OK, time for me to share a little more personal news. It’s been on the forecast for some time, but now I can finally divulge it.
After nearly twelve years at Warner Bros., I’ll be leaving the company come mid-August.
While it might sound like the stuff that warrants tears, particularly in light of everything going on in the world, I’m happy to say it’s also the most dignified departure I could have hoped for. I’ve been longing for the opportunity to free up time for my own creative projects – so in many ways, the planets have aligned.
People have been prodding me for updates on the status of my documentary, so now I’ll no longer have an excuse to brush them off. I’m looking to have the first trailer near completion sometime in the 4th quarter of this year. There’s well over 100 hours of material I’m going through, and I still have to shoot a lot of B-roll and do more motion graphics. Many more announcements will be made in the coming months, and I'm very excited.
(On a side note: Should any of you have any recommendations for an assistant editor in the Los Angeles area, by all means let me know! I could use someone with experience in editing documentaries with Premiere Pro.)
I’m also looking forward to getting back into art and illustration, as I’ve put that on hold for far too long. And don’t even mention my antiquated website, which needs serious updating.
Over the weekend I started to give my art gallery a bit of a makeover – and added a new domain, www.adammcdaniel.art – to get the ball rolling. Now if only I could muster the courage to draw again.
The biggest news on the horizon is that, come November, I’m one of 20 students enrolled in an intensive, year-long training program in traditional, hand-drawn animation. It’s taught by none other than Don Bluth, whose THE SECRET OF NIMH remains my favorite animated film of all time. To have Bluth as a teacher will be an extraordinary (if daunting) thrill and honor. It’s the kind of opportunity I wish I had taken 20 years ago. I should hope that you’re never too old to give up on your dreams…
That said, I’m going to sincerely miss all the friends and associates I’ve made during my tenure at Warner Bros. I’ll look back on my many years of memories there with a great deal of fondness. As with any work environment, it posed its fair share of challenges and hurdles now and then…but I learned and grew through all of them, and shall remain forever grateful to my extended Warner Bros. family. I wish them all the luck and success in the world.
The only serious caveat I have is that I won’t be able to say my goodbyes to a lot of people in person. We’ve all been working remotely for the last four months, and at this rate, we won’t be returning to the studio offices in the near future. Here’s hoping that there will be a happier time – and place! – where we can meet again. Drinks will be on me – or at least, as many drinks as whatever cash I’ll have on hand can cover.
Onward and upward!