The Animator’s Friend

Whether it's foraging for mushrooms or eating candy in the woods, Living with a Visionary director Stephen P. Neary draws his creativity from life's quiet moments.
 
Narrated by Academy Award nominee James Cromwell (Babe, L.A Confidential), and based on John Matthias’ memoir first published in The New Yorker, Living with a Visionary is a soulful, bittersweet reflection on John’s fifty-year marriage to Diana, an art curator grappling with Parkinson’s. As Diana’s medication besets her with vivid, often beautiful hallucinations, John, now her caregiver, adapts to her imaginary world. When the Covid-19 pandemic separates them, John is forced to admit he can no longer care for Diana, and struggles to free himself from a psychiatric ward. In John’s final phone conversation with a Covid-positive Diana, he reads her the first poem he ever wrote for her, and is left with the memories of her visions.
 
Stephen P. Neary is a Hoosier-born writer, director, and storyboard artist living in Los Angeles.Stephen currently works as a story artist for clients including Netflix, Illumination, Annapurna, and Sony, most recently on KPop Demon Hunters. In 2026, Stephen’s independent animated short, Living with a Visionary, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.Stephen created The Fungies! for Cartoon Network and HBO Max, serving as Executive Producer for the show's three seasons, which premiered in 2020. Prior, Stephen served as Supervising Producer for seasons two and three of Cartoon Network's Annie nominated show, Clarence. Graduating NYU in 2008, Stephen was a feature story artist at Blue Sky Studios for five years on franchises such as Ice Age, Rio, and The Peanuts Movie. In addition to features, Stephen directed and animated the short Umbrellacorn for the studio in 2013 after winning a studio-wide pitchfest. In 2012, his independent short, Dr Breakfast, animated on his daily commute from Brooklyn to Connecticut, was an official selection in The Sundance Film Festival. Stephen has taught story and writing classes at CalArts, and paints goofy little autobio comics about his family, which you can read on his Instagram.
 
Get your hands on a Camp Snap Camera for $5 off by using my link! https://www.campsnapphoto.com/INDIALOMBARDIBELLO
Links to points of discussion (will update shortly!):
Living with a Visionary
The Animator's Friend on Instagram
SVA MFA Computer Arts - NYC
The Animator's Animations
The Animator's Playlist on Apple Music and Spotify
The Animator's Favorites
11/12 - Lightstruck: The Alchemical Furnace of Jan Svankmajer Program 4 - LA
Woodstock Film Festival - NY
Ru Kuwahata & Max Porter's website
New York Times Op-Docs
Living with a Visionary on Instagram
Stephen P. Neary on Instagram
The Animator's Friend is hosted by India Lombardi-Bello, an educator based in New York City. In this series, India creates a platform where animators get to talk about themselves outside the context of their work. A questionnaire format, inspired by the 24 frames per second of animation, allows for personal, lighthearted, and unexpected conversation.
Credits:
Recorded, produced, and edited by India Lombardi-Bello
This episode was recorded at SVA MFA Computer Arts
Booking assistance from Mireia Villanova, Renata Luczak, and Sophie Frank
Digital marketing assistance from Arnesh Kundu
Music by Cloutmeyer
Design by Sawyer Rippon
Special thanks to Mireia, Renata, Sophie and Woodstock Film Festival; Rob Campbell; Michael Dondero

In between leaf peeping sessions, I attended the Woodstock Film Festival as a filmmaker and podcaster.  I spoke with some of the many talented filmmakers selected this year including Marcy Page, Astrid McGraw, Alexandra Lukina, Candy Kugel, Stella Amarante Salvadego, Ashley Gerst, Elliot Lobell, John Quinn, and Xinhui Ma. This episode has video, so watch on YouTube and Spotify!
 
