We were lucky to catch up with Ralph Miranda recently and have shared our conversation below.
Ralph, thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts with us today. We’re excited to dive into your story and your work, but first let’s start with a broader topic that might be stopping many of our readers from pursuing their dreams – haters, nay-sayers, etc. How have you managed to persist despite haters and nay-sayers that inevitably follow folks who are doing something unique, special or off the beaten path?
“You’re a bum, Rocky!” Those are the immortal words Mickey Goldmill yells at his fighter, Rocky Balboa, over the course of multiple Rocky films. Though Mickey’s words come from a side of affection, other characters really mean it when they insult Rocky: Apollo Creed, Clubber Lang, and the monosyllabic Ivan Drago. These characters do not expect much from Rocky, and they remind him how little they think of him, but it doesn’t bother him. He has his corner behind him and he believes in himself. These are the ideals I try to imitate. Over the years I’ve spent developing my art skills, many people have let me know I’m not good enough, not talented enough, not fast enough, and not interesting enough. I’ve been told that my drawings are a waste of time, amateurish, and uninspired. I’ve taken my share of mental beatings, like Rocky, but I find the will to persist. In fact, the “nay-sayers and haters” motivate me. It pushes me hard to succeed, to prove myself right and them wrong. I feel like I’m in a competition and I don’t want them to beat me. Rocky was never really alone in the ring, he had his corner cheering him on, and I do too.
The best thing you can have to defeat the nay-sayers is to have family and friends who support you. People will always reject you and put you down, sometimes they don’t subjectively like your work, or sometimes they hate your work just for the joy they find in putting others down. The internet is full of trolls, as I think we’ve all noticed. Yet, if you find people who support you and whose opinion you value, then it’s easier to ignore the haters. That’s because you can’t ever really please everyone – you probably can’t even please most people. You just need to find your audience and hope they enjoy what you create.
It’s also important to handle criticism well and not mistake it for hate. Sometimes learning is difficult. Finding out that thing you spent so much time working on isn’t perfect and needs to be fixed is never easy. But it is also necessary for improvement. Even if I am a bum, I can handle criticism well in my work and never out of the fight. That helps me advance my skills, and hopefully deliver a knockout in my work.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I work professionally as a storyboard artist at the ADG 800 union. I storyboard commercials, music videos, and films. It is a fun job, but what I am most proud of, which explores my creativity to the fullest, is my animated series, “Oh, Bubba Lu!” This project is a cartoon I created with my fiancée, Jen Ha Lu, and sister, Daisy Miranda. The show is about a wholesome ape named Bubba, who goes on adventures with his best friend, a bear named Grumples, and their human family. They battle against internet influencers, ghosts, boredom, reading a book, and anything you can imagine. The stories do not require vulgar humor, or violence.
Jen really motivates and pushes me forward. Bubba is actually Jen’s childhood plushie that has always been her emotional support buddy. The show is an attempt to show the bond Jen has with Bubba to the world. What also makes the show so special is that all my friends helped make it. They lent their voices, ideas and talents. “Oh, Bubba Lu!”, thus showcases, not only me, but the people most important to me, making it quintessentially what it means to know me and my art.
Currently, we are finishing up a new block of episodes titled “Book Club”. In the episodes, Bubba and friends join a book club, but each character fails to read the book in their own unique way: one saw the movie, one only saw internet reactions to the book, one read the wrong book entirely, and so on. Due to their failures, they are shamed, but Bubba and friends look for redemption by reading the right book. The book in question is the complex American classic, “The Little Engine That Could.“
I was always a fan of silly comedies like Monty Python, Airplane, and Shaolin Soccer. As such, I hope to deliver those same kinds of laughs in “Oh, Bubba Lu!”. Our episodes can be found on YouTube and Amazon Prime – check it out!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
The three abilities I would say that are the most impactful on your journey are adapting, networking, and continuous learning. If you have these, you will find success on your own journey. I feel success is not linear. You have to be able to alter directions and change things up to succeed. Many times, I’ve noticed what I was studying, or trying to do was not working so I would change things up. For example, when I went to art school, I wanted to make comics. When I recognized that things were not taking off and it wasn’t profitable for me, I switched to storyboarding. I would later hire an agent and get into the local ADG 800 union, one of the most exclusive storyboard artist groups. It also is important to note, part of adapting is your social circle. You are the company you keep. The person who helped me become a storyboard artist is my friend, Chris Kawagiwa.
A lot of the opportunities I’ve been offered is because of the network of people I’ve built up. If you’re a good person, people will want to work with you. You see this in Hollywood constantly, as actors and directors seem to always team up with people they like. Friends like Chris Kawagiwa, have helped me find job opportunities, or introduced me to new groups that have also helped me. I also feel friendship is a two-way street and you need to give back and help your friends too. It’s important to have a diverse friend group that will help you adapt and learn.
You have to constantly learn. Back in the day, all storyboards were drawn on paper. Now I work digitally and I try to stay ahead of trends and the modern work environment. It is so easy to be left behind. Even now in the age of AI, I’m trying to stay informed to see how the landscape changes. Thankfully, my friend group is also informed, and they let me know the things I missed, or clue me onto new programs. For example, a friend introduced me to Procreate many years ago, which is an app I use for work now.
What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?
My mother, Sara Maria Miranda, taught me the lesson of hard work, dedication, and helping others. My father died when I was very young, as such, my mother worked two jobs to get me the best education she could afford. I graduated with honors from both St. John Bosco High School and CSULB.I double majored at CSULB, in Finance and Illustration, and received honors in both. It was through her hard work that I was able to accomplish this. My mother never complained. She just did her best and made sure I was taken care of. She also made time to look after others in the family and even people she would just meet in her day-to-day activities. She has helped family and friends buy homes, find jobs, and so many other selfless acts. When she walks down the street, everyone knows her and says hi to her.
I try to be just half the kind of person she is. I push myself hard, to work harder than everyone else I know, except her. In keeping with the model she showed me, I animated the entire show, “Oh, Bubba Lu!” all by myself. That’s the kind of work ethic she showed me. I also pushed myself to become a member of the art guild local 800,which was very difficult to do but I did so by working hard.
I also try to bring honor to her by donating my time. I volunteer teaching kids anddraw for free at hospitals and comic shops when I can. It’s what she would do. My mother inspired me as a child and continues to inspire me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sideeyeent.myportfolio.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ralphinox/?hl=en
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ralph-miranda-683620b
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ralphinox
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSjrMNA_jKsa8X47HZN-gOw
- Other: IMDB https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8775664/ Amazon Prime https://www.amazon.com/Oh-Bubba-Lu/dp/B0B6S5SV89
Image Credits
Oh, Bubba Lu! images co-creators Jen Ha Lu and Daisy Miranda
