Brian Duran
Visual Development Path – 2024
Brian Duran is a half-Salvadoran and half-Taiwanese Visual Development artist from the hidden town of Walnut, California. Growing up, art was everywhere Brian looked. Both his aunt and older sister were incredible artists that made art a fundamental part of their family culture. He was determined to be just like them. As any annoying little brother would do, Brian glued himself to his sister’s side so that he could learn more about art. Together, they drew goofy comics, fanart, and fantastic landscapes in her Sanrio themed notebooks. As he grew up and watched his older sister go on to pursue art professionally, he realized that he also wanted to make art a significant part of his life.
Eventually, Brian’s passion led him to study at ArtCenter College of Design. Throughout his early college years, he struggled with creating work that he could be truly proud of and wasted time making work that he thought people expected to see from him. It wasn’t until he began writing his own stories with the encouragement of his Creative Writing professor, that he realized how simple, yet exciting storytelling could be. He fell in love with the process of writing personal stories and letting those narratives come to life through Visual Development. With his passion reignited in a supportive environment, Brian gave himself the freedom to experiment and completely rethink his creative process.
Instead of looking to others to find stories that were “cool”, he began drawing inspiration from his culture and personal experiences to find unique perspectives to explore. He strives to share intimate, honest stories that anybody can resonate with. Finding ways to weave parts of his identity as a queer and biracial artist into his art made him fall in love with the process of creating all over again. With this new philosophy in mind, Brian started making work that allowed him to connect with people in a more meaningful way than ever before.
All this reinvention eventually landed Brian a spot in the Nick Artist Program where he can continue to spark new ideas to life alongside Nickelodeon’s community.
Founded in the year 2000, the Nickelodeon Writing Program is a full-time, paid, yearlong development Program for television comedy writers with unique voices and fresh perspectives. Join us at the studio in Burbank for classes and workshops to sharpen your skills, executive mentorship and networking to build your professional relationships, and the opportunity to work in the iconic live-action and animation writers’ rooms at Nick. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to dedicate yourself to the craft of writing and build your career from the ground up.
The Nick Writing Program is not a writing contest – It’s a launching pad for emerging creatives. If you bring the unique voice and innovative ideas for kids’ and family content, we’ll help you launch a career with all the tools you’ll need to succeed in the industry for years to come.
We need your talent and perspective, so come tell us your story!
Submissions on pause.
Please note: all submission and notification dates are subject to change.
We can’t create the most awesome kids’ content in the world without the most awesome artists in the world.
The Nickelodeon Artist Program is a 6-month, full-time paid talent development program for aspiring pre-production artists. We seek out talented designers, painters, story artists, and CG generalists with unique voices, with the goal of mentoring, developing, and staffing the next generation of inclusive storytellers and content creators.
The Nick Artist Program is designed to kick-start the journey of career-ready artists! If you’re ready for the SLIME of your life, come join us at the Nick Animation Studio.
Please note: All dates are subject to change.
2025 Summer NICKtern Applications are Closed!
Rocko’s Modern Way of Easily Applying for Cool Animation Jobs.
Behind the Curtain at Nick Animation
