Episodes

  • 22: Getting Through It with Natalia Poteryakhin

    22: Getting Through It with Natalia Poteryakhin
    Jan 20 2026
    Episode 22 is a lucky one with director Natalia Poteryakhin, sharing anecdotes of endurance, logging off, and blind faith, bolstering her animation career. Further blessing this episode is the appearance of the podcast's non-human guest Zoe Lombardi-Bello. Watch on video on Youtube or Spotify! Sunny Side Down is a sci-fi parody series where existential dread is served hot with a side of 90’s nostalgia. Just beyond the event horizon of a supermassive black hole floats a tiny diner, frozen in time. Every super short episode drops in on whichever weird alien just got pulled into the black hole’s grasp, cutting between their arrival and off-the-wall conversations with the diner’s cryptic cook, Yabba, about what actually lies beyond. There is no way back. You either stay at the diner forever, or risk passing through the hole. Think Spaceballs-level absurdity meets Cheers-style diner regulars, filtered through a radical 90’s sci-fi lens. Expect visual gags, fast setups, and parody riffs on classics like Men in Black, Terminator 2, The Matrix, Starship Troopers, and Contact. This is not hard sci-fi. Physics is optional. Absurdity is mandatory. At the center of it all is Nat, a human waitress and accidental astrophysics prodigy stranded at the diner after a light travel experiment went wrong. She is stubborn, brilliant, snarky, and desperate enough to believe she can build a machine strong enough to escape a black hole. While serving coffee and dodging alien drama, she secretly hoards space junk to engineer her way home to Earth. Running the diner is Yabba, an ancient, chainsmoking, four-armed mentor who has kept this place running for millennia. She is tired. She wants to retire. But her only option is the black hole itself, and she will not go unless someone is ready to take over the diner. Sunny Side Down is not a kids show. Things do not have neat morals. Good behavior is not rewarded. It leans into existential dread, the horror of living in the shadow of a black hole, and the strange comfort of routine in a place you cannot leave. It is purgatory with pancakes. Get your hands on a Camp Snap Camera for $5 off by using my link! https://www.campsnapphoto.com/INDIALOMBARDIBELLO Links to points of discussion: Sunny Side DownNatalia's websiteNatalia's InstagramThe Animator's AnimationsMAKE Originals on YouTubeNice Moves - MNCreator on YouTubeTess Martin on TAFThe Animator's PlaylistAnne Beal on TAFHellavisionThe Animator's FavoritesEmory Allen's websiteAnatola Howard's websiteNicole Otaola on TAFThe Animator's Friend on Instagram The Animator's Friend is hosted by India Lombardi-Bello, an animation educator based in New York City. In this series, India creates a platform where animators get to talk about themselves outside the context of their work. A questionnaire format, inspired by the 24 frames per second of animation, allows for personal, lighthearted, and unexpected conversation. Credits: Recorded, produced, and edited by India Lombardi-BelloBooking assistance from Chris Hollis & Amy StemanDigital marketing assistance from Arnesh KunduMusic by CloutmeyerDesign by Sawyer RipponSpecial thanks: my mom and dad; Kristie Kish; Michael Dondero; Barnaby CatterallAll opinions belong to the guests and do not represent any other individual or entity.
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    1 hr and 34 mins
  • 21: Human Timings with Ugo Bienvenu & Félix de Givry

    21: Human Timings with Ugo Bienvenu & Félix de Givry
    Jan 12 2026

    Conducted my interview with Arco creators Ugo Bienvenu and Félix de Givry ~on twos~ to learn about their penchant for sandwiches as well as gain more insight into the driving forces of their beautiful film. Experience the podcast with video for a change! I prefer you watch on YouTube B) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHBrnoduxTs

    A magical and beautifully animated journey through time, Arco is a dazzling adventure about a 10-year-old boy from a peaceful, distant future who accidentally travels back to the year 2075 and discovers a world in peril. As Arco develops a charming and touching friendship with young girl named Iris, they band together and along with her trusted robot caretaker Mikki, set out on a quest to get Arco home, while the two children may also be the only ones who can save our planet. A wondrous odyssey filled with hope and optimism for our future, Arco is an enchanting fable from breakout filmmaker Ugo Bienvenu, produced by Remembers’ Bienvenu and Felix de Givry, and mountainA’s Natalie Portman and Sophie Mas.

