#original always

Original, always.  

FredFilms Postcard Series 11.3

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FredFilms Original, Always

SuperF*ckers Created by James Kochalka

Executive Producers: Eric Homan, Kevin Kolde, Fred Seibert

From running an indie animation studio to front-manning a punk band, Gene does this all and more! In this interview, Gene tells about his animation journey and how he ended up as a Line Producer at Glitch!

Back in my college years, I remember Gene's "Planet Panic" pilot making the rounds in the animation lab. I'm a sucker for the "grumpy mentor / optimistic mentee" duo, and his take on this classic was so uniquely bold and energetic, I was immediately hooked. Fast forward years later, I've had the pleasure to get to know Gene as a friend and colleague, and my admiration for him and his work has only grown. He's just a great guy on so many levels!

Gene shows up time and time again for the art and community of animation — if one door closes, he installs a newer and better one in its place, and always finds a way to make it work. He is making some very exciting moves in the animation space, not only with his own indie studio, Jellybox, but also extending his reach to others at Glitch, and more. He's firing on all cylinders with all burners blazing, and whatever he's cooking up next is bound to blow everyone's socks off.

-Flip

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Why are you a storyteller?

I feel like I've had it in me since I was a little kid. It's just always called to me. Something I've realized as an adult, is that I process a lot of things through my consumption of media. It's rare for me to feel strong emotions in real life, but good media can make me cry. I’m pretty sure I’m on the spectrum, which I think adds to this, but it’s just how I’ve always viewed things!

When I was six, I moved to America from Ukraine and I was obsessed with Toy Story. I watched that tape to death and I still love that movie! 

I think storytelling is a way for me to understand my own emotions, and a way for me to connect with people. It’s also a way for me to find purpose in life, I believe that’s the biggest thing. I’m really grateful for it too, because I feel like so many people have never quite figured that out for themselves, and yet I've always had it. 

I took it for granted for a long time, but now that I'm older, I think it’s a blessing. Even though it can be hard to live this “gig-to-gig” lifestyle and to be obsessed with the craft, it gives me purpose and I always feel fulfilled. 

You’ve got a lot of projects going on, how do you manage all your different creative pursuits?

You know, it's taken me a long time to get to this point. I think back on the days where I thought I was busy and I laugh to myself. 

Creativity and productivity are muscles.The more you work, the easier it gets. You start to learn really good time management. You learn focus, you learn delegation. Those are skills that I have acquired over the years. 

With all my projects, I basically don't do it if I don't have somebody that I can do it with. Collaboration has become very important for me. All of my most successful projects usually have somebody else that I share the load with. We break it up, we complete each other's flaws and weaknesses, and it turns out better for it. 

So for my band Qbomb, my writing partner, Rem Ropp, and I share the writing. We pass it back and forth and it keeps the momentum going.  He handles more of the music side while I handle the lyrics. I’m also the front man because he’s more shy and I’m the braggadocious one, when I’m in that mode.

For Jellybox, I have Sean Aitchison helping out. He basically runs all the operations and production stuff so I can focus on more of the creative. I get to lead the studio direction and hiring, things that are more fun for me - and that I think I’m stronger at.

For any project, it's just setting up the pieces, knowing people's strengths, knowing how to build out these teams and then at a certain point, just letting them cook. I don't like micromanaging. I try to get out of the way and remove myself from things as fast as I can. Once the toolbox is there and the parameters are set for whatever it is, everyone can get to work on what their part is. 

That's the only way I've been able to do these things. I am very busy, but there's days where I don't have anything to do. I actually have to always convince myself that it's okay that I have nothing to do sometimes.

What inspired you to make your own indie studio?

Necessity, to a degree. In 2023, I got laid off from my last job.

I was already working on NOXP, a series of shorts, because I had time on my hands. I felt the urge to make something, as I often do. Pretty quickly I started getting help from Laura Serrano Miralles - who’s now our animation director for JellyBox. She was actually the first employee that we had.

So yeah, I got laid off and like I said, I don’t like to sit still. I’ve been told that people have different reactions, like fight or freeze or flee - and I think that I fight. I can never just let something happen to me, I have to immediately figure out the solution. So that week I was laid off, I was basically like “Well this sucks and the industry is clearly not moving in a good direction - so what are my options?” I knew I had to start building something because it would take time for it to grow to a point where it could be self-sustaining and actually make me money. 

