Nick LeDonne
Part-Time Lecturer of Art (Animation)
nickledonne.com
nick.ledonne@rutgers.edu
Biography
Nick LeDonne is an award winning independent animator and founder of LeDonne Films LLC; a Philadelphia based independent studio that mixes social impact animated films with public speaking programs. LeDonne’s debut animated film “Hanging” (2016) has been exhibited internationally in 27 countries at over 70 film festivals winning numerous awards including “Best Animated Film” at the Catalina Film Festival, SOHO International Film Festival, and the AFA award at ANNY Best of Fest 2017. During this time LeDonne was invited to present an animation masterclass at the Barbican Arts Centre in London; Europe’s largest art’s venue. “Hanging” additionally has been curated across North America and Europe as a resource for suicide prevention at conferences such as the 44th American Psychotherapy Association’s Winter Symposium, the 2nd Canadian Mental Health Association’s MH4A national conference, and the 26th European Congress of Psychiatry in Nice, France.
Upcoming animated releases include “Dear Dad” (2018) and “Reaching OUT” (2019) which is currently in production. “Reaching OUT” was awarded the inaugural Silver Sun Diversity Scholarship into the Creative Culture fellowship at the Jacob Burns Film Center, NY; a prestigious bridging program for national emerging directors supported by the JBFC’s industry network of filmmakers. LeDonne’s animation career has been covered in various publications including Animation Magazine, Animation World Network, and Cartoon Brew in both print and online articles. He is also an invited guest to many colleges and high schools to speak on his animated works and social impact. LeDonne teaches animation at both Rutgers University–Camden and the Pennsylvania College of Art & Design. At both respective colleges he has been responsible for developing new courses in a range of subjects including storyboarding, character design, figure drawing for animators, traditional animation, computer animation, and historical studies in animation.