Yaki and Yumi

So, on the topic of “admirers and supporters”…I must talk about how I first knew of Fred. I was a senior in college, in 1993-94…by lurking around the classroom for the Animation Grad students, I met someone who knew they were looking for interns at Hanna-Barbera. I went on an interview, and was hired to intern on a show called “Two Stupid Dogs.” I really liked the show, but I guess it didn’t do to well. I got to meet people like Rob Renzetti, and Heather Kenyon, and Donovan Cook. It seemed like there were not a lot of quality cartoons on T.V. besides “Ren and Stimpy”. I decided to do my senior thesis presentation on “Why do Cartoons today Suck?”. It was at this time, that I met John Kricfalusi. He let me come by Spumco to interview him for my senior thesis, and then offered me a job as a P.A once a week. I then came across an interview that involved John K., Friz Freleng, and Fred in “Animation Magazine”…They were talking about how 7 minute cartoon shorts were what they wanted to get back to making..I took note, that this guy, Fred Seibert, who was the president of Hanna-Barbera, was trying to do something really cool for the world of animation….and he was LISTENING to artists! I later got a job at Hanna Barbera as a P.A..my promotion meant that I went from making photocopies for college cretdit, to getting paid to make photocopies. Fred had started a shorts program called “What a Cartoon!”. Suddenly all kinds of super cool animators were coming in an making shorts! They used to let me swipe some of their drawings from the trashcan. I got to meet Craig McKraken, Robert Ramirez, Pat Ventura, Butch Hartman, Marc Kausler, Eddie Fitzgerlad, and even Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera! At this time, I would have never known that I would one day be making a short of my own. I later quit the job to furthur my drawing/animation training, and then entered into an alternative universe for 7 years called Walt Disney Feature Animation. As soon as I saw the ship sinking, I jumped off and landed at Nickelodeon (thank you Allison Dexter and Larry Huber), only to come in contact with that cool guy who was doing cool stuff in animation, Fred Seibert. Except, this time I was not making photocopies anymore.

I have been an admirer of Fred’s for a long time, and I appreciate that Fred, Eric, and Larry have been such supporters. THANK YOU!