Everyone says businesses don't start making money for the owner until two years in, so I was like, “I gotta start now”. That same month I registered the business and within that month we had our first client. I was like “Okay, maybe I can actually make something of this.”

Now the projects just keep coming to us! They’re always something that I want to do, which has been really cool. We’ve tried doing direct outreach with clients but it never works. But because we're consistent with our output and we're putting in the effort to make everything the best it can be, we keep getting interesting clients!

We haven't even released some of the crazy stuff that we're cooking up. It's all NDA. But I feel like the future is pretty bright. We had a really good year last year with the AWI shorts that blew up and really put us on the map.

I think that it also helped me find purpose - again. So much of the industry was burning down and still is in a way. Being able to have a little bit of control over something in my career, my projects and my output has been super helpful. I was unemployed for almost two years and it didn’t feel like that. I didn’t wake up stressed, because I was doing something. I was doing as much as I could to get myself out of that. 

Honestly, having Jellybox is what led me to getting the job as Line Producer at Glitch.  Kevin Lerdwichagul saw what I was doing and was like, “Hey, we need somebody who's doing basically what you're doing, for this new team here.”  That has happened so many times in my life that I've learned that I got to just follow my gut. Start the next thing, do another project, and I know I’ll land on my feet by the end of it.

Has being an artist helped you as a producer?

I've kind of realized that I've always been more of a producer than an artist. I’m very Type-A and I think things through very logically. I like efficiency, and so I’ve always leaned in that direction. 

I actually had a conversation with Eric Robles years ago, when I was a little adrift. My show Planet Panic had just been passed on by Nickelodeon and I didn’t know what I wanted to do with myself. The whole pitching thing seemed a little exhausting to continue down. He told me “You should start thinking of yourself as a producer. That’s what you are and you should follow that path. You’re good at getting things done and that’s what a producer does.”

It took me a while to understand what he meant. I didn’t know what a producer was - like what does that mean? Then I watched The Offer, which is about the making of The Godfather, and it was all about the producer of that movie. That show was really eye opening to me because I was like “Oh, he’s just the guy who goes around and tells people to keep doing their jobs. He solves problems and makes it happen. He leaves room for everyone that’s involved to do their jobs, but he has to make it happen - that is his job. Sometimes that means making hard choices or compromises. It means you have to be really confident, almost arrogant at times, to convince people that what you’re doing is worth doing.”

I realized that I have been doing that with all my projects and it has led me down this path. I think it's a strength that I’ve done the creative work, because I understand how the other side things. I know how to work with artists and not against them. Whereas a lot of people who work in production, if they haven't done any kind of creative work, they just see people as resources sometimes. They just see deadlines and dates and forget that people, especially artists, are not factories.

That has always been something that has been helpful for me and I always keep that previous creative life in the back of my mind. I have to make sure that people have the time they need. I don’t always get it right but people always say you figure out how to make a thing right as you're finishing it. It’s been like that for basically all our projects but things are going well. I contribute that to the combination that I’ve had of knowing what good creative looks like, but also what an efficient production looks like.

Where do you see the future of animation going? 

I actually made a whole video about it. I think that it's inevitable that indie is going to start to dominate the mainstream animation scene. The larger studios have collapsed under their own weight and you get places like Titmouse that used to be smaller and are now feeling like the big studio - which is crazy. They're actually still making things there. They're still growing. They had their 25th anniversary party recently and I saw so many people that I've known over the years coalesce in this one location. Multiple people I had conversations with were all like ‘we haven’t had a party like this in a long time’ and that was kind of sad. But it's great to see Titmouse is holding that flag still. 

Then you get the Glitches and the Flying Barks and all these studios that are still making stuff in both 2D and 3D animation. I think that this younger generation of business owners and creators are going to lead the charge and cut out the middleman quite a bit. I think the larger studios are bloated with overhead and shareholders and whatever. But there is still a hungry audience that wants content. It’s just figuring out what they want, how to monetize it and how to make it a sustainable business for everybody.

It's exciting to be at the forefront of it. I genuinely feel like I am right at the front lines of this movement between Jellybox and working as a line producer for Glitch. I think it will be exciting for everybody once the dust starts to settle too.

How has your experience been working as a Line Producer at Glitch?

I’ll share what I can. I’m the Line Producer of the GO Plus Team (GO is Glitch Online). We are the team that handles a lot of the promotional materials. We work on the small projects that are attached to the big productions, but aren’t the actual production of the show. Things like trailers, music videos, anything like that. 

