Byron Lopez: Technical Director for South Park cartoon series.

Working as the Technical Director for the cult hit South Park, Byron Lopez has won three Emmys and is currently in pre-development to create his own cartoon series with 20th Century Fox. And while the series is known for its biting social commentary and sometimes over-the-top innuendo, Byron sees it as a never-ending challenge to learn more about his own creativity.

“(My work gives me) the ability to grow as an artist both mentally and spiritually,” he asserts.

Reaching his career goals took perseverance and the knowledge that he had to relocate to California in order to make it big. Bolstered by support and job leads from the Career Services department at The Illinois Institute of Art—Chicago, Byron packed up and headed west after graduation. He took a calculated risk as he interviewed for the position on South Park, sporting a SpongeBob SquarePants tie to show off his knowledge of popular animation—and demonstrate his offbeat sense of humor.

Byron was called back as a trainee and placed in a do-or-die challenge against other job candidates to see which one would rise to the top. “There was going to be one trainee that was not going to be picked,” he states.

Byron’s training story has a happy ending—and five years later he’s still part of one of television’s most successful animated shows. He’s now responsible for creating assets for production, including characters, backgrounds, and props—and for setting up shots based on storyboards.

Looking to the future, Byron believes a group of artists will emerge who can touch people with beautiful stories and images—just as Walt Disney did.

“The history of animation is so amazing once you see how it all started,” he asserts, adding that successful animators need to know the fundamentals and continue to draw—never giving up the “passion of the pencil. It’s how all of the great artists started.”