Nicholas Santangelo

Animating science: Nick Santangelo

School/College: School of Theater, Film, and Media Arts
Degree/Year: BA, film and media arts, 2019
Hometown: Exton, Pennsylvania
Current Job Title: Animator
Current Employer: Temple University College of Science and Technology

How does a car work? What’s a fossil? Why’d the power go out? For anyone with young children, a never-ending parade of such questions will ring all too familiar. Nick Santangelo, TFM ’19, has you covered. As lead animator for Temple’s College of Science and Technology’s FunScienceToons series, Nick makes engaging cartoons explaining everyday scientific phenomena to children across the world.

“Growing up I had social anxiety. There wasn’t anyone really like me, but I knew they were out there because I saw the movies they made. It took me 20 years to find that energy, but I did. I found people giving off the same creative energy.”

—Nick Santangelo
Animator

Nick Santangelo smiling in front of the FunScienceToons title screen.

Nerding out. Growing up near Downingtown, Pennsylvania, Nick was a self-described “nerd” who loved Star Wars and Pixar films and dreamed of one day creating such imaginative worlds himself. After starting higher education at Delaware County Community College, Nick transferred to Temple to pursue animation, attracted by the School of Theater, Film and Media Arts’ Los Angeles Study Away program, which places students right in the heart of Hollywood for a full semester.

Nick found inspiration right away at Temple when adjunct professor Christian Strevy allowed his first-year students to explore their creative interests and Nick dug into professional animation software for the first time. Later, former professor Chaim Bianco, TFM ’93, helped Nick up his game by introducing him to 3D animation. “Sometimes I’d be up all night, rendering spaceships warping through space,” Nick recalls.

Nick Santangelo smiling in front of the Season 1 title screen.

collage of animations by Nick Santangelo.

Nick Santangelo making a silly face in front of one of his animations.

Finding acceptance. Nick also credits Temple’s diverse student body and understanding faculty for helping him on a personal journey. Sometimes bullied as a child, Nick not only found kindred creative spirits in the film and media arts program but felt supported as he figured out his LGBTQ+ orientation and an autism diagnosis.

Away in L.A. Nick made the most of his time in the City of Angels, cold-calling an experienced freelance animator and YouTuber, Sir Wade Neistadt, who took him under his wing. Nick tagged along with Neistadt as he taught animation classes at major production studios like Pixar and DreamWorks, developing both new techniques and professional contacts.

As a professional animator, Nick now has reached millions of viewers through the FunScienceToons series, which also counts nearly 200,000 subscribers on YouTube, rarified air for the platform. On the side, he continues to take advanced animation courses online while freelance animating and building his portfolio, with an ambition to return to Hollywood professionally.