24: Punk & Grind with Santi MacLean & Joe Zappulla [PART 1]

We may be in Month 2 of 2026, but Santi MacLean, Joe Zappulla, and I are still feeling the new year's energy in TAF's first ever two-part episode!  Relive the feelings of optimism that January 2nd gifted as your resolutions start to lose meaning, like the thumbs-up react on that text message you sent. A young man talks himself through a panic attack. In Doomscrolling, Santi MacLean layers multimedia documents and data moshes on top of a vulnerable outcry. With bulging eyes and spaghetti-like green hair, the young man speaks in the form of a 3D-animated figure. In a high pitch voice, the character extrapolates on recent feelings of self-hatred and general aimlessness, due to financial pressures and up-keeping physical and intellectual standards while encountering romantic hook-ups. Micro-aggressions stretch the narrator’s mental bandwidth into oblivion and his cryptic self-recorded videos, along with other digital images, disintegrate into the next. While the outside world and its tactile elements offer moments of calmness, only so much can heal until the state of reality hits yet again. MacLean’s film moves quickly but packs a final punch, capturing the overwhelming influx of textures and feelings siphoned into a young person’s feed, and mind, today. Get your hands on a Camp Snap Camera for $5 off by using my link! https://www.campsnapphoto.com/INDIALOMBARDIBELLO Host your podcast on Podbean, one month free trial! https://www.podbean.com/theanimatorsfriend Do businessy things on Podbean, one month free trial! https://www.podbean.com/pro/theanimatorsfriend Advertise on Podbean! https://sponsorship.podbean.com/theanimatorsfriend   Links to points of discussion: The Animator's Animations Santi MacLean's website Santi's Instagram Joe Zappulla's Instagram Fun pet namez on Instagram  NoBudge The Animator's Friend on Instagram Julian Glander on TAF The Animator's Playlist Bakeri - BK The Animator's Favorites Brooklyn Public Library   The Animator's Friend is hosted by India Lombardi-Bello, an educator based in New York City. In this series, India creates a platform where animators get to talk about themselves outside the context of their work. A questionnaire format, inspired by the 24 frames per second of animation, allows for personal, lighthearted, and unexpected conversation. Credits: Recorded, produced, and edited by India Lombardi-Bello Digital marketing assistance from Arnesh Kundu Music by Cloutmeyer Design by Sawyer Rippon Special thanks: Talia Frank-Stemple, Michael Dondero, Kristie Kish, Malt Adult, my mom and dad. All opinions belong to the guests and do not represent any other individual or entity.