Ronald J. Diamond (born July 30, 1958) is an American film producer from Los Angeles, CA. He is the founder of Acme Filmworks, the Animation Show of Shows and the co-founder of Animation World Network.[1][2][3][4]

Ron Diamond
Ron Diamond, animation producer
Ron Diamond speaking at the 2014 San Diego Comic-Con.
Born (1958-07-30) July 30, 1958 (age 66)
Los Angeles, California, US
Other namesRonald J. Diamond
Occupation(s)Executive producer, film distributor, speaker
Known forFounder of Acme Filmworks
Notable workCurator and producer of the Animation Show of Shows; executive producer of Drew Carey's Green Screen Show

Diamond has lectured at animation schools, served as a juror and a guest speaker at film festivals. He has been a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Shorts Films and Feature Animation[5] branch since 2002, and is a collaborator with the LA Opera creative team.[6][7][8]

Diamond has contributed to the restoration and preservation efforts of films that are in the permanent collections of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Academy Film Archive, UCLA Film and Television Archive and Library of Congress.[5][9]

Early life and education

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Diamond was born in Covina, California and was raised in Ontario, California. He studied at the University of California, Los Angeles, where he earned Bachelor of Arts and Master of Fine Arts degrees.[4][10]

Career

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Ron Diamond has had two primary producing, distributing and curating careers in live-action film making (1980–1990), and in animation film production (1990–present). Diamond spent nine years producing live action films including, The Chocolate War and The Dark Backward before refocusing his career towards animation.[11][12]

In 1983, Diamond's first professional producing credit for The Disney Channel was one episode of a series entitled, Future Tense, The Disney Showcase Series.[13] It was composed of two original short films: one film written by Ed Bryant, Prairie Sun and Ron Clements, Solitaire Creature.

Animation Show of Shows

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In the 1980s, Diamond produced and post-produced numerous compilations of short films for festivals such as: the International Tournées of Animation, The Animation Celebration. The Outrageous Animation Show, The Computer Animation Show, Streams of Consciousness: New American Animation, Liquid Television, The Oscar Showcase Tour, and Will Vinton's Festival of Claymation.[2][14][15][16]

In 1998, Diamond founded the Animation Show of Shows (ASOS), a 501(c)(3) non-profit. He recognized an absence of animated short films in the theatrical circuit, "so he set out to curate a collection of new, significant, artistic, narrative and experimental animated shorts from those he had seen during the past year at major animation festivals."[17][18][19]

Diamond has presented ASOS and his annual Oscar Showcase Tour to students and industry professionals alike at venues such as Harvard University, DreamWorks, Pixar, and the Walt Disney Family Museum. As of 2020, 41 films featured in the ASOS have gone on to receive Academy Award Nominations with 11 Oscar wins.[10][20][21][22][23]

Acme Filmworks

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Diamond founded the commercial animation company Acme Filmworks in 1990. It has produced animated commercials for companies including: Levi's Jeans for Women, United Airlines, AT&T, Microsoft, Charmin, Ad Council and the Alzheimer's Association. Acme Filmworks has produced logos and main title sequences including: the Scott Free Productions logo, Universal Pictures' Robin Hood, Disney's The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit, The Path, and Ken Follet's Pillars of The Earth.[24][25][26][27][28][29][30]

Through Acme, Diamond produced the Academy Award-nominated short film Nibbles, and the animated feature film for PBS' American Playhouse Drawn From Memory. He was also the executive producer of Drew Carey's Green Screen Show and has produced segments for the following Simpsons episodes: The Incredible Lightness of Being a Baby, Orange Is the New Yellow, What to Expect When Bart's Expecting.[31][32]

As an executive producer through Acme, Diamond has been nominated for a BAFTA, an Emmy, and an Academy Award. He has won awards including a Clio and an Annie Award, and has earned Annecy honors.[7][33][34][35][36]

Animation World Network

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In 1995 Diamond partnered with Dan Sarto and founded the Animation World Network. AWN is an online magazine that covers animator profiles, film distribution, animation studio activities, licensing, CGI and other animation technologies, as well as current events in all fields of animation.