    Oscar voting opens today, so if you are a member of the Academy, I hope you will consider Arco as you cast your ballot.

    Get your hands on a Camp Snap Camera for $5 off by using my link! https://www.campsnapphoto.com/INDIALOMBARDIBELLO

    Links to points of discussion:

    • Arco
    • Ugo Bienvenu on Instagram
    • Félix de Givry on IMDB
    • "Voyage Cromatique" at Metrograph - NYC
    • The Animator's Animations
    • TAF at Annecy 2025
    • Remembers Studio
    • Barnaby Catterall's website
    • The Animator's Favorites
    • CalArts
    • The Animator's Playlist
    • The Animator's Friend on Instagram

    The Animator's Friend is hosted by India Lombardi-Bello, an animation educator based in New York City. In this series, India creates a platform where animators get to talk about themselves outside the context of their work. A questionnaire format, inspired by the 24 frames per second of animation, allows for personal, lighthearted, and unexpected conversation.

    Credits:

    • Recorded, produced, and edited by India Lombardi-Bello
    • Booking assistance from Cori Futrovsky and Kaila Hier
    • Digital marketing assistance from Arnesh Kundu
    • Music by Cloutmeyer
    • Design by Sawyer Rippon
    • Special thanks: my mom and dad; Nikolas Fortune Hagen; Michael Dondero; Ash Suh
    • All opinions expressed by host and guests are their own and do not represent the opinions of anyone else or any entity
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    1 hr and 10 mins
  • 20: Anarchistic & Anti-Capitalistic with Andres Salazar

    20: Anarchistic & Anti-Capitalistic with Andres Salazar
    Jan 8 2026

    The Animator's Friend podcast has been turning into The Animator's Italian-American Friend for some time now, and 3D artist/designer Andres Salazar has made matters worse by getting your host's spaghetti in a knot with some hot takes on Italian cuisine.

    Andres is a Colombian-American designer and 3D artist based in Astoria, New York. His work explores the magic in the mundane, blending photorealistic 3D creations with surrealist visuals to spotlight the beauty of quotidian spaces. He is drawn to procedural software like Houdini and inspired by 20th-century design movements. He lives at the junction of visual effects and design.

    Get your hands on a Camp Snap Camera for $5 off by using my link! https://www.campsnapphoto.com/INDIALOMBARDIBELLO

    Links to points of discussion:

    • Andres Salazar's website
    • Andres Salazar's Instagram
    • Josh Pilch's RHCP parody song
    • Josh Pilch on TAF
    • DCOY Studios
    • Camp Snap website
    • Michael Dondero on TAF
    • The Animator's Playlist
    • The Animator's Favorites
    • Beacon's Closet
    • Crossroads Trading
    • Massawa - NYC
    • Spicy Village - NYC
    • TikTok of guys trying out new cuisines in NYC
    • Chris Rutledge's website
    • Ehsan Parizi on Instagram
    • Joseph Toreki's website
    • XK Studio
    • Future Deluxe Studio
    • Papel de Punto
    • Jasper Lin on TAF
    • Wenyi Zhang's website
    • The Animator's Animations
    • Ars Electronica - Austria
    • Brand New School
    • Jimena Martinez's website
    • The Animator's Friend on Instagram

    The Animator's Friend is hosted by India Lombardi-Bello, an animation educator based in New York City. In this series, India creates a platform where animators get to talk about themselves outside the context of their work. A questionnaire format, inspired by the 24 frames per second of animation, allows for personal, lighthearted, and unexpected conversation.

