[Prior Work]
About TROMBONE SHORTY (2020) Runtime: 09:15
Featuring Angela Bassett (BLACK PANTHER, HOW STELLA GOT HER GROOVE BACK)
Written by Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews, Illustrated by Bryan Collier
Executive Produced by the SAG-AFTRA Foundation
Directed & Produced by Amy Adrion
Hailing from the Tremé neighborhood in New Orleans, Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews got his nickname by wielding a trombone twice as long as he was high. A prodigy, he was leading his own band by age six, and today this Grammy-nominated artist headlines the legendary New Orleans Jazz Fest.
Along with esteemed illustrator Bryan Collier, Andrews has created a lively picture book autobiography about how he followed his dream of becoming a musician, despite the odds, until he reached international stardom. 'Trombone Shorty' is a celebration of the rich cultural history of New Orleans and the power of music.
How I Got the Job At the 2018 SXSW Film Festival , Rochelle Rose, National Director of Performers Programs for the SAG-AFTRA Foundation, approached me to invite HALF THE PICTURE to screen for SAG-AFTRA members in Los Angeles. We scheduled the screening in June at their lovely screening room and had a fantastic Q&A afterward.
About a year later, my kindergartner told me about a video he watched at his public school in LA that featured someone - turns out it was Oprah! - reading a book called THE HULA-HOOPIN QUEEN that he absolutely loved. I looked it up and discovered it was part of a series called Storyline Online and Rochelle was one of the Producers, so I emailed Rochelle to congratulate her on the series. By that point, my son and I had watched a dozen episodes. She responded right away and asked, “have you ever directed animation before?” I hadn’t, but felt confident I could find the right team and figure it out, so I offered to shoot a “spec,” or speculative, episode with some rough animation. Check out that audition episode here.
We had a meeting with the producing team at the SAG-AFTRA Foundation where I shared that video and I was hired to direct and produce my first episode … starring Angela Bassett! We filmed the episode on March 16, 2020, the day Los Angeles Public Schools closed for Covid, and it was released online on May 20, 2020.
Peer Review // Dissemination
With a digital library of more than 100 videos, Storyline Online is used by teachers in classrooms, by parents at home and on mobile devices, and is endorsed by leading organizations including the American Federation of Teachers and the American Library Association.
Each book includes supplemental curriculum developed by a credentialed elementary educator to strengthen comprehension, verbal and written skills. Teacher’s Guide
I am proud that each of the 7 episodes I directed have been given the “Storyline Online Kids' Top Pick Seal of Approval,” recognizing books that have surpassed 1 million views, highlighting their popularity among children and their impact as trusted early literacy tools for parents and educators.
TROMBONE SHORTY has over 2.7 million views on YouTube
