Jennifer Yuh Nelson
Keynote Speaker: Director & Storyboard Artist; Best Known for "Kung Fu Panda 2"
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Jennifer Yuh Nelson Biography
Yuh was born in 1972 in South Korea and immigrated to the United States with her parents and two sisters when she was 4 years old. Yuh spent her childhood in Lakewood, California, where she enjoyed watching martial arts movies, playing with cars, and drawing. "I have been drawing since age 3 and making movies in my head for almost as long. In fact, drawing for me was a way to express those films when I had no other means of doing so," said Yuh. As a young girl, she would sit at the kitchen table for hours and watch her mother draw, copying her every stroke. As a kid, she would fancy stories with her sisters and was learning to draw to get down those stories. Yuh traces the lineage of her career to those formative family experiences.
Interested in art, Yuh followed her sisters to California State University, Long Beach, where she received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration. There she got introduced to animation, "When I was in college years later, a veteran storyboard artist came to talk to my class. He showed us how he drew movies for a living. My mind exploded. And that led to a career in animation." Jennifer then followed her sisters into an animation business - at first as a cleanup artist at Jetlag Productions, where she worked on various direct-to-video features. In 1997, she got hired as a storyboard artist on HBO's Todd McFarlane's Spawn series.
In 1998, Yuh joined DreamWorks Animation as a storyboard artist, while her sister, Catherine Yuh Rader, also a storyboard artist, had joined DWA owned PDI. Jennifer worked then on Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas and Madagascar. As a big fan of martial arts movies, she asked to work on the first Kung Fu Panda film, where she was a head of story, and directed the hand-drawn dream sequence. After the release of Kung Fu Panda, Jeffrey Katzenberg, DWA's CEO, approached Yuh about directing Kung Fu Panda 2. Although she hadn't expressed interest in directing the sequel to the film, Producer Melissa Cobb stated that she should direct the second one due to her excellent work on the first, to which the rest of the crew supported the decision. The film proved a major critical and international box office success with a worldwide gross of $665.6 million, making it the highest-grossing film ever directed by a woman, until director Jennifer Lee's Frozen two years later. She still holds the record for highest-grossing film by a solo female director. She eventually became the first woman to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film (since 2007's Persepolis) and to win the Annie Award for Best Directing in a Feature Production. Jennifer returned for Kung Fu Panda 3, which was released in 2016 and was the first American animated film to ever been co-produced with a Chinese firm. In July 2016, she was also added as one of the board of Governors by Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
It was announced in 2016 that Yuh will be making her live action directorial debut for the adaptation of Alexandra Bracken Young Adult Novel, The Darkest Minds.
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What topics does Jennifer Yuh Nelson speak about?
Jennifer Yuh Nelson is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics such as Diversity, Asian Heritage, Entertainers, Television & Film, Storytelling, Art, Authors, Women, Entertainment and Influential Women.
Where does Jennifer Yuh Nelson travel from?
Jennifer Yuh Nelson generally travels from California, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances.
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Jennifer Yuh Nelson is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics including Diversity, Asian Heritage and Entertainers. Please contact us for live or virtual event fee details. Jennifer Yuh Nelson generally travels from California, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Diane Guerrero, Ava DuVernay and Rebecca Sugar. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Jennifer Yuh Nelson for an upcoming event.
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Jennifer Yuh Nelson Videos
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Jennifer Yuh Nelson News
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Kung Fu Panda 3? Helmer Jennifer Yuh Nelson On Chinese ...
Starting her DreamWorks tenure as head of story, Kung Fu Panda 3 director Jennifer Yuh Nelson has had a varied career that is intimately tied to that particular ...
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'Kung Fu Panda' Director Jennifer Yuh Nelson Taking 'Darkest Minds'
“Kung Fu Panda 3” director Jennifer Yuh Nelson is attached to make her live- action directorial debut with “Darkest Minds” in a potential franchise starter for Fox.
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'Kung Fu Panda' Director Jennifer Yuh Nelson to Make Live-Action ...
Jennifer Yuh Nelson, best known for helming the Kung Fu Panda movies, will make her live-action directorial debut with Darkest Minds, Fox's adaptation of the ...
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