Animating Creativity with Kindness

When he graduated from Ringling College in 2016 with a degree in computer animation, Vladimir Stanishevskii (Russia, UWC Adriatic) had offers to join Sony Imageworks and Framestore, both major studios — but he chose to join a small company with a talented team, Neighbor Animation. He also returned to Ringling as a recruiter, offering students advice about navigating the animation industry.

When the Covid pandemic struck, Vladimir went home to Russia, where he joined the creative team of the children’s animated comedy “Masha and the Bear,” based on a Russian folktale, about a girl who lives in a forest and her friendship with a bear. Starting as an animator, Vladimir rose to be the show’s lead animator, storyboard artist, director and screenwriter, often handling multiple roles at once.

Now married with two young daughters, Mira and Raya, Vladimir has come back to teach young animators at his alma mater. He and his wife, Masha, “are a team and we are in life together,” he says. “We share love for students and take it as part of our purpose in life.”

“Most of my family are educators, so I feel like I’m meant for this,” Vladimir added. “I strive to teach animation with a kind heart.”

This profile is part of the “Graduates in Action” series from the 2025 Annual Report.