On the cusp of his first private gallery and auction, animator Robbie Shilstone was reflecting on his artistic roots. They are both traditional – with family ties to notable publications – and cleverly modern, thanks in part to a piece of advice gleaned at Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of the Arts.
Shilstone, who earned his undergraduate degree in communication arts in 2016, specifically remembers a lesson from associate professor TyRuben Ellingson, chair of that VCUarts department and program director of cinema.
“The skills of the creative process are pretty consistent across mediums and times,” Shilstone said of his professor’s message, but “one of the best pieces of advice he gave our class was: Keep an eye out for disruptive technologies. … It’s best to pinpoint where they happen and then figure out your role in that space – and how to leverage it to continue your craft.”
Message received.
On June 27 at Lume Studios in New York City, Shilstone debuted his first gallery through Publique, a venture he created in fall 2023 that blends cryptocurrency and animation. The gallery’s live auction featured three new characters he created.
Shilstone founded Publique to blaze a path in crypto by infusing currency with his art and allowing consumers to be involved in his short stories. Publique acts as an online short film anthology set in a bustling city, and every week, a new character from an upcoming short is introduced and auctioned off.
“We have characters that are the cast members of these films, and essentially by collecting a character, you become a producer of these short films,” Shilstone said. “These assets become pieces of art that can accrue value over time.”
Though his sensibility – as a creator and businessman – is unquestionably of the moment, Shilstone’s connection to animation is based in his upbringing, as well as his journey to VCU and beyond.
The New York native’s earliest memories include watching his grandfather, in his Connecticut studio, make illustrations for publications such as National Geographic, Life and Sports Illustrated. Seeing his grandfather make a career out of art inspired Shilstone.
“I always knew it was more than a hobby – it was a career and I took it very seriously,” he said. “I knew I was going to be going to art school. … I knew I wanted to animate and I wanted to do hand-drawn animation.”
As he considered colleges, VCU touched on all his interests like no other school could.
“[VCU] was the one that actually felt kind of like a real college experience outside of just tucking away into your rabbit hole and pursuing the arts, which is what a lot of art school is,” said Shilstone, whose campus experience included creating illustrations for The Commonwealth Times student media outlet.
Immediately after graduating, Shilstone moved to Los Angeles — he is still based there – and worked mostly as a freelance animator, with notable clients including Disney, Apple, DoorDash and the Museum of Modern Art. The COVID-19 pandemic helped elevate his profile, as his art was finding large audiences online.
“You don’t know who’s watching, and sure enough when things go viral, they get in front of the eyes [of] people who are looking” for talent, Shilstone said.
Operating online under the name Shilstone Arts, his digital handle for his freelance work, Shilstone has built a diverse portfolio highlighted by advertisements and short films. While the work can fluctuate, the volume became sustainable – and allowed him to create Publique.
Publique gives Shilstone a compelling outlet for telling unique stories, with varying character perspectives, and it gives consumers a chance to be a part of the filmmaking process. As the short films become more successful the characters gain value, they become an investment that could be sold.
In the buildup to the June 27 showcase, Shilstone was thinking about his past – and potential future – at VCU.
“I really look back on my time in Richmond fondly, and I always think about retiring there and maybe teaching at VCU,” he said. “It’s such an awesome city.”
His campus connections influence his work today. Shilstone met his girlfriend while at VCU, and one of the musical minds behind his next short film was a dorm mate from freshman year.
On the larger scale, he credits Richmond and VCU for pushing him to pursue an independent career.
“The city of Richmond has this really awesome underground punk scene,” Shilstone said. “There’s an anti-establishment kind of vibe there that I hold on to that because I’m independent and I’ve been able to really force this career into existence.”