10 years ago, a younger idealized Dice Tsutsumi and Robert Kondo left Pixar to start Tonko House, their own independent animation studio in Berkeley, California. After ten years, their hopes and desires have matured through the experience of joyful high points and inevitable and unexpected low points in creating their Oscar nominated animated short, graphic novels, and their Emmy-award winning series, Oni Thunder God’s Tale for Netflix. They will share their vulnerable learnings for the benefit of anyone interested in the balance of chasing creative independence, sustainability, and purpose in this ever-changing world of evolving industry challenges, such as A.I., and the growing pressure to succeed in a world defined by social media.