From Homer to Hollywood
What if your creativity could become your career or your business? And what if there are more paths to get there than you ever imagined?
Join Peter Hartsock and Justina Hnatowicz, married bi-coastal creatives who live and work in Hollywood, for ”From Homer to Hollywood,” a conversation about building a career in the rapidly evolving creator economy. The practical and interactive conversation is designed for young people who are thinking about how to shape a creative career path.
The world of creative work is changing fast. Today, a creative career doesn’t necessarily follow a traditional path from college to a single job at a single company. The creator economy is creating new opportunities for people to turn their skills, ideas and passions into careers, businesses and income streams, often combining several of them at once.
You might become a filmmaker, musician, animator, storyteller, producer or content creator. You might build a side gig as an artist, jewelry maker, fabricator, fashion designer or game maker and grow it into a business. You might create or join a new-economy company such as an agency, creative brand, influencer or brand-management business. Or you might find your place inside the industry, working for a studio, production company, animation house, recording label or other creative enterprise.
Peter, a Homer native and Syracuse University graduate, is a Los Angeles-based writer, director, producer and founder of award-winning Fantasma House, an independent production company that has garnered national and international laurels on the film circuit festival. His experience spans filmmaking, music videos, commercial content and animation, including development and production work in the entertainment industry. His full-time job is on the production team for SpongeBob SquarePants at Nickelodeon.
Justina, a native of the Poconos and also a Syracuse University graduate, is a CG generalist and look development artist at Warner Bros. Pictures Animation, with previous experience at Sony Pictures Animation, Netflix Animation and Skydance Animation. Her work has been featured in animated films such as Ultraman: Rising, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and she is currently working on Warner Brother’s Hello Kitty and Oh! The Places You’ll Go, both set to be released in 2028. Her career offers a firsthand look at the increasingly interdisciplinary world where art, storytelling, technology and animation come together. Additionally, she is the creator of an independent jewelry line and teaches animation.
Now living and working in Hollywood while maintaining their connections to Honer and their local roots, Peter and Justina will share the real stories behind their career journeys, including what they learned, how they found opportunities, what it takes to break into the industry, and how young creatives can begin building their own networks, portfolios, creative side businesses and professional identities.
From Homer to Hollywood is designed for young entrepreneurs, artists, creators, makers, students and anyone wondering how to turn what they love to do into a sustainable future.
Come with your ideas. Bring your questions. Leave with a better idea of what a creative career can look like, how to prepare for it, and the many different ways you can build a creative venture based on your own passion.