We help with overflow too. If an episode gets too long, we jump in to help out on those sequences. I have a small team in the Western Hemisphere, some in America, some in Canada, one guy is in Brazil - all a really talented group. It's been nice to build the thing from scratch and know that it’s only going to grow bigger. It’s guaranteed to get bigger because Glitch is getting bigger. 

I’m one of three producers, there is a 2D LP, a 3D LP, and me. It all feels like the logical next step for me and where everything I’ve been doing is coalescing. Kevin and I have joked that it’s like my team is an indie studio inside of an indie studio. And I think he hired me for that. 

When we were first talking, he mentioned that he sees what I’m doing at Jellybox and needed someone who can be flexible and quick at figuring things out in creative ways. We still use a lot of the resources that the other teams have because our team is just animation and lighting generalists for 3D. I have to be really good at using minimal resources to create something that is larger than the sum of its parts, which is all I’ve ever done. 

It makes sense for my career right now and it feels good.

What advice would you give to young creatives right now?

The same advice I’ve been giving for many years, you’ve just got to make things. And you’ve got to make a lot of things. 

I recently spoke to a college class of animation students and it bummed me out a little bit to see how little work they had to show in their portfolios. This is something that I would see even when I was in college myself. A lot of students don't realize how competitive and brutal this industry is. Everyone has a different degree to which they're willing to commit themselves and  how much they're willing to sacrifice and that’s up to them. I am not going to judge that, but if you want to work in any position, you need to put in the work and have a big portfolio. 

I have seen a lot of portfolios that are just the work they did for class, or it doesn’t feel like their best - and you just can’t do that. I’ve been  that person, so I get it, but you also don’t realize how much free time you have when you have it. I know that the people who put in the most hours are the ones to get noticed. They stay up late working on personal projects, or webcomics or shorts, and those are the ones who make a career out of it. The ones who phone it in, or do the minimum amount of work, they might get a lucky break but they won’t be able to sustain themselves for long. They are going to miss out on opportunities. 

People notice the artists that are always creating because it’s hard to ignore. 

At FredFilms our motto is Creators First, Original Always - is there a creator or original you’ve been into recently? 

I recently replayed Outer Wilds, which is a phenomenal game but really it’s just a work of art. Essentially it’s an archeology simulator in space. Without spoiling anything, the game is just about uncovering this secret tiny solar system and there is no combat. 

There is some action but you’re not out to hurt anything. You are there to learn and explore. Technically you can beat the game at any time, you just don’t know how - you have to learn how. The ending is heart wrenching but in a good way. When I first played it, it genuinely changed me a little bit. I replayed it with someone and they were crying at the end, it's just amazing. 

I think that games get a bad rap a lot of the time, which always annoys me because there hasn't been a mainstream breakthrough like there is with Ghibli where they are like “oh yeah this is art.” And I hope that happens. There are so many examples of games that are life changing for people that aren’t just shooters. Yet there are so many people who think of it that way, which bums me out. Anyways, that studio is Mobius Digital and I’m really excited for what they do next because that game rules. 

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Find Gene's work HERE

Izzi Lee shares about her time as a popular autobio comic artist, her recent move to Amsterdam and how she incorporates 'wonder' in her work in this cozy interview!

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I met Izzi just a few months before she set off for the Netherlands, and in that little amount of time she made a huge impression on me. She has boundless positive energy and a welcoming presence. The honesty in her work captures a simultaneously universal and individual experience of having a sensitive heart.

Since her move we have had wonderful conversations about what is means to be an artist, the personal relationship to ones work, and how following your joys can take you to wonderful places.

And you will get a taste of these musings from this interview, enjoy!

-Flip

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What is your artist's journey?

I am mostly known as a cartoonist – however, that's maybe the smallest part of my artist journey. 

I started in fine arts and I moved to Los Angeles at the age of 16. I’m actually a high school dropout. I was supposed to go to art school, but I went to work on film sets first instead. 

I thought, “Well, I'm going to school to get a job, but if I just get the job at the film sets, that works.” I was continuing my painting and photography practice while working on film sets and videography. 

Later, I worked as a graphic designer for entertainment companies on movies and billboards. That kind of studio life gets really hectic, so I put my personal artistry to the side. For my own art,  my interests have always been scattered. I practiced in many mediums, and prioritized the medium that made sense for each story. I remember feeling  extremely self-conscious about the fact that I didn’t have a thing. 

