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Melissa Xu

@itabiaa

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Storyboard artist
Prev - Netflix, AppleTV+, YouTube, Independent
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🍓🦇 COME VISIT US AT @lightboxexpo EXPO! 🦇🍓 We'll be at Booth #537 in Artist Alley this year, and we're bringing all kinds of Strawberry Vampire goodies with us! 🛍️ Shop Strawberry Vampire merch and other fang-tastic goodies! 📖 I'll be there signing and selling copies of my book, A Guide to Developing Animated Shows! 🎨 The amazing Melissa Xu (@itabiaa) will also be joining us, selling her zine and doing sketches for fans! Whether you're a Strawberry Vampire fan, an aspiring animation creator, or just want to stop by and say hello, we'd LOVE to see you! 📍 LightBox Expo | Artist Alley | Booth #537 See you there! 🍓🦇✨ #LightBoxExpo #StrawberryVampire #IndieAnimation LilToughy LBX2026
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Here's your first sneak peek at STRAWBERRY VAMPIRE Episode 3: "Bracúul," premiering on the Li'l Toughy Youtube channel this Halloween, October 31 at 10 AM PT! Catch up on Episodes 1 & 2 before the big premiere! Subscribe so you don't miss it! 🍓🦇 #StrawberryVampire #IndieAnimation #Animation
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Here’s the result of our fantastically fun draw-a-thon last night! 🥹🍓 Thank you so much to everyone who showed up, hung out with us, and sent in your wonderfully weird requests. And a huge thank you to our storyboard artist Melissa for bringing so many of them to life with these amazing drawings! This was such a fun night. I love getting to do things like this with our little Strawberry Vampire community. ❤️🦇 Tell me in the comments: which was your favorite?
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STRAWBERRY VAMPIRE DRAW-A-THON + Q&A! Join me and Strawberry Vampire storyboard artist Melissa Xu (@itabiaa) LIVE on YouTube! 🎨 Melissa will be drawing your Strawberry Vampire requests 🍓 I’ll be answering your questions about Strawberry Vampire! 📅 Friday, September 18 ⏰ 6PM PT YouTube Members & Patreon supporters get priority for drawing requests. ❤️ Come hang out with us and talk all things SV! #StrawberryVampire #Drawathon #IndieAnimation #Animation
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🦇 YOU’RE INVITED. 🦇 This Halloween, you’re cordially invited to Franny's Bracúul… 🍓 STRAWBERRY VAMPIRE: EPISODE 3 — BRACÚUL 🍓premieres OCTOBER 31ST! Franny’s story continues with a brand-new episode animatic, and I am SO excited to finally share what we’ve been working on. Save the date. Dress accordingly. 🧛‍♀️ See you at the Bracúul. 🦇🍓 🎃 OCTOBER 31, 2026 🎃
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🍓🦇 STRAWBERRY VAMPIRE LIVE DRAW-A-THON! ✏️✨Join us Friday, September 18 at 6 PM PT for a live Draw-a-Thon with famed Strawberry Vampire storyboard artist Melissa Xu! Come hang out with us while Melissa draws your favorite SV characters LIVE — Franny, Margot, Jonathan, Bat Franny… who knows what you’ll convince her to draw? 👀 💬 Hang out in the chat 🎨 Make drawing requests ❓ Ask Melissa your storyboard questions & Emily your SV questions 🍓 And spend Friday night with the SV community! 📅 Friday, September 18 ⏰ 6 PM PT / 9 PM ET 📍 LIVE on the Li’l Toughy YouTube channel LINK: https://www.youtube.com/live/R-JX682JQNQ?is=Wh7b5aGhotOKyU6T
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“Yes, Friend Jonathan, you are right. I will win spelling bee and prove once and for all that I am good solid American child!” - Franny #strawberryvampire #liltoughystudio #indieanimation 🍓🍓🍓🦇🪄
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It went LIVE!!! 🍓🦇🍓🦇🍓🦇🍓🦇 Here's the link: https://youtu.be/Essd-4tx9n4?is=m07ojfvbdBBMAvMD Everyone go watch the second episode of Strawberry Vampire now, and share it with all your friends! And your cousins, neighbors, etc. Let's show that Youtube algorithm who's boss!!!! Happy watching! 🦇 #indieanimation
