The Second part of an Interview with Legendary Animator Frank Thomas. . .

-Mike Milo

Yesterday I wrote about my days doing comic strips for Syracuse University’s “Daily Orange”. It occured to me that many of today’s most talented cartoonists and illustrators also got their start on the same comic page. Four have already been written up on the Channel Frederator Blog! ALL of the following artists started their careers in the very same college newspaper.

Nicholoas Guerwitch, cartoonist of the brilliant nationally syndicated strip “The Perry Bible Fellowship”. Never met him at school, but now we email regularly.

Neil Swaab, cartoonist of the disturbing “Rehabilitating Mr. Wiggles”. Yet another nationally syndicated strip. I run into this guy all the time in NYC.

Devin Clark, one of my close friends since college and now an amazing animator and motion graphics artist. He did the Comedy Central ID’s that were featured on the Channel Frederator podcast.

Bryan Mandronico, who I’ve known for over a decade, is now a up-and-coming painter in Seattle. Also, he’s a rapper who I’ve made a couple albums with. You can hear him on our epic song Octapoc

Masheka Wood, a fellow Brooklyn resident, is the creator of the regularly updated web-comic “Not Just Knee Deep”.

Ron Yavnieli, who was interviewed extensively a couple weeks ago on the Frederator blog is now a Los-Angeles animator and comedian.

Sean Murray, was the art director of the Daily Orange and now creates insanely awesome digital paintings of monsters.

and those are just the guys who were at Syracuse at the same time as me! Back in the archives we’ve got:

Brad Wilson, creator of Marmaduke.

Robb Armstrong, creator of “Jump Start”

Pulitzer Prive winning political cartoonist Jim Morin

and last but not certainly not least, underground comic legend Vaughn Bode who did comics for the Daily Orange in the 60’s.

Amazing. I’m honored to be part of this legacy!

Dan Meth

Everyone’s favorite Muk’s have a new sketchbook out for your sketchbook lookin’ at needs!

“Hey there, just thought you may like to know that Mukpuddys very first sketchbook is now available online. If you’ve ever wondered what goes into making some Mukpuddy goodness, then here’s your chance to own a 36 page peice of history!
Visit our online bookstore to purchase your copy today!!!
http://www.lulu.com/mukpuddy”

I reckon ya best keep a’Tunin’ in to Channel Frederator Pilgrim! Yr NUMERO UNO SOURCE for Animation News & Interviews!
Y’all come back now… Ya hear?
-JX!

Who Do YOU want to see On Channel Frederator?
Click here to subscribe to Channel Frederator or go to iTunes. Please send your suggestions to promotecartoons@gmail.com.

US PREMIERE: AZUR & ASMAR
A new film by MICHEL OCELOT (Kirikou & the Sorceress)
Director Q&A following all screenings
Recommended ages 7-14
In French and Arabic with English subtitles.
THURS, NOV 30 - 6:00 PM
SAT & SUN, DEC 2 & 3 - 11:00 AM
$12 all seats

Be the first on this side of the Atlantic to
see the brilliant new
animated feature film from Michel Ocelot, the
writer/director of Kirikou and the Sorceress. AZUR
& ASMAR is a visually stunning, enchanting,
fairytale-like adventure, which also deals with topical
issues of Arab/West relations and racial/ethnic
tolerance.  The film has received unanimous critical
praise and is en route to 2 million admissions at the
box office in France.  

Click HERE for more info.

Sponsered by the NYICFF

-Jake

Other than our pop singer “Shakaza” in Ratzafratz!, what has been your favorite animated character to play?
That’s a hard one, because I love Shakaza SOOO much. I suppose, Jimmy Neutron and Jackie from Bobby’s World.

How did you get into the animation biz?
I was actually in Nashville pursuing Country Music as a singer/songwriter. It was suggested to me that I might have a good voice for animation. I had never even thought of it before that. So I sent my demo to some casting directors back in LA and my now dear friend, Ginny McSwain, called ICM on my behalf. They have been my agents ever since!

I’ve heard you had the most requested children’s song on Sirius Radio. What is it about and where can we find it?
The song is called “Baby Banana” and it is from my new children’s CD entitled “What A Way To Play”. It should be in all major retailers soon, but if you can’t find it, you can always just go to my website www.debiderryberry.com and hear a clip and buy it through Paypal there. Also, Amazon, CD Baby and my Burn Lounge.

On Ratzafratz!, you got work with June Foray. Do you think this up and comer may have a career in the animation industry?
June who?…TOTALLY KIDDING!! What an honor to have gotten the opportunity to work with June. I can’t believe I am taller than she is. That’s a first!

June Foray and Debi Derryberry

What do you have coming up?
I am in an animated feature coming up called “Legend of Secret Pass”. Also I am working on Curious George the series as the voice of his cat-pal, Gnocchi. I am currently recording my 2nd children’s Cd. I have a full concert schedule for my music which targets 2-6 year olds. Please visit my website for details on concert dates and locations. I will be in NY Jan 19-23, 2007. I have a few concerts here in LA coming up on the West side.

