It was great catching up with artist Jeaux Janovsky (late of Channel Frederator) a couple of weeks ago at Frederator Studios in California. He showed us his latest projects and let us know what he’s been up to since moving back to the left coast. Dig Jeaux’s hand drawn Oswald T!

 Dr. Dee & Bitboy co-creators (with Larry Huber) Junkyo Seo & Kongyo Kang

Hey, Bloggers and Bloggettes,

It’s Larry Huber in Korea again. I finally ran down Junkyo Seo and Kongyo Kang, the Bitboy creators, and forced them into an interview with a translator sitting by to make sure they weren’t talking about me in behind my back. We talked about a lot of things relating to their latest cartoon creation but finally got down to the “formal” interview.  The best thing about an interview means that I get to ask the questions and they have to give me the answers.  But, because they’re artists, I had to set a few ground rules.: Keep it light, keep it funny, keep it accurate and, most importantly, keep it in English! Here’s How it went…

Animation Guru: First off, both you Bitboys are young, talented film makers from Korea and I keep getting you mixed up.  So, my first question is: Which one of you two is the most handsome?

Junkyo Seo: Kongyo Kang is much more cool. He has oriental eye shape and is manly. He looks like young Richard Gere.

Kongyo Kang: Junkyo’s nickname is Bradley Pitt. So they call him Brad.

Animation Guru: Kongyo Gere and Brad Kang?  Okay, I got it.  Secondly, for a guy my age, you both look like you’re in High School.  My second question is: How old are you and how long have you been working together as partners?

Junkyo Seo: I’m 29 and we’ve been together for seven years.

Kongyo Kang: I’m 28 and we are working together for seven years.

Animation Guru: Really?   Seven years and only one network cartoon?  When I was 29, I was impoverished, unknown and changing diapers.  There’s no poetic justice these days.  But let’s not dwell on the past.  Like so many other top talent in Animation, I discovered you guys. I pitched your cartoon Dr. Dee & Bitboy to Frederator for Nickelodeon’s Random Cartoons.  Question number three: How did you enjoy the experience of making Dr. Dee with Animotion Works and the legendary Larry Huber?

The Bitboys: It must be a legendary experience in our lives. We’ve been dreaming of making a cool character of American style. Thanks to Mr. Larry, Dr. Dee & Bitboy can enter the stage and we’re very excited!

Animation Guru: Finally, a little respect!  Always remember what I taught you guys, a little butt-kissing can’t hurt. On a historical note, Nickelodeon chose not to pick up the option to produce your cartoon as a series.  This will compare, no doubt, to letting Doug move to Disney.  Now that Dr. Dee and Bitboy is back on the market with a considerable amount of funding behind it, question number four is: How do you feel about making 26 more half hours of the crazy type of humor contained in Bitboy?

The Bitboys: It’s fantastic and so cool!!

Animation Guru: A fine answer but not very funny. Speaking of crazy humor, in the most recent Chuncheon Animation Festival, where you were first discovered, you won another award for a concept called Lucky Jason. For questions number five and six: What is your latest creation all about and how excited were you to receive a big check from Larry Huber?

The Bitboys: Question #5: The latest creation is the Lucky Jason. Question #6:  We’re so excited that we wanted to get married to you.

Animation Guru: Look, Bitboys.  You gave us the title of your new show but didn’t tell us anything about it.  By the way, I like the show but hate the title.  Jason’s not really lucky is he.  I mean he’s probably the most optomistic character in cartoons, but that’s not “lucky”.  He’s an ordinary lizard with asperations to be as big a movie star as Godzilla.  He hangs out in the slums of LA (the sewers) with other hopefuls attending the Hollywood School of Movie Monster Acting including Godzilla’s grandson Arthur II.  Arthur’s a born underachiever with Grandpa’s big expectations looming over him.  Jason’s a lizard so small he can see his complete reflection in Godzilla’s pedicured toe claw, but he has more self-confidence than is good for him.  Their relationship is a big part of the show.  So, Jason’s not really lucky is he?  How about calling the show Happy Jason?

Bitboys: ?????

Animation Guru: We’ll talk more about that later on.  As far as answer #6, that was very weird but very Hollywood. I was pleasantly surprised see you guys in Chuncheon this September but I was disappointed that your English didn’t improve much.  For question number seven: How are my Korean language skills?

Bitboys: It’s exactly the same as our English skills.

