LISA KAMAIOPILI
Animator for Weird Helga
Lisa Kamaiopili (she/her), otherwise known as Shiny Doggy, has been an Animator at the Animation Lab since 2022. She’s always loved comedic escapism and loves media that have sweet and loving qualities but are laced with unhinged humor, like Pickle and Peanut, Nacho Libre, Hot Rod, and Bee and Puppycat. Her hope is that her work makes people feel less sad. The zap of serotonin from laughing helps her reframe things: “Yeah, I guess the store being out of bagels isn’t that big of a deal…I just saw a fart become sentient.” At the Animation Lab, Lisa writes, boards, and animates. She likes being able to build something from the ground up and tailor it to what she thinks is funny. At first, she expected to be a hired hand, but appreciates that the artists really have ownership over ideas and can follow through on them at the Lab. Lisa thinks everyone on the team is a beast and hilarious; Brent once said the Lab is like “the animation SNL” and she really feels that’s true! Lisa would love to direct, and she makes live action and digital sketches. So, Hollywood, if you’re reading this, give your girl a call.
The best piece of advice Lisa received was from her teacher, Chris Sullivan, at SAIC: "Everyone has six bad films in them, so hurry up and make those bad films so you can finally make a good one." Lisa adds, “The first time you try something it's not going to be amazing and it's frustrating because of how much work and time it takes, but it gets faster and easier each time you do it. Eventually you will make that good film!”
From Kansas, Lisa now lives in Los Angeles. She loves LA because everyone she looks up to is here. The amount of people that take being a lil' freak in this city SERIOUSLY really warms her heart. Lisa adores comedy and listens to a million podcasts, watches Twitch, and sees live shows. Lisa’s favorite comedians right now are Kate Berlant, Carmen Christopher, and Lauren Lapkus. Her favorite streamers are Lord Spew, Big Nose Bug, and Meganimation, and her favorite live shows are Silly Spoofmas (LA), Zine Not Dead (Chicago), and Devil's Daughter (Chicago). Her favorite podcasts are Threedom, Scam Goddess, and The Bone Zone.
Find Lisa on Instagram @shiny.doggy , Twitch @Shinydoggy, and YouTube @shinydoggy and @corruptedframes
FROM THE TEAM
“Lisa is a ray of sunshine on our team! She’s collaborative, gives constructive, positive feedback and is a gifted animator. Her sense of humor is unparalleled and I’m happy she’s on the Helga team!”
“Working with Lisa is like, say you're at a seafood restaurant, and you get a tiny fish bone caught in your throat. It's not like choking you, just annoying, but you're polite and don't want to cause a scene so you tell everyone it's all good. Then it turns out your doctor friend at the table has a pair of forceps handy, so SHE reaches into your throat and effortlessly extracts that dang bone. With forceps still in hand, she pats you on the shoulder and whispers "I got you, buddy"? That's working with Lisa.”