“Max the Mutt, as a school of art, has a keen understanding about the level of skill that top entertainment outlets look for in creative talents. As an Art Director, I’ve personally been impressed with the quality of artists we have hired over the years who have graduated from Max the Mutt. Making AAA games is one of the most challenging visual mediums and is one of the most competitive markets. It makes me proud to have worked personally with these graduates whose inputs have met high demands and helped shape the games we shipped.”

– Patrick Ingoldsby –
Art Director, Ubisoft Toronto

Dan Milligan had this to say about Maxine Schacker, Co-director of Max the Mutt College of Animation, Art & Design, and the College:

“You and your school are always my first recommend when I talk to young artists. “

From Blockbuster films, AAA video games, and national Ad Campaigns, Dan’s work has been the first visual touchstone in creating some of entertainment and advertising’s most successful franchises.

“I have had the tremendous pleasure to work with and hire some amazing talent who have graduated and teach at Max the Mutt. As a Recruiter I meet with graduates from all of the programs across Canada and I have always found that the individuals I meet (and hire!) from Max the Mutt are very prepared for the real world of Animation Production. Maxine and Tina are personally invested in the future of all of the students who walk through their doors and that shows in the work ethic they instill in their students and their continued support for their academic and career development. Max the Mutt is always at the top of my list for Campus recruitment.”

“Thinking back over the years I’ve spent in this amazing industry called Animation, I can’t help but reflect upon all the people who stand out in my memory. All the people who made a lasting impression on me. There have been a string of young graduates whom I hired on gut instinct. Many of those young graduates came from Max the Mutt College of Animation, Art & Design.

They would come to work with a special kind of dedication that made them work harder to succeed in a way that really stood out to me. They also have a unique work ethic. That brings that life and culture to the studio environment that is so necessary.

I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know the founders and teachers at Max the Mutt and they remain a big part of my life. Whenever I’m in need, this is my first stop along the way in my search for talented and dedicated young people who are just starting out. I’m always happy to give them an opportunity since I know they have been given an amazing foundation by Max the Mutt.”

Thank you to Maxine Schacker and Tina Seemann for all you do for this industry.

-Sonya Carey-
Producer at Industrial Brothers and Founder of The Animation Lounge

“Pipeline Studios has had great success with finding solid long-term talent at Max The Mutt! Not only do the graduates of Max The Mutt bring a broad range of design sensibilities, but they also bring excellent attitudes, solid work ethic, and commitment to quality! All key ingredients for long term hires! Max the Mutt’s curriculum is wide, covering the spectrum of Illustration, Animation & design techniques, which provide their graduates the skills needed to enter the industry and begin delivering production results!”

“Thank you, Maxine, for your encouragement these past few years I’ve attended Max the Mutt College, but also for starting the school in the first place! You brought together just the right set of people who helped me feel prepared for my career change.”

Dayna Griffiths with Maxine Schacker, Co-Director of Max the Mutt, and Hilary Phillips, Concept Art Program Coordinator

“Brown Bag Films has had tremendous success finding very strong talent from the classes at Max the Mutt. Many of our very successful long-term employees are graduates of the Animation program. When I attend recruitment events I have been very pleased with how the students professionally present their work and themselves. With the staff we have hired from this program have very well honed artistic skills and they are very employment ready when they come into the workplace. These past 2 summers we have been highly successful with hiring students from the Animation program for summer internships. Erik Segriff has joined us for his second summer in a row this year and he is a very valued addition to the team, his teammates and supervisors were thrilled he could join us again this year. We also have Jana Kosanavich joining us this summer as a Rigging Intern. We are very happy to support the Animation Program at Max the Mutt and will continue to have them at the top of our list for Campus recruitment.”
Christine Huot
Recruitment & Resourcing Manager
www.brownbagfilms.com
www.9story.com

from left to right:
Erik Segriff – MTM Animation Intern
Kevin Seto – Recruitment Coordinator
Christine Huot – Recruitment & Resourcing Manager
Jana Kosanavich – MTM Rigging Intern
Ryan Persaud – Recruitment Administrator

“What’s so great about Max the Mutt is the school’s sheer focus on the fundamentals of art and design, and the passion that both students and instructors bring to the table every day.  It’s an environment where you have the opportunity to learn from knowledgeable faculty with real-world industry experience, and where you’re surrounded by like-minded students who are keen on advancing their craft. All in all, it’s a place where you’re easily inspired to produce your best work.”

M.R. Horhager, Director at Industrial Brothers
http://industrialbrothers.com/

“Thank you Maxine,

I owe much of my success to the values I learned at our great school. Hard work, discipline, ‎sticktuitivness, and going through life with an open mind and a smile. You gave me a chance when I was young and lost, my life without this opportunity would be far less full.

The thought of the life I would be living, without this opportunity, makes me shudder inside. I can never thank you enough for giving this country boy a chance to do something more with life.
So thank you.
Max the Mutt’ers are taking this studio over, I sit beside Jason Camacho, Rae Dickey is our Rigging Supervisor, Tracy Squires was our Lead FX Artist up until she had her new born a few days ago. Tess and Keith are here animating, Tabitha is our Lead Background Painter, and the list goes on…

The friends I made at Max have become my dearest…. Max has had a profound affect on my life as a student and far into the future.‎ Thank you again for all you have done for me and my family of mutters. And most of all thank you for teaching me how to draw.

Guru is 250 strong with no end in sight, not sure if you have a Toon Boom Harmony course at Max but we are always on the lookout for great animators (who know Toon Boom).

You and Tina will always have a warm place in my heart.

Thank you for everything, you changed my life.”

