Meet Brian Essig-Peppard

Today we’d like to introduce you to Brian Essig-Peppard.

Brian, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I was always an illustrator, but movies and telling visual narratives was the source of my inspiration. I eventually went to CU Denver and tried out their film program – and hated it. I was grateful to check that off the list and know I (surprisingly) disliked filmmaking before I got too entrenched.

A few years later, a classmate from that film school contacted me out of the blue. He had started making commercials in LA and was doing one for the Honda Fit. Their storyboard artist had dropped out and he knew I had gotten into making comic books since we had gone to film school together so he called me up as a pinch hitter. Since I was taught all the filmmaking skills but didn’t stick around long enough to take on any of the trends, my boards stood out to the production crew. From that commercial, I was brought on to ensuing productions by various parts of the crew that had worked with my boards. I realized how much more collaborative real filmmaking productions were than my college experience, and how welcoming crews are to anyone that just wants to work hard. I tried my best to embrace Steve Martin’s mantra of “be so good they can’t ignore you.” I don’t know if I was ever “so good” but it kept me constantly practicing.

Storyboarding became my meat and potatoes while I transitioned out of having a day job and into full-time freelancing. I actively pushed to broaden my skillset and appeal to the network of collaborators I was building. I started stepping up for roles for things like animating, designing movie posters, prop design, voice acting, and even producing. I lived in LA for a time, but aside from cementing career relationships by working in-person for once, I realized I truly could bring this industry with me wherever I wanted to live. I’m now able to live and work in Denver while designing music videos for the biggest artists in the world, work regularly at an animation studio as a background artist, and take on anything else I can get in the industry.

Today, I regularly collaborate with some of those same crew that were on that first Honda Fit commercial, as well as new trusted partners and creators that have spurred off of that first group over the years. All of our careers have since grown and moved into larger, more exciting, and more complex productions but that collaborative spirit carries through – we know you can bring your dependable crew with you onto a production and you’ll all make each other look good by knocking it out of the park together.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
As a freelancer, the hardest part is emotionally and financially mitigating the “ebb and flow.” Productions famously start and stop all around the same time – every couple of months it’s almost as though everyone calls each other ahead of time to coordinate. Your life becomes feast or famine and it took a long time to not only become comfortable with that fact but also realize I couldn’t make my luck improve by attaching myself to my computer ready to jump on an email for a gig.

The time I lived in LA was also very tough. I’m very fortunate in that I embody a part of the industry that can be completely achieved remotely. I went there with the goal of really committing to the professional relationships I was building and hoping to broaden my network in person. While those goals were achieved, my job was still done remotely and my work still spoke for me far more so than any handshake could. So I ended up in a very expensive city existing in a very solitary way. Living away from my girlfriend (now wife) who lived in Denver and working remotely.. in LA. There were two distinct benefits of living in LA for me – first, those I worked with saw that I was committed. Productions are filled with people from everywhere and LA sucks for everyone equally – you’re in the shit together. Even submerging yourself in that for a time will color your outlook and how you’re appreciated by others in the industry. The second, which is related – I realized I was capable of jumping. I could make the proverbial leap. The thing that’s often misunderstood about that analogy is that it’s unrealistic to “catch the breeze” quickly and soar right after the leap. Instead, you should fully expect to fall screaming and hitting the side of the cliff on the way down. Eventually, you’ll learn to catch the air – and once you do, you join others who know exactly what you experienced and are appreciative that you could join them.

We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
Aside from my individual production and illustration skills, I feel I am known best as a pinch hitter for those I work with. I can be brought on to a production quickly, possibly at the last minute, possibly at a critical point. I know the ropes, and I can be handed a treatment to knock out of the park and quickly get everyone on the same page. Sometimes I’m brought on before a production is even awarded just because we’ll have the ability to take a lukewarm client and get them excited for the collective vision.

With the breadth of experience I’ve had over the years in so many different roles, I’ve begun consulting on pre-production and producing independent films. That’s a cumulative role I’m pretty proud of and it still afford me such varied experiences. I love working with someone else’s vision and guiding them on how to best tee themselves up, where all the little tricks exist (tricks within the narrative, crewing, as well as the production itself) to really make something excellent for as small a budget as possible.

I have two things I am most proud of in my career:

Designing and storyboarding A Tribe Called Quest’s final music video for “A Space Program” with Director Warren Fu. It was once of the first time I got to work with him and we’ve loved collaborating ever since, and I got to be a part of the legendary story of A Tribe Called Quest – a group that has meant so much to me and so many others.

The second thing is having a job working at Toonocracy Animation Studio. Ever since I was little, being an animator was the dream job. I have so many dream jobs kicking around in my head these days but staying true to my younger self and all those people that believed in me that felt great. I did it.

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
As my wife and I continue to plant roots in Denver, I look forward to expanding my current trajectory. Toonocracy Animation Studio is on the cusp of some very big things, and once COVID-19 has less of a grip on international travel, there are a couple of productions I’ll be working on that will take me off to other continents.

I’m also a comic book creator between productions. There are some amazing comic projects that I’m currently working on. I’m especially excited for one I’m creating with Jeff LaGreca, an amazing writer and creator who came up through Upright Citizens Brigade with Tina Fey, Adam McKay, and Amy Poehler.

Denver has also afforded me so much, I feel as though it deserves a true production company. I’ve been mentoring filmmakers here for years and there is so much talent and culture in this city. I would love to personally develop that further and give a platform and access to other local creators, especially in undervalued and underprivileged communities in our city. That’s a big goal of mine.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.brianessigpeppard.com
• Email: b.essig.peppard@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/essigpeppardcreative/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/essigpeppard/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/essigpeppardart
• Other: https://essigpeppard.threadless.com/

Image Credit:
J. Cole “The Dreamer” – Director: Amber Grace Johnson, J. Cole, Paramore “Rose-Colored Boy” – Director: Warren Fu, A Tribe Called Quest “The Space Program” – Director: Warren Fu, Justin Bieber “Yummy” – Director: Nick DeMoura, “Animal World” – Director: Han Yan, “Viva la Revolucion” – Director: Tony Estrada

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