In retrospect, I'm really glad I did that – but in the moment I had a lot of shame about it. Turns out, it is a common experience to have that ‘niche mentality’. 

After the extremely chaotic work environment I experienced in graphic design, I decided to start pouring back into my art. That’s when I landed on cartooning, because at the time I thought the best way to reach people would be through social media. In a landscape like that, and cartoons being digestible art and story, I thought it was the most efficient medium, so that was where I landed.

I went balls-to-the-wall with that (professional term) – and the cartoon actually worked! It happened really fast, but like all things that happen fast, it was the many years leading up to it that let it happen fast. I was putting out work for seven or eight years before, and then I started putting out my cartoons with ClownLifeIzzi in October or November of 2023. It got traction over the winter, and I did that for about a year. Then, I hit a point where the stories I wanted to share required a medium which allowed for more depth and nuance. I decided to put a hiatus on my cartoons, and over the next year, wrote my novel Apple, Dirt, xs Miniskirt. I am about to start revisions this summer. During this time, I’ve found new levels of meaning in my practice by falling in love with painting all over again as well.  

So the short answer is that I’m known as a cartoonist, but have always done what makes sense for the story.

I just care about the story.

Do you remember a moment in your life when you felt “I must be an artist”

You know what? I remember so many moments where I was fighting it. I was like, I can't be an artist. Please. I don't want to do it. It’s not that I don’t want to do it - it's that I know what it means to have an artist’s life. And I have so much respect for art itself.

Caveat to that, art means something different to everyone – and I think that's the beauty and the freedom in it. But for me, art is tied to respecting craft and story. I knew that meant a very unconventional life.

I was born and raised in Korea, and growing up in Korea, you are expected to have a conservative, traditional life path. You know your life won’t be smooth if you stray from rigid normality and expectations. There came a moment when fighting it becomes harder than doing it. 

I think that the tipping point was when I transitioned out of my graphic designer work into my own work. I was working in the arts as a graphic designer for a very well-known studio and it's maybe the coolest job that I've ever had. But it wasn't my art. So finally I was like I need to do my work with my life and my time. And I that was the transition when I started ClownLifeIzzi.

What's your relationship to your art making practice and how has it evolved as you’ve grown?

It's evolved so much, especially after my experience with my cartoons. The comics were a very specific experience that extended out to so many people. During that experience, there was a method to my madness but it's not something I can list coherently. All I can describe is that I was extremely persistent. 

I'm a very devoted person to what I'm doing. It was a lot of time and work and energy. The point that changed was when I realized that the numbers of social media had started to seep into the most private parts of my creating process. I became trained in analyzing which pieces will perform well, and when that data started to trickle into how I decided which stories to tell - I didn’t like that.  

So I stopped making my comics and experimented following wherever my interests took me. , I felt there was more to learn elsewhere.  The experience from my comics was really important, but I knew I needed my world to be a bit smaller so I could dig deeper. 

How did it feel to be vulnerable online with your autobio comics? 

 I think there are a few other autobio comic artists online that I would have a great connection with, haha! It’s a very specific experience where, in the beginning, I genuinely didn’t think about anyone seeing it. I just blocked it out. It was the only way I could be vulnerable. 

After a while though, the blockage of acknowledging was  also blocking the most wonderful parts of it. When I reflect now, I say I started sharing my comics as a cry into the dark, hoping someone might hear it. There was this yearning for connection, and blocking out the response as a whole, was not allowing that gift to come through.

There was this one experience when I went to Cavaliers bookshop, and met a reader in person at the register. I could see they were really excited to meet me and that they were a bit nervous. And I said “Is it okay if I give you a hug?” And there was a kind of pure joy on their face that came from that.  Afterwards, I was driving away and I remember being in my car thinking, “that’s real!” 

After that encounter, , I realized it was actually a disservice and not earnest to deny the highs and lows within the responses to my work. My relationship to sharing work online has changed a lot. Eventually, I realized I did not want to continue autobio work  because I was living my life with a spectator’s eye. It was damaging to my own self image and sense of self - and I don’t think that’s good for the work.

I think it is so admirable when people can find ways to balance that for themselves. Different artists have different lives. I’m a very sensitive person too, which is why it works but for my own health it’s not something I could sustain. 

What are some themes you always come back to in your work?

I have recently declared that my largest value is wonder.

There is something larger than just the parts of reality. All of the frameworks we have been given: language, frame of thought, logic, social systems-all these things we have been taught as normal… I doubt it! Allowing myself to explore this sense of wonder though my art has always been my space of freedom, especially when I was a young girl in a very conservative environment.