Click here to listen to Debi’s recording of Shakaza, our Ratzafratz! pop singer.

Thanks Debi!

- Jim Wyatt

Don’t be lame. VOTE HERE for your favorite Channel Frederator Films for this year’s first annual Awards Show!

I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of this.

-Hadley

There’s an urgent WW II propaganda message in today’s Birdbrain Week offering — support your local junk drive! ‘Course, this patriotic plug is framed in a spectacularly silly cartoon starring Daffy Duck, not necessarily the most credible spokesmallard when approaching matters of national importance.

The film is SCRAP HAPPY DAFFY, the director is Frank Tashlin, and there’s plenty of rubbery animation by Art Davis. You also get a quick look at some of Daffy’s spookier looking relatives, and a cameo by no less than Adolph Hitler. How fast do you think they whipped together those scribbly backgrounds? Great Stuff!

For your free subscription to ReFrederator, click
here, or visit iTunes!

Dave Kirwan

Do you know what this is? If you think you do, post you answer in the comments section.

When someone gets the right answer, I’ll make a follow-up post that talks about the image.

If you guys like this riddle type post, I’ll do one every week. If you don’t, be sure to post that too.

-Floyd

Dave Skwarczek was one of the first persons who contacted me via Channel Frederator when our comrades over at Drawn! were kind enough to aid us in our CH.Fred world-wide Animation/Art Call to Arms.
Needless to say, I was impressed with Dave’s Company & Site: Chicago based Eat Your Lunch, his products, services, resume, history, and sense of humor. Thanks for stepping up to the plate Dave and serving Channel Frederator a tasty dish of Awesome seasoned Curly-Fried Answers!

ChannelFred: Where were you born?
DS: I sprang forth from my mother’s womb on a bed in a Chicago hospital at 4:16 am on a blustery winter’s day. My umbilical cord was wrapped around my neck, causing me to enter the world with a purple face. This is true. Entering the world in this way has afforded me the super power of being able to hold my breath for extremely long periods of time - even for as long as it takes to close a development, co-production or distribution deal.

Derby Girls (character designs and artwork by Eren Blanquet and Shane Donahue) All images © 2006 Eat Your Lunch LLC, natch! All rights reserved, all lefts reversed.
How long have you been animating or drawing?
I’ve been drawing practically since birth. My classmates always said I was the best “draw-er” in class. As I got older, I realized that people should have been calling me the best “illustrator” in class, especially because I don’t hold clothes as well as a drawer. Music, video and animation has always been a hobby, but in 2002 I switched over from the advertising and design world to create, write, produce and direct.

Who are some of your influences?
Max Fleischer, Tex Avery, Chuck Jones, Jack Kirby, Saul Bass, Paul Rand, Sid and Marty Krofft, Craig McCracken, John K., Steve Martin, Christopher Guest, Harry Shearer, Michael McKean, Fred Willard and that whole crew, the work of the MIT media lab, my wife Robyn and my kids Declan and Lily, my parents, all my friends - especially Brian Murphy, Scott Heiferman, Bill Ryan and everyone I work with.

Did you go to school for Art or Animation? If so, where?
I graduated from Columbia College in 1992. My major was graphic design and advertising. Genndy Tartakovsky went to Columbia around the same time, which means there’s a slim chance he and I once rode together in one of the school’s cramped, rickety elevators. I hope I didn’t step on his foot.

Have you ever shown your art in galleries?
The closest I’ve come is the one piece of mine that hung in the Art Institute of Chicago when I was around 10. The piece was included with other master works from grade school students throughout the Chicago area. If I remember correctly, the collection of work was housed in the hallway leading to the restrooms, so it was probably one of the Art Institute’s most-viewed exhibits.

Freaky Frankenbike Patrol (character designs and artwork by Michael Fleming) All images © 2006 Eat Your Lunch LLC, natch! All rights reserved, all lefts reversed.
What are some of your hobbies outside the world of animation?
I cook, I read a lot of nonfiction, and I watch a lot of sobering documentaries, 24 and Entourage. I’ve just picked up the pastime of creating animatronics for the annual Halloween display in my driveway, which is growing to be a little mini haunted house…I want the kids to work for their candy, you know? The centerpiece is the gruesome Refrigerator of Doom, which I’m modifying to detect when kids come up the driveway, open automatically, scream, and launch candy at them. I play guitar, bass, drums and keyboards. Let’s see…I also love karaoke, especially live band karaoke. Bowling too. And vodka.

