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Interview with Bobby "Boom" Beck, CEO / Co-Founder. Animation Mentor
Via Vancouver Animation

Q: What is the best motivation to do everything you do?

B: The belief that life is a one time journey motivates me to no end and I don’t want to “waste it away.” So, with this in mind, I try my very best to embrace every day and push myself to look for and pursue the things that inspire me. I always want to be a kid and I never EVER want to lose that. There are too many jaded people in life. I’ll keep my kid goggles on, thank you very much. I just want to “let go” and have fun. Anything else is a waste.

I read a great book recently called “The Power of Now.” It really helped a lot of things “click” for me. There’s a story in there about two monks. They are walking back to the monastery and there’s a woman who could not cross the road as it was flooded. Without saying a word one of the monks picked up the woman and carried her across the road to the other side and proceeded on with his walk. About 2 hours later the other monk finally could not contain himself any longer and said, “We are monks, how could you pick up that woman like that?!” The monk replied, “I let her go hours ago, apparently you are still holding on to her.”

Man, that story hit me hard. It’s all about how we build stories in our head. We tell ourselves things that don’t even exist; i.e. this guy did this to me because of XYZ, etc. When in reality… who cares? The more I “let go” the more I feel my life is so much more rich and full to accept the beauty and all that it has to offer. One day I will pass on and life will still carry on. We are like a leaf blowing in the wind and our lives are so amazing and we have the power to be, do, or have anything we desire. THIS is the biggest motivator in everything I do.

Q: How does it feel to change the face of Animation Education?

B: Wow, that’s a pretty big statement. I feel honored to even be thought of in that way. When Shawn, Carlos and I set out on this adventure we really wanted to “change” things and it’s really awesome to hear that you think this. I think the reason animation education needed to be reinvented is because there was simply no model for passing on information from the top talent back to the people who were going to be the next super stars. At least not on a level where if you lived in U.A.E. you could tap into your hero’s who were making the films you aspired to help create and learn directly from them!

So, in other words, it feels like it needed to be done and we’re happy that people are accepting of the positive impact Animation Mentor has had on the industry.

Q: In a career as successful as yours, does it feel as if things are challenging to accomplish?

B: Everything in life worth doing is a challenge. If it was easy it would be no fun, or, if it was easy that would mean I wasn’t dreaming BIG enough.

To me there are two parts to a goal or dream. The first part is the “end in mind;” i.e. what you want to achieve. The second part is the journey; i.e. the steps you take to get there. After you get into the pattern of making things happen you realize the journey is actually the best part! I’m a big believer in not re-inventing the wheel. What that means is there is a model for achievement and success. The big “secret” is to model after someone who has already achieved what you want to achieve and tap into them, learn from their mistakes and successes, read books that help you get this information, too. There’s no need to re-invent the wheel. Life is too short and I’ve embraced the mentor model in all aspects of my life. It’s so powerful and you make some crazy friends along the way!

Q: With all your animation experience, did you ever think being a Writer/Director for Animated Films?

B: No. It’s never been a desire of mine. Shawn and Carlos have a much better make-up for this. They have it in their blood. I think what I like best is the creation of things; the inspiration, the idea, the passion of “what could be.” I’m not big into refinement and getting into the nitty gritty details of things. To be a writer/director you have to be extremely detail oriented.

I think this is why I like being an entrepreneur. I have a ton of ideas the whole time and it’s great to have talented people around me who care and LOVE the details of things help bring them to life. It really is a different mindset to have and as I get older I get to know what my strengths are and what they are not. There’s a quote I love that says, “do what you do best and let others do the rest.” This has helped me a lot in life, as for everything you don’t like doing there are plenty of people who would LOVE to do it.

Q: What is next for Bobby "Boom" Beck?

B: Professionally I will continue to focus on pushing Animation Mentor forward. We have a lot in mind and keeping the momentum and leading the vision are things that truly inspire me. Personally I will continue to live life to the fullest while growing creative outlets such as creating music, painting while continuing to be a positive force in life.

Thanks for the opportunity to do the interview, it’s has been a pleasure


Links

AnimationMentor.com

Bobby's Blog

Interview by Mario Pochat / Vancouver Animation