Dan Scanlon and ‘Monsters University;’ photo by Richard Harbaugh © 2011 Disney Enterprises, Inc.

Announcing Chad Hunt as our Alumni Award for Excellence winner got us thinking about our past AAE recipients and what they’ve been up to lately. So we decided to talk to the last three AAE recipients and below are their updates, enjoy!

Dan Scanlon, 2012 AAE recipient

Dan Scanlon (CCAD 1998) just finished directing Pixar Animation Studios’ Monsters University and is in full swing to promote the film, which will be released June 21. His time is spent doing interviews and approving new trailers and television spots.

“All that being said, things are slow for the moment, which is a nice break—a calm before the storm of international press,” Scanlon said. “I hope to get back to doing a little painting during my time off, maybe some writing, but mostly I’ll be sleeping in and watching daytime soap operas.”

The Illustration alumnus comments that although it is nice to have a break, CCAD started that drive in him to always be making something.

“I love to tell stories, and I love to hear stories,” Scanlon said. “I love the idea of making something where there was nothing. Any work of art is like a gift, and who doesn’t like giving gifts?”

Nathan Greno

Nathan Greno, 2011 AAE recipient

The last time we spoke to Nathan Greno (CCAD 1993-1996) he had finished co-directing Tangled and was wrapping-up Tangled Ever After, a short that continues the story of Tangled‘s main characters.

Recently, Greno pointed out that Walt Disney Animation is all about collaboration, so he has been lending a helping hand to any crew and film that needs it.

He is currently directing and working on a new feature film that is still top secret, so he can’t release any information—trust us, we tried!

“I’m incredibly excited about the new film I’m developing,” Greno said. “I’ll be directing on my own this time, and unfortunately I can’t say much, but if you enjoyed what we did with Tangled, I believe you’ll love the new project.”

Rosanne Percivalle, image from www.2d-3ddesign.com

Rosanne Percivalle, 2010 AAE recipient

Rosanne Percivalle (CCAD 1980) is the owner and design director of 2D3D Design, Inc. in New York City.

Since 2010, the Illustration alumna has worked on several exciting projects, including creating murals and environmental graphics for Trader Joe’s stores. She also continues to work for Whole Foods Market as needed on the fabrication of signage and one-of-a-kind custom displays (think lollipop trees).

“I am an artist, and I love creating,” Percivalle said. “In addition, I get great satisfaction from seeing the results of my visualizations being utilized by consumers to beautify environments.”

Click here to see the list of past alumni award winners and here to read the 2013 nominees’ bios.

Mike, voiced by Billy Crystal, on the ‘Monsters University’ campus. Photo from Disney/Pixar

Illustration alumnus Dan Scanlon (CCAD 1998), director of the soon-to-be-released Pixar film Monsters University, was interviewed in an online article for the Wall Street Journal.

The animated film is a prequel to Monsters, Inc. It follows the main characters Mike and Sulley (voiced by Billy Crystal and John Goodman) as they major in Scaring at a university for monsters.

“It’s tough to tell a story when everyone knows how it ends, so that was one of the biggest challenges,” said Scanlon in the article. “We were telling a story about a character whose dream didn’t work out the way he thought it would, and that’s what we found interesting.”

In the article Scanlon compares his college days at CCAD with what the monsters are experiencing at their university.

“The one part I think is universal to college that I experienced was this sense of growing up and self discovery,” Scanlon said in the article.

Monsters University will be released in theatres on June 21.

Screen shot from IMDB, photo by Richard Harbaugh © 2011 Disney Enterprises, Inc.

Attention everyone, drum roll… the 2012 Alumni Award for Excellence goes to Illustration alumnus Dan Scanlon (CCAD 1998).

Scanlon will be making his directorial debut with Pixar’s Monsters University next year, and there is already buzz about both his work and the animated movie, including a nod from the LA Times.

Since joining Pixar in 2001, Scanlon’s film credits include Cars, The Little Mermaid II, and 101 Dalmatians II as a storyboard artist and The Indescribable Nth and Joseph: King of Dreams as an animator. He also co-directed the short film Mater and the Ghostlight.

“Every year we get amazing CCAD talent nominated for the award,” said Denny Griffith, CCAD president. “I know the committees deliberated for hours on this tough decision, and Dan is one of the many alumni who signify the range of work they are doing in their professional careers.”

Scanlon’s work will be honored at CCAD’s Family Weekend & Homecoming on Oct. 12–13. An alumni reception will be held on Oct. 13 welcoming all alumni, friends, and family to mingle and chat about CCAD then and now.

Each year CCAD accepts nominations for the Alumni Award for Excellence as a way to acknowledge not only the success and contributions of one very deserving graduate, but also the impact CCAD alumni have all over the world. To read about past winners, click here.

