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Matt Groening Endowed Chair in Animation at UCLA TFT


In January 2012, Matt Groening, the award-winning creator of Fox’s The Simpsons, pledged $500,000 to the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television to create the Matt Groening Endowed Chair in Animation at UCLA TFT. The endowment enables the animation program to bring master artists and working professionals with wide-ranging expertise to work with UCLA TFT students, some of whom would not normally be available in the animation curriculum.



Fellowship Recipients 2021-22

Jessica Asuelime, Paths
Tyler Comeau, Emma and the Talent Show
Rachel Cooley, Boxed Out
Ashton Holmes, Ecotone
Xiangning (Crystal) Jie, How to Make Moon Cakes
Kayla Keener, Eden
Forouzan Safari, A Lunar Détente
Liddy Salter, Winter in a Day
Marc Sanchez, A Pavo, A Niño and Some Bones
Matthew Sheehan, Sally Chooses Adventure
Willy Tseng, ATM
Alexandra Voutsinas, Surviving Staten Island
Cheyenne Woodward, Baby Teeth

Fellowship Recipients 2020-21

Olivia Baylor, Special Delivery
Rachel Cooley, Cosmic Cooking
Xiangning (Crystal) Jie, Sirius
Kayla Keener, Hunting Rabbits
Ashton Kellman-Holmes, Cayenne
Lydiesther Portilla, Premonition
Liddy Salter, Oliver
Marc Sanchez, Sombras
Lorena Santos, Self-Compassion
Matthew Sheehan, Bird’s Eye View
Willy Tseng, Elephant in the Room
Monique Tudon, Life After Death
Demetrios Tzamaras, Back Alley Brawl
Alexandra Voutsinas, Understanding
Justin Vu, Solstice
Huamin (Tina) Wen, Homecoming

Fellowship Recipients 2019-20

Kimberly Acosta, Upstream
Olivia Baylor, Representation Matters
Audrey Hector, Petting Zoo
Yue (Rose) Huang, Immortal
Ysabel (Congying) Li, The Blue Monster
Kat Roch, Lupa (Rome)
Liddy Salter, Hope is the Thing with Feathers
Matt Sheeha, Snatch
Benjamin Tomimatsu, Gaman
Emmy Trueswell, Catastrophize
Demetrios Tzamaras, Bucket Hat
Alexis Wong, Bane of the Beasts
Donald Yoakam, Fwendship
Jingyu (Jane) Zhang, Pickled

Fellowship Recipients 2018-19

Kimberly Acosta, Moving
Jacqueline C.S. Barnes, Herald of Blue
Sidney Deng, See You, Nai Nai
Z Hao, Rewind
Yue (Rose) Huang, Anna's Delivery
Ysabel Li, Heal
CiCi Liao, Up?
Chelsea Lindsay, Galaxy Girls
Stephanie Mercado, Petals
Ami Murong, Illumina
Dustin Romero, Is That You, Joe?
Emily Trueswell, Mishka and the Weeping Eye
Jutin Vu, Phantoms
Alexis Wong, Lucky

Fellowship Recipients 2017-18

Connor Bland, FlyTrap
Yue (Rose) Huang, The Missing Ingredient
Congying (Ysabellee) Li, Secret
Sidney Deng, Lotus
Stephanie Mercado, Rata Voladora
Mi (Ami) Murong, Daydream
Laura Norris, The Summoning
Mia Resella, Lens
Katherine (Kat) Roche, Beheaded
Dustin Romero, Abraca-Broken
Will Rowe, Shoot the Moon
Jay Shipman, Ace
Vy Tran, Lucky
Lele (Le) Urvashi, H A I R
Alexis Wong, Reincarnation
Shirley Zhou, Bounty

Fellowship Recipients 2016-17

Zia Adsit-Metts, Gracie and Ruby
Jacqueline Barnes, The Blackest Lily
Connor Bland, Immersion
Sidney Deng, Into the Shadow
Evan English, Quiet Please
Diana Gateno, One Giant Leap
Stephanie James, Shift
Heather Langley, Among the Stars
CC Liao, The Flower and the Gun
Julia Meng, A Stop Along the Road
Laura Norris, The Summoning
Daniel Olivas, Scary Go Round
Natalie Powell, Nova and the Hidden Dawn
Jay Shipman, The Lineman
Michael Tran, Mr. Big Head
Shirley Zhou, On My Mind

Fellowship Recipients 2015-16

Gregory Chen, The Last Kamila Doll
Stephanie James, The Journey
Logan Knight, Quark
Bijiao Liu, Gluttonous Snake
Hailey Marshall, The Pushover
Julia Meng and Ferus Heather Langley, Another Orphan
Thu Vu Kim Nguyen, General Dupont Doing Laundry
Daniel Olivas, Billy's Crow
Heather Paul and Nano Ibi Diaz, The Immortal Turtle
Natalie Powell, Home
Mia Resella, Coyote (and the New Beginning)
Jay Shipman, One Last Encore
Michael Tran, The Old Man and the Nose
Julian Truilt, The Shepherd

Fellowship Recipients 2014-15

Zia Adsit-Metts, Blackbird
Tenaya Anue, Carnival
Gregory Chen, Jibi
Andre Gerner, Treemaker
Sam Grinberg, Banished
Ben Haist, Nightlight
Daniela Hoyos, Venus
Kate Isenberg, Dear Death
Yoomi Kim, Reflex Camera
Logan Knight, Flytrap
Lauren Krieger, Red + Blue
Heather Langley, Tree Hugger
Fan Liang, Space Travel
Thu Vu Kim Nguyen, Hot Chocolate
Daniel Olivas, Morose
Heather Paul, Hunt
Kara Reddy, Idea Farm
Mia Resella, Shadow
Tyler Rice, Taco Terror
Graciela Sarabia, Carrot & Pickle
Julian Truitt, Return
Zehao Xue, Alvin the Ant

Fellowship Recipients 2013-14

Chloe Booher, Goong Goong
Heather Collins, The Walker
Ben Haist, Cat Lady
Kate Isenberg, Heads or Tails
Rami Kim, The Dress
Fan Liang, Light and Life
Kirsten Murphy, Having a Ball
Heather Paul, Breakfast
Tyler Rice, The Awesome Amazing Hour of Walt the Walnut
Yangzi She, Eggplant
Joe Statom, Backseat Full of Weird
Jing Wang, The Fall of Last Leaf
Zehao Xue, Currency Affairs
Seung Yoon, Helping Hand

Fellowship Recipients 2012-13

Heather Collins, Potty Time
Stacey Eduarte, Waffle
Valerie Giuili, When Trees Attack
Danielle Heitmuller, Lantern
Arem Kim, Felicia
Jacqueline Marion, Maccupation
Kartika Mediani, Sight
Latoya Raveneau, Stepped On
Alex Wong, Horsepower

Fellowship Recipients 2011-12

Po Chou Chi,Recover
Ariel Goldberg, Terror in a Three-Piece Suit
Danielle M. Heitmuller, Rainy Day Ducks
Jessica Hokanson, Adventures of Bugsy McKay
Arem Ki, Today's Headline
Rami Kim, Rietokki
Vivian Lee, Baseball Boogie
Yangzi She, To the Fairest
Jing Wang, The Secret of the Wardrobe
Alex Wong, Family
Henry Zhang, The Last Snowcap

Fellowship Recipients 2009-10

Chris Anderson and Ariel Goldberg, It's What's for Dinner
Alexis Block, Toppers
Debra Chow, Til Death Do Us Part
Mary J. Lai, Velo Hoot
Sijia Luo, Mr. Earthworm
Erick Oh, Heart