Animation Guru: Really?  I didn’t know I was that good at it.  Cool!  Okay, question number eight has a follow up question number nine: Are you guys still single and, if so, when are you going to settle down and get married?  Hot American girls want to know.

Junkyo Seo: Of course we are singles. I’m hoping for a hot American girl. If I was stuck on someone hot, then we’re going to get married right away.

Kongyo Kang: I’m still single. I’m going to get married when I can propose to my girl friend to kill me if I ask.

Animation Guru: For the final question number ten, as the father of a hot American girl, I’d like to ask:  How are you Bitboys planning on supporting wives?

Bitboys: Korean men are very kind to women. We will serve her as if she were a goddess.

Animation Guru: Spoken like true artists…with no visible means of support.  I’ll try and change that.  Okay, Bitboys, those are the questions. I hope you had as much fun answering as I did watching your translator’s confused expression.  Kongyo Kang, the Richard Gere guy, has a website with a short film on it promoting Lucky Jason.  Check it out at ……………… Keep unundating the networks, Blog readers, with cards and letters demanding a full series of Dr. Dee and Bitboy.  If you’d like to make a donation to that cause…buy me lunch!

Thanks,
Larry Huber
The Animation Guru

David B. Levy with cartoon luminaries at the ASIFA-East/Frederator screening, 2007

I wrote a little bit about Dave Levy’s new book, Animation Development: From Pitch to Production the other day and thought it might be good to hear a little directly from the author.

Your first book, Your Career in Animation: How to Survive and Thrive, was so much richer than most “how to” industry books, incorporating the universal lessons you’ve observed from two lifetimes (yours and your Dad’s) in the animation industry. Was it harder to apply those same learnings to development?

DL: I think in many ways this new book was easier to write because of its focus to one specific area of animation. Easier to write, but somehow it took longer to write. Since I only had one subject to cover, I had to make sure no stone was left unturned. My only compass was to bust all the myths that cloud up the reality of pitching and development, which keep people from achieving their dream. I think it really helps that I have gone through the process myself as well having interviewed the major players from both sides of the table.

Both books use the same conversational approach loaded with real anecdotes from the field. I once bought a book on the business of animation that didn’t mention the name of a single film, show, or creator. As you can imagine, it was a very dull read. I prefer to give the reader actual examples––showing success stories as well as cautionary tales.

Is there a ‘Top 3′ list of do’s and don’ts?

DL: How about a ‘Top 4′ of each?

Do:

• develop relationships with other artists and writers as well as with development executives. It’s a people business, and in the end…networks buy creators not ideas. Attend animation festivals and events in addition to maintaining your online presence on facebook, personal websites, etc.

• work on other creators’ shows first. A would-be creator needs real working experience in the industry to learn the ins-and-outs of how an animated TV series is made from the ground up. A network will need proof that you know how to produce your vision into the final product.

• engage in other creative outside-of-work pursuits besides creating pitches. Make films, comic books, paintings, photography, etc… This is important because an artist/writer also needs to develop his or her voice outside of the commercial arena.

• learn from your mistakes. What didn’t work about that last pitch meeting or project? Every attempt has something to teach you if you get in the habit of introspection. We can’t as easily change what is wrong with animation development today, but we can certainly train ourselves to be more effective at presenting ourselves and our projects.

Don’t:

• have a sense of entitlement. Just because you have put together a pitch doesn’t mean it’s the right fit at that exact moment in time, with the right executive at the right network. Treat each pitch and encounter as another step in the journey. Stephen Hillenburg has said that all he was trying to do with his first pitch meeting at Nickelodeon was to interest them in a second meeting.

• hold unrealistic expectations no matter what you hear. A promise, a word, or a handshake is not a written contract. Your project is not in development until the network is willing to write you a check.

• put all your eggs in one basket. No one opportunity is THE opportunity. No pitch meeting is the one that will make or break your success. Develop your talents over the long term and treat pitching as one branch of that adventure. With that attitude, you might even enjoy the ride.

• pitch for the sake of pitching. The goal to have an animated series is a very specific one that requires an unusual set of skills. As Amid Amidi said at my book event on September 15, “Ask yourself, ‘Why am I pitching? Why do I want my own series?’

What’s with development executives? Why won’t they say ‘yes’ to some good shows for once?

