Animation alumnus wins Daytime Creative Arts Emmy

Sheridan Bachelor of Animation alumnus Eddie West (’11) has received a Daytime Creative Arts Emmy Award for the popular animated children’s television series, Ask the StoryBots.

The 46^th Annual Daytime Creative Arts Emmy Awards, honouring the craft behind American daytime television programming, took place on May 3 in Los Angeles.

West was part of a six-person team to win in the Outstanding Writing for a Preschool Animated Program category. Ask the StoryBots, which is produced by JibJab Media and airs on Netflix, follows curious little creatures who live in the world beneath our screens, and go on fun adventures to help answer kids’ questions. The series also picked up the Emmy for Outstanding Directing for a Preschool Animated Program.

Over half a dozen alumni have contributed to Ask the StoryBots, which is in its second season. The series recently picked up an Annie Award for Best Animated TV/Broadcast Production for Preschool Children.

In addition to writing, West has contributed to Ask the StoryBots in other areas such as character design and background design. He has also worked on the spin-off series, StoryBots Super Songs.

“Sheridan is extremely proud of Eddie West and his achievement in writing at this year’s Daytime Creative Arts Emmy Awards,” said Ronni Rosenberg, Dean of the Faculty of Animation, Arts and Design at Sheridan College. “Our faculty equip students with the skills needed to succeed in a variety of disciplines. We’re thrilled to see how Sheridan alumni are able to translate these skills into so many aspects of the creative industry.”

Sheridan alumni have contributed to children’s programming in numerous capacities. Frank Falcone (Computer Animation ’92), is the founder of Toronto-based Guru Studio, which counts many Sheridan alumni among its staff of animators. The studio’s credits include the popular series Paw Patrol, Dinopaws and Justin Time. Corus Entertainment, meanwhile, employs more than 100 Sheridan alumni working in a variety of roles, from creating content to providing operational leadership. Sheridan alumni have helped fuel the success of numerous other local studios, including Corus’ animation arm, Nelvana, House of Cool, and Jam Filled Entertainment.