John Coven has been appointed Director of GOBELINS' animation department

John Coven will share his more than 30 years of experience in the animation industry and a new ambition for GOBELINS: "I want not only to help maintain the GOBELINS’ place as the world’s leading animation school, but also to help it become, quite simply, one of the world’s great schools of cinematic storytelling". John Coven is a renowned storyboard artist who has worked with some of Hollywood’s greatest directors: Steven Spielberg, Tim Burton, Jon Favreau and Ben Stiller.

His credits include: The Lion King, The Little Mermaid, Logan, Jurassic World, Capitan America, Civil War, Small Foot, Wolverine, X-Men and Usual Suspects… His short films have been screened as official selections in film festivals around the world, including at the Deauville American Film Festival, and have been broadcast across North America on PBS and on the Canadian Broadcast Corporation. As an author/illustrator, his children’s books have been published by Gallimard and his comics have appeared in Spirou and Fluide Glacial.

John Coven is an American and also a great Francophile. He has a Bachelor of Science from the College of William and Mary and a diploma in illustration from the School of Decorative Arts of Strasbourg. He has taught filmmaking and storyboarding in schools such as The Animation Workshop, The Art Center College of Design, The Otis College of Art and Design, and at GOBELINS.

“I am very happy with the arrival of John Coven, which marks a turning point in our Animation Department. He will be entrusted with two strategic missions; the development of a storytelling program, and fundraising activity with American animation studios in order to support our equal opportunities program and the development of our 100% online offer ”, says Nathalie Berriat, Managing Director at GOBELINS.

In terms of teaching, he will strengthen the possibility of experimentation offered to our young talents: “As soon as I set foot on the GOBELINS campus in Saint-Marcel, I fell in love with the place. The classrooms and hallways vibrate with the excitement of creations coming to life! Great drawing skills, as well as a keen understanding of movement and animation, will always be the foundation of the education at GOBELINS. However, the school must remain up to date with the new technologies and animation software used by the studios that will hire our students. GOBELINS has to offer students the opportunity to experiment with these new tools. I will also try to put at their disposal technologies such as Motion capture and environments generated by game engines and integrate them into the curriculum.”