## Breadcrumb 1. [Home](/index%2Ephp/) 2. [News and Stories](/index%2Ephp/news) 3. [Award-winning animator visits OCAD U](/index%2Ephp/markdownify/node/2933) January 8, 2025 # Award-winning animator visits OCAD U ![Animation Nation Banner Image](/sites/default/files/styles/1_5_1_large/public/2024-12/Linkedin%20Image.jpg.webp?itok=lqbxo1V0) rgb(255,255,255) The past, present and future of Canada’s animation industry is under the microscope on Jan. 14 when award-winning animator Michael Hirsh joins with OCAD University President Ana Serrano for a thought-provoking conversation. Hirsh discusses his memoir, [*Animation Nation: How We Built A Cartoon Empire*](https://sutherlandhousebooks.com/product/animation-nation/) (2024), which recounts how he helped kickstart the hugely successful children’s animated entertainment industry in Canada. He will recount his adventures working on famed cartoon franchises such as Babar, The Adventures of Tintin, Berenstain Bears, Franklin, The Magic School Bus and Beetlejuice. Hirsh will also share insights on the importance of experimenting in creative entrepreneurship, the role of collaboration and the state of the animation industry in an era of social media and self-promotion. The Belgian-born animator’s illustrious career took off in 1978 when filmmaker George Lucas noticed an obscure animated TV show produced by a small Toronto firm. Lucas had been searching for someone to craft an animated short for a Star Wars television special. The resulting collaboration, the Star Wars Holiday Special, aired on Nov. 17, 1978, and introduced the iconic character Boba Fett. It also introduced the world to the talent of Canadian animators, launching one of the country’s most successful creative industries. Hardcover copies of Animation Nation, published by Sutherland House Books, will be available for sale. ![Animation Nation Banner Image](/sites/default/files/2024-12/Linkedin%20Image.jpg) ### Event Information **Date and time: Jan. 14, 2025 \| 6:30 to 9 p.m.** Location: [OCAD University, 100 McCaul St., Auditorium (MCA-190)](https://map.ocadu.ca/?id=1998#!ce/61968?ct/60994,60995,60996,60997,60998,61000,61001,61002,61003,61004,61005,61006,61138,61139,61140,61141,61142,61143,61144,61146,61147,61148,61149,61150,61151,61152,61153,61154,61155,61156,61157,61159,61160,61161,61162,61163,61165,61166,61167,61168,61169,61170,61174,61175,61176,61177,61178,61179,61181,61182,61183,61184,61185,61186,61187,61188,61189,61190,61191,61192,61193,61194,61195,61196,61197,61198,61199,61200?m/626213?s/). **Registration information** Since space is limited, [registration is required](https://bit.ly/49IadcY). ## Other Recent News [### 2026-27 Call for Funding Proposals for Student Groups that Support Creative Entrepreneurship on Campus The RBC Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers (CEAD) invites OCAD University student groups with a mandate to support entrepreneurship on campus to apply for funding for student-led initiatives that strengthen and expand the creative entrepreneurship ecosystem at OCAD U. This funding is intended to help student groups create opportunities for entrepreneurship skills development, community building, and revenue-generating activities for students and recent alumni, while reducing barriers to participation for equity-seeking individuals. November 6, 2026 ](/news/2026-27-call-funding-proposals-student-groups-support-creative-entrepreneurship-campus) [### 2027 Critical Distance Centre for Curators Projections Program Call for Artists OCAD University’s RBC Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers (CEAD) and Critical Distance Centre for Curators (CDCC) have partnered to co-create CDCC Projections Program Career Launcher. Four (4) to five (5) selected emerging artists will receive $690 to exhibit work in a single channel, projection-based screening program that will be displayed at the CDCC in March 2027. October 30, 2026 ](/news/2027-critical-distance-centre-curators-projections-program-call-artists) [### Call for Vendors: BAM! Holiday Art Market 2026 OCAD University's RBC Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers (CEAD) is excited to partner again with Wychwood Barns to offer a curated group of OCAD U students and recent alumni the opportunity to share a vendor table at the BAM! Holiday Art Market. October 26, 2026 ](/news/call-vendors-bam-holiday-art-market-2026) Related Stories ## Related Stories [### 2026-27 Call for Funding Proposals for Student Groups that Support Creative Entrepreneurship on Campus The RBC Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers (CEAD) invites OCAD University student groups with a mandate to support entrepreneurship on campus to apply for funding for student-led initiatives that strengthen and expand the creative entrepreneurship ecosystem at OCAD U. This funding is intended to help student groups create opportunities for entrepreneurship skills development, community building, and revenue-generating activities for students and recent alumni, while reducing barriers to participation for equity-seeking individuals. November 6, 2026 ](/news/2026-27-call-funding-proposals-student-groups-support-creative-entrepreneurship-campus) [### 2027 Critical Distance Centre for Curators Projections Program Call for Artists OCAD University’s RBC Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers (CEAD) and Critical Distance Centre for Curators (CDCC) have partnered to co-create CDCC Projections Program Career Launcher. Four (4) to five (5) selected emerging artists will receive $690 to exhibit work in a single channel, projection-based screening program that will be displayed at the CDCC in March 2027. October 30, 2026 ](/news/2027-critical-distance-centre-curators-projections-program-call-artists) [### Call for Vendors: BAM! Holiday Art Market 2026 OCAD University's RBC Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers (CEAD) is excited to partner again with Wychwood Barns to offer a curated group of OCAD U students and recent alumni the opportunity to share a vendor table at the BAM! Holiday Art Market. October 26, 2026 ](/news/call-vendors-bam-holiday-art-market-2026)