Michael Sporn
Encyclopedia
Michael Sporn is an American animator
who founded his New York
-based company, Michael Sporn Animation in 1980, and has produced and directed numerous animated TV specials and short spots.
. He's created spots & shorts for Sesame Street
, PBS stations such as WGBH
, Scholastic
, syndicated public service announcements such as those featuring Sport Billy
and for UNICEF, and also music video
s, documentary
and film
titles and inserts, commercial
logo
s for Random House
, industrial spots for companies like Goodyear
.
He has produced and directed more than 15 short films including many for Weston Woods, a company that faithfully animates children's books.
Most famous of these was adapted from the William Steig
children's book, the Oscar nominated, Doctor DeSoto
which in 1984 received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.
Also in 1984, Sporn received the CINE
Golden Eagle Award in Education for directing the film adaptation of this book.
Sporn has worked with many celebrities including Madonna, Christopher Reeve, Susan Sarandon, Amanda Plummer, Billy Crystal, Ruby Dee, Ossie Davis, Eli Wallach and many others.
Many of the films Sporn has produced, directed or animated contain socially committed TV messages. Films such as Whitewash
, short films like "Champagne" and HBO Musical Storybooks such as The Marzipan Pig
, The Red Shoes fall into this category. Others such as Mike Mulligan and His Steamshovel and Santa Bear's First Christmas are pure entertainment.
He recently completed a new show for HBO entitled, "I Can Be President." It focuses on the dreams and aspirations of children who want to be the President of the United States.
Sporn is currently working on Poe, an animated feature film based on the life of Edgar Allan Poe
. http://www.poestory.net/ It is due for release in 2012.
. (Heartland Film Festival
2005, "Crystal Heart Award"; Ottawa International Animation Festival
, 2006, "Best Short Animation Made for Children").
Animator
An animator is an artist who creates multiple images that give an illusion of movement called animation when displayed in rapid sequence; the images are called frames and key frames. Animators can work in a variety of fields including film, television, video games, and the internet. Usually, an...
who founded his New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
-based company, Michael Sporn Animation in 1980, and has produced and directed numerous animated TV specials and short spots.
Career
Sporn has produced and directed more than 30 half-hour specials for broadcast outlets HBO, PBS, Showtime and CBSCBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
. He's created spots & shorts for Sesame Street
Sesame Street
Sesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
, PBS stations such as WGBH
WGBH-TV
WGBH-TV, channel 2, is a non-commercial educational public television station located in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. WGBH-TV is a member station of the Public Broadcasting Service , and produces more than two-thirds of PBS's national prime time television programming...
, Scholastic
Scholastic
Scholastic may refer to:* Scholastic * Scholastic Corporation, a book publisher* Scholasticism, a form of theology and philosophy* School, a place of learning* A junior member of a religious order, such as the Jesuits...
, syndicated public service announcements such as those featuring Sport Billy
Sport Billy
Sport Billy is a 1979 animated television cartoon made by Filmation Associates, initially for broadcast in Germany. In 1982, Filmation carried the show over to the United States for syndication, and as a summer replacement in NBC's Saturday morning children's programming...
and for UNICEF, and also music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
s, documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
and film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
titles and inserts, commercial
Advertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
logo
Logo
A logo is a graphic mark or emblem commonly used by commercial enterprises, organizations and even individuals to aid and promote instant public recognition...
s for Random House
Random House
Random House, Inc. is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world. It has been owned since 1998 by the German private media corporation Bertelsmann and has become the umbrella brand for Bertelsmann book publishing. Random House also has a movie production arm, Random House Films,...
, industrial spots for companies like Goodyear
Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company was founded in 1898 by Frank Seiberling. Goodyear manufactures tires for automobiles, commercial trucks, light trucks, SUVs, race cars, airplanes, farm equipment and heavy earth-mover machinery....
.
He has produced and directed more than 15 short films including many for Weston Woods, a company that faithfully animates children's books.
Most famous of these was adapted from the William Steig
William Steig
William Steig was a prolific American cartoonist, sculptor and, later in life, an author of popular children's literature...
children's book, the Oscar nominated, Doctor DeSoto
Doctor DeSoto
Doctor De Soto is a 1982 book by William Steig that won a Newbery Honor. At a mere 32 pages, it is one of the shortest books to receive the award. The plot deals with the kind Dr. De Soto, a mouse-dentist that has to help a fox with a toothache without being eaten.-Plot:The story is about Dr. De...
which in 1984 received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.
Also in 1984, Sporn received the CINE
CINE
CINE is a consortium formulated to depict American life and thought realistically for a global audience. CINE recognizes and fosters the highest quality of non-theatrical film and video production through its semi-annual film competitions....
Golden Eagle Award in Education for directing the film adaptation of this book.
Sporn has worked with many celebrities including Madonna, Christopher Reeve, Susan Sarandon, Amanda Plummer, Billy Crystal, Ruby Dee, Ossie Davis, Eli Wallach and many others.
Many of the films Sporn has produced, directed or animated contain socially committed TV messages. Films such as Whitewash
Whitewash (TV special)
Whitewash is a 1994 special show on American television channel HBO Family based on a true story. It was released onto video by HBO Kids Video and distributed by First Run Features as well. The program was produced and directed by Michael Sporn with a screenplay by Ntozake Shange...
, short films like "Champagne" and HBO Musical Storybooks such as The Marzipan Pig
The Marzipan Pig
The Marzipan Pig is a children's book by Russell Hoban. The plot involves a candy pig that has somehow fallen behind a couch. The pig laments being forgotten and as dust begins to cover him, he remains hopeful about someone discovering him. When he is eventually found by a mouse, parts of his...
, The Red Shoes fall into this category. Others such as Mike Mulligan and His Steamshovel and Santa Bear's First Christmas are pure entertainment.
He recently completed a new show for HBO entitled, "I Can Be President." It focuses on the dreams and aspirations of children who want to be the President of the United States.
Sporn is currently working on Poe, an animated feature film based on the life of Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe was an American author, poet, editor and literary critic, considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered the inventor of the detective...
. http://www.poestory.net/ It is due for release in 2012.
Awards and honors
The company's productions have received many and various awards, including a few Emmy Awards, and even one Academy Award nomination, as well as several Cable ACE Awards among others. One such winner was the short film The Man Who Walked Between the TowersThe Man Who Walked Between the Towers
The Man Who Walked Between the Towers is a children's picture book written and illustrated by Mordicai Gerstein. Published in 2003, the book tells the true story of Philippe Petit, a man who walked between the twin towers of the World Trade Center on a tightrope...
. (Heartland Film Festival
Heartland Film Festival
The Heartland Film Festival is a film festival held each October in Indianapolis, Indiana. First held in 1992, its goal is to "recognize and honor filmmakers whose work explores the human journey by artistically expressing hope and respect for the positive values of life."In May 2007, Heartland...
2005, "Crystal Heart Award"; Ottawa International Animation Festival
Ottawa International Animation Festival
-History:In 1976, the Canadian Film Institute founded the biennial Ottawa International Animation Festival . First held August 10 to 15, 1976, the OIAF created a gathering place for North American animation professionals and enthusiasts to ponder the craft and business of animation...
, 2006, "Best Short Animation Made for Children").