ABOUT

WHAT IS STORY ARTS ACADEMY?

INSTRUCTOR

25+ years experience as a world class storyteller in story departments across the feature film animation industry's top studios (Pixar, Sony, Disney, Illumination, Dreamworks~) in a range of key creative and leadership roles (Director, Writer, Head of Story, Story Lead, Story Artist, Story Development, Story Consultant~), developing stories consistently into the narrative bedrock of successful, globally beloved characters, worlds, and films that become record breaking franchises and pillars of studio identity (KPOP Demon Hunters, Super Mario Bros, Minions, Big Hero 6, Wreck-It Ralph, Kung-Fu Panda, and many more!)

WHY THIS WAS CREATED

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.

Studios try to offer this training but rarely if ever can dedicate the time and resources - and burn people out trying to both learn AND do the job at the same time. So I’m hitting pause to bring 25yrs worth of experience and insider training I usually give inside studio walls, to everyone outside through Story Artist: Foundations and beyond.

Here's a secret - studio stories start no different than your own! It's literally just a very small group of us making an idea into a story, but what turns it from that into globally beloved characters and worlds of blockbusters and franchises is what I've been hired to bring for 25yrs, and now offer in my story courses. Imagine adding that to your own workflows and skillsets!

No matter how the industry changes, great storytelling never goes out of style. So, whether you’re aiming for feature animation, narrative design for games, or creating your own visual stories, you’ll learn how to write and tell visual stories in this extremely effective way that offers a level of emotional connection, and clear collaboration not found anywhere else. Offering those skills to anyone who wants them is why we're here, so we can all enjoy a future of new, original ideas that find their audience by starting out with a strong story foundation.

- Jed Diffenderfer Founder, Story Arts Academy

ADDITIONAL INFO

"Where Did All the Great STORY ARTISTS Go?!"

This is the question top tier feature animation studios ask me most.
Become the storyteller they want to hire, know they can rely on, and fight to keep!