Classnotes, September 2012 Issue

We do our best to get most of the news you submit to us onto the CCAD News Blog, but because there are more than 10,000 of you making news all over the world, not everything can make it into the blog. We’re glad to have another venue where we can share everything with you—this newsletter’s classnotes.

You can submit classnotes via the easy-to-use form on the alumni landing page. We only post career-related successes, awards, exhibitions, and publications, but we’d also love to know when you move, get married, or have children—just use that same form.

Now, without further ado, your classnotes from June, July, and August 2012.

John Schaffner ’60 and J. Luray Schaffner ’62 both exhibited their work at the Annmarie Sculpture Garden and Arts Center in Solomons, MD. Read more here.

Elena Osterwalder ’76 showed work in Celebrating UA, an exhibition at the Concourse Gallery in Upper Arlington, OH. Read more here.

Joe Howard ’72 had his piece Stone, Steel and Wood chosen for the permanent Western Art Collection of the Pearce Museum at Navarro College in Corsicana, TX. Read more here.

Jeff Stahler ’77 was interviewed in The Illustrator’s Market. Read more here.

Tim Bowers ’79 illustrated Dinosaur Pet, which climbed the best-seller lists. Read more here.

David Groff ’79 received gold and bronze awards in the 29^th annual Aster Awards for his illustrations in a hospital calendar.

Marty Husted ’79, Mark Thomas ’90, and Heather Nibert ’12 are each participating in a public arts project in Columbus, OH. Read more here.

Laura Sanders ’88, Sarah Fairchild ’94, Chris Rankin ’94, Adam Brouillette ’02,  Anne Holman ’02, Lauren Mudd ’04,  and Boryana Rusenova Ina ’06, participated in Art for the Environment, a silent auction benefiting the Ohio Environmental Council. Read more here.

Kaname Takada ’89, William Shearrow ’97,  and Michael Bonardi ’04 are featured in a group exhibition at the  Johnson-Humrickhouse Museum in Coshocton, OH. Read more here.

Peter Wachtel ’90 is now selling his product STAKE, an all-in-one BBQ tool, via Quirky, Target, Fab, and ThinkGeek. Read more here.

James Alicea ’92 organized a fundraiser for the victims of the 2011 tsunami and earthquake in Japan, involving artists from Japan and New York. Read more here.

Laurie Brown ’94 showed her work in a group exhibition at the Mansion at Strathmore in Bethesda, MD. Read more here.

Chad Hunt ’94 spent time training with a U.S. Special Operations Command team, and his resulting photographs were featured in an issue of Popular Mechanics. Read more here.

Chris Rankin ’94 exhibited his work in two Columbus, OH, venues this summer. Read more here.

David Hartman ’95 is a supervising director for the show Transformers: Prime, which won a 2012 Daytime Emmy®. Read more here.

Jason Goad ’96 has partnered on projects for some big-name brands and projects, including Mattel’s Hot Wheels. Read more here.

John Urbano ’96 released a limited edition photography book and directed a music video for British pop band One Direction that has been nominated for an MTV Video Music Award. Read more here.

Nathaniel Galka ’98 had work in the exhibition The Birds and Bees. Read more here.

Mike Hein ’98 exhibited his work at Mulherin + Pollard gallery in New York City. Read more here.

Dan Scanlon ’98 was featured in the LA Times for his upcoming directorial debut on Pixar’s Monsters University. Read more here.

Michael Phillips ’99 was profiled in All4You, a contemporary culture magazine based in Croatia. Read more here.

Clint Davidson ’00 worked on a mural for a public park in Columbus, OH. Read more here.

Olga Ziemska ’00 installed a sculpture at the Columbus State Community College (CSCC) main library.  Read more here.

Adam Brouillette ’02, Nikos Fyodor Rutkowski ’02, and Corey Aumiller ’06 are participating in the Columbus Arts Pop-Up Project (CAP-UP), a public art project. Read more here.

Carl Bork ’03 exhibited his paintings at the Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center in Salida, CO. Read more here.

Sarah DeAngulo Hout ’04 worked on a mural that is now in the Columbus Metropolitan Library. Read more here.

Michael Lai ’04 presented as a special guest for the Columbus Society of Communicating Arts in Columbus, OH. Read more here

Jill Raymundo ’04 exhibited her work in the City Center Gallery of the OSU Urban Arts Space in Columbus, OH. Read more here.

Manjari Sharma ’04 was featured in the Huffington Post’s iPad issue for her photography project Darshan. Read more here.

Corey Aumiller ’06 worked on a video project featuring CCAD President Denny Griffith. Read more here.

Martina Nikova ’07 had a solo exhibition at the Ohio Art League in Columbus, OH. Read more here.

Greg Beck ’09 helped start Longstride, a creative marketing company in Columbus, OH, that was featured in a local business journal. Read more here.

John Malta ’10 received a grant from the Xeric Foundation to self-publish his comic book The Professor and the Paperboy. Read more here.

