JON STEWART CREATING ANIMATED NEWS PARODY SERIES FOR HBO

Jon Stewart thedailyshow.com With the 2008 election, Stewart is increasing his influence exponentially this year. And a big part of the reason why is the Web. After some messy quarrels with YouTube over illegal copies running on the video service, Comedy Central, which produces The Daily Show, finally started putting the show up for free on its own Web site. With more people than ever turning to the Web for news and videos, The Daily Show has become the place where many claim to be getting their best coverage of the elections. So while Stewart wasn't a pioneer in going online, his embrace of the Net is an example of good timing.

IGN is reporting that John Stewart has teamed up with HBO to bring us an animated news show.

HBO’s president of programming, Casey Bloys, announced today at the TCA (Television Critics Association) summer press tour that Stewart’s new HBO series will be an Onion-Style animated “parody of a cable news network,” that he described as “very much in Jon’s voice.”

From what I gather it will be very simple animation, probably in the vein of South Park because of the next quote.

When it was brought up that animation usually takes more time, not less, Bloys said, “The animation will allow him to respond to things very quickly. It’ll be more simple animation. My hope is it will be up and running by September or October; by this fall.”

You can read the entire article here.

Freek van Haagen

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What is your name and your current occupation?
My name is Freek van Haagen, and I’m currently a freelance illustrator and animator.

 

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
Oh, I was…an art-director and packaging designer. I even was an electrician-assistant way back at my dad’s office. But that’s like really long ago. And I had my own little animation/games company 15 years ago.
What are some of your favourite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
Well New Eden comes to mind first of course. It’s an animated sci-fi web comedy about two crewmen that have crash landed on the wrong planet. They are quite literally the last surviving people in the whole galaxy. And now they have to survive everything the hostile planet throws at them. It turns out that’s the easy part because getting along with each other proves to be harder. It was made on a zero-budget but it was a lot of fun. The last cool job I did commercially was for Aquafresh. The toothpaste brand wanted an online game teaching kids about the health of their teeth. I did all the character designs, background designs and even did an intro animation. Turned out pretty cool and got positive reviews.

 

How did you become interested in animation?
The first time I saw a Disney movie. I don’t remember which one but I do know that I couldn’t understand how Continue reading

Lee Daniels

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What is your name and your current occupation?
Lee Daniels – Freelance Media Creative – Illustration/Animation/Editing/Graphic Design.

 

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
I havent’ had any particularly crazy jobs unless you count collecting shopping trollies for pocket money at Tescos as a 13 year old. I was a Digital Retouch Artist and Graphic Designer for 13 years before going freelance so slightly altering the appearance of subjects for amusement was not unheard of (with or without consent…)

 

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
Producing my own animated shorts as solo projects is the most gratifying work I’ve done to date. I always wanted to be a cartoonist from a young age so, now, thanks to the extensive tools on Adobe off the shelf software and my years learning Photoshop and Illustrator on live projects, I basically have the knowledge and studio kit that I never thought attainable.
How did you become interested in animation?
That one’s easy… Continue reading

Sumit Kumar

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNavMz2OgWQ&feature=youtu.be
What is your name and your current occupation?
My Name is Sumit Kumar and i am the 2D Animator/Illustrator / Owner of SKG Animation India Team

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
I have worked with Press as a cartoonist and i worked in print media before entering in animation field.

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
My Superboy Animation because that is made by me only without any help or support. and i am making another animation with very high quality individually.

How did you become interested in animation?
I have interest in animation since when i was child and from my childhood my dream was to Continue reading

Frans Vischer

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What is your name and your current occupation?
Frans Vischer. I am an animator at Walt Disney Feature Animation.  I am also an author/illustrator. I have two children’s books published, Fuddles and Jimmy Dabble, and another book being published next year.

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
In high school I did weekend janitorial work at a Montessori school, and I was a lousy busboy at a Mexican restaurant, spilling trays and breaking lots of plates. I delivered pizza for a single night after my 2nd year at Cal Arts, (when thankfully an animation job came through.)

 

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
“Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” “Cats Don’t Dance” “Back To Neverland,” “Back to Neverland” “Michael and Mickey” “The Night of the Living Duck,” (a Daffy Duck short.)

 

How did you become interested in animation?
When I was thirteen, my mother sent some of my drawings to the Disney studio. Don Duckwall, the aptly named animation department production manager, wrote back inviting us to visit the studio whenever we were in the area. We lived in Cupertino, in Northern California, and the following summer we vacationed in Southern California, and made part of our plans to visit the Disney studio in Burbank. I met Mr. Duckwall, as well as Ed Hansen, who would succeed him in the job, (and later become my boss.) I also met a number of animators, who inspired me to make my own animated films. My parents bought me a used 8 mm. camera, and my dad built a light box with a set of pegs, and I jumped right in and started experimenting.

Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business?
I was born in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. When I was eleven, my family moved to the United Sates. During high school I met Chuck Jones at a talk he gave at a junior college. I wanted to show him one of my Continue reading

Pierre Collet-Derby

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What is your name and your current occupation?
My name is Pierre Collet-Derby. I am currently an Illustrator at Ubisoft Montreal by day and a character designer by night for various animation projects.

 

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
I was lucky to be able to find work in the animation industry right after school. When I was a student in industrial design, I had the opportunity to be an intern in a cabinetmaking shop. It was a very interesting experience but I remember being exhausted after each day of work. Being a craftsman can be a physically demanding job.

 

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
In 2003 I had the chance to animate on “Mickey’s twice upon a Christmas” for Disney. It was my first important gig as an animator and working with Disney characters was a dream come true for me. I learned a lot during this production, and met a lot of talented artists.Overall each project I’ve been working on has been rewarding as an artist. You always learn new things, meet great people and overcome new challenges. So I’m proud of all those projects, either big or small.

 

How did you become interested in animation?
As far as I can remember, I’ve always been interested in cartoons and comic books. I started to draw at a very young age and have always been encouraged by Continue reading