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Greg Tiernan
Greg Tiernan
Greg Tiernan
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Gregory Tiernan (born June 19, 1965) is an Irish-born Canadian-based animator, director and voice artist. Along with his wife Nicole Stinn, he founded Nitrogen Studios Canada, Inc. in 2003, through which he introduced CGI to the Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends franchise.[1] Prior to this, Tiernan collaborated on various projects with filmmaker Don Bluth, Walt Disney Animation Studios and Klasky Csupo, Inc. Nitrogen Studios was purchased by Cinesite and he now works for them.

Key Information

Tiernan made his feature film debut with the long-gestating R-rated animated film Sausage Party (2016), joining Conrad Vernon to direct production of a story conceived by Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg and Jonah Hill.[2][3]

Career

[edit]

Tiernan was trained in traditional animation for feature film in his native Ireland, at Don Bluth's now-defunct Dublin-based Sullivan Bluth Studios. There, he worked with Bluth in various capacities on the films An American Tail (1986), The Land Before Time (1988) and All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989). Tiernan later worked on one episode of the British children's animated series Danger Mouse for Cosgrove Hall, several episodes of Garfield & Friends, the 1983 animated series of the comic series Lucky Luke, Ralph Bakshi's live action and animation mixed feature film Cool World (1992) and two animated feature films from Germany Der kleene Punker (1992) and Felidae (1994) which was later released on YouTube premieres on 7 August 2013 in the USA, UK, Canada and any of countries lot of views in audiences for older teens and up. Soon after, he moved to Los Angeles and became a sequence director for Klasky Csupo. In addition to working on several episodes of Rugrats and The Wild Thornberrys, he made sequence contributions to the feature film spin-offs of both programs.

Tiernan's Hollywood years also saw him work extensively with Disney. His first projects included several titles in the company's PC games library, including projects associated with Disney's Aladdin (1992), The Lion King (1994), Hercules (1997) and Tarzan (1999). Also through Disney, he contributed storyboards to Mr. Magoo (1997), one of his few live-action projects.

After serving as an additional animator on The Tigger Movie (2000), Tiernan moved to Vancouver and founded Nitrogen Studios. Through this new venture, he helped develop God of War (2005), the first entry in the renowned PlayStation game series and the animated film Happily N'Ever After (2006). He joined the family of artists behind the Thomas & Friends franchise when he directed the home video feature Hero of the Rails (2009). This title became the first Thomas project to shelve the historical live-action animation technique in favor of CGI; all subsequent projects have been animated thus. Along with helming various additional home videos, Tiernan served as series director for Thomas & Friends from Series 13 to Series 16 and the other three films Misty Island Rescue (2010), Day of the Diesels (2011) and Blue Mountain Mystery (2012). Tiernan was also the CGI unit director for Series 12. He was also a huge fan of The Rev. W. Awdry's original Railway Series books and owns both The Island of Sodor: Its People, History and Railways and Sodor: Reading Between the Lines.

Tiernan also worked on several film projects when not working at Disney or Nitrogen or with Don Bluth, including Roxy Hunter, Bionicle 2: Legends of Metru Nui and four Peanuts specials.

Tiernan gained new acclaim following the 2016 release of his feature film debut, Sausage Party (in which he also voiced a potato and a noodle soup can).

Tiernan also directed the CGI-animated version of The Addams Family (2019) and its sequel The Addams Family 2 (2021).

Allegations of mistreatment

[edit]

Several days after the release of Sausage Party, allegations of poor treatment of Nitrogen Studios employees surfaced in the comments section of an interview with Tiernan and co-director Conrad Vernon, featured on the website Cartoon Brew.[4] Various anonymous comments, from individuals purporting to be animators who worked on the film in question, made claims including that Nitrogen forced them to work overtime for free and that some employees were threatened with termination. One individual stated that Tiernan had developed a reputation for "disturbing behaviour and abusive management style".[5] Publications such as the Washington Post,[6] the Los Angeles Times,[7] Dorkly[8] and /Film[9] later picked up the story.

