ABOUT

For years, studios have asked me the same question: “Where did all the great story artists go", and "why isn’t anyone teaching this like they used to?”

I’ve spent my career shaping stories for major films, mentoring inside studios, and watching talented story artists struggle to find the training they truly need. Most storyboarding classes focus on the drawing side, but few teach the story, structure, and writing skills that feature‑level story artists must master to deliver on all fronts of the job.

Studios try to offer this training but rarely if ever can dedicate the time and resources - and end up burning people out trying to both learn AND do the job at the same time - wasting their genuine efforts and energy on well intentioned, but half-baked plans. So, I’ve put all the experience and insider training I usually give inside studio walls, to everyone outside through this three part course: Story Artist Foundations. This way, you can learn at whatever pace is right for you (everyone is different), and be ready to do the job, before you're thrown into the fires of actually doing it.

This course is also there to demystify a lot of the hype or fears you might have. A common thing I run into is people intimidated by these 'big studio productions' and fail to realize that those projects start no different than your own! It's the same blank pages you start with. Not just that, but they run into the exact same writers blocks as well! The big difference comes in knowing how to deal with those roadblocks ahead of time, making the most of each iteration so that each pass is showing consistent, growth and improvement, not stuck in the death spiral of re-writes and reboots.

That know-how is what allows a story to become something worthy of production, and transformed into the beloved characters, memorable narratives, and quotable lines of award winning films. After doing this for 25 years, I want to pass it along to others as it was passed on to me by my own professors and mentors over the years - now bundled together in this course. Whether you want to work for a studio or use it for something of your own, I'm putting this out there for anyone serious about learning it. 

2D to 3D, analog to CG, Passive to Interactive, no matter how the industry changes - great storytelling skills are always needed. Whether you’re aiming for feature animation, or adapting it to your own new plans - I'm here to help you build & bolster your own story artist foundation.

- Jed Diffenderfer Founder, Story Arts Academy