Coord., 2D Animation/ Instr., Animation
School of Animation & Visual Effects
604.990.7821 ext. 7821
Bosa Building, room BC227
dperro@capilanou.ca
Education
Certificate, Eastern Region College Teacher Development Program, 1992.
Diploma (Honours), Film Animation, Emily Carr University of Art and Design, 1984.
"More hang time!"
Bio
Don Perro has been preparing artists for the animation industry for over twenty-five years and has developed career animation programs in universities and colleges in Canada, Malaysia, China and Mexico.
After gaining experience in the late eighties as an animator in Ottawa and studio director in Germany, Perro co-founded the 2D animation program at Algonquin College in 1990 while working in the animation industry as a storyboard artist (Katie and Orbie), animator (The Ren and Stimpy Show) and character designer (Problem Child). Perro then moved to Vancouver to set up the animation department at Capilano University in 1994. He has coordinated and taught CapU's internationally recognized program ever since.
His students have found work at studios around the world, including Walt Disney, Dreamworks, Pixar, Sony, EA, Aardman and the National Film Board of Canada. Perro continues to work in the industry whenever possible, as an animator, storyboard artist and consultant on 2D production pipelines for studios including DHX Media, Bardel Entertainment, Slap Happy Cartoons and the National Film Board of Canada. He is a beta tester for TVPaint Development (France) and has given workshops at animation schools across North America, including UCLA's Animation Workshop, University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts and Cal State Long Beach. Perro has been instrumental in the development of an animation industry in Jamaica, working with the government of Jamaica and The World Bank since 2013 to train animation instructors at the secondary and post-secondary levels.
Perro firmly believes that highly skilled artists are the raw material that will attract industry. He serves on the advisory board of Jamaica's University of Technology, B.Sc. program, Animation Production & Development.
I wanted to be an animation teacher ever since I was an animation student. My four years learning animation were so much fun that I never wanted to graduate and leave. I formed a ten year plan to gain the industry experience that would enable me to return to the classroom and remain in that exciting environment forever!
Showing students how to bring believable, appealing characters to life, helping them develop their artistic skills and coaching them to successful careers isn't a job as much as it is a vocation. Seeing my graduates find jobs, earn income, buy homes and raise families while working in one of the most demanding and competitive careers around is truly rewarding.
Employee Recognition Award, Capilano University, 2018.
Lower Saxony State Scholarship for Young Artists, Film Category (DM 5000 and exhibition of work in the Goslar Museum of Modern Art, Germany), Nachwuchsstipendium, 1987.