About Me

A little background on how we got here

My name is Lori Schkufza. I'm originally from New York City, went to California for college, moved around a bit, and ultimately landed in Buffalo, NY where I live with my partner and our Boston Terrier in an old house with floors that have settled.

I’m a 2D animator focusing on both character based animation and motion graphics. My career in marketing is built on years of experience in both education based animation and advertising. While working with ad agencies I've created explainer videos, videos for internal use at companies, and advertising campaigns. There have been non-profits, research labs and advocacy organizations where I’ve created videos on subjects ranging from breast health to the intricacies of battery recycling, forced arbitration and solar electrification.

In education based media, I've created material for middle school students to university level; calculus, epidemiology and public health, to globalization and the importance of healthy waterways. I love the problem solving nature of it: of taking complicated subjects that can often be abstract and making them digestible to a wider audience through visualization and movement. My current work in marketing a perfect blend of my experience in education and advertising as it bridges the concepts of both. There I've created videos explaining equity, walking customers through how to use software, videos announcing new products and brand awareness via videos for social media. My work is quirky, bright and a little offbeat.

For a handful of years I was a volunteer with Creative Mornings/Buffalo where I created animated content. There were a range of projects from a series highlighting local people doing awesome work in Buffalo to a series of animated donuts engaged in non-donut activities. In 2019 I was a speaker at Creative Mornings/Buffalo on the theme of Silence where I discussed the importance of finding white space through long distance hiking in order to maintain creativity and prevent burnout. These days I'm simply an attendee at events, having stepped away from volunteering. You can find me on the side stuffing Paula's Donuts into my face.

Hiking and backpacking is very important to me and equal to my identity as being an animator. I got bit by that hiking bug when I spent three weeks on the John Muir Trail with my brother and two friends. Since then I’ve knocked a number of states off of the Appalachian Trail as a solo hiker (My trail name is Snufkin) when I can make the time and forever have a list of trails to hit and National Parks to visit. My favorite park is Isle Royale in Lake Superior. It’s no surprise then that a major influence on me is nature. When I’m not animating, I do illustration work with a focus on nature. I love a series, whether state flowers, species of whales or invertebrates. There’s something extremely satisfying about a full set. Had I not gone into animation, and had I been a better science student I probably would have been a marine biologist. 

My favorite book is Moby Dick. I’ve read it over a dozen times and still find something new in it. 
You can reach me via email at lori@gutterrabbit.com​

You can find me on the internet doing various things at various places:

Rolo | Lori Schkufza
Behance | Lori Schkufza
LinkedIn | Lori Schkufza

Videos on  Vimeo
Prints at INPRNT
GIFs for Buffalo is Creative at GIPHY
Panimation.tv  | Lori Schkufza
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