Tyree Dillihay is a LA-based animation director, most known for directing "Bob's Burgers".
Tyree Dillihay started drawing and making art at a young age, which gave solid fundamental skills. At 17, he was able to make official album art for Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, whose albums sold for millions. However, Tyree studied English in college and planned to work in a non-creative field, and it wasn't until he took an animation elective that he chose to return to the world of art and animation. He was able to land a job at Disney, where he came up with concepts and visuals for potential shows.
Tyree initially worked on "Bob's Burgers" as a storyboard artist. When a new season was coming up, he took initiative and pitched with storyboards, which led to him directing the show for a total of 32 episodes. During his presentation, Tyree showcased an animatic for one of the "Bob's Burgers" episodes. It was clean and to the point; the humor and the plot were all present. It shows that, even though visuals and animation are important, a film needs a solid story to be built upon.
Before coming to USA, I had not heard about "Bob's Burgers". I was familiar with "The Simpsons" and "Family Guy", and I think these two shows are more popular in China because they are more relatable. Their stories are more absurd and often times not based in reality. It may be hard for an international audience to understand humor only intended for a domestic American audience.
Throughout his presentation, Tyree emphasized on the concept of building one's own community. It is extremely hard to succeed without any outside help, and by giving, receiving, and collaborating, one could find new projects and grow as an artist.
Tyree also suggested to us to learn all the newest tools and not stick to only doing one thing, unless being at the top of the industry. This way of being flexible allows much more opportunities and potential to work and survive as an artist.