What are you working on currently in the animation industry and who are you working for?
I’m doing business as Eat Your Lunch, which sounds larger and more impressive than “Dave Skwarczek” and is considerably easier to pronounce. By “business” I mean development, writing, directing, producing, and creative direction for broadcast and interactive. Usually not all at the same time on the same project, but, you know, whatever it takes!
I’m working with PorchLight Entertainment (Jay Jay The Jet Plane, Tutenstein) who optioned Freaky Frankenbike Patrol, Contender/Rubber Duck Entertainment (Peppa Pig) who represent Bzots, and Bejuba! (Amazing Adrenalini Brothers, Ricky Sprocket), who represent Derby Girls. I hear we have broadcasters on board for 2 of those 3 series, and co-pro partners lined up for the other, so if all goes well, 2007 and 2008 will be pretty action-packed. Currently finishing the pitch books for my next two series, which are the animated Crispy Butz, and a live-action/animated puppet show called Mitchell & Mr. Crow. Also working on a book and toy called Potty Monsters, and a video podcast series called Metal Daddies that I’m producing with some of my friends from Second City here in Chicago.
Let’s see…I just produced and directed a little animated open for the music videos by a band on Disney Records called Imagination Movers, and as a consulting producer I’m also helping Disney develop a TV series around the band. Before venturing out into the scary world of entertainment on my own, I spent some time as creative director of interactive at Sesame Workshop.
But my prior life was as a designer; in 1994 I started one of the first web design firms in the entire universe. It was called Streams. We did design and animation work for lots of Fortune 500 companies, as well as a lot of great small clients.

Bzots (character designs by Jeff Crowther, Don Drakulich of GWAR, Kellyanne Hanrahan and yours truly; artwork by Chris O’Dowd, Jeremiah Morehead, Martin Baumgaertner, Liz Sung and lil’ ol’ me) All images © 2006 Eat Your Lunch LLC, natch! All rights reserved, all lefts reversed.
What do you think makes for a great cartoon?
The basics - a clever and unique creative vision that’s executed with great writing, beautiful artwork and excellent production. That kind of cartoon is usually the result of a creator-driven development process. Josh Selig of Little Airplane Productions has a very good article about this in a recent issue of Kidscreen: http://www.kidscreen.com/articles/magazine/20060901/care.html

What animation DVDs have you picked up lately?
Just bought 2 Battle of the Planets DVDs and the full series of Wacky Races.

What animation websites do you check in on regularly?
Frederator (natch), Animation Blast, Drawn, and the Character Design Blog. I also regularly troll the web for cool illustrators, designers, writers, and animators to work with.

Bzots (character designs by Jeff Crowther, Don Drakulich of GWAR, Kellyanne Hanrahan and yours truly; artwork by Chris O’Dowd, Jeremiah Morehead, Martin Baumgaertner, Liz Sung and lil’ ol’ me) All images © 2006 Eat Your Lunch LLC, natch! All rights reserved, all lefts reversed.
Do you have any advice for someone wanting to break in or just beginning in the industry?/Is there anything you want to say to the people out there in Channel Fred-Land reading this?
Here’s a random assortment of tidbits that I repeat in my head over and over, occasionally changing the soundtrack. Someday I will print out a copy and hang it on the wall so I can think about other things. These have worked for me, though of course YMMV.
Learn about the business of media. Understand how each element of the process from creation through production, distribution and licensing makes its money.
Find out about the person you’re pitching to, what kinds of shows they buy, and what kinds of shows they’re looking for. Don’t pitch a show to a prodco exec or network exec who doesn’t buy (or doesn’t want) the kind of show you’re pitching. That wastes their time.
All art is 3: If you haven’t already, learn about the “golden mean.” Compose with triangular layouts. Performances have 3 acts. Pay off on the third beat.
If you’re stuck for a palette, start with complimentary colors and work from there.
“Vertically centered” is actually slightly higher than the real mathematical center.
Sweat the details: for a lot of things, presentation is almost more important than content.
Find your voice. Live it and develop it.
Outgoing, passionate people are more successful.
Network constantly - don’t be afraid, and don’t leave home without business cards.
Karaoke and Tony Robbins will change your life.
Manage expectations; under-promise and over-deliver.
If someone wants to work with you, return their call or email the same day.
Never work for free.
See the world and experience much; live outside your comfort zone.
Have a non-job-related hobby.
Hire people who are better and more talented than you are, and don’t over-direct.
Choose collaborators based on what they do and how they do it, then let them do it.

Thanks for hanging out with us here @ CHANNEL FREDERATOR Dave!
Make sure you all go and spend some quality time at Dave’s Site, Eat Your Lunch, and watch out for that Lunch-Lady!!!

I reckon ya best keep a’Tunin’ in to Channel Frederator Pilgrim! Yr NUMERO UNO SOURCE for Animation News & Interviews!
Y’all come back now… Ya hear?
-JX!

Who Do YOU want to see On Channel Frederator?
Click here to subscribe to Channel Frederator or go to iTunes. Please send your suggestions to promotecartoons@gmail.com.