Meet Justin Horn

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Justin Horn a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Justin , really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?

Well, at first, I didn’t know my purpose. I was just a kid. I forgot what grade was, but when the teacher asked the class what we wanted to be when we grew up, I didn’t know, and I doubt the other kids did either. I just started drawing from a young age and I was also self taught. In a weird way, it just came to me. The moment I found my purpose was when I discovered that people made cartoons for a living. I would watch behind the scenes documentaries on some of my favorite animated shows and movies and be so fascinated by the filmmaking process. It was like magic to me and still is to this day. At that point, I knew that’s what I wanted to do. I grew up on cartoons, I love cartoons, and everyone around said I drew pretty well for a young age, so I decided to pursue that.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I’m a storyboard artist with experience working in TV animation. Growing up in Bessemer, Alabama, I was pretty much the outcast of everyone around me. I lived a sad, lonely childhood and it took me years to heal from that. It wasn’t until I attended SCAD was when I found my people who loved animation and felt like I belong. After a year and a half of applying to countless jobs and polishing my portfolio, I finally broke in and got multiple gigs ranging from shows, music videos and mobile games. I was grateful to work for companies like Cartoon Network, Apple TV+., MTV, VH1 and many other properties and artists. Soon after, I moved to Los Angeles where I finally fit in with other creatives like myself. By day, I’m storyboarding on an upcoming preschool show called Dream Cats, and by night, I’m writing and illustrating my own graphic novel which will hopefully be released soon. I’ll keep details a secret for now, but it’s huge and has been years in the making. Long story short, I’m grinding. lol.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

I would say persistance, variety, and believing in yourself. In term of variety, I like telling stories in most genres, whether it’s a comedy, action, or horror with a little sprinkle of heart. I grew up watching so many movies and shows that inspired me to follow the path I’m in today. if I had to give advice, I would say believe in yourself. If you don’t, then no one else will. If there’s a certain field you want to break into, do your research, take classes, and find the people with the same interests as you and stick with them.

How can folks who want to work with you connect?

Sure! I’m always open to meeting other creatives and making new friends. If anyone wants to collab, email me at [email protected] or DM and follow me @itshottyroddy on Instagram. I’m also everywhere else like X, Bluesky, Threads, LinkedIn, you name it. I’m everywhere. As a matter of fact, I’m right behind you.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://hottyroddy.wixsite.com/mysite
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ItsHottyRoddy/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-horn-567a1199/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/ItsHottyRoddy