Simpsons, Pink Panther, Hercules, Pirates of the Caribbean, XMEN, Silent Hill, Gears of War 2, Life of Pi and more.

Covers of movies Gavin has worked on
Logos of studios where Gavin has worked

Realizing that the cost of college was getting prohibitive, and many schools are not training with portfolios in mind, founder Gavin Dell designed a specialized school for animation in his hometown of Kansas City.

Gavin at Warner Brothers

It’s critical that students get trained in a way that actually prepares them for the industry they are going to work in. Most colleges aren’t taught by industry animators and that is who you need. I think getting enormously in debt from college and then risking not getting hired in a very competitive industry is a terrible way to start.

When I went to Cal Arts in Los Angeles, I learned more from looking over my fellow student’s shoulders than from many of the teachers. It was the first time in my life I was around better artists than I was and I was on fire to learn all of their tricks. When you are competing with thousands of other artists for jobs, you need every advantage you can get, and although I think online schools have a lot to offer, they are missing these things.

Our students are going to have the best of all of these experiences and many things I haven’t seen other animation training programs do in Kansas City or elsewhere in the country.

Gavin's Signature
Gavin in front of the Mystery Machine

WHAT OTHERS SAY ABOUT GAVIN

  • Brian Horton, Creative Director at Insomniac Games

    Brian Horton

    Creative Director at Insomniac Games

    Gavin is a skilled animator and storyteller with an unquenchable desire to create amazing characters, worlds and stories.

    His background in traditional animation is rooted in the Disney and Warner Brother's styles, but his versatility has served him as an animator, character designer, storyboard artist, author, and video game developer.

    As a Director, Gavin has marshalled his 30+ years of professional experience to mentor the animators and artists he manages to achieve excellence. Gavin is a rare talent, with a deep understanding of traditional animation and design combined with the curiosity to embrace and master the trends of the future.

  • Matthew Johnson, Senior Animator at Riot Games

    Matthew Johnson

    Senior Animator at Riot Games

    Gavin was a great lead to work under. He has a good eye for detail, a clear vision on how a shot should go and overall knows what will make a show great. Gavin brings a lot of work experience to the table and I'd high recommend him

  • John Kubasco, CEO at Motion Logic Studios

    John Kubasco

    CEO at Motion Logic Studios

    Gavin's knowledge of posing and Cinematography enables him to take any animation to the next level. He's a ECTORstrong leader who makes no excuses for his high standards and expects nothing less from everyone he works with. I learned a lot from Gavin, he is definitely one of the best animators I have ever worked with.

  • David Latour, Coordinator at Fanshawe College

    David Latour

    Coordinator at Fanshawe College

    Gavin is a phenomenally talented animator. He's a fun guy to work with and a consummate professional. Gavin's experience and skill make him one of the most talented guys I've had the pleasure of working with.