Issue #87 | February 22th, 2026 Frame from The Missing Link Hey Reader šThis week feelsā¦ loud. My oldest son is visiting ā¤ļø The house is getting hammered by storms here in France. And on top of that: work, clients, renovation chaos, family logisticsā¦ all at once. I'm not gonna sugarcoat it ā I'm carrying an insane mental weight right now. And the funny thing? I know everything will be fine in the end. I always do. But weeks like this remind me of something we don't talk about enough: Mental...
12 days agoĀ ā¢Ā 6 min read
Issue #86 | February 15th, 2026 My favorite Miyazaki: Princess Mononoke Hey Reader šThis week Iāve got something genuinely exciting to share. š Weāre running the Freelancing for Animators cohort right nowā¦ and itās going really well. And thereās this strangely satisfying thing that happens when you teach: when you put your knowledge down on paper and you deliver it live, you can literally feel your values crystallizing in front of your eyes. Like, āoh wowā¦ thatās what I actually believe.ā The...
19 days agoĀ ā¢Ā 5 min read
Issue #85 | February 08th, 2026 Frame from The Red Turtle Hey Reader šThis week started with a small but important milestone: the first session of the Freelancing for Animators cohort. Module One ā all about the freelance mindset ā went live, and something clicked. Iāve been thinking about this for months now. But thereās a difference between reflecting on what youāve learned over 20+ years of freelancingā¦ and actually structuring it, writing it down, teaching it out loud. And while prepping...
26 days agoĀ ā¢Ā 6 min read
Issue #84 | February 01st, 2026 Frame from the incredible short "Peripheria" Hey Reader šI wasnāt sure I should start with this. You know when youāre building in public ā sharing your work, your journey, your process ā thereās this ongoing question: how much is too much? Whereās the line between being authentic and oversharing?Where does truth become burden?Iāve been thinking about this a lot.Especially lately. Because hereās something I rarely talk about: Iāve been a musician most of my...
about 1 month agoĀ ā¢Ā 4 min read
Issue #83 | January 25th, 2026 The beautiful film "The Boy and The World" Hey Reader šThis week, something shifted. Not in a dramatic, fireworks kind of way but in that quiet, deeply satisfying way when you realize youāre back on track. Back in motion. Back in discipline. Iāve been running againātwice this week, with another run planned for the weekend. Itās not really about the kilometers. Itās about momentum. About showing up for yourself. When you start pushingāeven just a littleālife...
about 1 month agoĀ ā¢Ā 7 min read
Issue #82 | January 18th, 2026 Probably my favorite Pixar movie: Ratatouille Hello Reader šA couple of folks reached out on LinkedIn this week. Simple messages. Kind words. You probably donāt realize how much that matters. Because sometimes this whole thing ā building Animator Now, writing this newsletter, teaching, freelancing, trying to grow something from scratch ā it can feel like a monologue. Youāre sending stuff out into the void and hoping someone out there is nodding, or at least...
about 2 months agoĀ ā¢Ā 5 min read
Issue #81 | January 4th, 2026 The Secret of Nihm Hello Reader šIām back on the West Coast, and itās that time of year where everyoneās supposed to be on fire. New year. Fresh start. Big energy. Big resolutions. And the truth? I felt super shitty.š„ŗ Tired. Heavy. Unmotivated. The kind of week where you sit in front of your computer and your brain justā¦ refuses to cooperate. šµš« And part of it is simple: Iām juggling two worlds right now. On one side: Animator NOW, my baby, the thing I care about...
about 2 months agoĀ ā¢Ā 5 min read
Issue #81 | January 4th, 2026 The Maleficent dragon fight in the Sleeping Beauty Hello Reader šSoā¦ here we are. First Sunday of 2026. Quick note about the thumbnail at the top: since September, Iāve been starting each issue with a fun smear frameābut lately, theyāve been harder to find (itās mostly The Simpsons out there š
). So from now on, Iāll feature standout frames from animated films more broadly. It keeps things fresh, and the possibilities feel endless. If I find a great smear, Iāll...
2 months agoĀ ā¢Ā 6 min read
Issue #80 | December 28th, 2025 Smear frame of Daffy Duck Hello Reader šThis weekās Animation Sunday starts with a full stop. This is the last newsletter of the year. And honestly? It feels kind of great. Not because 2025 turned into some magical āovernight successā storyā¦ but because I did the thing I told myself I would do: I started, I built, and I stayed consistent. I wasnāt expecting big revenue for Animator NOW in 2025. That wasnāt the mission. The mission was simpler (and harder): show...
2 months agoĀ ā¢Ā 5 min read