Fred Seibert's Blog

We’re lucky people; Joey Ahlbm’s starting a blog. Right here, at our place. (Don’t go yet, he won’t be posting until the end of the week.)

I’ve posted about Joey Ahlbum twice before because, aside from the fact we’ve worked together forever, I love his work. A unique graphic stylist, he tells witty stories that make you fall in love with his characters. He’s worked for Sesame Street (short films and Elmo’s World) for several years, directed a season of Clifford’s Puppy Days, and has designed and directed commercials.

I’m thrilled to give Joey his first home on the web, and I’ll let you know when he puts up a stand alone site.

Jordan Geary runs the audio department at Animation Collective in New York City. We have some mutual friends who thought, rightly I think, that more NY based cartoon folks ought to know each other.

I spent a lot of time with ASIFA-East President/animator/author David Levy this week. Of course, he sponsored our Random! Cartoons screening the other night, but I forgot to mention the NY panel he asked me to be on at New York’s ACM SIGGRAPH on self promotion and how to get noticed in the cartoon biz. My fellow distinguished panels included our friend, filmmaker Patrick Smith, recruiter Ila Abramson, and PR/marketing expert Karma Martell.

Oh, the art above? That’s the fantasticness what happens when I bring our new colleague Jeaux Janovsky comes along to an event. Thanks Jeaux, your notes are awesome.

One of our favorite composer’s young sons were at the great screening of Random! Cartoons at ASIFA-East (join!) Tuesday night and we received this picture in the email afterwards (notice the logo print-throughs from our program):

“It’s not that Sammy’s not interested in hearing about pitching, just that he’s interested in the kind of pitching that’s done in pinstripes and can be measured with a radar gun. I’ve attached what he drew to occupy himself during the panel discussion (I particularly like the textual annotations).

“But he loved the toons, and the rest of us (including [his brother] Jacob, who’s going to do two weeks of NY Film Academy this summer) enjoyed the panel as well.”

A close friend of ours is writing a short deadline book on the imposing legacy of the Hanna-Barbera studios. It sounds like the fun book I’ve been waiting for for years. He’s been nice enough to ask me to write a preface, and, notwithstanding my halting ability to write, I’ve agreed.

Because how can I miss a chance to publicly acknowledge one of the great honors of my life? The chance to brush against greatness, to spend a little time around two of the men who helped me laugh throughout my life?

I’ve been given a little guidance, but I thought maybe you could help too. Here’s some of what’s been suggested all of which makes sense to me:

1. “When I became president of Hanna-Barbera Cartoons in 1992, I was most concerned with revitalizing an amazing heritage and legacy…”

2. How & why you started/purchased the H-B archive (the merchandise)

3. What it was like working with Bill and Joe. What influence they’ve had on your career.

And it’s safe to assume the author, one of our great historians, will cover all the facts on the characters and the series.

But, what would you want to hear from me?

My Life as a Teenage Robot went out of active production a while ago, but it’s still seen on Nicktoons and around the world. A lot of fan sites stay active around the internets and one of the best was wichobot’s The Teenage Roblog X from south of the border. Rob Renzetti and I thought it was a shame that the original Teenage Roblog would become inactive so we had a brainstorm and we turned over the Roblog to wichobot and the loyal worldwide fans.

Check it out and see all their great fan art from the show (and a few of their favorite eps too).

Thanks wichobot, for keeping the dream alive.

Writer Warren Ellis has more on the Rule of 3 on the Castlevania blog.

Patrick Connolly was a VP at Fox Kids when he worked with our colleague Kevin Kolde (who was VP/GM of Spumco) on The Ripping Friends. He stopped by our Burbank office at Nickelodeon to catch up yesterday. He filled us in on his program consulting at the Outfest and Sundance Film Festival, and his personal writing.

Great seeing you Patrick.

My friend Richard Lewis (no, not the comedian) brought by Debby Carman who showed me her wonderful pre-school characters and books.

Thanks Debby for kind permission to show your work.

Next New Networks launched its newest network yesterday, and while it’s not animation it’s something that ought to be at the heart of everyone who reads this blog. Indy Mogul calls itself “the first network for the YouTube generation” and it’s really true. I’ve written here before about the revolution we’re in where filmmakers don’t need producers like me or even networks to show their work, become a star, and make a living. (In fact, the New York Times just published a fantastic story about this same subject this past Sunday.)

The first show –Backyard FX– is great. Erik Beck shows everyone who owns a home video camera and a kitchen how to do special effects at home. Enjoy Erik, he’s a star, and fly your jet pack.