Blog History of Oh Yeah! Cartoons. Part 1.
We keep getting asked about how we started making original cartoons like the ones in Oh Yeah!, so I thought it might be good occasionally to post a bit of the back story here. Feel free to interrupt with any questions.
In the early 80s, after getting my start in TV as MTV’s original creative director, Alan Goodman and I had started Fred/Alan, the first company to introduce the concept of branding to television networks. Our first client, and first success, was the relaunching of Nickelodeon, where we made them the number one cable channel in six months. (Amazingly, since they’d been the lowest rated network in America.)
Chief programmer Debby Beece and business head Anne Sweeney asked me to breakfast at New York’s Paramount Hotel sometime in 1988 or 89, and said it was necessary for Nickelodeon to seriously start producing it’s own programming, and they wanted to start with animation. Since Alan and I had brought hundreds of wild, award-winning, animated network identifications to the channel, did I have any idea how they could get started? Honestly, other than random conversations I’d had with NY commercial producer Buzz Potamkin, I’d never given animated programming much thought. We were branding and promotion specialists, I reminded them, with no background in storytelling, and there was a world of difference between little 10 second dancing animals (as wonderful as they might be) and comedy. Debby and Ann insisted we were the ones to help them out, and I began improvising.
Why not copy from the best, I suggested. Why not emulate Looney Tunes?
(More next time.)
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On August 10th, 2005 at 12:00 am
Ah yes!! And this is near the time I became aware of Fred! When I was interning at Hanna Barbera for college credit, making photocopies, typing expense reports, and stealing drawings out of trashcans, DREAMING of one day working in animation. I was in love with the “What a Cartoon” series of shorts and inspired by the many wonderful creators. I met people like Rob Renzetti, Craig McKracken, Donovan Cook, Heather Kenyon, Robert Ramirez, and my director for “Yaki and Yumi” Jun Falkenstein! I found out that the person behind all the excitement was a man named Fred Seibert who was committed to bringing back animation in the style of the Loony Tunes classics. I thought this guy was so cool, and even talked about him (as a person who was making a difference) when I did my senior thesis talk at USC on “Why Do Cartoons Today Suck???” Who knew 10 years later I would have the honor of making a cartoon (and hopefully more) with Fred. I am beyond excited!
On September 16th, 2005 at 12:00 am
Realy good site!
On August 10th, 2005 at 12:00 am
Thanks Aliki.
[Everyone else, check out the blog for Aliki’s cartoon, Yaki & Yumi. It’s over with the rest in the right hand column of this page.]
On August 10th, 2005 at 12:00 am
Are previous Oh Yeah shorts that have been made available on DVD or video? I’d like to study them as I continue to pitch my short.
Thank you,
Jeff Nevins
jeffreynevins@sbcglobal.net
On September 16th, 2005 at 12:00 am
Very nice site!
On August 10th, 2005 at 12:00 am
Jeff, unfortunately not yet. I’m thinking of posting a few on our website, but it might take a few weeks.
On September 16th, 2005 at 12:00 am
Thank you for the info!
On August 11th, 2005 at 12:00 am
Great topic for your blog. I’m excited to hear more campfire stories.
http://ghostbot.blogspot.com
On September 17th, 2005 at 12:00 am
Just to say hellow!
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