Mike Dietz and Ed Schofield, who between them have more than 30 years experience producing animation, have teamed up to form Pencil Test Studios.
The new production company is based in Irvine, Calif., and has completed two TV commercials for Disney Destinations. Its next project will be producing cinematics for an upcoming Nintendo Wii game, and the company is developing original properties to debut soon as a short film and line of games for mobile devices.
Dietz and Schofield have worked together on several high-profile games including Earthworm Jim and The Neverhood.
Dietz’s credits include the animated sitcom The PJs, the short film Squirly Town for Nick’s Random! Cartoon Show. He also won an Annie Award for the animation on Pixar’s Ratatouille video game.
Schofield has worked as studio animation director for both Foundation 9 and THQ’s Heavy Iron Studios. He won a WAC Award for The Neverhood and was nominated for an Annie for the WALL’E video game.
‘Our expertise in creating CG, hand drawn and stop motion animation for a wide variety of media including film, television, and interactive makes Pencil Test Studios a perfect partner for clients wanting to tell stories and reach viewers across multiple platforms,’ says Schofield. Dietz adds, ‘We heart animation and it shows in our work.’
