Alumni in Action - Tom Richner '93

Tom Richner '93

For Tom Richner ’93, a career in animation was not always the plan. While helping bring Homer Simpson and the rest of Springfield to life has been a milestone career achievement, Tom never knew that the lessons learned at W. 30th & Lorain would translate years down the road.

Growing up in Richmond Heights, Tom knew about Saint Ignatius from an early age. He remembers knowing the alma mater as early as fifth grade and always had an interest in attending the school, especially because of its swimming program. Friends like Brian Proctor ’93 and Matt Schlessman ‘93 helped connect him to Saint Ignatius before he ever became a Wildcat.

Once at Saint Ignatius, swimming became a major part of Tom’s experience. He spent most of his time training and competing, eventually finishing second at the state meet during both his junior and senior years.

The daily commitment required by the sport taught him lessons that would carry well beyond the pool. “You had a goal in mind, but the reward was months away. You had to prepare every day,” Tom says.

That routine of showing up, putting in the work and preparing for something still far in the future became something Tom continued to rely on throughout college and his professional career.

Several teachers and coaches made an impact on Tom during his four years at Saint Ignatius. Swim coach Mike Lehto was warm and thoughtful, while still knowing when his athletes needed to be challenged. Math teacher Mr. Tom Flandera ‘63 had the ability to make students feel seen and made learning enjoyable.

Tom also remembers his homeroom teacher, Mr. Tom Pasko Hon. ‘96, taking time after class to talk with him about college, his goals and what might come next. One of Tom’s favorite Saint Ignatius memories came during the Sophomore games, when Pasko fully embraced the competition of the arm wrestling contest.

Outside of swimming, Tom also worked on the yearbook. Although his father was an artist, Tom did not spend much time pursuing art seriously while at Saint Ignatius. That would change in college.

Tom decided to attend Denison University, where he continued his swimming career. He initially planned to study biology and organic chemistry before beginning to explore drawing, cinema and animation. By his junior year, Tom made the decision to switch his major to art.

Professor Ron Abram became an important influence, and Tom began doing independent studies in cinema while developing his drawing and filmmaking skills. One of those projects was a short film that eventually became part of his portfolio as he applied to graduate schools. That work helped lead him to UCLA’s graduate film program.

While at UCLA, Tom began working on professional projects during the summers and looking for ways to get into the animation industry. One of the most important lessons he learned during that time was that talent alone was not always enough. You also had to be willing to put yourself in the room and speak up when an opportunity presented itself.

“If I don’t raise my hand, they will never know I’m here,” Tom said. “What’s the worst that can happen?” That mindset eventually helped lead him to The Simpsons.

Tom began working on the show in 1997 as a layout artist. Over time, he gained experience with the animation process, working his way up to timing and eventually storyboarding, which is essentially drawing the roadmap for what the final show will eventually look like.  

Today, Tom works as a storyboard artist with Fox Television Animation.

Once a script is written, Tom is among the first artists to begin putting words into images. He thinks through timing, pacing, staging and how scenes will come together visually before they move further into the animation process. “It’s a really fun and creative part of the process,” he said. Storyboard artists also work with writers to review ideas, make changes and continue shaping the story.

Tom now works remotely from his home in Columbus, but he is quick to point out how valuable his early years of working in-person with others were. The entertainment industry has changed greatly since he first entered it. There are now more television shows, streaming platforms and opportunities for artists, but there are also more people pursuing those same jobs. For Tom, relationships remain an important part of the process.

He encourages young people interested in any career to join groups, get involved, ask questions and spend time around people who are already doing the work they hope to do. “Whatever you do or are excited about, get involved and meet people,” Tom said. “Build genuine relationships and don’t see them as transactional.”

He has seen throughout his own career how often an opportunity begins with someone willing to answer a question, offer advice or make an introduction. Fellow Saint Ignatius alumni in the entertainment industry have provided examples of that for Tom. Matt Monos ‘88 has always responded when Tom reached out, while Mark Hentemann ‘87 once visited one of Tom’s classes while he was teaching and has remained approachable and supportive.

Those experiences have influenced how Tom now thinks about helping younger people entering the industry. “Someone is going to give you help or advice that gets you going,” he said. “As you get older, think about how you can give that back.” Tom has spent plenty of time on both sides of that relationship.

After his first run with The Simpsons, he spent 13 years teaching before eventually returning to the show in 2017. Education remains important to him today, and he has continued teaching at Denison University, including a storyboarding course offered through Denison Edge. Teaching provides Tom with another opportunity to share what he has learned during his career while helping students find their own path into creative work.

His advice is not simply to find something you are good at, but it is to “find something you’re passionate about and take it into different directions that can lead to a great career.”

Just as important, he believes, is the kind of person you are while doing it.

“Being good at something and having a skill is important, but it doesn’t outweigh the person that you are,” he said. “Be positive. Lift people up. Work hard, but it’s about people. People want to have you around.”

Professionally, Tom takes pride in knowing that he has contributed to work that millions of people have seen and that will continue to exist for years to come. Personally, some of his greatest pride comes from his children and watching the people they have become.

Looking ahead, Tom hopes to direct a show someday after gaining experience as an assistant director. He would also like to continue teaching and developing his own creative projects.

More than three decades after graduating from Saint Ignatius, many of the lessons Tom learned as a student remain relevant: Prepare every day, surround yourself with people who push you, build relationships, be willing to change direction when you discover something you care about, and lastly, when an opportunity presents itself - raise your hand.

Check out Tom’s IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1519341/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk&_ssoLoop=1      

 

Check out Tom’s 11 minute short film that has been screened at 19 film festivals around the world, titled ONE.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHfqQCyNgaY