In contrast to the previous night’s bustling, raucous opening party, the poolside cabana rooms of the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel were eerily quiet on Thursday, the following morning, almost like the ghost town left after the local gold mine was abandoned. The liquor had flowed the night before as exuberant partygoers had chased each other around the pool with Nickelodeon-supplied squirt guns. Members of several companies had even participated in an aquatic duel, the synchronized swimming contest. Yet today, as many slept late and some nursed hangovers, few people looked to be so active. It was the first day of the two-day Career Expo segment of the World Animation Celebration (a.k.a. WACFest), which took place from August 7th through 12th. Many aspiring animators and a few writers had come to sell their skills to representatives of the animation industry. Yet few production companies were hiring or buying…
Get the whole story in part two of THE WORLD ANIMATION CELEBRATION: TOON BIZ BRAVES INDUSTRY SLOWDOWN>>>
