WHO?!
Hey! I'm Avital Yurievich Shtapura, an award-winning 2D/3D animator, actor, illustrator, and published rapper/songwriter! I started my cartoon career at 7 and have pursued it since!
Born in Israel to USSR videographer parents, I moved to Bensonhurst as a toddler, going to fine art classes across the street from my elementary school! I independently created my first YouTube cartoon channel in 2006 (age 7). I studied fine art under Russian artist Mr. Arkadi, spent my Saturdays with at the 92nd Street Y with Rick Bleier, studied with Martha Bloom of the Artist's League, attended acting courses at the H&B Studio, and took a total of 7 precollege courses (life drawing, illustration, cartooning, 2D and 3D animation) at my dream school, the School of Visual Arts.
In 2017, I was accepted with a Chairman's Merit Award to the School of Visual Arts for
3D Animation. But after I saw that I had outpaced the program, I said, "Screw school; I'm ready for the industry."
While in sophomore year, I was hired as a full-time animator! My first job was working for Gary Vaynerchuk (8.5 million Instagram followers) to create his new cartoon, Lil' Vee! After the cartoon's release, I made 3 comics and 2 TikToks PER DAY for GaryVee! More about that on my resume.
After 2 years of working in advertising at Vaynermedia, I realized I needed a change! I'm now available for voice acting, cartoon commissions, and full-time cartoon work.
I have 30,000+ YouTube subscribers, 40,000+ TikTok followers, and 2 albums out!
I also post near-daily on Instagram and Twitter.
I'm also pitching a musical comedy/drama cartoon concept, "Chasing Gracie."
Outside of cartoons/music: I love antique furniture, art history, psychology, the 1930s-50s, writing scripts, psychology, and improv comedy.
I'm also a bi trans man. For more info on that, click here.🏳️🌈
CARTOOOOONS!
To see many more,
HOW DID AVITAL
LEARN TO
Animate?
"My channel, Mag Magnet, has 25,000+ fans and features 10+ years of animation experience!
Worth checking out? Yes."
"I'm self-taught in Adobe Animate, Photoshop, and Premiere, Source Filmmaker and MAYA. I don't like tutorials so I just plunge into a project.
HONORS/AWARDS/PUBLICATIONS
Hover over images for more info.
🌻 2017 Gold Key for Comic Art - "The Wizard's Revenge" 🔑
Scholastic Art and Writing Awards awarded me a state award for my 5-page political satire comic.
Bernobus Sanders, a kind wizard, accidentally turns all of America's oranges into little Trumps!
🌻 2017 Gold Key for Digital Art - "Tomorrow" 🔑
The symbolic digital illustration received national recognition by Scholastic.
🌻 2017 National Silver Medal with Distinction 🔘
Before I even entered college, my illustrations and 3D animation reel won me one of the highest awards Scholastic Art and Writing offers!
🌻 Illustration Published/Featured In Book: "Celebrating Art" 📖
A partner of Blick Art Materials, the "Celebrating Art" publication creates full-color books
showcasing the best student artists in North America. My portrait of "Papa" was published
on April 19, 2017 for their Spring edition!
🌻 Fair Lawn High School Art Alumni Award 💵
In June 2017, I received a $200 grant from Fair Lawn High School to recognize her art career.
They only give this award to one student each year, out of hundreds of graduating students.
🌻 2013 Saxxy Animation Awards: Honorable Mention 🔘
Each year, video game corporation Valve hosts a worldwide animation competition with an average of 300+ entries. During its third year, when I was in 8th grade, I submitted a comedy that animated, lit, and rendered on my own rather than with a group like the others. "The Advantages of Sandviches" received 500,000+ views and earned her an honorable mention for Most Gmod-Styled (i.e., Stopmotion-Styled) Animation!
🌻 25,000 YouTube Subscribers ▶️
My channel, Mag Magnet, has strong community of fans that chat, watch live streams, and actively comment on my videos! They've been by my side ever since 7th grade, and gratefully welcome my transition from 3D fan content to 2D original cartoons & streams!
🌻 Contracted Animator in the Channel Frederator Network ▶️
Frederator Studios is best known for The Fairly Oddparents, Chalkzone, and My Life as a Teenage Robot. A Channel Frederator representative noticed my channel and approached me in March of 2015 to join, but I was too young! 3 years later, when I was 18, I officially became a Frederator Network member.
🌻 Chosen for the “Cartoon All Stars: Reanimated” Collaboration!
Out of over 230 applications, I was selected as part of the “Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue” Reanimate, hosted by 800,000+-subscriber animator Vivziepop, and Nickelodeon animator / DreamworksTV’s Too Loud showrunner Nico Colaleo! Other collaborators include YouTube animator DuDuL (214,000+ subscribers), freelance animator Ashley Nichols (56,000+ subscribers), Looney Tunes Cartoons storyboarder Michael Ruocco, and Mighty Magiswords creator/showrunner Kyle Carozza. My part is at 0:39!