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✨ New Substack Interview: Spotlight on Storyboard Artist Melissa Xu ✨ Today on my Substack, I’m sharing a free issue featuring an interview with the brilliant storyboard artist behind the Strawberry Vampire pilot, Melissa Xu. If you’ve seen the animatic, you already know how much of Strawberry Vampire’s heart and humor comes from Melissa’s boards. She was one of my favorite artists to work with on Goldie at Apple TV+, and as soon as I decided to make the pilot indie, she was the first person I called. Her instincts, clarity, and storytelling magic helped bring Franny’s strange, sweet world to life in ways I couldn’t have imagined on my own. In this interview, we talk about: 🩸 What drew her to Strawberry Vampire 🎬 Her approach to boarding tricky comedic beats ❤️ Her favorite moments in the pilot 🦇 Why indie projects matter now more than ever If you're an animation creator, board artist, writer, or just curious about the behind-the-scenes of making an indie pilot, I think you’ll dig this one. 📬 Read the full interview here: https://emilybrundige.substack.com/p/spotlight-storyboard-artist-melissa Huge thanks to Melissa for putting her whole strawberry soul into this project, and to everyone following along as I continue building Strawberry Vampire the indie way. #animation #storyboarding #indieanimation #StrawberryVampire #womeninanimation #animators
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After months of dreaming, planning, and building… the Strawberry Vampire pilot animatic is finally here! [Link in bio] also: https://youtu.be/ogZomyTNu70?si=K1LkJYY4WsF5MNX5 🩸✨ From the strawberry fields of Strawbania to the fluorescent halls of American middle school, meet Franny Fragaria, a young vampire trying to fit in America, which is awkward... because America is awkward. When Franny enters her school’s spelling bee, she’s not just battling words, she’s battling identity. Between sour bullies, ancient grandma wisdom, and the world’s weirdest pep squad, she’ll have to decide whether to blend in or soar as her true Strawbanian self. 🍓 A heartfelt, hand-crafted indie pilot about culture shock, courage, and the messy sweetness of being yourself. 🎬 Created by: Emily Brundige 🩷 Produced by: Li’l Toughy Studio 🎨 Art Director: Germán Orozco (@german_horrorozco) 🖋️ Storyboards: Melissa Xu (@itabiaa) 🎞️ Animation by: Mercury Filmworks 🔊 Voices: Emily Brundige, Paul Rust, Katie Crown, Piotr Michael, Lucy Heavens, Henry Witcher Voice Director: Kristi Reed Recorded at: Outloud Audio 🎵 Music: Frederik Weidmann 🎶 Original Song “Behind the Fangs” written by Emily Brundige, Emma Zakes Green & Paul Fraser 🔊Sound Design and Mix: Vapor Music/Long Division ❤️ Huge thanks to our Kickstarter supporters who believed in Strawberry Vampire and made this project possible. 🙏 And an extra-special thank you to the Strawberry Vampire animation team at @mercuryfilmworks , who volunteered their talents to bring Franny to life. Your generosity, artistry, and spirit made this show dream a reality. 🦇🍓 🦇 If you believe animation belongs to creators, not corporations, hit SUBSCRIBE to my YouTube channel and join the beginnings of an indie animation empire. 👉 Learn about the series: StrawberryVampire.com 👉 Shop shirts & merch: StrawberryVampire.com/shop 👉 Join us on Patreon: patreon.com/strawberryvampire #StrawberryVampire #IndieAnimation #PilotAnimatic #VampireCartoon #ComingOfAge #AnimationPilot #EmilyBrundige #mercuryfilmworks #LilToughy #LilToughyStudio #VampireAnimation #FemaleCreator #AssimilationBites
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PANEL INTRO - CONVENTION FLOOR WALK THROUGH / MEET AND GREETS BEFORE AND AFTER I had a wonderful experience at LightBox Expo 2025- Here are some clips / meeting new people and walking through the convention floor a bit before the : SECRETS TO STORYBOARDING SUPER HERO SHOWS Aaron Sowd - Charles Ratteray - Dan Caplan - Jeff Henderson - Tani Kunitaki - Warren Drummond It was an honor to be involved with these 5 other uber talented storyboard artists. clips set to a bit of music
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You all need to see this. Storyboard artist Melissa Xu @itabiaa created a limited animation of *that* scene in Jade War (spoiler warning!!) and it gave me chills and made me so happy at the same time. I’m forever blessed and impressed by the talents of the artists who’ve brought the Green Bone Saga to visual life. Go to Melissa’s page to see the magic! #greenbonesaga #jadecity #jadewar #jadelegacy #greenbonesagafanart #storyboard #artwork #kaulhilo
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