BEN TREAT
Q: What’s your occupation? Explain your career, your accomplishments and professional highlights.
A: I work as a freelance animator creating content on social media. I post whimsical and creative videos to TikTok and Instagram and create social and internal content for brands like Samsung, Toyota and Skittles on my socials @franticframes. Last year I won a reality TV show called “Exposure” and earned a position on Samsung’s Team Galaxy.
Q: Tell us about yourself, your history and how you came to be where you are now.
A: I was born in Bellvue but spent my childhood moving from state to state and country to country. I lived in New Zealand for the majority of my high school years and started animating because it was something I could bring with me in my life. Today I live in Fort Collins and am creating every day.
Q: Tell us something unique about you.
A: One time I caught 17 toads and was able to stack six of them on top of each other, a lifelong achievement for me.
Age: 21
Occupation: Animator
Q: What do you consider your biggest accomplishment, either professionally or personally?
A: I think my biggest achievement may be pursuing my interests in a world where people tend to be pushed away from that and finding myself in an incredible place because of it.
Q: Where do you see yourself in five years? In 10 years?
A: I hope to see myself pursuing my current interests and surrounded by people I love. I also hope to have successfully stacked 10 toads, though that is a daunting task.
Q: What piece(s) of advice would you give to your younger self?
A: I would tell myself to take a break, live a bit more casually without such concern for my future and enjoy the youth a bit more.
Q: How did you get into animation and decide to pursue it as a career?
A: I started animating as an escape from my daily life. I decided to pour most of my free time into practicing, but it was more out of a hyper obsession than anything. I started sharing my work on socials to see what would happen, and I got obsessed with tracking my progress. After maybe a year of consistent posting, I began to have brands reach out to me for partnerships. Now it’s my full-time job.
Q: Why do you think you were able to pursue your interest when so many others can’t/don’t?
A: Lots of incredibly talented people get caught in an expectation trap, especially with social media. People think they will be judged or that they have to start with their best foot forward, but in reality, people like to see the mistakes and grow with you in whatever you do. The journey of an artist is the draw of an artist, and the work is what you get along the way. I was lucky enough to start when I was 16 and didn’t have much holding me back. I was also super driven and would stop at nothing to create.
