When Kristin Bass-Petersen (’10 M.A. Media and Communication Studies) isn’t working at The Pod Advertising as Vice President of Digital Media Services, she’s busy collaborating with the Tallahassee Film Society (TFS) to run the Florida Animation Festival (FAF).

“My role is overseeing the structure of the festival, setting up and running the submissions process, and communicating with filmmakers and patrons,” Bass-Petersen says. “I work very closely with our agency to support the marketing of the festival to ensure everything is in line with the mission of the organization.”

Hosted by the Tallahassee Film Society, FAF’s mission is to showcase animated films and highlight regional and global animation talent. The 2019 event took place June 16 to 19 at the historic Amtrak Station in the All Saints District of downtown Tallahassee, and marked the third year of the festival.

Bass-Petersen has been involved with the Tallahassee Film Society for over a decade, and the founding of FAF came out of an annual screening of Oscar-nominated short films. “Every year that screening does incredibly well, so the organization thought to launch the festival. The first year of the animation festival I was asked to help produce the festival discs for screening,” she recalls. “The second year, in late Spring, the original organizer decided they did not want to do it anymore so I was approached by TFS to see if I wanted to try and do this…from then on this festival has been my passion and delight to help coordinate. It’s not without its sleepless nights, but the support from the community has not only helped it grow year after year, but it has been the wind beneath my wings, motivating me to keep it going.”

And FAF is a testament to years of Bass-Petersen’s hard work. “Animation has always been huge in my life,” she says. “From my very first ‘film project’ in middle school of a claymation using a Hi8 camera and a VCR, to studying film in college, then getting an M.A. from FSU in Media and Communication Studies, later going on to teach Computer Graphics and Animation for five years at CCI, I now get to help run an amazing festival celebrating the art of animation.”

Bass-Petersen’s role at The Pod Advertising agency also helps her share her passion with students and maintain ties to FSU’s College of Communication and Information (CCI). The School of Communication awarded The Pod with the CCI Distinguished Community Partner award in April 2019. “The Pod has been a strong supporter of our students through internships, through their guest lectures, and their support of student organizations in the College,” says CCI Associate Dean Ebe Randeree.

With The Pod supporting the marketing efforts of FAF, Bass-Petersen’s worlds collide. When asked what about FAF is most exciting to her, she responded, “Finding out that I’m not the only person who completely geeks out over animation!  I love how much Tallahassee has turned out to support our festival, it’s truly heartwarming to see the same faces every year show up at our cinema, and thrilling to meet so many new fans of this limitless artform.  This year we have a lot of the animators who submitted work coming into town from all over to see their films screen, and I could not be more proud of every single one of their efforts– of all the directors and creators! We have so much great content scattered across just four days, so if you like animation then I’m sure we have something for you!”

Follow the Florida Animation Festival on Facebook for updates on next year’s event and visit www.floridaanimationfestival.com for more about the program.