Bio/Affiliation

Ron Diamond is an American film producer raised by New Yorkers in the wilds of Southern California. He is the founder of Acme Filmworks, the Animation Show of Shows and the co-founder of Animation World Network, all are in operation today.

Ron has had two primary careers, producing in live-action filmmaking, movies such as The Chocolate War and The Dark Backward (1980–1990), curating and distributing shorts and feature collections of shorts (1980-1990 and 1999-present) and in animation film production (1990–present). 

Diamond has lectured at animation schools, served as a juror and a guest speaker at numerous film festivals. He has been a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Shorts Films and Feature Animation branch since 2002, and is a collaborator with the LA Opera creative team.

Diamond has contributed to photo-chemical film and digital restoration and preservation efforts of films that are in the permanent collections of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Academy Film Archive, UCLA Film and Television Archive and Library of Congress.

 

Ron Bernard’s Picture

Awards and Honors

  • 2015 Recipient - Crystal Anvil, Career Achievement Award presented by the UCLA Animation Workshop - Ron Diamond
  • 2010 Winner - 37th Annual Annie Awards, Best Animated Television Commercial - Spanish Lottery: Deportees
  • 2008 Winner - 35th Annual Annie Awards, Best Animated Television Commercial - PowerShares: Escape Average
  • 2007 Cristal  - 30th Annecy International Animation Festival, Advertising Film Award - United Airlines: The Meeting
  • 2006 Grand Prix - 11th Holland Animation Film Festival, Applied Animation - United Airlines: The Meeting
  • 2006 Winner - 33rd Annual Annie Awards, Best Animated Television Commercial - United Airlines: Mr. Pants
  • 2005 Winner - 32nd Annual Annie Awards - Best Animated Television Commercial - United Airlines: Interview
  • 2004 Nominee - 76th Academy Awards Best Animated Short Subject - Nibbles
  • 2004 Nominee - 15th British Academy Film and Television Awards, Best Short Animation - Nibbles
  • 2004 Nominee - 56th Emmy Awards- Outstanding Commercial - United Airlines: Interview
  • 2002 Winner - 29th Annual Annie Awards - Best Animated Television Commercial - Earthlink: Darwin
  • 1998 World Medal - 41st New York Festivals - International TV Advertising - Campbell’s Soup: Special Selections 
  • 1995 Cristal - 18th Annecy International Animation Festival, Advertising Film - Levi’s Jeans for Women: Woman Finding Love
  • 1993 Gold Clio - 34th Clio Awards, Best Animated Commercial - Levi’s Jeans for Women: Woman Finding Love
  • 1995 Cristal - 18th Annecy International Animation Festival - Drawn from Memory
  • 2015 Grant - National Film Preservation Foundation Grant, Restoration of Paul Julian’s Hangman
  • 2015 Grant - ASIFA Hollywood Film Preservation Grant, Restoration of Paul Julian’s Hangman
  • 2010 Grant - Annecy International Animation Festival, Restoration Grant for Giant’s First Steps films

Professional Accomplishments and Exhibitions:  

Think Oscar! An analyses on what differentiates animation festivals from the Academy Awards in judging and selection.

  • 2016 Escola Superior de Música e Artes do Espetáculo, Porto, Portugal
  • 2014 Viborg Animation Festival, Viborg, Denmark
  • 2012 Whistling Woods International School, Mumbai, India
  • 2012 Anima Mundi Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
  • 2012 Monstra Animation Festival, Lisbon, Portugal
  • 2011 International Trickfilm Festival, Stuttgart, Germany

Giants First Steps A curated program of animated shorts composed of student works by now leading internationally recognized Animation Directors.

  • 2016 Cinanima International Animated Film Festival, Esphino, Portugal
  • 2016 Association of Bangalore Animation Industry Festival, Mysore, India
  • 2013 Marc Davis Lecture, Siggraph and Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences 
  • 2013 Anima, Brussels Animation Festival, Belgium
  • 2011 Annecy International Animation Festival