Kartika Mediani ’10 showed her film The Box at the 2012 Comic-Con’s San Diego International Children’s Film Festival in California. Read more here.

Kerry Kunze ’11 displayed her work at ZenClay Gallery in Morgantown, WV. Read more here.

Rachel Cass ’12 was featured in Easton Town Center’s 2012 directory after being awarded Easton’s Fashion Design Award. Read more here.

Kathryn Chamberlin ’12 became the graphic designer at Origo Branding Company in downtown Columbus, OH.

Alex Conrad ’12 showed his work in a national MFA competition. Read more here.

Brianne Schulze ’12 earned a goldsmithery apprenticeship at the Diamond Cellar in Columbus, OH. Read more here.

2011 AAE recipient Nathan Greno (right), accepting award from Denny Griffith (left)

Sixteen distinguished Columbus College of Art & Design alumni have been nominated for the 2012 Joseph V. Canzani Alumni Award for Excellence (AAE). Nominees range from a fashion knitting queen to a Pixar storyboard artist and an art therapy director to an internationally recognized fine artist.

The nominees are Bryan Ballinger ( CCAD 1990), Charlotte Belland (CCAD 1997), Samantha Bennett (CCAD 1995–1999), Sean Blanton (CCAD 2011), Roy Doty (CCAD 1942), Nicky Epstein (CCAD 1974), Michael Flechtner (CCAD 1981), Scott Hull (CCAD 1977), Matthew Kaser (CCAD 1984), Jon Hair (CCAD 1976–1978), Catherine Hyland Moon (CCAD 1978), Paitoon Ratan (CCAD 1993), William D. Ray (CCAD 1992–1994), Benjamin Roseland (CCAD 2005), Dan Scanlon (CCAD 1998), and Charles Wilkin (CCAD 1992). Read the nominee bios here.

The AAE will be presented on Saturday, Oct. 13, during Family Weekend & Homecoming. This event is part of an entire weekend of events for the whole CCAD family, including alumni, students, parents, faculty, and staff.

Each year CCAD accepts nominations for AAE as a way to acknowledge not only the success and contributions of one very deserving graduate, but also the impact CCAD alumni have all over the world. Alumni are currently voting on the finalists, after which a committee will review the nominees and choose the recipient. To learn more about the nomination and voting process, click here.

Still from the “Monsters University” trailer

Pixar’s Monsters University will not be released until summer 2013, but the animated feature film, directed by alumnus Dan Scanlon (CCAD 1998), is getting a lot of media attention already.

We broke the exciting news last year that Scanlon would be directing the Monsters Inc prequel. This week the LA Times wrote an article announcing that the movie had released not one, not two, but four trailers for Monsters University, which will follow monsters Mike and Sully, voiced by John Goodman and Billy Crystal, as they navigate their way through college life at scaring school.

“This is about showing youthful exuberance and fun,” Scanlon said in the article. “Just Mike and Sully being wild and young feels right.”

This will be Scanlon’s first time directing a feature film, but he has had a writing credit on Cars, co-directed the short Mater and the Ghostlight, and was a storyboard artist on other Pixar projects.

Monsters University will be released into theaters June 21, 2013. To read the full LA Times article and watch the trailers click here.

Alumnus Dan Scanlon has been chosen to direct Pixar's Monsters University.

In a bit of you-heard-it-hear-first news, Illustration alumnus Dan Scanlon (CCAD 1998) has just confirmed that he will direct Monsters University, a prequel to Pixar’s 2001 hit Monsters Inc.

“Yup, I’m directing MU,” he wrote to us in an email. And while he can’t do an interview (yet), Scanlon and the 2013 film are being talked about all-over the cyber world.

Cole Abaius of the blog Film School Rejects writes, “This will be Scanlon’s first feature film, but he has a writing credit on Cars, a co-director credit on the short Mater and the Ghostlight, and he’s acted as a storyboard artist on several project. It’s difficult to say what kind of job Scanlon will do with Monsters University, but he’s got the benefit of the doubt when it comes to the Pixar team.”

Kevin Jagernauth of the IndieWire Blog Network wrote, “Walt Disney has announced that Dan Scanlon will helm the film that will track Mike and Sully during their days at the University of Fear, telling the story of how they start off as enemies but soon become friends. As per usual with Pixar‘s hiring process, they’ve tapped a longtime colleague for the job. … And while it’s his first feature length animated film, he’ll undoubtedly have the strong team of the studio behind him every step of the way.”

On the blog Pixar Planet, a poster wrote, “A rising star at Pixar has taken his talents to new heights. It was confirmed today that Dan Scanlon is currently directing Monsters University…Not only is he talented, but he’s also a genuinely nice guy. It will definitely be interesting to see his take on the monster world.”

And while you anxiously await the opening of the film—and the chance to reconnect with Mike, Sully, and the gang—keep following CCAD News for the updates.