    Credits:

    • Recorded, produced, and edited by India Lombardi-Bello
    • Digital marketing assistance from Arnesh Kundu
    • Music by Josh Pilch (the song is parody and should be enjoyed as such) and Cloutmeyer
    • Design by Sawyer Rippon
    • Special thanks: Andres & Jimena for hosting me; my mom & dad; Darren Santa Maria; Malt Adult
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    1 hr and 42 mins
  • 19: Zero Stars for Patriarchy with Tess Martin

    19: Zero Stars for Patriarchy with Tess Martin
    Dec 20 2025
    I enjoyed chatting with fellow Beatles freak Tess Martin about our other shared fixation: The Netherlands. What business does their coffee have being so good? How easy is it to be a working artist there? Is the countryside really like those old Dutch paintings? Find out within. Tess Martin is a film and visual artist based in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. She brings her perspective as someone who was raised between cultures to exploring themes of belonging, identity and connection. Her short films, videos and installations address our vulnerability: in relation to nature, the onslaught of time and the precariousness of memory. Tess has both a classical fine art and an animation background and these come together in her work: she pushes the conceptual potential of hand-made animation and the narrative potential of site-specific pieces. How Now, House? investigates our yearning to leave traces behind through the prism of one house in Rotterdam. Using archives, personal memories and the philosophy of time, the film questions whether a space can ever really belong to one person, or time period, at all. How Now, House? will be screened at the upcoming London Short Film Festival, Jan 23-Feb 1, 2026. Get your hands on a Camp Snap Camera for $5 off by using my link! https://www.campsnapphoto.com/INDIALOMBARDIBELLO Links to points of discussion: Tess Martin's websiteTess Martin's InstagramThe Holidays at MetrographThe Animator's Friend on InstagramCamp Snap websiteAnimator's Picnic - NYCHow Now, House?1976: Search for LifeThe Animator's AnimationsScience New Wave Festival - NYCAlice Saey's websiteNienke Deutz's websiteKaboom Animation FestivalThe Animator's PlaylistRevolution in the Head by Ian MacDonaldThe Animator's FavoritesLeon & Cocina's websiteAnifilm - Czech RepublicAnimafest Zagreb - CroatiaAnnecy International Animation Festival - FranceArchitecture Film Festival Rotterdam - NetherlandsInternational Film Fest Rotterdam - NetherlandsTurku Animated Film Festival - FinlandAnimateka - SloveniaKristie Kish's websiteBrooklyn Public LibrarySt. Joost School of Art & Design - NetherlandsDok Leipzig - GermanyLondon Short Film Festival - UK The Animator's Friend is hosted by India Lombardi-Bello, an animation educator based in New York City. In this series, India creates a platform where animators get to talk about themselves outside the context of their work. A questionnaire format, inspired by the 24 frames per second of animation, allows for personal, lighthearted, and unexpected conversation. Credits: Recorded, produced, and edited by India Lombardi-BelloBooking assistance from Beth QuittmanDigital marketing assistance from Arnesh KunduMusic by CloutmeyerDesign by Sawyer RipponI thanked an overwhelming amount of people in the recording, so here I'll just thank these linkable entities: Mother's Milk, Commodore II, and Malt Adult.
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    1 hr and 30 mins
  • 18: Another Hobby with Danielle Goldwert

    18: Another Hobby with Danielle Goldwert
    Dec 3 2025

    I learned all about Danielle Goldwert's numorous hobbies and have a feeling I barely scratched the surface! Stop-motion animation is just one of her many interests, which she executes perfectly in her film waterlogged. Hear about how Danielle's creative interests and doctorate research converge.

    In waterlogged, a climate scholar confronts the haunting reality of his research as surreal environmental catastrophes unfold around him, blurring the line between his personal despair and the global human experience. The story explores the psychological toll of inaction, asking whether hope can be found amid the rising tides of collective negligence.

    Danielle is a Ph.D. student in social psychology at NYU, and a member of the Center for Conflict and Cooperation at NYU and the Climate Cognition Lab at Stanford. Her research program integrates social psychological theory with large-scale behavioral science methods to identify, test, and translate effective strategies for motivating collective action on climate change. She addresses a core challenge in social psychology: how to change beliefs and behaviors in politically polarized, emotionally charged, and globally diverse contexts. In her work as an artist, she primarily use portraiture to explore the human condition and my own experiences, while also extending her artistic pursuits into filmmaking.

