LIVE At Denver Comic Con 2012!
The good folks at DCC 2012 invited me to join this panel discussion and share my perspectives on the future of the animation pitch!
I was proud to represent the online community of visual storytellers but as you can see in the video, I was a bit intimidated to be sitting on a panel with these three Masters of TV Animation!
The Panelists:
- Gargoyles, Young Justice and The Spectacular Spiderman Creator Greg Weisman
- Phineas & Ferb Character Designer Greg Guler
- Ben 10 and Ultimate Spiderman Creator Steven Seagle
- Chris Oatley: Character Designer for Disney Fairies and Planes by Disney + Pixar
Topics Covered:
- How to pitch an animated TV show.
- How the process for pitching an animated series has changed over the last 20 years.
- Behind the scenes look at how Ben 10 and Young Justice work!
- The differences between pitching an original concept and a show based on an existing IP.
- Why you should make your own webcomic or animated web series as soon as possible!
I also share a little bit about my daily activities as a character designer and so does Phineas & Ferb character designer Greg Guler! I’ve been a fan of his for years – long before I even knew who he is!
Do YOU Have An Idea For An Animated Series?
Check Out My Tutorials For How To Create An Animation Pitch!
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
Cool, thanks for that. I’m a huge superhero nerd, and a big fan of Young Justice, so it was cool to hears some behind the scenes stuff.
The pitching thing was interesting too but it only confirmed what guys like me, who have been in the trenches for years knew already, namely don’t pitch studios your ideas, make them yourself.
Of course, most old timers tend to be so jaded, cynical, negative and scared that they don’t bother doing it.
It’s like a large elephant tide to a thin rope. Doesn’t it know it can pull on the rope and escape? No, because when it was younger, it was tide to a chain, and when it tried to pull on it, it wouldn’t give. Now it doesn’t even bother, even though it’s tide to a rope.
Wow, Luis, that’s an amazing metaphor. You’re just so… …awesome.
Thanks for sharing this, Chris. Wish I could have gone and this is the next best thing. I learned a ton from this – I was across the street from Mattel at R&H : I should have hopped over, pitched a show, and gotten “rich” (if only things worked that way
. I really enjoyed your fun comments, Chris!
Thanks, Scott. It was so intimidating to be on this panel with these Jedi Masters who have incredible talent, drive and years of actual experience making shows.
But it was nice to feel like the little bit I did contribute helped to round out the panel. I ended up feeling like there was a reason for me to be there and that was encouraging.
I love knowing that everyone struggles, we are not alone! Even successful stories have the struggle, but it’s the belief, whether its a show or a character or an angle, the belief in art that makes it happen! Thanks for sharing Chris!
You’re welcome, Tegan! Thank you for your awesome encouragement.
Great job on the panel, Chis, don’t be so humble! And thanks for sharing, I absolutely love hearing about behind the scenes stuff.
Ha! It’s impossible NOT to be humbled when one finds oneself alongside these masters of the craft.
Thanks so much for sharing this! This is very encouraging to me, especially being a girl attempting to step into the animation industry. I do not see a lot of hotshot female animators or cartoon creators; it is very intimidating. However, every little piece of advice helps! I’ve still got a long ways to go, I’m only sixteen. But I’ve still got hope that I will become as great as these guys and more. Thanks, again! You did great on the panel, by the way!