Black N’ Animated x Organization/Studio Partner Programs
BNA has partnered with several studios and other advocacy organizations. See below for our latest partnership. Black N’ Animated has partnered with Netflix Animation studios for the Netflix Animation Foundations Program.
History
Our group started out as a podcast hosted by Breana Williams and Waymond Singleton in March 2018. The goal of the podcast was to inspire, empower, and educate Black creatives about the field of animation. With their podcast Bre and Way sought to build a community for Black professionals that work in various roles in the animation industry.
In late 2018, Nilah Magruder and Lorraine Grate held a mixer inspired by the very popular #DrawingWhileBlack hashtag event on Twitter in an effort to bring together Black-identifying animation professionals. The event was a huge success with a turnout far beyond expectations. Building on the momentum of the event, Nilah and Lorraine joined forces with Bre and Waymond to continue providing opportunities for Black animation professionals to connect with each other and the greater animation industry.
Black N’ Animated is a community-oriented organization based in Los Angeles committed to the growth and empowerment of Black students and professionals in the animation industry. We are the home of the Black N’ Animated Podcast, hosted by Bre Williams and Waymond Singleton. We also work with local studios and organizations to provide networking opportunities and career development. Our goal is a healthy, diverse, and inclusive industry and community.
Our Leadership
Waymond Singleton:
Co- Founder & Pod Co- Host
Waymond Singleton is a Storyboard Artist and East Coast native. An artistic industry professional for 5+ years with a penchant for character design and all things cute.
Breana Williams:
Co- Founder & Pod Co- Host
Breana Williams is a Production professional working in animation, with a passion for storyboarding and has worked for Disney Junior and Disney+ properties. From advertising to animation for 5+ years, she has always been an advocate for those striving to seek careers in industry.
Myra Thompkins:
Director of Programming
Programming director’s for the BNA Team and also currently working at Nickelodeon in Special Events.
Lorraine Grate:
Co-Director of Programming
Production Coordinator, Story Artist and the greatest magical girl of all time. Lorraine Grate is a professional at coordinating events for the BNA Team.
Lauren Andrews:
TAG Union Liaison
Directing and Storyboarding by Day, BNA Team leader by night. Lauren is a story artist and director. She’s a leader of creatives and proud cat friend.
Neil Wade:
Director of Studio Outreach
A leader in the executive space, Neil currently works at Nickelodeon as a Executive Current Series Manager. You’ll find Neil at your local marches and working on his creative side for storyboarding.
Michelle Morguarge:
Administrative Assistant
Michelle is a digital artist and recent college graduate. As a lover of all things animation, she aspires toward a career in Visual Development. She loves utilizing color to add vibrance to her work and loves to document her work through videos she edits. A productive day for her often involves a good chai latte and her drawing tablet.
Jacqueline Barnes:
Administrative Assistant
Tyler Schlossman:
Podcast & Audio/Visual Engineer
A comic creator, pop up arcade bar owner, and coffee savant. Tyler is the editor for the BNA Podcast as well as a creative supporter and ally to the BNA mission.