A year after Toy Story debuted, Sarto and Diamond produced their first issue.[1]

Film restoration

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Diamond has contributed to film restoration and preservation through Acme Filmworks and the Animation Show of Shows.[37] Most of the films he's restored are at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Academy Film Archive, and the UCLA Film and Television Archive. The entire Acme Filmworks digital archive is at the Library of Congress.[5][38][39]

Credits

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Short film commissions
Title Role
The Animation Show of Shows, 1-21[40][41][42][43] Distributor, curator and producer
Nibbles[44] Producer
Bigmouth US Unwired: Woman Executive producer
Suite for Freedom Producer
Hair High Associate producer
Hot Seat, Short Producer
Good Vibrations[45] Producer
The Blue Car, Short Producer
Johnny's Home, Short, ACLU[46] Executive producer
Television
Title Role
Drawn From Memory Producer
Drew Carey's Green Screen Show, TV Series Executive producer, co-creator
30 Days TV Series documentary two seasons of animation Producer
The Path[47] Main titles Executive producer
Re\Visioned: Tomb Raider Animated TV Series, Raising Thaumoplois Executive producer
Re\Visioned: Tomb Raider Animated TV Series, Keys to the Kingdom: Part 3 Executive producer
The Pillars of the Earth, TV Mini-Series[48] Main titles Producer
The Simpsons: What to Expect When Bart's Expecting, Couch Gag, "Inside Homer"[49] Producer
The Simpsons: Orange Is The New Yellow, Cöuch Gag Manual Producer
The Simpsons: The Incredible Lightness of Being a Baby, "The Extremesons" Couch Gag Producer
Commercial animation
Title Role
Woman Finding Love for Levis[50] Executive producer
Whiskas, Burnt Offerings[29]
Irritability Gene, Starbucks Coffee[51]
United Airlines Short[29][52]
Weird Al Yankovic[53]
Charmin[54]
Child Mind Institute[55]
PNC Financial[56]
Super Invictus[57]
Hilton Hotels[58]   
CVS Brand[59]
Wheel of Fortune[60]
Toyota, Typographers Dream[61]
Janus Funds, Detached Worker Ants[62]
Goldman Sachs[63]
Principal Financial Group[64]
ACLU's Campaign for Smart Justice[65]
Alzheimer's Association PSA[26]
Feature productions
Title Type Role
The Strange Case of Mr. Donnybrook's Boredom Short film Post-production supervisor
Sorority House Massacre Feature film Producer and unit production manager
The Chocolate War Feature film Line producer and production manager
The Dark Backward Feature film Producer and unit production manager
Robin Hood[66] Feature film, main titles Producer
The Motel Life Feature film Executive producer and special effects administrator

Publications

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  • Diamond, Ronald (2019). On Animation: The Director's Perspective, Volume 1. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, Taylor & Francis Group. ISBN 9781138066533.
  • Diamond, Ronald (2019). On Animation: The Director's Perspective, Volume 2. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, Taylor & Francis Group. ISBN 9781138066564.
  • Diamond, Ronald (2007-2013). The Animation Show of Shows 9 DVD Boxed Sets, Volumes 1-54. Hollywood, CA: Acme Filmworks, Inc.
  • Diamond, Ronald (2016-2019). The Annual Animation Show of Shows DVD compilations, Volumes 17- 20. Los Angeles, CA: Animation Show of Shows, Inc.

