Channel Frederator Blog

Animator/creator Jon Izen’s “Black & White Episode 44: Bearly Worth Watching” is some of the fastest, funniest animation around.

Channel Frederator: Where did you get your animation education?

Jon Izen: University of Manitoba and Vancouver Film School

CF: Who or what has influenced your work the most?

JI: Two things -

1. People that push themselves to create fantastic and unique work . To name a few - Marv Newland, Danny Antonucci, Scotty Underwood, Todd Ramsay, Alex Dron, Hobo Divine, and the killer talented Mike Geiger.

2. The desire to produce work and make a living, that is fueled by nothing more than the ability to express myself in any way I choose…

CF: “Black & White” is so random! How did you come up with it?

JI: I thought they made sense…I”ll have to get back to you on that.

CF: Are you working on any new projects you can tell us about?

JI: I am not sure if I can leak this one, but “Flushy Feinstein” might be taking the world by storm soon (the storm might only be a drizzle, but either way there will be mild discomfort). It’s a 9 billion dollar project. I am meeting with the bail-out folks to see if we can make it happen.

Unrelated to animation, I am having a solo show at the Magic Pony Gallery in Toronto on April 17th. I will be showing approximately 1200 mini portraits. It should be nuts. If anyone is kicking around TO on that day, please come by and say hi!!

CF: What is the craziest thing that has ever happened to you?

JI: It looks like the last series I created with Jono Howard called Yam Roll is being turned into a Broadway style musical…seriously. No…seriously! Oh ya… and I got a picture taken with Fabio at the Cajun Bistro on the Sunset Strip.

I think he was wearing a black spandex bodysuit with jeans. Yup.

Thanks for the interview, Jon! You can check out “Black & White Episode 44: Bearly Worth Watching” right here on Channel Frederator!

-Bailee DesRocher