    Get your hands on a Camp Snap Camera for $5 off by using my link! https://www.campsnapphoto.com/INDIALOMBARDIBELLO

    Links to points of discussion:

    • Danielle Goldwert's website
    • waterlogged's website
    • dgoldwert on Instagram
    • Hudson Valley Film Fest's website
    • Hudson Valley Film Fest on Instagram
    • Hudson Valley Film Fest on FilmFreeway
    • TAF at the Hudson Valley Film Fest
    • TAF Interview with Kristie Kish
    • The Animator's Playlist
    • Akaine Kramarik
    • The Animator's Favorites
    • RiverRun International Film Festival
    • Tribeca Film Festival
    • TIFF
    • Indie Shorts Awards
    • The People's Union Economic Blackouts
    • The Animator's Friend on Instagram
    • The Animator's Animations

    The Animator's Friend is hosted by India Lombardi-Bello, an animation educator based in New York City. In this series, India creates a platform where animators get to talk about themselves outside the context of their work. A questionnaire format, inspired by the 24 frames per second of animation, allows for personal, lighthearted, and unexpected conversation.

    Credits:

    • Recorded, produced, and edited by India Lombardi-Bello
    • Digital marketing assistance from Arnesh Kundu
    • Music by Cloutmeyer
    • Design by Sawyer Rippon
    • Microphones provided by SVA MFA Computer arts
    • Special thanks to Darren Santa Maria; my mom and dad; Michael Dondero; Kristie Kish; Nayon Cho; Hudson Valley Film Fest
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    1 hr and 19 mins
  • 17: The Mastermind Mosquito with Simeon Kondev

    17: The Mastermind Mosquito with Simeon Kondev
    Nov 19 2025

    Between moments of being outsmarted by a mosquito, hear Simeon Kondev expose the metal-head within.

    Simeon is a Bulgarian-American animator whose latest cartoon Society Animals deserves your follow on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.

    Get your hands on a Camp Snap Camera for $5 off by using my link! https://www.campsnapphoto.com/INDIALOMBARDIBELLO

    Links to points of discussion:

    • The Animator's Friend on Instagram
    • University of Kentucky
    • The Animator's Playlist
    • Emily Curran at Buzzfeed
    • Kate Costello's website
    • Emily Zullo's website
    • The Animator's Favorites
    • NPR Morning Edition
    • Ichthus Music Festival - KY
    • Brent Sievers on The Animator's Friend
    • Gooeyduck on YouTube
    • skincrawlies on YouTube
    • Fruit Suit Critters on YouTube
    • The Animator's Animations

    The Animator's Friend is hosted by India Lombardi-Bello, an animation educator based in New York City. In this series, India creates a platform where animators get to talk about themselves outside the context of their work. A questionnaire format, inspired by the 24 frames per second of animation, allows for personal, lighthearted, and unexpected conversation.

    Credits:

    • Recorded, produced, and edited by India Lombardi-Bello
    • Digital marketing assistance from Arnesh Kundu
    • Music by Cloutmeyer
    • Design by Sawyer Rippon
    • Microphones provided by SVA MFA Computer arts
    • Special thanks to Darren Santa Maria; my mom and dad; Miyu Distribution
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    1 hr and 11 mins
  • 16: Croissant Cafe Club with Loick Du Plessis D'Argentre & Simin He

    16: Croissant Cafe Club with Loick Du Plessis D'Argentre & Simin He
    Nov 12 2025

    Preempting their Student Academy Award win for their student film The Shyness of Trees, listen to Loick Du Plessis D'Argentre, Simin He, and me giggle over unexpected animation crushes, rats, and French cliches.

    In the film, Hélène, 40 years old, comes to visit her aging mother in the french countryside. But her mother isn't being her usual self. She seems to have formed a strange bond with the plants, insects, and the old oak tree at the end of her garden...

