Mark Osborne
Filmmaker Available for Master Classes and Public Speaking Engagements
Two-time Academy Award®-nominated director Mark
Osborne has been telling stories with animation for
more than twenty-five years. In addition to directing
the first ever animated feature film adaptation of the
classic French novella The Little Prince released in
2015 worldwide, he was one of the directors of the
critically acclaimed animated 2008 blockbuster Kung
Fu Panda. This film broke box office records
worldwide, and was nominated for an Academy
Award for Best Animated Feature of the year.
The DreamWorks family-friendly action-comedy was
Osborne’s first major studio project. Osborne was
selected to develop Kung Fu Panda on the strength of
his award-winning animated short, MORE, which
screened at more that 150 film festivals worldwide
and garnered an Oscar® nomination for Best Animated
Short and a Special Jury Prize for Short Films from the
Sundance Film Festival, among dozens of other
awards.
Previous to these efforts, Osborne was awarded a
prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship, as well as
dozens of awards for designing and producing
graphics and animation for television, including
projects for TBS, E! Entertainment Television, the
Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon as well as a Grammynominated spoof of Jurassic Park for Weird Al
Yankovic.
Osborne studied foundation art at New York’s Pratt
Institute before earning his BFA in experimental
animation from the California Institute of the Arts. In
1997, Osborne returned to CalArts to teach Advanced
Filmmaking Techniques and has since given lectures
and taught on the subject of animation worldwide,
including Master Classes in Oslo, Norway and
Chanchung China, lectures in Hangzhou China,
Tokyo, Italy, Canada and all over the US.
Osborne’s unique experience going from small
independent short films to massive animated feature
films is an inspirational story, one that aspiring
filmmakers love to hear about first hand.
Various Speaking Opportunities
Currently Mark is available in several different capacities for both the
professional and academic environment. All lectures are presented in
an organized method using Keynote to present visuals and video
clips. Each speaking engagement comes with the option of having
Mark critique student work as well as give feedback for any
professional in-development projects.
Keynote Speech or Short Presentation
Mark is available to speak on the subject of creativity and
storytelling in a number of capacities. He has given presentations ranging from thirty minutes to four
hours lecturing about filmmaking and storytelling in general, about the genesis of his films THE
LITTLE PRINCE, MORE and KUNG FU PANDA and has even given a Keynote Speech on the subject
of “Investing in the Creative Infrastructure” at the Jillin Animation conference in 2008 in Changchun
China in 2008. Since there can be a variety of needs and directives from event to event, Mark is
willing to work with organizers to design a suitable presentation.
One Day Master Class on the Making of THE LITTLE PRINCE (or KUNG FU PANDA)
Beginning with a hour-long presentation of his personal and professional work including his short
films MORE and GREENER, Mark segues into the genesis of THE LITTLE PRINCE (or KUNG FU
PANDA) and how that project was developed over the five and a half years that it was in
production. Mark presents an in depth analysis of how the film was inspired, developed and
ultimately created pixel by pixel by hundreds of artists and technicians across all aspects of
production. The goal of this class is to inspire with behind the scenes details about how important it
is to keep the creative process alive in every moment of animation production. The last hour of the
day is reserved for a healthy Q &A to cover anything specific or tangential to the presentation.
One Day Master Class on Storytelling for Film and Animation
Mark uses examples from throughout his career in filmmaking as well as the films that inspired him
over the years to highlight and illustrate the principles of good storytelling. Focusing on character,
story and creating empathy, Mark takes the audience through the process of creating a story,
identifying the essential elements within that story and how to imbue every aspect of production
with these essential elements to create significant stories that are universally appealing, emotionally
engaging and relevant.
CUSTOM Master Class and Storytelling Workshop
We can work with you to design any combination of
the above topics ranging from 1/2 DAY to THREE DAYS
of intensive programing, mixing Mark’s real life
production anecdotes with the fundamentals of creative
production. We can find a creative way to create
exactly what your event or specific audience needs.
Mark Osborne: Work Experience
2010-2015 ON ENTERTAINMENT - Producer/Director
Created/Directed the first animated feature film adaptation of the classic tale THE LITTLE PRINCE.
2008-Present HAPPY PRODUCT, INC - Owner/Director
Writing and developing several animated feature film projects to be realized in a variety of mediums.
20005-08 DREAMWORKS FEATURE ANIMATION - Director
Directed “KUNG FU PANDA” (with John Stevenson), the 632 million dollar grossing worldwide hit for
DreamWorks Animation. This film was honored with an Academy Award Nomination as well as a
Golden Globe nomination and swept the Annie Awards with 11 wins.
2004-05 PARAMOUNT/PEANUTWORM PRODUCTIONS - Live Action Director
Directed all of the live action material (15 mins) for the feature film “SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS: THE
MOVIE” the feature film debut of the popular TV show “Spongebob Squarepants.”
2002-04 DREAMWORKS FEATURE ANIMATION – Director
Worked with Creative Affairs on several projects, worked with artists on visual development,
development executive on treatments and authored notes on projects.
20000-02 NICKELODEON - Live Action Director
Directed and oversaw the production of five different 10 min Live-Action sequences for the hit animated
Nickelodeon show “SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS.”
1999-01 SATELLITE FILMS - Director
Directed Commercials and Music Videos, developed short film projects and developed and wrote a stopmotion feature animation script.
1999-00 FLEMINGTON PICTURES – Director
Directed independent Live-Action 1.2 million-dollar debut feature film titled “Dropping Out”. Toured the
festival circuit including Sundance, winning three major festival prizes.
1998-99 BAD CLAMS PRODUCTIONS - Owner/Director/Producer
Created and produced a fully animated Stop-Motion IMAX scale independent short film titled “MORE”
which was nominated for an Academy Award. Toured the festival circuit including Cannes, winning 15
major awards including Best Short Film at the Sundance Film Festival (the first animated film to win this
prestigious award).
1997-00 CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF THE ARTS - Faculty in Stop-Motion Animation
Taught Advanced Stop-Motion Animation and Motion Control Camera to undergraduate and graduate
students of the Experimental Animation program. Spearheaded and implemented the acquisition of state
of the art Motion-Control 35mm equipment for the school.
1992-96 BAD CLAMS PRODUCTIONS - Owner/Director/Producer
Created and directed various Animation and Live-Action projects for TV and film garnering many awards
including a Broadcast Design Gold Award and a Los Angeles area EMMY.
Education Experience
1990-92 California Institute of the Arts, Valencia CA – BFA in Experimental Animation
1988-90 Pratt Institute, Brooklyn NY – Undergraduate studies in Foundation Art and Film