References

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  1. ^ a b "Drawing 'Em In | Los Angeles Business Journal". labusinessjournal.com. 21 September 2008. Retrieved 2020-08-08.
  2. ^ a b "Ron Diamond's Animation Show of Shows goes non-profit". Skwigly Animation Magazine. 2015-06-09. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
  3. ^ "Short Interview with Ron Diamond at the ASOS 17 Toronto Screening". Retrieved 2020-08-07.
  4. ^ a b "Animation films are Diamond's best friend". Vallejo Times Herald. 2020-01-22. Retrieved 2020-08-15.
  5. ^ a b c "Acme Filmworks Collection". Oscars.org | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. 2014-09-04. Retrieved 2021-03-20.
  6. ^ beacon, berkeley (12 December 2012). "Interview with Ron Diamond". berkeleybeacon.com. Retrieved 2020-08-16.
  7. ^ a b "Artist Talk - Ron Diamond, Film Producer". Pennsylvania College of Art & Design | PCA&D. Retrieved 2020-08-07.
  8. ^ "Academy Award-Nominees for Best Animated Short Film Showcase and Reception | The Walt Disney Family Museum". www.waltdisney.org. Retrieved 2020-08-07.
  9. ^ Flores, Terry (2015-06-09). "Animation Show of Shows Shorts Compilation Goes Non-Profit". Variety. Retrieved 2020-08-09.
  10. ^ a b Duckett, Richard. "Collection of animated films opens Cinema 320 spring series March 6 in Worcester". telegram.com. Retrieved 2020-09-07.
  11. ^ LA Times (1988-11-23). "MOVIE REVIEW : Probing the Darkness in 'The Chocolate War'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
  12. ^ "Jan. 31 Arts and Entertainment Source: Empress presents 15 animated shorts, including Oscar-nominees". Vallejo Times Herald. 2019-01-30. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
  13. ^ "List of TV series aired on Disney Channel – Nickandmore!". Retrieved 2023-05-30.
  14. ^ "Second Animation Celebration: The Movie, The (1989) - Overview - TCM.com". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved 2020-08-19.
  15. ^ Steinmetz, Johanna. "'THE SECOND ANIMATION CELEBRATION' A NEAT, TRITE PACKAGE". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2020-09-16.
  16. ^ "Red carpet for animators". Toronto Star. 2008-02-24. Retrieved 2020-08-19.
  17. ^ Kaylor, Lisa (2019-09-11). "Producer Ron Diamond brings his Animation Show of Shows to Lyceum Series". Jagwire. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
  18. ^ Alston, Dana. "The 18th Animation Show of Shows gives animators a chance at the spotlight". Daily Emerald. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
  19. ^ Milligan, Mercedes (2020-01-27). "Animation Show Of Shows Heads to the Bay Area with Ron Diamond". Animation Magazine. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
  20. ^ McLean, Tom (2015-06-10). "Animation Show of Shows Goes Nonprofit". Animation Magazine. Retrieved 2020-08-08.
  21. ^ Schindel, Daniel (2015-09-23). "11 Reasons to See All 11 Shorts at the Animation Show of Shows". Los Angeles Magazine. Retrieved 2020-08-24.
  22. ^ Harvard. "Animation Show of Shows | Harvard Art Museums". www.harvardartmuseums.org. Retrieved 2020-08-08.
  23. ^ "The 20th Annual Animation Show of Shows Returns with a New Crop of Gems". Animation World Network. Retrieved 2020-08-08.
  24. ^ "Pillars of the Earth CASE – BrosFX | Animation Studio" (in Polish). Retrieved 2020-08-08.
  25. ^ "Classic Spot of the Week: Trading Secrets". Luerzer's Archive - Advertising worldwide. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
  26. ^ a b "The Ad Council Animates Real Stories in Artful Alzheimer's PSAs". Muse by Clio. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
  27. ^ "Adeevee | Only selected creativity - Agency Acme Filmworks, Hollywood, USA". www.adeevee.com. Retrieved 2020-08-08.
  28. ^ "A comic occasion". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. Retrieved 2020-08-09.
  29. ^ a b c "Annecy > À propos > Archives > 1999 > Sélection officielle > Fiche film". www.annecy.org (in French). Retrieved 2020-08-18.