Get your hands on a Camp Snap Camera for $5 off by using my link! https://www.campsnapphoto.com/INDIALOMBARDIBELLO
 
Links to points of discussion:
Woodstock Film Festival
No Kings
The Animator's Animations
San Francisco State University - CA
National Film Board of Canada
Chris Landreth's website
The Animator's Favorites
Cosmonauts trailer
Trailer to my film
Astrid McGraw on Instagram
Digital Arts and Animation at Pratt - NYC
Ottawa International Animation Festival
New Jersey Film Festival
Down the Hatch teaser
Saba trailer
It's Alive!: A Century of Animation from the Collection at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) - NYC
SVA BFA Animation - NYC
Boylan Bottling Co. Lemon Lime Soda
One Earth Film Festival - Online
Stella Salvadego on Instagram
Jasper Lin's TAF episode
Shelter - Woodstock
Miyu Distribution
WIA NYC Animation Festival
Elliot Lobell on Instagram
Hudson Valley Film Festival - NYS
John Quinn at Hudson Valley Film Fest on TAF
Byrdcliffe - Woodstock
The Garden Cafe - Woodstock
Stewart's - NYS
Xinhui Ma on Instagram
Flamingo in the Garden trailer
Filla Void by Xinhui
The Animator's Friend on Instagram
The Animator's Playlist
The Animator's Friend is hosted by India Lombardi-Bello, an animation educator in New York City. In this new series, India creates a platform where animators get to talk about themselves outside the context of their work. A questionnaire format, inspired by the 24 frames per second of animation, allows for personal, lighthearted, and unexpected conversation.
 
Credits:
Recorded, produced, and edited by India Lombardi-Bello
Booking Assistance Renata Luczak and Sophie Frank
Digital Marketing Intern: Arnesh Kundu
Music by Cloutmeyer
Design by Sawyer Rippon
Special thanks to Joy + Noelle, Renata, Sophie, Lotte Marie Allen and her parents, my parents, Lena Greene, and Michael Dondero.

Ash Suh, animator, songwriter, and jewelry maker joins me, podcaster and 5D animator in making new friends at Ottawa International Animation Festival's annual Animator's Picnic! We Americans are coming around to the Canadian way of life and find taxes to be very sexy.  Hear what gets our fellow animators engines revving within.
 
Links to points of discussion:
Ottawa International Animation Festival
Ash Suh's website
Ash Suh's Instagram
Ori Peer's website
Ori Peer's Instagram
The Animator's Friend on Instagram
BIRTH Screenings - Montreal
This Film Was Made Without AI
Constant Yen's website
Constant Yen's Instagram
Camp Snap Camera
Chris Sullivan on Instagram
The Animator's Favorites
Gina Kamentsky's website
Peter Millard's website
Not Enough Whom for the Two of Us
Fantagraphics
Frog Farm - NYC
Jesse Moynihan on Instagram
swagbski on Instagram
swagbski on YouTube
swagbski on Letterboxd
College Ville Marie - Montreal
Aaron Salter on Instagram
Erin on Instagram
Jordan Minkoff's website
The Animator's Animations
Kat Ball's website
Loose Frames' website
The Animator's Playlist
 
The Animator's Friend is hosted by India Lombardi-Bello, an animation educator in New York City. In this new series, India creates a platform where animators get to talk about themselves outside the context of their work. A questionnaire format, inspired by the 24 frames per second of animation, allows for personal, lighthearted, and unexpected conversation.
 
Credits:
Recorded, produced, and edited by India Lombardi-Bello
Co-host Ash Suh
Travel support provided by Ottawa International Animation Festival
Digital Marketing Intern: Arnesh Kundu
Music by Cloutmeyer
Design by Sawyer Rippon
Special thanks to Angelica Vergel and OIAF.

Luca joins the podcast to offer his insight on bug fandom being the foremost expert in the field.
Luca Ogawa Depardon is an animator and illustrator from NYC. His animations are playful fusions of traditional and experimental animation techniques, daydreams, inventive editing, and funky characters. His films have been featured internationally at places such as the New Chintose Airport Animation Festival, Centré Pompidou, the Annecy International Animation Festival, The Ottawa International Film Festival, The Bucheon International Animation Festival, La Guarimba, and the Animation Block Party at BAM. Luca has also done work for such clients as VICE, The Children’s Museum of the Arts in NYC and Adult Swim. He earned his BFA in Illustration from the Rhode Island School of Design.
Watch Six Finger Satellite - Simian Fever!
Submit to NUMBER ONE ANIMATION FESTIVAL, deadline December 10th for February screening in NYC. Keep up with us on Instagram too - https://www.instagram.com/no.1animationfest/
Links to points of discussion (will update shortly!):
Luca's website
Luca's Instagram
The Animator's Animations
The Animator's Playlist on Apple Music and Spotify
TAF interview with Nayon Cho
The Animator's Friend on Instagram
TAF interview with David De La Fuente
Vice
The Animator's Favorites
Mother's Milk
The Sandwich Hut - RI
New York Public Library Schwarzman Building
Talon - NYC
Forbidden Planet - NYC
Eyeworks Experimental Animation Series - Worldwide
Rockaway Film Festival - NYC
Ottawa Animation Festival - Canada
New York Int'l Children's Film Festival - NYC
Nayon Cho's website
Sideworld - East Coast
The Animator's Friend is hosted by India Lombardi-Bello, an educator based in New York City. In this series, India creates a platform where animators get to talk about themselves outside the context of their work. A questionnaire format, inspired by the 24 frames per second of animation, allows for personal, lighthearted, and unexpected conversation.
Credits:
Recorded, produced, and edited by India Lombardi-Bello
Digital marketing assistance from Arnesh Kundu
Music by Cloutmeyer
Design by Sawyer Rippon
Special thanks to my mom and dad and Nayon Cho
All opinions belong to the guests and do not represent any other individual or entity