There are some experiences where I meet someone, and our exchange wasn’t very long and our exchange wasn’t something you could note down as being or meaningful, however the impact of that is extraordinarily heavy. My human brain is like “That doesn’t make sense, you shouldn’t be feeling that way”. But I do feel that way, so there must be something more to the world then. 

This  could be a sensitive topic, especially as someone who is a big mental health advocate, but I often think about how spirituality has a large place in many of our difficult experiences.  Coming from an eastern culture where these ideas  aren't so rigid, spirituality is woven into the rhythm of everyday life.   Elements of Buddhist beliefs,  like reincarnation,are embedded  into our culture and language. So I don't view spirituality as a big hoax or a separate entity that could be compartmentalized outside of our metaphysical experiences of life. 

Because of that, that is where I draw into the parts of the world that we as humans can’t understand but still experience - that is wonder to me.

It could be a person, or moment, or even just a leaf you saw.

How has moving to Amsterdam influenced your work?

It really has changed a lot. First let’s start off with that I absolutely love Los Angeles and it has been everything to me to experience my life in Los Angeles. But after I moved, I’ve been able to dial back a lot more of the urgency for “the next big thing” because I’m able to slow down my life a bit more here in Amsterdam.

I’ve been able to  carve out that space of blank.  Boredom and peace has allowed me to have more moments of wonder. I’ve been taking some trips here and there and getting to see a lot of old artwork. Being able to tie that with my learning of art history and  fascination with diverging culture has been a big impact on my work lately.

Here at FredFilms our motto is Creators First, Originals Always who are some creators you’ve been into recently? 

I recently was recommended It’s Lonely At The Centre Of The Earth by Zoe Thorogood at a comic shop here in Amsterdam, called Lambiek.She is a British autobio comics artist, we’re the same age.  Her work is vulnerable, honest, and something you hold in your hand yet can’t believe it exists.  It kind of scared me when I read it, that chilling feeling when you sense someone can see right through you. Call your bluff. I admire her a lot.

Any Closing Thoughts?

Don’t doubt your desire to create! Make it, just so that it exists.

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Find Izzi’s work:

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/clownlifeizzi/

PAINTINGS: https://www.clownlifeizzilee.com/paintings

VIDEO: https://www.clownlifeizzilee.com/videos 

NOVEL (stay tuned): https://www.instagram.com/adxm_izzilee/

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Casey Gonzalez shares a look behind the scenes at FredFilms, discusses the importance of vulnerability in creativity and the inspiration parenthood provides.

I owe so much to Casey. I was lucky enough to have her as my supervisor when I started as an intern at Frederator, and now have the privilege to be developing shows right along side her at FredFilms!

Having Casey in my corner for my entire professional career has been such a gift. I’m so grateful for her guidance and advice as both my mentor and my friend. She is wicked accomplished and has a deep wealth of knowledge from working in almost every part of the storytelling industry!

I remember discovering First Second's Science Comics series and being excited to tell Casey about them only for her to tell me "Oh, you know I started that series during my time at First Second." She has done so much and I'm excited to be there too as she keeps doing more!

-Flip Sarta

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So tell us about yourself. What’s your story?

I’ve been a ravenous consumer of media since I was a kid. I can find something to love in just about every genre and medium. Books, comics, movies, radio, music, YouTube explainers, video games, mind-numbing mobile games—you name it, I have indulged in it.

I started my career in publishing working mostly on comics. I fell in love with collaborating closely with artists and writers, helping them bring their ideas into the world. I noticed that many of my favorite creators were exploring animation and I decided to do the same. I eventually landed a job at Frederator, which kicked off a decade of working for the legendary Fred Seibert. After a stint at Crunchyroll, I joined Fred again to lead development at FredFilms. I’m so grateful to get to do what I do. Thanks Fred!

Outside of my work at FredFilms, I’m a writer and crafter. I’m always working on some sort of craft project—usually something I can do while watching way too much TV!!

[Panels from Paul Pope’s Battling Boy]

Why do you want to tell stories?

I think storytelling is one of the most powerful tools we have as humans. It’s how we build connections with one another. That's fundamentally what I think storytelling is—a connection to our shared history. Whether it's a handprint on the wall of a cave that says, “I was here,” or a creation myth passed down over millennia. Stories have this inherent power and value. Now more than ever it is vital to share what we're experiencing with each other and to document it for future generations, and that's what drives me to tell stories.

