“I honestly haven’t seen very much so I get excited when I see Filipinos working in the animation industry,” Van told Inquirer Entertainment in a recent phone interview. “Like Alex Niño (artist for Marvel and DC Comics) … I met him and told him I grew up seeing his work.”
On season five of “Johnny Bravo,” Van said he hired as many Filipinos as he could. “There were four of them (including singer-actress and Inquirer Entertainment columnist Lea Salonga) … ”
Van was born Efrem Giovanni Bravo Partible in Manila, but traces his roots to Bacnotan, La Union. He is currently based in Salinas, California.
He has not yet returned to the country since he left for the United States when he was 9. “My work schedule hasn’t allowed me to do that,” said Van, now married and a father of two. “Usually, when I fly out to Asia, it’s through Cartoon Network. My work hasn’t taken me to the Philippines yet. It would be fun.”
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