Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Breanna Carpico. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Breanna, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?
Resilience has been one of the most important skills I have developed in my career. At its core, my resilience is rooted in failure and a deep desire to learn. My journey as an artist began while I was studying digital media at a small community college in my hometown. The curriculum included only one animation class, where we made a Lego stop-motion film. It was simple, but watching those little plastic figures jump across the screen and take on a life of their own completely fascinated me.
After graduating, I reached out to my animation professor and told him I wanted to pursue animation, asking what steps I should take. His response was filled with concern. He explained that it would be very difficult to succeed in the industry—that there were very few jobs, and those that did exist were so competitive it would be nearly impossible to break in without attending a private art school. That moment lit a fire in me. He was right—it has been hard. But perhaps because I am a bit stubborn and deeply determined, I wanted to prove that it was possible.
At the time, I remember thinking, if this is what I am going to do for the rest of my life, then why would I compromise? No matter how long it took. It felt that simple to make the decision to pack up my bags and move cross-country to California to follow that dream.
Over the years, I have had many failures. When I first arrived at school to study animation, I felt far behind my classmates. I had never truly drawn a figure before, let alone one in motion. Still, I knew I was a storyteller, and I knew animation was where I belonged. It took years before my hand could finally catch up to what stories my heart wanted to tell. And with every scrapped drawing, failed story sequence, and rejection letter, I learned a little something that led me to the next step in my journey. Gradually many failures turned into little moments of success and I celebrate those like I hit the lottery.
That resilience, built steadily over time, ultimately inspiring me to carve my own path and co-found Tiny Planet Productions—an indie animation studio dedicated to preserving traditional 2D animation and telling stories that celebrate compassion and empathy.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
Growing up in a very small town in upstate NY I was always a very imaginative kid with a fascination for storytelling and animation but I had a hard time finding resouces to learn more about it. Eventually that hunger to learn lead to a move across the country to attend school for animation at California State University Fullerton. While attending school I fell in love with storyboarding and writing short films. After graduating I was able to work as a story intern on the game Quarterstaff by Generic Lake Monster. This internship was a dream opportunity—I was able to storyboard the entire intro and ending cutscenes of the game. When I was later kept on as a production artist, I also had the chance to be involved in every step of the animation pipeline. By the time the game was complete I had learned an incredible amount. Since then, my career has evolved from storyboarding into children’s book illustration, producing animated commercials for marketing, and creating concept art for immersive art installations. But my favorite role by far has to be as creative director at my studio Tiny Planet Productions.
After working with such amazing people at Generic Lake Monster my colleague Eddie Garcia and I were seeking a community of creatives that loved 2d animation as much as we did. Together we created Tiny Planet Productions. An independent animation studio dedicated to crafting hand drawn 2-d animated films that tell stories celebrating compassion and empathy. Our first film Puddles is currently in production and we can’t wait to share it with you all.
The story of Puddles was born in the quiet, exhausted hours of my life as an animation student, when dreams were vivid but my body was running on empty. At the time, I was juggling the relentless demands of full-time school and a full-time job. Most nights, I would come home too tired to function, sometimes collapsing on the bed still in my work uniform, too drained to even untie my shoes.
But I wasn’t alone in all of this. My partner became my anchor and the quiet strength who held me together when I was falling apart. He would gently coax me out of my exhaustion. Not only cheering me on while I chased my dreams but feeding me, caring for me and “rolling” me back into shape each night so I could face another day. That small, nightly ritual became our lifeline, an unspoken act that held our world together.
But over time, I began to see the cracks in my partner too. I realized he was carrying more than his own weight, he was carrying mine as well. I saw the toll it took, how his light was flickering under the pressure of being everything for someone who had nothing left to give.
Puddles is a story about care, burnout, and the quiet heroism of love. As the story began to develop on paper it became a visual poem to those who hold us up and a gentle reminder to notice when they begin to sink. This film was my way of saying thank you, and I see you to him, and to everyone who’s ever loved someone through hard times.
In June New York State awarded Puddles the Arts Thrive and Grow Grant which we are incredibly grateful for and has been crucial in solidifying our studio. This project is not only meaningful to me because I wrote and am directing it but because we have built the most amazing community of creatives and kind people at our studio and I am so excited for what the future has in store for us!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
I think three qualities that have served me in my career are empathy, curiosity, and initiative. I think all three of these things go hand in hand, but leading with kindness and empathy throughout my journey has really gotten me far.
For a while, I felt like being a softer and empathetic person was a weakness of mine—something I would need to bottle up to succeed in my career. But as I have gotten older, I have realized my empathy is a superpower. Being able to see a situation from someone else’s perspective is what has made me a strong leader and business owner. As an artist, I also pull so much inspiration from the understanding and lessons I am constantly learning from others. This narrative of emotional understanding is something that drives my work and what led me to write Puddles. So my advice to younger artists is: it’s okay to be kind and vulnerable, it’s okay to feel all the feelings you have. Please don’t hide yourself—just channel your empathy. Lead with it, and it will shine through your work.
As for curiosity and initiative, these two things work in tandem. I can’t count the number of times I’ve come across a film, sculpture, or opportunity—online or in life—that sparked my curiosity. Wanting to know who made it and how, I’ll reach out with a cold message on Instagram, LinkedIn, or email to anyone involved, and more often than not, people are incredibly generous in sharing their work and process. This has led me to so many amazing relationships and dream jobs you would not believe. Putting yourself in front of opportunities, even if you don’t feel “good enough” or ready, is so important. You never know what you are going to learn or where it might lead you!
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
At Tiny Planet Productions, we’re always excited to explore new collaborations and welcome passionate artists to our growing team. We founded Tiny Planet out of a deep love for traditional 2D animation—an art form that’s becoming increasingly difficult to both access and study in the U.S.
We’re committed to building a supportive creative community where artists can share knowledge and craft beautiful, compelling stories together. Over the past year, our team has grown rapidly, and we were proud to partner with Kati Angelov at Cypress College to host interns this past fall. We’ve also collaborated within our local community, creating a six-minute animated piece in partnership with local musicians and the Saratoga Library.
If you’re a good human with a passion for 2D animation, character design, or background design, we’d love to hear from you. And if you’re looking to bring an animated project to life, we’d be excited to collaborate! Please apply through our website at www.tinyplanetproductions.com or email us at [email protected].
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Www.tinyplanetproductions.com
- Instagram: tinyplanetllc, bredoesart
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/breanna-carpico
- Other: https://Www.bredoesart.com
Image Credits
Henry Nguyen
Kayla Alcaraz
Ylan Ha
Eddie Garcia
Breanna Carpico
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
