John Summerson

Background

About John Summerson

John Summerson is an award-winning animation director and storyteller. In addition to making his own films, he works commercially as an interdisciplinary media artist. His past projects include work for Cartoon Network, Xfinity, LEGO, RE/MAX, Aesop Rock, the Oregon Symphony. He works in stop motion, 2D and 3D animation, and regularly provides his services as an editor, sound designer, videographer, and post-production artist. His creative pursuits are diverse - John is also a trained glass artist, ceramicist, and musician. John holds a Master’s Degree in Documentary Animation from the Royal College of Art in London, UK, and earned his BFA in Animated Arts from Pacific Northwest College of Art in Portland, Oregon. He specializes in creative nonfiction in animation. John is a passionate educator, having taught animation in youth programs, inside a detention facility, and at the undergraduate, and master levels. His accolades include the Grand Prize at the LG Art of the Pixel competition, the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Educator’s Forum Scholarship, and the Princess Grace Undergraduate Film Scholarship. His work has been exhibited internationally, most recently in Budapest, Madrid, Berlin, and London, and on the LG billboard in Times Square in New York City. He currently lives in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, where he continues his role as the director of animation for the upcoming film “Pour the Water As I Leave." He is also an enthusiastic pinball player, has a great recipe for fried chicken popcorn, and is really good at making lists that have three things in them.