Jorge Gutierrez

Jorge R. Gutierrez is a Mexican animator, writer, director, and self-proclaimed troublemaker and cartoonista. Along with his partner and wife, Sandra Equihua, he created the acclaimed animated television series El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera for Nickelodeon. Gutierrez and El Tigre have been honored with five Emmy Awards and two Annie awards. Born in Mexico City and raised in Tijuana, Gutierrez states he is in a constant and torrid love affair with Mexican pop and folk culture through his films, cartoons, illustrations, and paintings. Gutierrez attended the California Institute of the Arts, where he received his BFA and MFA in Experimental Animation under Jules Engel. There he created the 3D short Carmelo, which won the 2001 Student Emmy Award in animation. The movie was screened at various festivals around the world, including Kodak’s Emerging Filmmakers Program at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival. In 2000, Gutierrez worked under animation legend Maurice Noble, for the art direction of Chuck Jones’ Timberwolf for Warner Bros. In 2001, he began creating Jorge Gutierrez’ El Macho, an animated web series for Sony Pictures. Gutierrez also designed characters for several animated series including Nickelodeon’s ChalkZone, WB’s Mucha Lucha, and Disney’s The Buzz on Maggie for which he was nominated for a 2006 Annie Award in character design. As a writer, he’s worked on Scholastic’s The Misadventures of Maya & Miguel as well as Disney’s Brandy & Mr. Whiskers.

Sandra Equihua

Sandra Equihua is an illustrator, painter, and animated character designer. She was born and raised in Tijuana, Mexico. Equihua states that she grew up confused and inspired by both the Mexican and American cultures surrounding her. She received her BFA in Graphic Design in Tijuana, Mexico. She later discovered that her true passion was illustration when studying under Rafael Lopez at Art Center at Night in San Diego, which allowed her to widen her range artistically. Her illustration clients have included Sony Pictures, McGraw Hill, WEA, Disney, WB, Nickelodeon, and the California State Fair. Her paintings have been exhibited in various galleries both in Mexico and the U.S., including Nucleus gallery 1998, Roq la Rue, Gallery Bink, Anno Domini, and Centro Cultural Tijuana. She has worked in the animation business as an illustrator, voice actress, and a character designer for El Macho (Sony), Mucha Lucha (WB), The Buzz on Maggie (Disney) and Wow Wow Wubzy (Nick Jr.). Equihua won an Emmy Award for her character designs on El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera (Nickelodeon), the highly-acclaimed animated television series she co-created with her long-time collaborator and husband, Jorge R. Gutierrez.