31: Eating Candy in the Woods with Stephen P. Neary
Whether it's foraging for mushrooms or eating candy in the woods, Living with a Visionary director Stephen P. Neary draws his creativity from life's quiet moments. Narrated by Academy Award nominee James Cromwell (Babe, L.A Confidential), and based on John Matthias’ memoir first published in The New Yorker, Living with a Visionary is a soulful, bittersweet reflection on John’s fifty-year marriage to Diana, an art curator grappling with Parkinson’s. As Diana’s medication besets her with vivid, often beautiful hallucinations, John, now her caregiver, adapts to her imaginary world. When the Covid-19 pandemic separates them, John is forced to admit he can no longer care for Diana, and struggles to free himself from a psychiatric ward. In John’s final phone conversation with a Covid-positive Diana, he reads her the first poem he ever wrote for her, and is left with the memories of her visions. Stephen P. Neary is a Hoosier-born writer, director, and storyboard artist living in Los Angeles. Stephen currently works as a story artist for clients including Netflix, Illumination, Annapurna, and Sony, most recently on KPop Demon Hunters. In 2026, Stephen’s independent animated short, Living with a Visionary, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. Stephen created The Fungies! for Cartoon Network and HBO Max, serving as Executive Producer for the show's three seasons, which premiered in 2020. Prior, Stephen served as Supervising Producer for seasons two and three of Cartoon Network's Annie nominated show, Clarence. Graduating NYU in 2008, Stephen was a feature story artist at Blue Sky Studios for five years on franchises such as Ice Age, Rio, and The Peanuts Movie. In addition to features, Stephen directed and animated the short Umbrellacorn for the studio in 2013 after winning a studio-wide pitchfest. In 2012, his independent short, Dr Breakfast, animated on his daily commute from Brooklyn to Connecticut, was an official selection in The Sundance Film Festival. Stephen has taught story and writing classes at CalArts, and paints goofy little autobio comics about his family, which you can read on his Instagram. Get your hands on a Camp Snap Camera for $5 off by using my link! https://www.campsnapphoto.com/INDIALOMBARDIBELLO Links to points of discussion (will update shortly!): Living with a Visionary The Animator's Friend on Instagram SVA MFA Computer Arts - NYC The Animator's Animations The Animator's Playlist on Apple Music and Spotify The Animator's Favorites 11/12 - Lightstruck: The Alchemical Furnace of Jan Svankmajer Program 4 - LA Woodstock Film Festival - NY Ru Kuwahata & Max Porter's website New York Times Op-Docs Living with a Visionary on Instagram Stephen P. Neary on Instagram 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 This episode was recorded at SVA MFA Computer Arts Booking assistance from Mireia Villanova, Renata Luczak, and Sophie Frank Digital marketing assistance from Arnesh Kundu Music by Cloutmeyer Design by Sawyer Rippon Special thanks to Mireia, Renata, Sophie and Woodstock Film Festival; Rob Campbell; Michael Dondero
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