Greg Manwaring is truly a magical man. He worked for Disney Animation Studios and decided to return to his home region to pass on his legacy through his new animation school, Tinseltown Animation School. Manwaring has also worked on Disney classic movies, including “The Lion King” and “Pocahontas.”
Manwaring decided to open a school in Crown Point to give students a chance to learn about the art of animation without having to pay full price for college tuition. He wanted to give kids the opportunity to learn without having to worry about the cost of education.
“The Art of Animation kids have a dream, and they have the passion and desire to want to learn about animation. Kids only have the option of going to certain big schools that are able to teach it competently. It is absolutely my pleasure to be able to help these kids learn what they need to be able to get into the industry,” Manwaring said.
Manwaring is also teaching online at Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles. He uses what he teaches at Otis to create his lesson plans for the students enrolled in Tinseltown. Manwaring has big plans for the future of his school, one of the most prominent being that students will be able to get a diploma and degree from Tinseltown.
Manwaring explains that film companies do not care where you went to school or what kind of degree you have. They only care about what skills you have.
“Not everybody can afford to go to big fancy schools and get a degree, and degrees are meaningless when it comes to film. When you get a job in the film industry, it is either you are good or you are not. The first thing that happens when you go in for a job is they ask for your portfolio. They want to see a reel of your animation. I want to be able to get my students good portfolios,” Manwaring said.