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Michael Dante DiMartino

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Michael Dante DiMartino
DiMartino at the 2012 San Diego Comic-Con
Born (1974-07-18) July 18, 1974 (age 50)
Shelburne, Vermont, U.S.
Alma materRhode Island School of Design (BFA)
Occupation(s)Animator, producer, writer, director
Years active1993–present
Known forCo-creator of Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra
TitleCo-Chief Creative Officer, Avatar Studios
SpouseShoshana Stolove
Children2

Michael Dante DiMartino (born July 18, 1974) is an American animator, producer, writer, and director. He is best known, together with Bryan Konietzko, as the co-creator of the animated TV series Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra, both on Nickelodeon.

Career

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Before Avatar, DiMartino worked for twelve years at Film Roman, helping to direct King of the Hill, Family Guy and Mission Hill, in addition to his own animated short, Atomic Love, which was screened at a number of high-profile film festivals. The dedication to his father's memory can be seen in the penultimate episode of Avatar: The Last Airbender. In a 2010 interview the president of Nickelodeon, Cyma Zarghami, confirmed that DiMartino and Konietzko were developing a new series for the network, called The Legend of Korra.[1] The series premiered on April 14, 2012, running 12 episodes for the first book "Air" and 14 for the second book "Spirits", which premiered on September 13, 2013, to 2.60 million viewers in the U.S., then the third book "Change" and the fourth and final book "Balance" of 13 episodes each.

On October 4, 2016, DiMartino released a new original novel, Rebel Genius.[2] The story features a 12-year-old protagonist, Giacomo, who discovers he has a magical 'Genius,' the living embodiment of an artist's creative spirit, in a world where artistic expression is outlawed.

In September 2018, it was announced that Konietzko and DiMartino would serve as executive producers and showrunners for Netflix's live-action adaptation series of Avatar: The Last Airbender.[3] On August 12, 2020, Konietzko and DiMartino revealed on social media that they had both departed the show due to creative differences with the Netflix team.[4]

In February 2021, ViacomCBS announced the formation of Avatar Studios, a division of Nickelodeon centered on developing newer animated series and movies set in the same universe as Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra, with both DiMartino and Konietzko helming the studio as co-chief creative officers reporting to Nickelodeon Animation Studio president, Ramsey Ann Naito.[5] The first project of the studio is an animated film that is currently set to release on January 20, 2026.[6][7]

Personal life

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DiMartino was born in Shelburne, Vermont.[8] He graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1996, where he majored in animation.[9] He met Bryan Konietzko, with whom he created Avatar, while in college.

Filmography

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Year Title Creator / Showrunner Director Writer Executive Producer Story Editor Actor Role Notes
1999–2002 Family Guy No Yes No No No No — 6 episodes
2000–2003 King of the Hill No Yes No No No No — 3 episodes
2002 Mission Hill No Yes No No No No — Episode "Unemployment: Part 2"
2005–2008 Avatar: The Last Airbender Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No —
2010 The Last Airbender No No No Yes No No —
2012–2014 The Legend of Korra Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Various Voices
2021 Adventures in Wonder Park No Yes No No No No — Episode "Pilot"

References

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  1. ^ Huff, Richard (March 12, 2010). "Testing Soap-y waters: Nickelodeon to use 'Degrassi: The Next Generation' to try out telenovelas". Daily News. New York. Archived from the original on March 15, 2010. Retrieved June 27, 2010.
  2. ^ Rebel Genius
  3. ^ "'Avatar: The Last Airbender' Live-Action Series in Works at Netflix". 18 September 2018. Archived from the original on 12 December 2019. Retrieved 19 September 2018.
  4. ^ "Michael Dante DiMartino on Instagram: "@bryankonietzko also wrote a statement concerning our departure. 🌊⛰🔥🌪 . . . . . . #avatar #avatarthelastairbender #michaeldantedimartino #legendofKorra #avataraang #avatarkorra #avatarfandom #fantasytvseries #korra #uncleiroh #iroh #stoicphilosophy #irohquotes"". Archived from the original on 2020-08-13. Retrieved 2020-08-12.
  5. ^ Zorrilla, Mónica Marie (February 24, 2021). "Nickelodeon Launches Avatar Studios, Will Expand World of 'Avatar: The Last Airbender,' 'The Legend of Korra'". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on February 24, 2021. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
  6. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (2022-11-10). "Paramount Sets Dates For New 'SpongeBob' & 'Aang Avatar' Animated Movies". Deadline. Retrieved 2024-03-14.
  7. ^ Rubin, Rebecca (2024-04-18). "'Aang: The Last Airbender' Delayed to 2026, 'Transformers One' Moves Back a Week". Variety. Retrieved 2024-04-18.
  8. ^ DiMartino, Michael (April 29, 2012). "Heart of Art: Career of animator for 'Last Airbender' and 'Legend of Korra' was nurtured in Vermont". The Burlington Free Press. Archived from the original on January 18, 2013. Retrieved April 30, 2012.
  9. ^ "Nickelodeon Establishes Avatar Studios, Brand-New Content Division Devoted to Expanding the World of Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra". Paramount Global. February 21, 2021. Archived from the original on January 11, 2024. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
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