Adam Klassen

This email came in response to Director Maxine Schacker’s note of congratulations to Adam on becoming an Animation Director at Guru Studios! Tina Seemann heads up our Animation program. We do teach Toon Boom Harmony, as well as classical, and intensive study of 3D.

snapd Beaches/Danforth newspaper attended Max the Mutt’s 2018 Graduation Ceremony and this is what they had to say about their visit:

“A top ten list of the best animation art and design schools in Canada lists Max the Mutt College of Animation, Art & Design for Sequential Arts Comic Books and Graphic Novels at number three. Given the incredible amount of talent this school nurtures and produces on a yearly basis, it is something of a surprise it didn’t go one or two notches higher.
Another reason for that surprise placing is that for the second year in a row, a Max student, an incredibly gifted and artistic young man by the name of Dhenzel Obeng has won the top prize at the annual Ubisoft Toronto NXT showcase.
You may not know it but this is an extremely big deal in the art world. It must have been a very tough call because competition for this prize is fierce.
On Thursday, May 17th at the Max the Mutt College of animation, art and design, a graduation ceremony was held for Dhenzel and about twenty three of his fellow classmates – equally talented in their own field who graduated from three different programs.
The warmth, humility and friendliness of those who graduated is in every way equal to their talent. Looking at the quality of the art work that was on display from many of the students, it is in part due to the fact that artists are nurtured and motivated by women such as Max owner Maxine Schacker, Tina Seemann, co-director of the school, and Hilary Phillips who takes care of story development.
These proud young graduates have a great future ahead of them thanks to their time at Max.”

snapd Beaches/Danforth on Facebook

“Max the Mutt is  one of the leading illustration and design schools in Canada. I’m impressed with the quality and range of skills of the students and staff. Max the Mutt can say that their instruction is done by  talented staff with current skills for our changing market.”

Garfield Ingram
Creative Director,
MI Concept Design

Saar Bodman spoke, in an interview about the stress Max the Mutt places on professionalism and how important that has been to his success.
Saar said, “My time at Max the Mutt was very important to me as a person and an artist.”

Saar graduated in 2012 from the Concept Art for Animation and Video Games Diploma Program. He began as Assistant Art Director at Corus/Nelvana immediately after graduation, and was still at that job when interviewed in 2014. After deciding that he wanted to do more actual designing, he had joined forces with Robyn Lau  (a Concept Art MTM 2013 Alumni) and Jake Kalbehnn (a Concept Art MTM 2012 Alumni) to launch their own business. 

As of 2015, Saar Bodman has been working as an artist for This Game Studio.

“From the time Keyframe Digital Productions opened our studio doors back in 1997, we have turned to Max the Mutt time and time again for top animation talent, and we have never been disappointed with the quality of its graduates … obviously, Max the Mutt attracts high caliber artists and trains them into the professionals any studio would want.”

“Max the Mutt is a small, unique private art school specializing in fine art, illustration, graphic novels and animation. The quality of the faculty is exceptional, comprised of many artists and designers with industry experience. The environment reflects a congenial and creative atmosphere that encourages and supports the students and clearly brings out the very best in them. The students’ work is really amazing, inventive and technically brilliant, demonstrating a tremendous amount of enthusiasm and talent. Their work is clearly on a par with the best of the industry and the graduates are all likely to have an tremendous impact on their generation of illustrators and animators.”

“The submissions from Max the Mutt students were well thought out, beautifully drawn, and animated with a strong sense of timing and storytelling. Keep up the good work.”

“I have connected with a fine arts college, (intimate – almost exclusive), which focuses on anatomy, detail, quality of line, gesture, and most of all pride in capturing the essence of the classical style of animation that once made Disney a household name.”

“An open, creative environment where the goals are quality, originality and marketability.”

“I must say that my experience with my very own Max the Mutt intern was a pleasant one. She was both eager to learn, worked great with the team and took criticism like a professional should (but not necessarily how all professionals do). Admittedly I was a little concerned at first, as I am with most students but unlike most students, she adapted very quickly, and soon was creating art that is being used for the base of our next project. A definite hire back.”

Noel Tuazon said, “The focus on fundamentals of drawing at Max the Mutt allowed me to push my work farther than ever before. I credit those classes in life drawing for supplying me with the foundation of my current style. Gesture, structure…. rhythm, its all there.”

Noel is now a prize-winning Graphic Novel Illustrator, “Elk’s Run”, Villard/Random House Books.

Books by Noel Tuazon

“I wanted to thank you for your recommendation of students for our Animation Internship search a few months back. Being a Max the Mutt Alumnus myself, I had no doubt that any Max graduate would be able to offer both a professional and positive contribution to our team. As a result, I am pleased to tell you that as of next week, both of our Max the Mutt grads are starting here full time.

Again thank you for your past recommendations. We couldn’t be happier to have our new additions from Max as part of our full time team.”

Denis Bejtic: “Great Staff. The teachers definitely provide a lot of opportunities for growth… you get to meet and talk to professionals.”

“ If you want to make something worthwhile, if you want to get some skill so you can actually work and make something you think is beautiful… come to this school. It’s a fantastic place.”

From Andrew Kwan: “You are really getting what you paid for, and honestly it is the best work I have seen from people in school and my age. I chose Max the Mutt – and I know this sounds cheesy – but it felt like home. I felt that a lot of the other schools, felt big and intimidating and felt like a factory because you have those big classes and you don’t get the personalization that you get with the small classes at Max the Mutt. It’s about the intimate, personal connectivity you get with instructors.”

Damjan Lazic said, “It was great. It was exactly what I was hoping to do. I came here especially to learn traditional stuff so I can apply it to my digital paintings and it helped me immensely… The teachers are very helpful. Whenever someone has a problem or asking questions… they will always be there. Well, as much as I hate to admit it but first year which was the hardest it taught me the most to see the world differently as an artist. It helped shape me as a person.”