ANIMATION  With a mission

Twenty-five year-old Ramon del Prado said, “Everyone and anyone can do what I do. That’s what we’re trying to tell everyone here.”

What, you may ask, does he do? And who are the “we” that he’s referring to?

Young as he may seem, del Prado has already several awards tucked under his belt for his impressive works in computer animation. This animator is also a United States Department of State-sponsored Fulbright scholar who is set to leave for the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan, New York this coming August 20 for a Master’s degree in Computer Arts focusing on Animation.

And the “we” stands for Tuldok, which he is part of. A non-profit organization, Tuldok is bent on making the world recognize the Filipino’s artistic and creative talent, employing animation as the medium to deliver that message.

Formed last October 2005 and backed by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), Tuldok came into fruition after del Prado got together with friends Ben Carandang, Ayeen Pineda and Toffer Liu for what he called “a bayanihan concept but in terms of art.”

A Dumaguete-native and Silliman High School ‘99 graduate, he will conduct “How to Make Your Own Cartoon: A seminar-workshop on flash animation” at Silliman’s College of Computer Studies this July 27. A premiere of his award-winning films will also be held at the university’s Claire Isabel McGill Luce Auditorium on July 26. Both events are organized by high school batchmates Mark Garcia, Director of the Silliman University Office of Information and Publications, and JM Aguilar, Chief Information Officer of a multi-media company based in Dumaguete.

In this interview for The FREEMAN Entertainment, let’s find out more about Ramon del Prado—son of Jose Ramon, a farm manager, and Maria Socorro, a housewife; De La Salle University dean’s lister and varsity player; and internationally-recognized animator—through his own words.