    Get your hands on a Camp Snap Camera for $10 off by using my link! https://www.campsnapphoto.com/INDIALOMBARDIBELLO

    Links to points of discussion:

    • The Animator's Friend on Instagram
    • The Shyness of Trees on Youtube
    • The Animator's Animations
    • Loick Du Plessis D'Argentre's website
    • Loick Du Plessis D'Argentre's Instagram
    • Simin He on Instagram
    • Gobelins
    • The Animator's Playlist
    • Routard Guide
    • Sables - NYC
    • The Animator's Favorites

    The Animator's Friend is hosted by India Lombardi-Bello, an animation educator based in New York City. In this series, India creates a platform where animators get to talk about themselves outside the context of their work. A questionnaire format, inspired by the 24 frames per second of animation, allows for personal, lighthearted, and unexpected conversation.

    Credits:

    • Recorded, produced, and edited by India Lombardi-Bello
    • Booking assistance from Luce Grosjean at Miyu Distribution
    • Digital marketing assistance from Arnesh Kundu
    • Music by Cloutmeyer
    • Design by Sawyer Rippon
    • Microphones provided by SVA MFA Computer arts
    • Special thanks to my mom and dad; Darren Santa Maria; Sarah Shmidt; Luce Grosjean & Emma Berebbi at Miyu; Lena Greene; Michael Dondero; Kristie Kish
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    1 hr and 22 mins
  • 15: Under the Pergola with Amanda Bonaiuto

    15: Under the Pergola with Amanda Bonaiuto
    Oct 15 2025
    You can find Amanda, me, and her dog Bacca under the pergola, discussing our shared provenance which includes italianess, shyness, and punkness. Her film Confetti is available online for the first time through Director's Notes and her and fellow animator James Thacher have just started their own studio called Magician with a screening coming up at Ridgewood Community Cinema on 11/2/25 at 7pm. Amanda Bonaiuto is an animation director, artist, and assistant professor of Illustration at Parsons School of Design. Her films have screened at film festivals and institutions globally, including Slamdance Film Festival, Annecy International Animation Festival, Ottawa International Animation Festival, Ann Arbor Film Festival, among others. Her work has been recognized by press outlets such as It’s Nice That, The New Yorker, Vimeo, and NPR. She holds an MFA in Experimental Animation from the California Institute of the Arts, and a BFA from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. She offers workshops, mentorship, and animation publications through a collaborative project called Magician Studio. Amanda uses animation to experiment with choreographic movement, relational ruptures, and the ever present tension between bodies and space. Her work examines experiences of turmoil in mundane spaces; the bedroom, the funeral home, the emotional dance created through chains of physical association. She is fascinated by the porousness of lived experience. Her films consider how our environments exert influence as we reciprocally construct our own world. She hosts Animator Picnics in NYC several times a year (one forthcoming in October). Reach out if you’d like to be added to the email list: a.t.bonaiuto@gmail.com Links to points of discussion: Amanda Bonaiuto's InstagramThe Animator's AnimationsCooking classes at EatalyThe Animator's PlaylistThe Animator's Friend on InstagramArt Shack Bedstuy"Material Worlds: Amanda Bonaiuto" by Case Jernigan with EvergreenHaneen Koraz on InstagramThe Animator's FavoritesHedge by Amanda BonaiutoAnibarFest AncaKaboom Animation FestivalGLAS Animation Festival The Animator's Friend is hosted by India Lombardi-Bello, an animation educator based in New York City. In this new series, India creates a platform where animators get to talk about themselves outside the context of their work. A questionnaire format, inspired by the 24 frames per second of animation, allows for lighthearted and unexpected conversation. Credits: Recorded, produced, and edited by India Lombardi-BelloDigital marketing assistance from Arnesh KunduMusic by CloutmeyerDesign by Sawyer RipponMicrophones provided by SVA MFA Computer artsSpecial thanks to my mom and dad; Darren Santa Maria; Jose Vargas; Malt Adult; Lisa LaBracio; Andy London; Anna Samo; Kristie Kish.
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    1 hr and 31 mins