Roqe - Ep #110 - From Ahvaz to Disney - Mehrdad Isvandi

A very animated edition of Roqe (so to speak!) including a feature interview with Iranian-American visual artist, illustrator, and production designer, Mehrdad Isvandi. Mehrdad, while still only in his 30s, has become a key player at Disney Animation involved in the creation of blockbuster films. He joins Jian from Los Angeles to discuss growing up as a kid in Ahvaz with drawing as his escape and form of expression, overcoming personal challenges around learning ability, taking every measure to leave Iran to pursue his illustration talent and creative skills, landing at Google and Dreamworks in California, and his present role at Disney where he’s been instrumental in creating films like “Moana,” “Raya and the Last Dragon,” and “Ralph Breaks the Internet.” Plus the Roqe On-Air Team pokes fun at Jian for his low-status vaccination, discusses the merits of exiting WhatsApp groups, and Kyan delivers a new edition of “It’s All Persian To Us!”