Richard Starzak

Life and career

Starzak was born in Suffolk in 1959 and grew up in Ipswich, attending Northgate Grammar School. as its first employee.

During his first nine-year and two Rex the Runt pilot films. His commercial work includes Domestos Big Dom, Grolsch, Cadbury's Creme Eggs, Weetos and Maltesers and several European commercials.

In 1992, Starzak left Aardman to pursue a freelance career during which time he worked in New Zealand as Production Adviser for Oscar and Friends, and wrote and directed 13 episodes of Rex the Runt for BBC2, winning the Carlton Award for International Animation at The Indies in 2000.

He then directed Robbie the Reindeer in 1999 for BBC Animation Unit. Robbie went on to win 19 international awards including a British Academy of Film and Television Arts award (BAFTA). Following the success of Robbie, Starzak worked for two years on a project for Aardman's feature film department as well as directing and writing the second series of Rex the Runt. From 2003, he directed two series of Creature Comforts – 2x13 episodes for ITV based on the Academy Award-winning Nick Park short film. The first series went on to win 17 awards, and both series were nominated for a BAFTA. The second series includes a half-hour Christmas special. In between these two series, he devised Shaun the Sheep, writing and directing the pilot.

In July 2005, Starzak rejoined Aardman as creative director of the Broadcast and Development department, writing scripts, and overseeing new projects in development. In 2015, he co-wrote and co-directed Shaun the Sheep Movie with Mark Burton, for which they both received an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Feature.

References

References

1. Andrew Pulver. (22 January 2015). "Baa-hind the scenes on the Shaun the Sheep movie: 'In a good week we can shoot two minutes'". [[The Guardian]].
2. (27 January 2011). "Aardman Animations plan new Shaun the Sheep film". [[BBC]].
3. "Hooves of Fire". Berlinale.
4. (30 January 2004). "An Aard Act to Follow; Animator set to come to our awards.". The Free Library.
5. (20 December 1999). "Aardman's 'Hare' to run with Goleszowski". Variety.
6. (27 July 2005). "Aardman Goes Ga Ga for Golly". Animation Magazine.
7. "A little chat with Aardman Animation's Richard Goleszowski". DVD Talk.
8. (22 September 2003). "Beastly beatitudes". The Guardian.
9. (2015). "Shaun the Sheep Movie - Production Notes". Lionsgate Publicity.
10. (1 May 2000). "The 2000 British Animation Awards". Animation World Network.
11. (4 June 2007). "American Version of Creature Comfort Premieres on CBS". Animated World Network.
12. (24 January 2015). "Film Review: 'Shaun the Sheep Movie'". Variety.