Career
At the age of 13, Kirkland began making super 8 films and working for his father, noted photographer and filmmaker Douglas Kirkland, creating “making of” films for major production companies. This exposure to Hollywood sparked Kirkland’s desire to seek a career in the entertainment industry. Kirkland developed an interest in drawing at an early age. At the age of 17, he began studying in the Experimental Animation Program at the California Institute of the Arts for four years, earning a BFA degree. There, he was mentored by people such as Jules Engel (serving as his teaching assistant), A. Kendall O'Connor, Ollie Johnston and Moe Gollub. In 1976, he won the Student Academy Award for animation along with fellow student, Richard Jefferies, for their graphically animated film made to the song "Fame" by David Bowie. After finishing up his degree, he applied to Disney, but he was not accepted and instead began working for Hanna-Barbera. He began working on The Simpsons from season two onwards and has directed 70 episodes, more than any other director. In season 18, he became the show's supervising director.
Kirkland has won three Primetime Emmy Awards, two Environmental Media Awards and a Pioneer In Television Animation Award from the Burbank International Film Festival for his work on The Simpsons.
As an independent filmmaker, Kirkland has written, directed and produced award-winning short films which have been shown at film festivals around the world and screened at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Kirkland is an accomplished still photographer whose images have been published in US and People magazines. He created photo essays on the behind-the-scenes making of The Simpsons, and A Visit with Ollie about legendary Disney animator Ollie Johnston.
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