Jessica Rizk's film Cracked has us clutching our t*tties for dear life! You can see her film on Thursday, August 20th at the Hudson Valley Film Festival in Warwick, NY; a stone's throw from NYC! Watch on YouTube and Spotify, listen everywhere else!
Links to points of discussion (will update soon!):
Hudson Valley Film Festival's website
Hudson Valley Film Festival on Instagram
Kristie Kish's website
Kristie Kish on Instagram
The Animator's Friend on Instagram
Eisenstein on Disney
The Animator's Friend is hosted by India Lombardi-Bello, an educator based in New York City. In this series, India creates a platform where animators get to talk about themselves outside the context of their work. A questionnaire format, inspired by the 24 frames per second of animation, allows for personal, lighthearted, and unexpected conversation.
Credits:
Recorded, produced, and edited by India Lombardi-Bello & Kristie Kish
Opening animation by Michael Dondero and Shengnan Dong
Music by Cloutmeyer
Design by Sawyer Rippon
All opinions belong to the guests and do not represent any other individual or entity

Sofía preserves important family history in her film Ingrato Sureño Invasor. You can see their film on Wednesday, August 19th at the Hudson Valley Film Festival in Warwick, NY; a stone's throw from NYC! Watch on YouTube and Spotify, listen everywhere else!
Links to points of discussion (will update soon!):
Hudson Valley Film Festival's website
Hudson Valley Film Festival on Instagram
Kristie Kish's website
Kristie Kish on Instagram
The Animator's Friend on Instagram
Eisenstein on Disney
The Animator's Friend is hosted by India Lombardi-Bello, an educator based in New York City. In this series, India creates a platform where animators get to talk about themselves outside the context of their work. A questionnaire format, inspired by the 24 frames per second of animation, allows for personal, lighthearted, and unexpected conversation.
Credits:
Recorded, produced, and edited by India Lombardi-Bello & Kristie Kish
Opening animation by Michael Dondero and Shengnan Dong
Music by Cloutmeyer
Design by Sawyer Rippon
All opinions belong to the guests and do not represent any other individual or entity

We had so much fun talking to Alex Greenblatt that we barely got to ask him about his film Four Days of Exams! You can see his film on Thursday, August 20th at the Hudson Valley Film Festival in Warwick, NY; a stone's throw from NYC! Watch on YouTube and Spotify, listen everywhere else!
Links to points of discussion:
Alex's website
Alex's Instagram
Hudson Valley Film Festival's website
Hudson Valley Film Festival on Instagram
Kristie Kish's website
Kristie Kish on Instagram
The Animator's Friend on Instagram
The Animator's Favorites
The Animator's Friend is hosted by India Lombardi-Bello, an educator based in New York City. In this series, India creates a platform where animators get to talk about themselves outside the context of their work. A questionnaire format, inspired by the 24 frames per second of animation, allows for personal, lighthearted, and unexpected conversation.
Credits:
Recorded, produced, and edited by India Lombardi-Bello & Kristie KishOpening animation by Michael Dondero and Shengnan DongMusic by CloutmeyerDesign by Sawyer RipponAll opinions belong to the guests and do not represent any other individual or entity; additionally, We are not doctors, so consult a doctor before enacting on any of our opinions!

