Meet Kellen Porter of Atlanta

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kellen Porter.

Hi Kellen, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Hello! Thank you so much for reaching out and taking an interest in my work. I’m excited to talk with you today.

My work as an animator started at a young age. I believe I was around 7 when I first took an interest in stop-motion animation specifically. I remember always tuning into Christmas stop-motion specials that would play every year, and there’s always been something so interesting to me about its tangibility. It’s such a special form of art and storytelling that really kicked off my interest in animation to begin with.

From there, I was inspired to start creating my own stop-motion shorts and began posting them on a previous YouTube channel of mine around the age of 10. I was really inspired by old Sonic the Hedgehog stop-motion videos, and I wanted to make my own. I used to collect old 6-inch Sonic figurines, so I would build the sets, shoot each frame with an old camera that I had, and string them together in Windows Movie Maker. I was just having fun and trying to discover new ways to make stuff.

Although I loved stop-motion, there came a point where I gradually started moving into 2D animation. I had a really good understanding of motion, but my drawing abilities could have used lots of improvement. Several years later, as I was deciding where to pursue my college education, I was drawn to Kennesaw State University’s animation program, where I got to really put my skills to the test.

Throughout those four years of school, I got to develop my own film, direct other films, and grow my animation skills to a much higher degree. College was a very eye-opening period for me. I met so many wonderful people and got to bring one of my own stories, the story of Mr. Vessel, a 35-minute animated pilot produced and directed by myself, to life.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The journey hasn’t always been smooth. Artistically there are always going to be roadblocks, but for me, one challenge was transitioning from stop-motion to 2D animation.

I had picked up drawing a lot later, but I loved animation and had a good understanding of motion. So, when I naturally started getting into 2D animation, my drawing abilities weren’t quite where I wanted them to be. I also had a lot of dreams when it came to what kinds of animation I wanted to make and what styles I wanted to explore, so figuring out how to bring all of those ideas together took me a while, and I’m still learning every day. But that’s exactly why I wanted to study animation in college to begin with.

The program I was in started us from the very beginning. You’d start with Drawing I and gradually make your way into more advanced animation studio courses. Everyone views that process differently, but I appreciated how their system allowed me to understand more drawing fundamentals while giving me the time to continue practicing animation. By the time I reached my animation courses, I could apply those skills to the abilities I had already developed on my own.

Before college, there was a long period where I felt myself losing that spark for animation. I doubted myself at many points and even disconnected from art for a few years. But college brought that spark back and allowed me to flourish in ways I never could have imagined at the time.

I’m incredibly grateful that I stuck with it and learned to love it in different ways. I ultimately just needed time to discover the type of artist I genuinely wanted to become and still push myself to be. That can be really difficult when you’re first starting out, but I think it’s also important to surround yourself with people who are going through similar experiences. Being in art school and surrounded by so many unique personalities helped me discover the kind of artist I wanted to become.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Currently, I specialize in 2D animation, motion graphics, compositing, audio production, and illustration. I think a lot of people know me for my compositing work, which really got to shine in my 2025 animated pilot, Mr. Vessel. This is the project I’m most proud of to this day.

When I was a sophomore in college, I was encouraged not to wait for certain opportunities to come my way. I had everything I needed to bring the world and characters I’d been curating in the back of my mind since I was 12 to life. I had the resources, the skills, and the ability to make my vision a reality, so I went for it.

I spent three years developing that project while I was in college, creating every aspect from scratch. I wrote the script, assembled and directed the voice cast, drew the storyboards, animated every shot, illustrated the backgrounds, edited/composited the film, and even produced the soundtrack. It was a lot of work and an ambitious challenge for myself, especially while working under a time crunch. But on December 26, 2025, Mr. Vessel, a 35-minute animated pilot, was shown to the world. I even got to hold a private screening for all of my friends and family. It was really beautiful.

Throughout college, I also had the opportunity to direct a film called Status for one of my studio animation courses. Since I had been working on Mr. Vessel on my own for so long, it was great to gain more directorial experience while working alongside a team of talented animators and artists. Since then, I’ve continued working in audio production, animation, motion graphics, and compositing for others films/projects.

I think what sets me apart is my problem-solving and communication abilities as a director and leader. To me, there are multiple ways to reach the finish line, but staying calm, focused, and communicative has always been key to achieving my artistic goals.

Especially when I was directing Status, getting to understand my team members was really important to me. I didn’t want anyone to feel left behind or unnoticed, and even when we’d go through complicated patches, I felt it was important that everyone knew how much they were valued and cared for. Not just as artists, but as people and unique individuals.

We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
The biggest risk I’ve ever taken creatively was embarking on Mr. Vessel. It was a journey attempting a project of that scale largely on my own, but I knew who I was and wasn’t going to stop until the film was completed and polished to the best of my ability at the time. And I’m so glad I took that risk as it led to so much growth.

I think taking risks is important. You can really feel yourself growing when you truly challenge yourself and see what sticks. So much of what we have today came from people taking risks and turning those risks into innovation. Creatives keep the world spinning, and we need creative individuals who are willing to take those chances.

Especially with art, I believe it’s one of the purest ways we can communicate with the world around us. Taking those risks, challenging ourselves, and trying something new can just open up your mind to so much. For the remainder of my time as a creator, I want to continue taking risks. The risks I took with Mr. Vessel gave me such a strong foundation for everything that comes next. And as I step into my next major project, one that has already challenged me to take even greater risks, I’m excited to see how far I can go.

I don’t know where that risk will take me, but that’s what makes it so exciting. I’ve already seen what happens when I try it once, and I’m working to see what happens when I try it again.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.kellenporter.art/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mazingation
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellen-porter-230b7325b/
• Twitter: https://x.com/mazingation?s=21
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Mazingation
• Soundcloud: https://on.soundcloud.com/kPtgGyzIaEqDN30rP3
• Other: https://music.apple.com/us/album/mr-vessel-original-soundtrack/1810388804