References

[edit]
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Greg Tiernan

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Gregory Tiernan (born 19 June 1965) is an Irish-born Canadian animator, director, and studio executive known for his contributions to both children's television animation and adult-oriented feature films. Tiernan co-founded Nitrogen Studios in Vancouver with his wife Nicole Stinn, serving as its Chief Creative Officer, where the company specialized in visual effects and animation for projects including Thomas & Friends. He directed seasons 12 through 16 of Thomas & Friends from 2009 to 2012, overseeing the transition to full CGI animation, and contributed to earlier films like An American Tail (1986) and All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989) as an animator. His feature directing credits include co-directing the R-rated comedy Sausage Party (2016) with Conrad Vernon, which grossed over $140 million worldwide despite its niche appeal, and leading the animated reboot The Addams Family (2019) and its sequel. Tiernan's professional reputation has been marked by a 2016 controversy during 's production at , where anonymous animators alleged demands for unpaid , threats of for complaints, and omission from credits, prompting a union complaint to Canadian authorities. In 2019, the Employment Standards Branch ruled in favor of the claimants, awarding back pay to workers who had left the project early, though disputed the claims and emphasized its overall labor practices.

Early life and education

Upbringing and family background

Greg Tiernan was born on 19 June 1965 in , . Public records provide no further details on his parents, siblings, or experiences in . He is married to Nicole Stinn, a longtime collaborator who co-founded with him in 2003. Tiernan's transition to a Canadian base occurred later in his career, reflecting professional opportunities in rather than documented family relocations during his youth.

Formal training in animation

Tiernan's formal training in animation occurred at Sullivan Bluth Studios in Dublin, Ireland, where he apprenticed under beginning in the mid-1980s. This studio, established by Bluth in 1985 as a European outpost for his efforts following his departure from Disney, specialized in traditional cel animation for feature films. Tiernan contributed as an animator on key productions there, including (1986), where he assisted in and , and (1989), gaining hands-on experience in storyboarding, layout, and the full pipeline of 2D feature animation. The studio's rigorous environment emphasized classical principles of , such as squash-and-stretch, timing, and , drawing from Bluth's Disney-honed techniques adapted for independent output. Tiernan's role involved practical immersion rather than theoretical coursework, aligning with the era's industry norm for many animators who entered via studio apprenticeships amid limited formal programs. No records indicate attendance at a animation program; his expertise developed through direct collaboration on high-stakes projects, totaling over a decade in traditional methods before transitioning to digital workflows.

Professional career

Entry into the animation industry

Tiernan entered the animation industry in the mid-1980s through Sullivan Bluth Studios in , , Don Bluth's European production facility established in 1985 to support animation. There, he trained in traditional animation techniques and contributed to key projects, including (1986) and (1988), for which he is credited as a rough breakdown assistant responsible for breaking down character poses into key components for inbetweeners. His early roles emphasized foundational skills in and layout under Bluth's supervision, during a period when the studio employed over 200 artists to handle outsourced work from Sullivan Bluth's American partners. Following contributions to (1989) as an assistant animator—focusing on timing and spacing of movements for canine characters—Tiernan built experience amid the studio's peak output of four major features between 1986 and 1989. The closure of Sullivan Bluth Studios in the early 1990s, amid financial challenges in the industry, prompted his transition to freelance and studio work in the , where he animated episodes of the series Danger Mouse (1981–1992 revival phases) and commercials for brands including Nike and . This phase marked his shift toward television and shorter-form content, leveraging Bluth-honed expertise in 2D hand-drawn techniques during what contemporaries described as a collaborative "golden age" of animation production. By the early 1990s, Tiernan had expanded to U.S.-based projects, including assistant animation on Rugrats episodes at , reflecting the era's boom in animation driven by networks like . His initial decade in the field, spanning roughly 1986 to the mid-1990s, established a reputation for reliable character work across theatrical and episodic formats, prior to his later supervisory roles in , , and .