DL: There are examples of executives that said ‘yes’ to some good shows. But, it would be a mistake to assume that every executive has the right agenda or even the good sense to spot good when it’s under his or her nose. I think that more executives should understand what truly makes a good show. You can’t create the next SpongeBob-sized hit by making of list of what ingredients made up SpongeBob and then imitating as many of those as possible. SpongeBob wasn’t born that way. It was the brainchild of Stephen Hillenburg who was swimming (pun intended) in surf culture and had a background in marine biology. And, he channeled those interests through his unique point of view. The point is that Hillenburg’s show came from his heart and that passion connected with audiences in a major way. That’s the lesson for executives, not what surface details can be spotted and copied in that show.

There are so many talented artists in the world. What makes the difference between one who doesn’t get a series and one who does?

DL: There are lots of talented artists out there, but very few seem to be suited to creating, selling, and producing an animated series, let alone a hit animated series. But that doesn’t mean to say that more people can’t develop their skills to that end. After all, was Matt Groening ready to create “The Simpsons” at the start of his career? And, sometimes through collaboration artists and writers can create something greater than the sum of the individual parts.

Happily, all shows (hits or not) depend on the fine work of animation artists, writers, musicians, actors, etc… so even without a show to their own name, they are an important part of what might have made someone else’s show shine. And, real industry experience is one of the most important prerequisites to serious pitching in the first place.

The artist that breaks through to having his or her own series will likely meet three requirements: a unique point of view, a facility with and interest in characters and their interactions with each other and their world, and will be good salesperson, knowing how to present a project (to demonstrate execution) even in the early stage of a pitch bible.

Is getting a show on the air as treacherous as it seems?

DL: Creators (me included) make it much harder on ourselves. We are the ones who need to set our own expectations to a reasonable level. Case in point: I was recently the supervising animator on a prime time pilot created by an established creator for a major network. Since then, the network gave him an air date for his series, paired him with an experienced producer, and ordered several scripts. When I tried to congratulate the creator, he cautiously responded, “Yeah, well…we’ll see.”

I was very impressed with his answer because it shows his understanding of what development really is. Nothing is a sure thing until it is. It doesn’t mean you shouldn’t dare to dream…but, it does mean that you should manage your expectations and not take each thing you hear as something that is set in stone.

Why can’t I own my own show?

DL: There are people that do make shows where they retain ownership. Larry Schwarz of Animation Collective is a good example of a creator raising funds through private investors and then using the networks as a means of distribution. But, this model comes with its own risks. I don’t think an individual can match the promotional power of a Viacom or a Turner, so I think the desire to own your own show may actually cost you the very success you’re after.

A cautionary tale happened not so long ago when another New York studio used private investors to fund their series. Despite the fact that a network agreed to air the show, the investors pulled out before the first episode even left the assembly line and the series was left dead in its tracks.

Yes, most networks will expect creators to sign away their ownership rights, but, it’s not as black and white as that. Creators are paid a purchase price when their project goes to series. Additionally, there are weekly salaries for their services on a series, back-end participation, episode bonuses, and other perks. I would rather see my show get made and seen by a broad audience, then own it outright and have it sitting in a drawer somewhere.

What’s the one thing most people get wrong about animation development?

DL: I think so much of the anger and frustration is simply unnecessary. Some creators are seething with anger out a belief that someone is blocking their path. In truth, no development executive has that power, unless you give it to them. A creator’s obligation is to develop his or her own talent to the point where the executives come looking for them. Dan Yaccarino (the creator of Nick Jr.’s “Oswald,”) is one such example. Nick Jr didn’t pick up his first pitches so he turned them into children’s books which became so popular that Nick Jr subsequently green lit his series.

Amid Amidi, of Cartoon Brew, and I sparred over this point at my book launch panel. He explained that lots of L.A. industry creators complain to him that their pilots didn’t go forward to series, which made them fed up with pitching and development and realize that they should try to apply their creativity to comics or children’s books instead. In reality, these creators are in a very enviable position. They are professionals being paid to work in the art form they love. And, they got a couple of pilots made! So what if the pilots proved to be dead ends? I don’t see this as proof of why one should never pitch.

On the other end of the spectrum, Carl W. Adams (co-creator of [adult swim]’s “Assy McGee“) believes that no pitch meeting is ever a waste of time because each meeting helps form a relationship and can lead to making even more contacts. If that’s the case (and I do believe it is), then it’s certainly not been a waste of time for the above creators to have made a few pilots. How many of us would like to fail on that level? It is on the shoulders of these creators to capitalize on their pilots and consolidate that talent/effort/experience to an even bigger success. It’s their job to do so, not the executive who didn’t green light their pilot to series.

