Fil-Canadian animator wins Emmy for 'Sonic Prime'

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Animation artist Joey Pogoy was left speechless when a representative from the Emmys called him last December.

The officers at Wildbrain Studios, a Canadian animation company where Pogoy works, already gave him a heads up that the Academy will reach out to him.

Still, Pogoy was dumbstruck when the call finally came through.

"Somebody called me and they were really from the Emmys, to tell me that I won," he said. "I became speechless. I couldn't find my voice when they called. And then they were saying 'Hello? Are you still there?"

Pogoy had to go to Los Angeles to receive his award. He took his mother and sister with him to the second annual Children and Family Emmys LA on Dec. 17.

The Academy honored him with an Individual Achievement in Animation award for his work as senior animator on "Sonic Prime."

"I cannot believe this," Pogoy said. "I didn’t really expect this to be something that I’d win."

Pogoy was in high school in Vancouver when he got a flyer that lists animation among the courses being offered in one school.

Although initially hesitant to take the two-year course because it was expensive, Pogoy said his mother urged him on.

He got a job at Wildbrain after he graduated.

The animator has since honed his talent on shows like "Megaman: Fully Charged," "Fireman Sam," and "Ninjago" before landing the gig for Sonic Prime.

"I know everybody says like it's not all about the love and passion for you to do well," he said, "but also the struggle, the stress, those are part of building up your experience."

His close friend Carlawyn Daquigan described Pogoy as very caring and generous.

Daquigan and another friend, Harvey Galima, said Pogoy is really dedicated to his craft and is deserving of the award.

"We were so happy because we knew that, [there's] so much passion and so much love for [his] work," said Daquigan.

Still, the Fil-Candian animator admitted that those working in his field face stress and burnout due to the pressures of being creative in the face of deadlines.

He urged others who are want to make it in the animation industry to take care of their mental and physical health.

"Keep your mental health up there and never overwork yourself," said Pogoy. "Take breaks if you can. If you force yourself, you will hit a deadend. You will not discover anything new."

Pogoy has been promoted as an animation supervisor following his Emmy win.

He says his endgame, like most other animators, is to work on feature films in the future.