BILLY MERRITT
I'm Billy Merritt. I teach animation & story at Ringling College of Art & Design.
I spent the better part of 10 years animating characters at PIXAR Animation Studios from 1996-2006. While still a student, I was Pixar's 2nd animation intern sitting in the same room TOY STORY was animated in. I animated on A Bug's Life, Toy Story 2, Monsters Inc, Finding Nemo, The Incredibles and Cars. I also Did animation on the short film Boundn' as well as numerous commercials and theme park projects including Living Seas at Epcot.
I've worked with production companies, theme parks, creating and producing content. I'm always looking for new opportunities to formulate & bring ideas to life.
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Currently I'm a teacher/freelancer living in Sarasota FL with my wife & kids following my passions for the outdoors, working with some great people and helping students make great films. Which has been a wonderfully inspiring adventure in itself.
Ringling has a great program with great relationships with all the major animation studios. Our animation students have been nominated for numerous Student Academy Awards and won 12 , most recently in 2016.