Dana Jennings Jelter, Author: Dana Jennings Jelter is an Emmy award-winning producer, writer, and puppet maker who has spent much of her career working in the entertainment industry. After graduating from Fairfield University with a degree in Communication and Media Studies, she weaved her way through various positions within companies including Nickelodeon, Lucasfilm, Disney, and even a small traveling theater based in the heart of Florence, Italy. A native of New York’s Hudson Valley, Dana grew up with an interest in storytelling and creating unique characters — a passion that continues through her work today. She is the author of a self-published collection of short stories, Love in the Slow Lane, and co-writer of the video game Opossum Country. Dana currently resides in Vermont, where she is an artist in residence at Generator Makerspace in Burlington. She is currently working on a new book featuring sculpted illustrations.

Henry Selick, Introduction: Director Henry Selick is best known as the director of iconic stop-motion Disney classics The Nightmare Before Christmas and James and the Giant Peach; Coraline - which he directed, wrote, and co-produced for LAIKA; and his most recent feature, Wendell & Wild, directing, co-writing, and co-producing for Netflix Animation. Selick likes to say his fantastical, scary, funny films are intended for "brave children of all ages" and believes that stop-motion animation, the oldest of all animation techniques, is the most magical and timeless.