Michaelangelo Rocco, BFA '01

Leaving his mark

From his historic first name, passed on to him from his father and great-great grandfather, to the artistic genes he inherited from his mother, Michaelangelo Rocco, BFA ’01, was destined to be an artist.  But it was Rocco’s own drive and determination that landed him in Hollywood, where he is an animation artist for the Fox Television comedy “American Dad.”  Rocco, who decided at age 10 that he wanted to draw cartoons for a living, says that the job has been extremely gratifying.  “I get an extraordinary sense of pride and accomplishment from the work that I do on “American Dad,” says the Buffalo native.  “Whether it’s drawing humorous acting for characters or just tweaking details of a prop, I know that I’m leaving my personal mark on the show.”

Taking the plunge

Intent on pursuing a career as an animation artist, Rocco moved to Los Angles soon after graduating from UB.  For the first few years he toiled in tedious office jobs while remaining focused on his dream.  Eventually he was promoted to multi-media designer, which gave him creative autonomy in designing the company’s website, business cards, and print materials.

However, Rocco still felt unfilled, so he continued to submit his resume to animation companies.  One of his biggest breaks came when he met an artist from Nickelodeon’s “SpongeBob SquarePants” show, who gave Rocco suggestions for improving his portfolio.  Then about 18 months later, Rocco received an out-of-the-blue call from Fox.  He had submitted his resume to them a year before, and now to his surprise, they offered him a job as an animation artist on their new show, “American Dad.”  Rocco admits that leaving his lucrative, steady job to work for a show that could have been cancelled after a few weeks was risky.  “But as with most opportunities in life, you only get one chance.  So I took the plunge and I never looked back,” he says.

Initially hired as a storyboard revisionist, Rocco was promoted this year to storyboard artist.  He explains that in his new position he works directly with the show’s writers, directors and creators, and portions of the script are assigned specifically to him.  “It’s my responsibility to come up with the staging and compositions of whole scenes, as well as the acting of the characters.” Rocco explains.  “I repeatedly listen to the dialogue track as I work.  I envision how the characters would act onscreen as they’re speaking.  Often I find it helpful to act out the dialogue myself in front of a mirror.  Animation requires more than just being able to draw well.  The animation artist also needs to have some skill in acting, comedic timing, and TV and film production.”

UB paves way for Hollywood

Rocco says he has been drawing and painting since before he could walk.  Fine art was the obvious choice of major, as was UB for the school, due to its diverse options, affordability and reputation.  Rocco gained admission to the University Honors Program in his sophomore year and he appreciated the personal attention that he received as an Honors Scholar.

Two of his most memorable instructors at UB were Professors Roger Loyenmark and Elka Kazmierzack of the art department. “Professor Loyenmark continually presented creative challenges to us and encouraged me to pursue my dream of becoming an animation artist,” Rocco notes.  “Professor Kazmierzack practiced ‘tough love’ with her students during critiques, which really toughened me up for the personalities of some of the Hollywood producers and directors I dealt with later in the real world.  Through her, I learned to see criticism as a means to better my work and myself.”  While at UB, Rocco also created spot illustrations and cover designs for Generation, the weekly student-run magazine.  He says, “UB provided me with a great foundation for my professional career.”

Makes it all worthwhile

Working with “American Dad” led to Rocco illustrating two print issues of Fox’s “Family Guy” comic books series.  He is also developing his own noir-inspired graphic novel and has set his sights on becoming an animation director and on someday having his own animated television show.  Rocco also collects original animation cells and artwork; he owns several Flintstones animation cells autographed by Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera.  In his free time he runs or hikes in Malibu Canyon and is also a big music buff.

In spite of the sometimes grueling 60-hour work weeks, Rocco is passionate about his career.  Although rubbing elbows with celebrity guest stars is a fun perk, he says his favorite part of the job is meeting fans of the show.  When that happens, he says, “I think of all of the late nights and weekends at the studio, all the social engagements that I have to turn down, and the years I lived as a struggling artist.  Seeing the look on the fan’s face makes it all worthwhile.”

--Jessica Dudek, BA ’94
July 2007

Read about other interesting UB alumni, at http://alumni.buffalo.edu/profiles.html.

Do you have an interesting story to tell?  Or do you know an alumnus who would make a good profile?  If so, please contact Jessica Griffin at jg79@buffalo.edu.