Work on children's television series

Tiernan directed the British Thomas & Friends during its transition to full (CGI), overseeing production of seasons 13 through 16 from 2009 to 2012. He succeeded Stephen Asquith as director starting with season 13, which premiered on 3 October 2009 and featured 20 episodes focused on themes of and responsibility among the anthropomorphic trains on the Island of Sodor. In season 14 (2010, 20 episodes), Tiernan continued directing, introducing story arcs involving new characters like Hiro, a Japanese engine, while maintaining the series' format of self-contained moral-driven narratives suitable for audiences. Season 15 (2011, 20 episodes) emphasized environmental messages and engine mishaps, with Tiernan coordinating CGI elements produced by his studio, . The final season under his direction, season 16 (2012, 20 episodes), explored magical elements and friendships, airing until 2012 when production shifted to Arc Productions and Tiernan was replaced by David Baas. Prior to leading Thomas & Friends, Tiernan contributed animation to earlier children's media, though his primary television directing credits remain confined to this series, with no other major children's TV programs listed in his filmography. His work on the show aligned with its global appeal, reaching over 120 million children worldwide by the early 2010s through broadcasts on networks like in the United States.

Founding and operations of Nitrogen Studios

Nitrogen Studios Canada, Inc. was established in October 2003 by animator Greg Tiernan and his wife, Nicole Stinn, in , . The studio operated as a full-service CGI animation facility, emphasizing for theatrical feature films and television series. Under Tiernan's role as and Stinn's as president and CEO, the company grew to employ around 70 staff members dedicated to creative and production tasks. Operations centered on high-end production, leveraging Vancouver's talent pool to deliver CGI content for international clients, including contributions to series like beginning in 2008. In March 2017, was acquired by the British visual effects and animation firm for an undisclosed amount, after which it functioned as 's division, expanding the parent's capabilities in feature animation. This integration marked the end of independent operations but preserved the studio's focus on CGI character work within a larger corporate structure.

Directing feature-length films

Tiernan directed three direct-to-video feature-length specials for the Thomas & Friends franchise during his tenure at Nitrogen Studios: Hero of the Rails (2009, 60 minutes), introducing new characters and CGI elements; Day of the Diesels (2011, 72 minutes), focusing on diesel engine themes; and Blue Mountain Mystery (2012, 60 minutes), centered on a mining adventure plot. These productions utilized Nitrogen's CGI animation pipeline, transitioning the series from traditional models to digital formats under Tiernan's oversight. Tiernan made his theatrical feature directorial debut with (2016), co-directed with , an R-rated animated comedy about anthropomorphic grocery products discovering existential truths. Vernon recruited Tiernan to helm production at in , leveraging the studio's expertise from children's to achieve a high-quality look on a reported budget of around $20 million, despite initial industry skepticism toward adult-oriented . The film emphasized live-action-inspired pacing and character dynamics, with Tiernan contributing to refining dual-perspective storytelling between sentient foods and human shoppers; it premiered at on March 11, 2016, before wide release on August 12, 2016. Tiernan reunited with Vernon to co-direct (2019), a family-oriented animated adaptation updating ' characters for modern audiences with themes of outsider acceptance. The film grossed over $200 million worldwide against a $40 million budget, prompting a sequel, (2021), where Tiernan shared directing credits with Vernon, Laura Brousseau, and Kevin Pavlovic, exploring family road trip dynamics amid paternity doubts. Both projects built on the directors' prior collaboration, prioritizing visual style and humor suited to animation's flexibility.