Curated Specialty Programs and Talks

  • 2016 Animation in Advertising: A True Art Form –Annecy Animation Festival A curated look at the intersection of art and commerce in advertising.
  • 2012 Jewish Animation aka Tales of the Diaspora: Outpost Animation, Two-Feature Length Programs, International Trickfilm Festival Stuttgart, Germany.
  • 2011 Acme Filmworks, Then and Now, Anima International Animation Festival Córdoba, Argentina
  • 2010 Acme Filmworks, Then and Now, International Trickfilm Festival Stuttgart, Germany
  • 2010 Acme Filmworks, Then and Now, Animafeast Zagreb, World Festival of Animation, Zagrab, Croatia
  • 2010 Acme Filmworks, Short and Long Form, International Trickfilm Festival Stuttgart, Germany
  • 2010 Animation Americana, International Trickfilm Festival Stuttgart, Germany - Insight gained by the nuanced works by US born Animators 
  • 2010 Advertising and Animation Panel, Ottawa International Animation Festival
  • 2009 Keynote International Animation, Comics & Games Forum, aesthetics in animation improving the lives of ordinary people, Jilin China
  • 2008 The Man Who Planted Trees with Frédéric Back and John Lasseter, Siggraph, Los Angeles, CA
  • 2007 Keynote Sony Pictures Animation, IPAX, Siggraph, San Diego, CA, 
  • 2005 Drew Carey’s Green Screen Show, Annecy International Animation Festival, Annecy France
  • 2005 Chris Landreth Screening and a conversation, Egyptian Theatre, Hollywood, CA
  • 1998 In the Spirit of Independence: Acme Filmworks, Ottawa International Animation Festival, Ottawa, Canada

Clients/Employment History:  

  • Acme Filmworks, Inc. - Executive Producer, Founder (1990 to Present)
  • Animation World Network, Inc. - President, Publisher, Founder (1995 to Present)
  • Animation Show of Shows, Inc. a 501(c)(3) not for profit - Producer, Founder, Curator (1998 to Present)
  • Expanded Entertainment - Producer (1985-1990)
  • Max Media Distribution - President, Founder (1980-1985)

Animation Production

  • 2020 The Extremesons – Couch gag, Producer - The Simpsons Ep. The Incredible Lightness of Being a Baby, Dirs. Michal Socha & Kuba Socha, Poland
  • 2018 Activities for Daily Living, Producer - Joanna Lipari’s one-woman play with animation to augment the live performance. Dir. Anna Bron, Canada
  • 2017 The Rat King – Fantasy animated commercial, Producer - Amazon Prime’s Casual Ep 7 television show Season 3 - Dir. John Dilworth, US
  • 2016 Cöuch Gag Manual – Couch gag, Producer, The Simpsons Ep. 596 Orange Is the New Yellow - Dirs. Michal Socha & Kuba Socha, Poland
  • 2016 Faliro House - Animated Logo, Executive Producer - Faliro House Productions Dirs. Michal Socha & Kuba Socha, Poland 
  • 2016 The Path - Main Title Sequence, Executive Producer - Hulu’s 36-episode series Dirs. Michal Socha & Kuba Socha Poland
  • 2014 Inside Homer – Couch gag, Producer - The Simpsons Ep. 549 What to Expect When Bart's Expecting - Dirs. Michal Socha & Kuba Socha, Poland
  • 2012 The Motel Life – Five animated sequences, Executive Producer - Gabe & Alan Polsky Motel Life, LLC Dir. Mike Smith, UK
  • 2010 Pillars of the Earth - Main Title Sequence, Executive Producer - Tandem Productions, mini-series Dir. Michael Socha, Poland
  • 2010 Robin Hood - Main Title Sequence, Producer - Ridley Scott,  Universal Pictures. Dir. Gianluigi Toccafondo, Italy
  • 2006 The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay (Golem sequence test), Producer - Scott Rudin, Steven Daldry,  Dir. Piotr Dumala, Poland
  • 2003 Down with Love – Main Title Sequence, Producer - Peyton Reed / Fox Pictures Dir. David Wasson, US
  • 1998 The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit - Main Title Sequence, Producer - Stuart Gordon / Walt Disney Productions, Dir. Aleksandra Korejwo, Poland
  • 1998 Scott Free - Animated Logo, Producer - Scott Free Productions - Ridley Scott and Tony ScottDir. Gianluigi Toccafondo, Italy
  • 1995 Drawn from Memory, Producer - PBS’ American Playhouse, Producer -  Autobiography of dir. Paul Fierlinger, US
  • 1992 Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot - Main Title Sequence, Producer - Roger Spottiswoode, Universal Pictures, Dir. Barrie Nelson, US

Live- Action Long Form Productions

  • 1990 The Dark Backward, Co-Producer - Backward Films & RCA/Columbia, Dir. Adam Rifkin
  • 1988 The Chocolate War, Line Producer - MCEG. & Metro-Goldwyn Meyer, Dir. Keith Gordon
  • 1986 Sorority House Massacre, Producer - Roger Corman’s Concord Pictures and Warner Home Video, Dir. Carol Frank
  • 1983 Future Tense, Producer - The Disney Channel. Science Fiction Anthology Dir. Frank DePalma