While its fun to speculate, complain, and point out the many obvious things wrong with the development process, you have to wonder (after a while) where that will get you. A wiser move would be to keep investing in your own talents. That has a way of taking you places. And this is a theme that comes up again and again in my new book.

Thanks Dave.

Artist/designer Janet Perr came by Frederator/NY yesterday with her funny books
Hip-Hop for Dogs: From Bling to Phat Your Dog Is One Cool Cat and Yiddish for Dogs: Chutzpah, Feh!, Kibbitz, and More: Every Word Your Canine Needs to Know to talk about turning them into television shows.

Thanks to Janet for kind permission to display some of her artwork.

It’s always a good day when artist/director Kevin Lofton comes by Frederator/NY. Carrie and I got to talk to him about his plans for feature films, TV series, and web shorts.

Thanks for Kevin’s kind permission to post some of his development artwork.

There’s a ton of Marv Newland news in the hopper.

Tomorrow night, Marv’s got a gallery opening of postcards in Serignan, France. If you can’t make it, you can check out some of the cards at his Marvcards site (and those who know Marv best can marvel at the fact that there’s a website!).

We’ve mentioned before that Frederator was producing a short film of Marv’s over the last couple of years, and, lo and behold, the subject matter is… postcards! Well, Postalolio is finished (complete credits are below the fold) and started it’s festival run. It started at the Edinburgh International Film Festival this past Saturday, and continues on to Brazil’s Anima Mundi Festival throughout July.

Postalolio (sample #1), by Marv Newland from fredseibert on Vimeo.

I wanted to give a taste of what you’re missing, and assure you I’ll let you know the rest of the worldwide screening schedules where you might see the film yourself in person.

Go Marv!

[Read more…]

Jaime Diaz, self portrait, 2008

We just got the sad news that our old friend Jaime Diaz passed away this Saturday.

His daughter Claudia wrote:

“My dad was born on Jan. 6th, 1937, and passed away on Jun 20th on the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. His full name is Jaime Reyes Diaz; born in Saenz Pena, Chaco Argentina. He married Maria Ines Aguero on June 8, 1961. Children: Claudia Zambon, Annabelle Diaz and Bill Diaz. Grandchildren: Nicholas Lalli, Andres Diaz, Amanda, Clara and Felix Tonconogy, Rocio Belen Diaz, Bryana Diaz, Steven, Anne Marie and Michael Zambon.

“He arrived in the States in Nov. 1963. Please ask to pray for his soul. He was a hard working talented man who provided for is family all his life. He was passionate about cartoons and was highly creative. He will be deeply missed by his wife, her first and only love, and by his children who are still living.”

As you can tell by looking over his incredible resume on imdb, Jaime was an active and passionate part of the cartoon industry for over 40 years, from Hong Kong Phooey to Duckman. What a list can’t tell you is what a sweet, wonderful guy he was, with a completely puckish sense of humor. And talented, way talented. In addition to working on a lot of our series over the years, Jaime created shorts for Frederator; an Oh Yeah! cartoon with Russ Mooney, and a Random! cartoon with Bill Burnett.

Gaucho Pampa by Jaime Diaz from fredseibert on Vimeo.

We were introduced by his close friend and my long, close colleague, Larry Huber, who writes this moving tribute at his blog. He also produced Jaime’s cartoon, Gaucho Pampa (above), which was screened at the Taiwan International Film Festival.

Adios Jaime, we’ll miss you.

Kameleon Kid, 2000, Created & directed by Jaime Diaz & Russ Mooney

I met author/artist James Proimos when Frederator didn’t get a chance to make Generation O! as an Oh Yeah! Cartoons short. He came by the other day to show us what he’s been up to. Shorts for Nickelodeon, picture books, young adult novels, James is a machine.

The very talented artist/writer Dave Smith was at Frederator/Burbank last week, introducing himself and his work to Eric and me. Funny enough, we’d never met, even though we were like ships passing in the night on many of the same projects, and it took my Adventure Time co-executive producer Derek Drymon to introduce us. Thanks Derek; it was great meeting you Dave.

Thanks to Dave for his kind permission to post some of his artwork.

Illustration by Andy Rash
Illustrators/writers Dan Yaccarino and Andy Rash came by Frederator/NY to talk with Carrie and me about some new television and movie projects they’re working on. I’ve known and admired Dan for quite a while now but I was meeting Andy (and seeing his work) for the first time. It won’t be the last.

Thanks for Andy for kind permission to post his art.