Week 2 Part B - Business Research
Brian Kesinger
Brian Kesinger is an award winning story artist, illustrator, and author. During his career at Disney he has worked on Films from Tarzan to Frozen 2. He also works at Marvel Comics and Lucasfilm. He is the successful author and illustrator of three different book series featuring: a Victorian steampunk, Victoria with her octopus, Jasper J. Pumpkinhead, and dragons. The following sites were easily reached off his web page.
Facebook - The Art of Brian Kesinger - 159k followers 9/5/21 was his recent post for his entry for an online droid art show featuring a Star Wars themed illustration in the style of Calvin and Hobbs.
Twitter - 27.3k followers 9/5/21 was his most recent post, and it was the same one posted on Facebook.
Instagram - 262k followers 9/5/21 was his most recent post, and it was the same one posted on Facebook and Twitter.
Tumbler - Shares work from prints
IMDB - Highlights his work on Wreck It Ralph, Big Hero 6, and Winnie the Pooh.
YouTube - 1.07k subscribers 9/28/2019 was the last video posted. It was of his exhibit at Oceanside Museum of Art.
I follow him on Twitter and Instagram. He will post notices for commissions and suggestions for prints to create for sale. He also posts current prints, books, and items he creates for sale.
Walt Disney Animation Studios
Disney is an internationally known animation film making business based in Burbank, California. It has a 97 year history and employs around 800 people. Their films are magical, legendary events whose releases are highly anticipated throughout the world. Their cutting edge animation, characters, and storylines withstand the test of time as Snow White is still as beloved as it was in 1937. The following links are easily visible and reachable.
Facebook - 12,958,065 followers 9/4/21 was the most recent post about the backgrounds in Cinderella. Posts are posted every other day.
Twitter - 3.4 million followers 9/4/21 was the most recent post, it was the same one posted on Facebook. Posts are posted more frequently than on Facebook or Instagram.
Instagram - 4 million followers 9/4/21 was the most recent post, and it was the same one posted on Facebook and Twitter. Tis site contains the least amount of posts.
YouTube - 4.92 million subscribers Last upload was a month ago, and it was a promotional video for Encanto.
The only post replied to was one posted on Facebook about games you would play from the movie Wreck It Ralph. A promotion was tweeted for Disney presents Goofy in How to Stay at Home on Disney+. There would also be tweets on Disney trivia about items found in films, sound effects, and backgrounds.
DKNG
Life long friends Dan Kuhlken and Nathan Goldman make up the company DKNG. It is an LA based creative studio that initially created designs and illustrations for the music and entertainment industries. Currently they still cater to these industries, but they also serve independent and corporate clients. Their services include: identity development, print and poster design, custom illustration, packaging design, apparel design, and web design and development. The following links are easily visible and reachable.
Instagram -169k followers 9/3/21 was the most recent post about a poster they designed for the film Big. They do respond to posts.
Dribble - Site where designers showcase work - Posts are posted about once a month about items for sale and interest teasers for new work.
Facebook - 44,351 followers - They have a shop on Facebook page. 9/3/21 was the most recent post, and it was the same one posted on Instagram. They average three posts a month.
Twitter - 9,634 followers 9/2/21 was a retweet post of their work posted from others featuring the poster they designed for the movie Big. Posts are posted once a month.
Pinterest - 9k followers Recent post was a week ago. It was 114 pictures of their rainbow playing card decks. They posted 7 posts in 2021 on work they have produced.
Vimeo - 217 followers Last video upload was two months ago. It was about the poster process for Greensky Blue Grass. Uploads are three to four minute videos showing their creative process of selected work. Three to five videos are uploaded a year.
YouTube - 3.36k Subscribers Last video upload was two months ago. It was the same video uploaded to Vimeo. All videos from Vimeo are also uploaded to YouTube.
Behance - 419 followers 11/5/20 was the last post. Site contains five posts showing their creative process.
Etsy - Link off Behance 2,922 admirers Their shop contains 80 products for sale: prints, patches, pins, post cards, playing cards, greeting cards
DKNG posts frequently about their creative process on the web page and social media sites. They will post teasers, a section of a print, to generate interest in upcoming posters. They are really good about responding to comments and engaging with their followers.