  30. ^ "The Path Title Sequence – BrosFX | Animation Studio" (in Polish). Retrieved 2020-08-08.
  31. ^ Scott, Tony (1995-10-30). "American Playhouse Drawn from Memory". Variety. Retrieved 2020-08-07.
  32. ^ Gallo, Phil (2004-10-06). "Drew Carey's Green Screen Show". Variety. Retrieved 2020-08-07.
  33. ^ "2004 Film Short Animation Film | BAFTA Awards". awards.bafta.org. Retrieved 2020-08-18.
  34. ^ "Interview - United Airlines". Television Academy. Retrieved 2020-08-18.
  35. ^ "47th Annual Annie Awards". annieawards.org. Retrieved 2020-08-18.
  36. ^ "Shoot - Annie award for Spanish lottery commercial". Yuval and Merav - Animation Home. Retrieved 2020-10-07.
  37. ^ "National Film Preservation Foundation64 Films To Be Saved Through the NFPF's 2016 Preservation Grants". www.filmpreservation.org. Retrieved 2021-07-06.
  38. ^ "Cinelicious Provides 4K Restoration to the AMPAS Animation Showcase "The Giants First Steps" Curated By Acme Filmworks". Studio Daily. 2013-07-18. Retrieved 2020-08-09.
  39. ^ "Crowdfunding to Help Animated Short Movies to Reach Broader Audience". Arıkovanı. 2017-06-13. Retrieved 2020-08-09.
  40. ^ "'19th Annual Animation Show of Shows': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. 29 December 2017. Retrieved 2020-08-12.
  41. ^ The 19th Annual Animation Show of Shows (2017), retrieved 2020-08-12
  42. ^ "REVIEW: "The 18th Annual Animation Show of Shows" – Animation Scoop". www.animationscoop.com. Retrieved 2020-08-12.
  43. ^ "16th Annual Animation Show of Shows". BlogDailyHerald. 2014-10-20. Retrieved 2020-08-12.
  44. ^ "2004 Film Short Animation Film | BAFTA Awards". awards.bafta.org. Retrieved 2020-08-18.
  45. ^ "Liberty Mutual : Good Vibrations". adage.com. 2009-11-02. Retrieved 2020-10-26.
  46. ^ "Johnny's Home | ACLU commission". Motionographer. 2018-02-15. Retrieved 2020-08-17.
  47. ^ "EXCLUSIVE: The Story Behind The Mysterious Opening Credits Of 'The Path'". Decider. 2016-03-30. Retrieved 2021-07-06.
  48. ^ Will Perkins (December 10, 2013). Lola Landekicn (ed.). "The Pillars of the Earth". www.artofthetitle.com. Ian Albinson (interviewer). Retrieved 2020-10-08.
  49. ^ "The Simpsons Couch Gag AWN Interview – BrosFX | Animation Studio" (in Polish). Retrieved 2020-08-11.
  50. ^ "Film Index". www.annecy.org. Retrieved 2020-08-18.
  51. ^ Inc, Acme Filmworks (2014-04-02), "Irritiability Gene" for Starbucks Coffee, retrieved 2020-08-24 {{citation}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  52. ^ "splendAd - United Airlines - Butterfly". www.splendad.com. Retrieved 2020-08-16.
  53. ^ "Weird Al Yankovic "Polka Face"". Working Not Working. Retrieved 2020-11-08.
  54. ^ "Charmin". Acme Filmworks. Retrieved 2021-07-06.
  55. ^ "ADHD for Child Mind Institute (Directed by Diego Maclean)". Acme Filmworks. Retrieved 2021-07-06.
  56. ^ "PNC Bank". Communication Arts-us. Retrieved 2021-07-06.
  57. ^ "Warrior- Anthem Commercial". insidelacrosse.com. Retrieved 2021-07-06.
  58. ^ "Line". Acme Filmworks. Retrieved 2021-07-06.
  59. ^ "Harmony for CVS (Directed by Dave Wasson)". Acme Filmworks. Retrieved 2021-07-06.
  60. ^ "Family for Wheel of Fortune (Directed by David Wachtenheim & Robert Marianetti)". Acme Filmworks. Retrieved 2021-07-06.
  61. ^ "Typographers Dream for Toyota Rav 4 (Directed by Oliver Harrison)". Acme Filmworks. Retrieved 2021-07-06.
  62. ^ "Detached Worker Ants for Janus Funds (Directed by Wendy Tilby and Amanda Forbis)". Acme Filmworks. Retrieved 2021-07-06.
  63. ^ "E Car for Goldman Sachs (Directed by Acme Filmworks)". Acme Filmworks. Retrieved 2021-07-06.
  64. ^ "Leaning Eddie for Principal Financial Group (Directed by Daniel Guyonnet)". Acme Filmworks. Retrieved 2021-07-06.
  65. ^ "Motion design - STASH". Motion design - STASH. 15 February 2018. Retrieved 2021-05-20.
  66. ^ "Acme Filmworks". BFI. Archived from the original on November 23, 2020. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
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