Rajen Ramkallawan

Hello everyone, My Name is Rajendra Ramkallawan. I am a story artist currently working at Netflix Feature Animation, a teacher at BrainStorm Online, and a personal Mentor to aspiring story artists. I have been working in Hollywood for about 2 years but unlike many story artists in the industry, I did not go the traditional route through animation college.

Image: top left: Rajendra is less than one-year-old. Bottom left: 7 years old, Middle 26 years old. Far-right 30 years old

I grew up in the small twin island republic of Trinidad and Tobago which is in the Caribbean. There won't any animation schools in my country at the time and I could not afford to go to school in North America. Most of my education came from reading, learning online, and practicing. I failed many times and received many rejection letters on my journey but I learned many things along the way. It took me about 7 years to break into the animation industry after college. It was a long and hard road but I believe my time came when it should have. 

Image: Articles from the local Trinidad and Tobago papers interviewing me after I got my job at Netflix

I started teaching about 3 years ago because I realized that there would be people just like me who can't afford to go to animation school because of their personal situations. I wanted to make it easier for the younger generation to have access to the education I now have.

Image: Teaching storyboarding at Brainstorm online

I believe I have a lot to share with you because I have failed more than most people and I can show you what to avoid, how to improve, and what you need to do exactly to make your dreams a reality just like I did.

I hope you will allow me to help you on your artistic journey.

Rajendra Ramkallawan