UMBC's Center for Innovation, Research, and Creativity in the Arts (CIRCA) welcomes Miguel Jiron, director at Sony Pictures Animation! Jiron will host a story development workshop for UMBC students on Friday, October 18 and a public artist’s talk at the Sweaty Eyeballs Animation Festival in Baltimore on Saturday, October 19.

On Friday, join Miguel Jiron, a head of story on Spider-man: Across the Spider-verse, for a masterclass on storyboarding and story development. Jiron will share story pitches, outlining the progression from initial ideas to final animation. A live pitch and feedback session of selected UMBC student projects will follow. Refreshments will be provided.

Miguel Jiron is a Nicaraguan American director at Sony Pictures Animation. Most recently he worked as a Head of Story on “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” the sequel to the Academy Award-winning “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” on which he was a story artist. Additionally, Jiron wrote and directed an original short titled “Spider-Ham: Caught in a Ham” for the home entertainment release of “Into the Spider-Verse”. Jiron has also worked as a storyboard artist on several other feature films.

Jiron has directed and written several animated shorts, which have screened at film festivals around the world including SXSW, Toronto International Film Festival, Annecy International Animated Film Festival and Ottawa International Animated FIlm Festival. In 2015, Jiron was named one of Variety’s Top Animators to Watch, and in 2018, one of Animation Magazine’s Rising Stars.

Prior to his work in animation Jiron was a painter for artist Takashi Murakami. He was born in Baton Rouge, LA and holds a BA from Northwestern University and MFA from USC.

Admission is free, but space is limited. Please check CIRCA’s page for this event to reserve a place.