Controversies and disputes

Allegations during Sausage Party production

During the production of the 2016 animated film , co-directed by Greg Tiernan, animators employed by his company in alleged widespread mistreatment, including demands for unpaid and an atmosphere of . These claims emerged publicly in mid-August 2016, shortly after the film's theatrical release on August 12, following anonymous posts on online forums such as , where over 30 animators detailed experiences of working 12- to 14-hour days without compensation for hours exceeding standard limits under labor laws. Animators specifically accused Tiernan of pressuring staff to forgo pay to keep the film's $19 million low, with one self-identified "uncredited supervisor" stating that Tiernan "would demand people work for free" and that led to threats of termination or exclusion from . Reports described tactics such as supervisors monitoring personal email for complaints, sudden firings of dissenters, and a culture where junior artists feared reprisal, contributing to high turnover during the film's crunch in 2015-2016. Multiple accounts claimed that dozens of contributors were deliberately omitted from the film's credits despite contractual entitlements, exacerbating grievances over uncompensated labor estimated to total thousands of unpaid hours across the team. In response to these allegations, the Animation Guild and local union representatives, including those affiliated with the BC Council of Film Unions, filed formal complaints with Canadian labor authorities on behalf of affected workers, seeking investigations into violations of the Employment Standards Act regarding overtime rates (typically 1.5 times regular pay after 8 hours daily or 40 weekly). The complaints highlighted ' non-union status as a factor enabling such practices, contrasting with industry norms where unionized productions enforce stricter pay and credit protections. While the animators' accounts remained anonymous to avoid legal risks, their consistency across outlets underscored systemic issues in low-budget animation outsourcing, though disputed the claims as exaggerated by a vocal minority. Nitrogen Studios, the Vancouver-based animation company co-founded by Tiernan, issued a statement denying the animators' allegations of unpaid overtime and mistreatment, asserting that the production had complied with all applicable labor laws, regulations, and contractual obligations. The studio, through President and CEO Nicole Stinn, claimed that animators had been paid for all overtime worked, with some individuals receiving over $100,000 in such compensation, and emphasized providing a supportive work environment including health benefits and fair pay. In response to a December 2015 letter from approximately 30 animators detailing "unfair pressure tactics," Nitrogen reportedly asked signatories whether they wished to remove their names, a move that some described as intimidating but which the studio framed as an opportunity for direct resolution of concerns. Following public complaints in August 2016, the Animation Guild and allied unions, including , filed a formal complaint with the Employment Standards Branch on behalf of non-unionized animators, alleging violations of pay requirements under the province's Employment Standards Act. contested the claims, arguing exemption as a "high technology company" under section 37.8 of the Act's regulations, which purportedly applied to its animators as specialized professionals not requiring . In a December 6, 2018, determination, the Branch's delegate rejected Nitrogen's exemption argument, ruling that the animators' roles did not qualify as exempt high-tech positions and ordering the studio to pay outstanding overtime wages to affected employees. The decision, upheld in March 2019, also imposed administrative penalties on Nitrogen, including fines, and established a precedent for overtime eligibility in British Columbia's VFX and animation sector, requiring payment for hours exceeding 8 per day or 40 per week. No further appeals or disputes were reported, marking the resolution in favor of the animators after a nearly three-year process.

Industry context and implications

The allegations against during the 2016 production of exemplify longstanding labor challenges in the industry, particularly the prevalence of "crunch time" practices where artists are pressured to deliver extended unpaid hours to meet aggressive deadlines and budget constraints. studios, often operating on shoestring budgets compared to major live-action films— had a reported $19 million production cost—frequently outsource work to cost-effective hubs like , , relying on tax incentives and non-union or loosely regulated labor pools. This model incentivizes cost-cutting measures, including demands for without compensation, as animators reported in open letters citing threats of termination and an "atmosphere of fear" under studio leadership. Such dynamics are not isolated; pipelines, involving iterative VFX and tasks, routinely impose 60-80 hour weeks during final pushes, contributing to burnout rates estimated at over 50% in industry surveys of VFX workers. These practices stem from causal pressures within the sector: studios compete globally against low-wage overseas competitors, while North American firms face thin margins on mid-tier projects, leading principals like directors-turned-producers to prioritize output over worker welfare to secure future contracts. In Tiernan's case at , animators alleged direct demands for free labor to maintain low overhead, a tactic echoed in broader critiques of founder-led studios where hierarchical control suppresses dissent. Empirical data from Canadian standards investigations post-complaint revealed systemic underpayment, resulting in back-owed awards to affected artists, underscoring how regulatory oversight can enforce when unions intervene. However, resolution depended on anonymous amplified by media, highlighting vulnerabilities for contract-based animators lacking permanent status. The implications extend to heightened scrutiny on studio governance and director accountability, prompting unions like the Media Production Association to file formal complaints and advocate for standardized enforcement in British Columbia's animation sector. This case accelerated discussions on crunch reform, influencing pushes for clauses mandating paid and rest periods, though adoption remains uneven due to project-based hiring. For independent directors like Tiernan, it illustrates reputational risks: while continued operations, public allegations tied to eroded trust, potentially complicating talent recruitment in an industry already strained by high turnover—estimated at 20-30% annually in VFX/animation. Ultimately, such disputes reinforce the need for empirical labor auditing over self-regulation, as unchecked cost-driven exploitation undermines creative sustainability without addressing root economic incentives.

