Former Disney and Nickelodeon animator Kataneh Vahdani will speak at Pierce College about her artwork and filmmaking experiences at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 18 in the Great Hall.

Vahdani was a storyboard artist for Nickelodeon and then worked at Disney Feature Animation before starting her new position with Hasbro working on “GI Joe.” She also teaches animation and art.

Two of her films, “Pink Balloons” and “Boxes” were accepted into several film festivals around the world. She was also chosen as one of seven film directors to go to Tokyo, Japan to present her film “Pink Balloons.”  That film was selected by “Sesame Street” and opened doors for her to make a short animation piece for them.

Vahdani grew up in Tehran, Iran and moved to America in 2000. She has a bachelor’s of fine arts in character animation and a master’s in experimental animation from California Institute of the Arts. She has also studied in France.

Vahdani’s guest appearance at Pierce College is part of the Media Arts Department’s Speaker Series, a free, semester-long effort funded by the ASO.  The campus and community is invited.

Refreshments will be served. Parking is available for $2 in Lot 1, near the Sheriff’s Station off Brahma Drive and Winnetka Avenue.

For more information, contact the Media Arts Department at (818) 710-2960.