Studio Ghibli
Studio Ghibli is known as the home of Hayao Miyazaki's beloved animation films. Founded in June 1985, as a collaboration among Tokuma Shoten, Isao Takahata, and Hayao Miyazaki, Studio Ghibli has consistently lived up to its original intention of "creating a whirlwind in the Japanese animation world." Today it employs 280 people and recently released Aya and the Witch. The following links are on the website.
Twitter - 810.4k followers On 9/5/21 a series of tweets were posted about products and photos from the actual work site of Studio Ghibli
Line - A messenger app I was unable to access.
There is a link to the website for the Ghibli Museum, Mitaka.
There is a link to Disney Blu-ray and Digital from which you can buy films.
There is a picture of Toshio Suzuki and a link to Toshio Suzuki's Ghibli Sweaty podcasts. 8/15/21 was the last uploaded podcast.
Studio Ghibli doesn't really use social media. Links to upcoming releases and events are on their webpage. They have an enormous worldwide fan base that seeks their films out. You need to translate everything from Japanese. English language social media sites were launched a couple years ago off gkids.com but are not easily identified.
Twitter - Studio Ghibli @ Ghibli USA - 70.6k followers 9/6/21 was the most recent post. Two posts a day are usually posted. Posts contain an expression and an accompanying print from a movie like Kiki's Delivery Service along with "Find what's in your heart and express it."
Facebook - Studio Ghibli @ Ghibli USA - 4,431 followers 9/6/21 was the most recent post, and it was the same post posted on Twitter.
Instagram - ghibliusa - 8,988 followers 9/6/21 was the most recent post, and it was the same post that was posted on Twitter and Facebook.
Sara Mateos
Sara Mateos is a freelance illustrator who works on children and youth book projects, educational publishing, and advertising assignments. Based in Madrid, her clients include: Oxford University Press, Penguin Random House, Macmillan, Royal Botanic Garden of Madrid, Royal Casino of Madrid, and many others. Facebook is the only reachable link off her web page.
Facebook 791 followers 8/24/21 was her most recent post, and it is the same post posted on Behance. She posts two to three times a month.
Behance -1,922 followers 8/26/21 was the most recent post for artwork for idioms for an English academy.
Instagram - Link is off Behance and it does not work.
LinkedIn - 2,149 followers She posts monthly about projects she is working on.
Sara's website is really well maintained and probably works as well for her as any of her social media posts.
I'll admit that I approached my research with the mindset that social media would be used primarily as a marketing tool by the artists and companies I investigated. This may be true for some sites, but for others social media is primarily a way to connect with fans. Those sites who posted the some post to Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram clearly have a social media marketing strategy in place. They also maintained a regular posting schedule.
Twitter was a favorite posting site for both Disney and Studio Ghibli. Disney tweeted extra posts from their archives about film trivia and information specifics like backgrounds for Cinderella. Studio Ghibli tweeted pictures of products for sale and pictures of the interior and exterior of the actual work site. Their attitude is this is what our fans want to see. They frequently post a memorable line along with a cell from a film on their North American sites.
The two biggest surprises for me came from DKNG and Studio Ghibli. DKNG responds to posts regularly and genuinely. I was surprised by this because they have a lot of sites they post on, and I did not think they had any extra time to even respond to any comments. I was also surprised by their use of Pinterest. They recently posted 114 pictures of their rainbow playing card decks. I was truly amazed at the time and effort it took to make this post. Studio Ghibli surprised me by their relatively minimal use of social media off their home website. They primarily use Twitter. Their frequent tweets about random features and spots around their company work site is endearing too. I came to the conclusion that social media and its use is viewed and used differently around the world.
This is a great blog post Nancy! As an illustrator it was interesting to read about how other visual artists use social media. I thought that the way that Ghibli has a minimal presence while DKNG has a large presence was interesting! I also found your insight that they are working on how to connect with fans the best interesting as well. Thank you for your post and keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your post! I am not interested in illustrations, but your post was compelling. It is interesting how different products/services use social media. I like the fact that DKNG takes the time to respond. It is too easy for a company to let things like that slide, but it makes a big impact.
ReplyDeleteIt's refreshing to hear that even big name artists aren't trying to use their social media to get an extra buck, but to connect with fans. Brain Kesinger worked on my childhood movies and I'm glad that he sounds like a cool guy.
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