References

  1. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0862911/
  2. https://tvseans.az/en/person/13748/qreq-tirnan
  3. https://ttte.fandom.com/wiki/Greg_Tiernan
  4. https://www.sodor-island.com/greg-tiernan
  5. https://www.empireonline.com/people/greg-tiernan/
  6. https://www.awn.com/animationworld/directors-conrad-vernon-and-greg-tiernan-talk-addams-family
  7. https://variety.com/2016/film/news/sausage-party-animators-unpaid-overtime-1201838425/
  8. https://www.cartoonbrew.com/artist-rights/vancouver-union-files-complaint-behalf-sausage-party-artists-unpaid-overtime-allegations-142666.html
  9. https://comicbook.com/movies/news/sausage-party-animators-win-major-lawsuit/
  10. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0862911/bio/
  11. https://www.awn.com/animationworld/future-indie-animation-studios
  12. https://www.cartoonbrew.com/feature-film/exclusive-trailer-new-documentary-irish-animation-industry-142413.html
  13. https://www.cartoonbrew.com/business/sausage-party-maker-nitrogen-studios-acquired-cinesite-149151.html
  14. https://www.avid.wiki/Nitrogen_Studios
  15. https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/nitrogen-studios
  16. https://rocketreach.co/nitrogen-studios-canada-inc-profile_b5cdf7a7f42e0ba2
  17. https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/175933-18
  18. https://cinesite.com/tag/nitrogen-studios/
  19. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1700841/
  20. https://www.cartoonbrew.com/feature-film/sausage-party-directors-conrad-vernon-greg-tiernan-making-2016s-outlandish-animated-film-142425.html
  21. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1620981/
  22. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11125620/
  23. https://deadline.com/2019/11/the-addams-family-directors-conrad-vernon-greg-tiernan-interview-news-1202780881/
  24. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/sausage-party-animators-pay-dispute-919640/
  25. https://www.thewrap.com/inside-sausage-party-allegations-of-forced-overtime-and-an-atmosphere-of-fear/
  26. https://www.reddit.com/r/vfx/comments/4xt7ux/nitrogen_studios_massive_mistreatment_of/
  27. https://www.nme.com/news/film/sausage-party-hit-by-claims-its-animation-team-we-874972
  28. https://screenrant.com/sausage-party-directors-animators-abuse-accusations/
  29. https://movieweb.com/sausage-party-animators-mistreatment-claims/
  30. https://www.express.co.uk/entertainment/films/700499/Sausage-Party-animators-director-Greg-Tiernan-response-Nitrogen-Studios
  31. https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/sausage-party-animator-feud-nitrogen-studios-seth-rogen-1201717363/
  32. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/union-sausage-party-complaint-1.3737394
  33. https://www.unifor.org/news/all-news/union-wins-overtime-pay-non-union-animators
  34. https://www.cartoonbrew.com/artist-rights/vancouver-animators-win-overtime-pay-in-sausage-party-pay-dispute-171836.html
  35. https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=edfb39ca-8ea6-4629-9a7e-3655db97672c
  36. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/canadian-union-prevails-sausage-party-animators-pay-dispute-1196832
  37. https://www.animationmagazine.net/2019/03/sausage-party-animators-win-overtime-pay-from-nitrogen/
  38. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/sausage-party-animators-vancouver-studio-overtime-1.5070598
  39. https://www.biv.com/news/entertainment-media-sports/province-rules-favour-sausage-party-animators-over-overtime-dispute-8255680
  40. https://www.inverse.com/article/19973-sausage-party-animator-abuse-highlights-industry-issues
  41. https://www.salon.com/2016/09/02/how-the-sausage-party-gets-made-why-seth-rogens-talking-food-cartoons-labor-controversy-matters/
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