Deconstructing Cartoons Behind The Scenes with Storyboard Artist Michael Borkowski

Meditations with Ryan Zlomek

Ryan chats with Mike Borkowski, the Syracuse-based storyboard artist whose work has graced television and movie screens across the world since 1997. Internationally, Mike is known for creating animation production art for shows like Scooby-Doo Mystery Incorporated, Jumanji, Big Guy & Rusty The Boy Robot, The Venture Brothers, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, Spider-Man, Batman: Caped Crusader, and dozens of other properties. His “Think Mark” scene from Amazon Studio’s Invincible show is a landmark of modern animation praised around the industry. Outside of animation, Mike has also created work for Big Brother, Adidas, and ESPSN. A lifelong sports fan, he’s known to Central, NY locals for his commercial work with the Syracuse Mets as well as his cartoony yet aggressive version of Syracuse University’s Otto The Orange.

In this conversation, Mike sheds light onto his artistic journey from winning a drawing contest at the age of 5 to becoming an apprentice to comic book artist Bart Sears. He details his move to Los Angeles to start his career in animation and the first time he received solo storyboarding credit. Exploring the process drawing “on model” work, Mike delves into his approach to new projects and offers insights into how modern animation is made. He shares a behind-the-scenes look at developing production art for Big Brother and analyzes his tenure creating artwork to strengthen the Syracuse University fanbase. He talks openly about a struggle for balance in the competitive commercial art space and inspires listeners to find a community in which they feel included and supported.

For more information on Mike Borkowski’s work you can find him online at www.michaelborkowski.com as well as on Instagram (@mborkowskiart) and Michael Borkowski-Illustrator on Facebook.

For more information on the Meditations with Ryan Zlomek podcast, you can find The World of Ryan Zlomek on Facebook, @ryanzlomek on Instagram and TikTok, or email [e-mail].