They say it takes a village to raise a child, but in this case, it only took a rock ‘n roll band of like-minded 12-year-old students from the Bay Area to inspire one.

The group Haunted by Heroes recently performed at The Roxy in West Hollywood, and gave student animator Nicholas Mastragelo an opportunity to hone his craft. (photo by Aaron Blevins)

Nicholas Mastrangelo, 13, a student at Laurel Span School in West Hollywood, has been interested in animation for the last four years, but it wasn’t until a Haunted by Heroes concert at the Whisky A Go Go a couple of years ago that he dove into the craft head-first, leading to an invitation to the upcoming Comic-Con 2012 in San Diego.

“It was like it was meant to be, like the project made itself happen,” his mother, Ethelyn, said.

She had been invited to the Whisky by a friend, who asked her to bring Nicholas, knowing that he would enjoy Haunted by Heroes, the self-proclaimed world’s youngest rock band. Ethelyn hesitantly agreed.

Nicholas had an opportunity to meet the band after the concert, which he enjoyed immensely. The boys were friendly, and Nicholas began to attend all of their shows in Los Angeles, including last weekend’s show at The Roxy Theatre.

Nicholas Mastrangelo's animation career received a boost from his peers. (photo by Aaron Blevins)

He had been creating animated films, which were all contained online at his Maverick Animation website. Nicholas pleaded for his mother to ask her friend, Brent Turner, the band’s manager, for the opportunity to animate one of the band’s music videos. However, Ethelyn did not want to be too forward.

Coincidentally, Turner later called and expressed interest in having Nicholas, or as the band calls him, “Masty”, animate their music video for “Follow”. He finished it in one month.

“I was working on it day and night,” Nicholas said, adding that he would work on it during school, at lunch and recess.

Ethelyn said that development gave her son focus, and Nicholas began to see music “with an editor’s eye.” The family pitched his new animated music video to various organizations, and Nicholas learned that the piece was picked up by the Santa Monica Teen Film Festival, which will be held June 9 and 10, and the San Diego International Children’s Film Festival at Comic-Con on July 15.

“It kind of set the stage,” Ethelyn said. “It stopped being a hobby and became … ‘This is my career.’”

In his fourth year of animation, Nicholas was originally inspired by the Star Wars movies. He began drawing, and followed through with his mother’s suggestion to take up animation.

“I just knew I wanted to make things move,” Nicholas said.

He now takes courses at the William Reagh Los Angeles Photography Center through the Sony Pictures Media Arts Program. Nicholas said the quality of his work has improved thanks to his instructors, Yasmin Joyner and Javier Barboza.

In the future, “Masty” would like to work for or partner with a large company, such as Nickelodeon, Pixar or Disney. However, he’ll happily settle for Comic-Con for the time being.

“That’s a big dream — something I’ve always wanted to do,” Nicholas said. “It’s epic, and the fact I got my film in Comic-Con, it’s beyond awesome.”

He credits his most recent career development to Haunted by Heroes and the opportunity they presented him. Nicholas said it’s nice to see young people actually pursuing their dreams, instead of talking about what they’ll do when they get older.

“It’s great to talk to other animators … but it’s really great to talk to someone my age,” he added.

Nick Hero, of Haunted by Heroes, said the decision to use Nicholas’ animation seemed like a good idea, as both Nicholas and Ethelyn were “cool.” He said Nicholas’ animation was great, and he thought the concept was “really cool.”

“The band likes to help people and kids especially,” Hero said. “If we can inspire another kid to do art … or be more dedicated to art, that is an honor. We want kids to stand up for themselves and be motivated.”

Ethelyn said Nicholas is certainly motivated, and he is now aiming to be a professional. She said the members of Haunted by Heroes are living their dream on their own terms, and Nicholas would like to follow suit.

“We don’t have to be grown-ups to do what we really want to do,” Ethelyn said. “You can only wonder where they’ll be in five years.”

To view Nicholas’ films, visit www.maverickanimation.com.