Dana Corrigan shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Dana, we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: Have any recent moments made you laugh or feel proud?
A group of my students at the University of Tampa recently participated in the international 24-Hour Animation Competition. Listening to them brainstorm their ideas, collaborate, having fun and trying their best was such fun and gives me a sense of pride as an instructor! It also reminds me of back when I was a sleep-deprived artsy college student. I can imagine they’ll look back on this experience fondly for a long time to come, and they were already talking about joining the contest again next year.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Dana Corrigan. I am a tenure-track Assistant Professor in Film, Animation and New Media at the University of Tampa, and co-founder of Pencil Gator Animation Studio. I have been teaching at the college level since 2011, and worked as a freelancer in animation, graphic design and illustration since 2006, including educational material, merchandise design, e-cards, animated shorts and tv pilots. I have also been a speaker for conferences and festivals, including SIGGRAPH 2021 and 2024, Miami International Science Fiction Film Festival 2024, Sunscreen Film Festival 2024 and Orlando International Film Festival 2024.
Pencil Gator is a full service animation studio based in Tampa, Florida. Our studio currently has two films going through the festival circuit – “Chorus to Dero”, an award winning TV pilot which I was the Director, Writer, Story Artist and Animation Lead, and “Shoes: All Walks of Life” where I was Creative Producer under the project’s director and creator, Vincent Castro. “Chorus to Dero” will be available online through the Urban Mediamakers Film Festival’s online component, UrbanFlixToGo, starting October 13 and lasting for one month. We also do Explainer Videos, including one on the Cybersecurity concept “Zero Trust” which is publicly available. Additionally, we offer creative services, such as graphic design for proposals, pitch decks, presentation materials, logos and merchandise including t-shirts, medals, pins and keychains.
We currently have several projects in the works, including an endless runner video game, collaborations with Non-Profits like Nomnivore and Neuroshifts, and animation for Janet Lee’s documentary, “Always Ask for Help.”
“Always Ask for Help” explores the challenges of low literacy in adults, through the story of Canadian Hero Arnie Stewart. He traveled to schools across Canada and the United States, told stories of his struggles with low literacy, how it affected his life, and encourage students to stay in school, learn how to read and to always ask for help. It utilizes a mix of live action documentary footage and animation to fill in for components that could not be recorded, such as stories Arnie tells that happened in the past. For the animation style, we’re using the children’s drawings that were submitted to Arnie during his time traveling and speaking at the schools. “Always Ask for Help” is currently fundraising to help finish the post-production.
Finally, I am helping to put together the Tampa Animation Festival, taking place this November 6-9 in the Ferman Center of the Arts at the UTampa campus! There, we will be hosting panels, screenings and network events. It’s free to the public so if you are interested in the animation industry or just want to see some cool films, come see us!
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
While I’ve always been known among my friends and family for patience and flexibility, and I remain open to the changes in the tides that can come as a part of life, I can also be stubborn when it comes to my identity and how I want to live my life.
So I will say that while I’ve been tempered through life experience, I am still the same silly artist and cautious optimist that I always have been.
When you were sad or scared as a child, what helped?
Someone once told me that, when faced with difficult emotions, our tendency as people leans towards either creation or destruction. In my personal experience, I find that to be true.
In my case, I use art and storytelling to create. Writing stories and drawing characters dealing with sadness, fears or other hard emotions and working through it vicariously through them is both cathartic and a distraction.
Additionally, I also find that playing video games can be a helpful distraction as well.
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
If I were to guess what my friends would think matters most to me, it’s probably stability, creativity and collaboration. Most of my friends are fellow artists and creators, and I’ve always been known amongst them for my friendliness, preparation and caution.
The art field is often characterized by financial instability and some of my colleagues went straight to California and couch-surfed or went homeless while knocking on doors to get jobs in the studios. While it worked out for them and I admire their resilience, that was never something I was willing to consider. I’m also the one to bring bottled waters and other necessities to events.
Outside of that, I love creative collaboration with my friends through D&D, board games and creating stories. If I’m hosting a party, I like to encourage participation and inclusion through video games, board games and watch parties.
For those reasons, I’m also known as being a link that helps to keep everyone connected, and have a reputation for “knowing everyone.”
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: When have you had to bet the company?
I am not a betting person. Never have been, and likely never will be. I would rather give my time and energy, and take a slow, steady approach to building the foundation, establishing trust and permanence, and expanding our network.
Life is full of risks and chances, and there are decisions that we make that could have an outcome we can’t anticipate. However, I can’t say I’ve ever willingly made a choice that would be risky enough to be considered a ‘bet’ with the company at stake.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.pencilgator.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pencilgator/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/pencil-gator-animation-studio/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dana.corrigan
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ChorustoDero
- Other: Chorus to Dero Link Tree: www.chorustodero.com
Urban Flix To Go website, where Chorus to Dero will be available from 10/13-11/13 2025: https://www.urbanflixtogo.com/
Always Ask for Help Pitch Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8f-I9t8HnY
Always Ask for Help Seed and Spark Fundraiser: https://seedandspark.com/fund/always-ask-for-help#story
Tampa Animation Festival: https://www.tampaanimationfestival.com/
Zero Trust Architecture’s Explainer Video: https://vimeo.com/950930908
Image Credits
“Chorus to Dero” © Pencil Gator Animation Studio
“Always Ask for Help” © Best Day Ever Productions
“Zero Trust” Explainer Video © Pencil Gator Animation Studio
Locations and Events featured include: Orlando Urban Film Festival 2025, Sunscreen Replay Day 2025, SIGGRAPH 2024’s Women in CG Event and Miami International Science Fiction Film Festival 2025’s virtual component.
SIGGRAPH 2024 panel presenters for Women in CG were Dana Corrigan, Yoon Chung Han and Ellen Yi-Luen Do