All week, Kristie Kish and I are speaking with Hudson Valley Film Fest (HVFF) award winners, starting with Mira Seeba!  Kristie and I present the Out of this World Award to Mira's film HEAVEN'S ESCAPE for deeply original filmmaking that literally takes us out of our earthly plane.  You can see her film on Wednesday, August 19th at the HVFF in Warwick, NY; a stone's throw from NYC! Watch on YouTube and Spotify, listen everywhere else!
Links to points of discussion:
Mira Seeba's YouTube
Mira Seeba on Instagram
Mira Seeba's website
Hudson Valley Film Festival's website
Hudson Valley Film Festival on Instagram
Kristie Kish's website
Kristie Kish on Instagram
The Animator's Friend on Instagram
Eisenstein on Disney
The Animator's Friend is hosted by India Lombardi-Bello, an educator based in New York City. In this series, India creates a platform where animators get to talk about themselves outside the context of their work. A questionnaire format, inspired by the 24 frames per second of animation, allows for personal, lighthearted, and unexpected conversation.
Credits:
Recorded, produced, and edited by India Lombardi-Bello & Kristie Kish
Opening animation by Michael Dondero and Shengnan Dong
Music by Cloutmeyer
Design by Sawyer Rippon
All opinions belong to the guests and do not represent any other individual or entity

The Animator's Friend's Friend Josh Pilch and I revisit 101 Dalmatians, which is screening on 35mm at Metrograph now!  We're talkin Ub, Xerox, and somehow, as usual with Josh, Anthony Kiedis.
Get your ticket for the final screening of 101 Dalmatians Sunday, July 26th at 11:10am
Enjoy Josh's work on City Island U.S.A. and Beach Buggy Adventures!
Links to points of discussion (will update soon!):
Josh Pilch's Instagram
The Animator's Animations
Josh's TAF episode
Josh's Dani California parody for TAF
Bouchra (also screening at Metrograph)
Metrograph's It Started with a Mouse: Hand-Drawn Classics on 35mm - NYC
The Animator's Playlist on Apple Music and Spotify
The Animator's Friend on Instagram
The Animator's Friend is hosted by India Lombardi-Bello, an educator based in New York City. In this series, India creates a platform where animators get to talk about themselves outside the context of their work. A questionnaire format, inspired by the 24 frames per second of animation, allows for personal, lighthearted, and unexpected conversation.
Credits:
Recorded, produced, and edited by India Lombardi-Bello
Digital marketing assistance from Arnesh Kundu
Music by Cloutmeyer
Design by Sawyer Rippon
Special thanks: Josh Pilch and Kaila Hier
All opinions belong to the guests and do not represent any other individual or entity

My many attempts to discuss the Real Housewives on this podcast finally pay off with fellow expert David De La Fuente!
David De La Fuente is an animation artist with interests in the moving image, semiotics, and graphic design. His work has explored themes of queerness, the aesthetic experience, and romanticism.  His films have shown in the Annecy International Animation Festival, Slamdance Film Festival, Melbourne Queer Film Festival, Ottawa International Animation Festival and others. In 2019, he was the recipient of the GLAS Animation Grant. He earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Rhode Island School of Design.  Currently, David is based in New York where he continues his process of experimental storytelling and image making.
Links to points of discussion (will update shortly!):
Metrograph's It Started with a Mouse: Hand-Drawn Classics on 35mm - NYC
Hudson Valley Film Fest - NY
Ottawa International Animation Festival - Canada
The Animator's Friend on Instagram
David's website
The Animator's Animations
GLAS Animation Festival - LA
The London Dungeon - UK
The Animator's Playlist on Apple Music and Spotify
Alyssa Edwards' website
Latrice Royale's website
The Morgan Library & Museum - NYC
The Animator's Favorites
New York Public Library
Amy Kravitz's website
Rockaway Film Festival - NYC
Nayon Cho's website
Jack Gray's website
The Animator's Friend is hosted by India Lombardi-Bello, an educator based in New York City. In this series, India creates a platform where animators get to talk about themselves outside the context of their work. A questionnaire format, inspired by the 24 frames per second of animation, allows for personal, lighthearted, and unexpected conversation.
Credits:
Recorded, produced, and edited by India Lombardi-Bello
Digital marketing assistance from Arnesh Kundu
Music by Cloutmeyer
Design by Sawyer Rippon
Special thanks to Motörhead the dog, Nayon Cho for suggesting/introducing me to David, my parents, and Josh Pilch
All opinions belong to the guests and do not represent any other individual or entity