Jesse Strauss (née Schmal) is a Professor, Storyboard Artist, Illustrator, and Animator living in the Boston area. He is originally from Northern Virginia but cannot get Northeastern enough (if you ask him). He is married with two fine young sons and a wonderful Australian Shepherd.

His storyboarding and animation credits include the television series Codename: Kids Next Door, StoryCorps animated shorts, Word World, and Superjail!, along with the Cartoon Network pilots Upstate Four and Utica Cartoon. He has created series pitches developed for Cartoon Network and Nick Digital.

Jesse’s artistic work enjoys applying snark and self-doubt to birds and rodents while championing nature’s eventual reclamation of the suburban-American hellscape. His interests in U.S. history, sports, and old-timey ways of life find their way into his characters. His own animated film Sub! has shown internationally and won numerous awards, some of which even came with trophies. He has a BFA in Illustration from Rhode Island School of Design, and a master’s in childhood education from Hunter College in New York City.

He is currently an Associate Professor in the Animation department at Massachusetts College of Art & Design.