For Episode 6, I sat down with Alan Keane — writer, script editor, producer and long-time animation storyteller — for a deeply human conversation about creativity, resilience, and what it actually takes to build a life in animation over decades.

Rather than dissecting industry trends or chasing headlines, this episode stays focused on the person behind the work: the detours, the failures, and the reasons we keep showing up even when things don’t go to plan.

We talk about Alan’s journey from comics and psychology to screenwriting, UCLA, BBC productions, and ultimately finding a creative home in animation — and what that path taught him along the way.

We talk about:

✨ Why Personal Stories Matter More Than Industry Noise

Every career path is different — and that’s exactly where the real lessons live.

✍️ Writing Is Rewriting

Why getting something imperfect on the page is the hardest — and most important — step.

🧠 Psychology, Empathy & Story

How understanding people feeds better characters, stronger scripts, and clearer emotional beats.

🎬 Why Animation Is a Collaborative Artform

Scripts as blueprints, not final answers — and how leaving room for others makes the work better.

💥 Resilience Over Talent

Why surviving rejection, adapting to change, and staying curious matters just as much as skill.

🎨 Protecting the Magic

From production to leadership — why the real job is creating space for artists to do their best work.

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🎧 Listen now — and if you want to join these conversations live, with animators and storytellers from around the world, come hang out with us inside The Toon Room:

👉 thetoonroom.com