How do you go about telling stories?

I get ideas spontaneously, just reacting to things I see or experience, but when I'm actually sitting down to write a story I find the scaffolding to be really important. A well-structured story can almost write itself.

I also like to get to know my characters really well. Anyone who has worked with me will know that I'm a stickler for detail. I think the best characters blend the universal—traits anyone can relate to—with the specific—things that only this character could experience, and that only one person could write. Personal experiences really come through in those vivid, wonderful details.

How do you take a story from the seed of an idea to a fully developed story?

Describing the beginning of a story as a seed is really apt, because it takes a lot of nurturing and care. It’s a balance of being disciplined and being gentle with yourself.

One thing that I try to do in my personal work, and that I work on with our creators, too, is stepping away from any shame. Making art can be a very vulnerable act. In fact, I think you have to be vulnerable to make great art. So I often remind myself and the folks I work with that we have to be kind to ourselves as we're creating! A first draft doesn't have to be perfect. In fact, a tenth draft doesn't have to be perfect. Shaping a story is like cutting away at a block of clay. You can't just do it all in one motion. It's a lot of repetitive action, revisiting and revising.

I think one of the best things you can do if you're stuck on a story is put it to the side, and take a short break or go on a walk. If you need a longer break, take a week off and indulge in another medium, like music or movies or something that's totally different from what you're working on, and see where you find inspiration and then go back to it.

What’s something you do that people might not realize about your work?

I think what I do is made possible by what makes Fred Films so special. We get to be very hands-on and deeply collaborative with our creators. I work closely with creators on everything from writing their first scripts to preparing them to present their work—especially if that’s outside their comfort zone.

Building relationships based on mutual respect and trust is central to my work. From the outside looking in, my role might seem invisible—and I want it to be. My job is to help creators express themselves in the best possible way without overshadowing their voice or vision.

[Casey and FredFilms' creator Elyse Castro finally meet in person after working together on Zoom for years!]

What is an unexpected source of inspiration in your day-to-day life?

I’m going to sound like the typical new parent, but watching my daughter learn about the world is incredible. That vulnerability that I talked about artists having to access, that is the vulnerable state that all children live in all the time. There's a reason that we are so drawn to childhood. There is a reason that nostalgia has such a powerful hold on us. Children live in what’s called the “absorbent mind” stage up until around age six, where they take in information effortlessly and without judgment. That mindset is so intrinsic to the creative process. I think every adult taps into that childlike state when they create, but seeing it firsthand in my daughter is amazing—and, of course, very inspiring.

Our motto here is creator first, original always. Who is the creator or what's an original you’ve been into lately?

I just watched Psycho Goreman, which was really fun, like a mix of Power Rangers and Gremlins. I’ve also been enjoying playing Animal Well!

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Creators First: Spotlights is a new interview series in which we interview creators about their lives, their work, and what they love! Stay tuned for more from artists, writers, musicians, comics creators, executives, and other friends of FredFilms!

Elyse Castro’s goal is to make you laugh, make you squeamish—or both! From baby assassins to Barbie Mafia, Elyse’s stories are wild, heartfelt, and hilarious. Get to know the brilliant mind behind The Summoning cartoon—soon to be a graphic novel—in this candid interview.

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We have been long-time admirers of Elyse’s work. She is a fantastic artist, a thoughtful storyteller, and a true original!

FredFilms has been lucky enough to work closely with Elyse for years and we have spent many hours playing in the world of The Summoning with her.

Elyse is one of the hardest working creators we have ever met! Delivering an abundance of work in every meeting, she’s an absolute dream to work with!

We are excited for fans to be able to return to Ridgewood this October and spend some more time with Claire, Edgar, Flufftops, and some exciting new characters!

For now, we are pleased to share this interview with Elyse in which she discusses how she creates her characters, her long-time inspirations, and how she views the world through story.

-Flip Sarta

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First off, tell us about yourself. What’s your story?

That’s a big question. I am a person who lives in Australia. It's a hard question to answer because you want to distill it. Am I my job? Am I what I do? So I would say I am an artist, and I've always loved art and cartoons.

I jumped into the world of tattooing, loving that land. And then I jumped into the world of education, loving that land too. And now I make comics. Just a little guy, making art.

I like it, people like it, it’s good!

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What is one of the earliest pieces of media that made you think “I want to make something like that one day?”

Holy crap. I already know a million things. Number one is Grug. I don't know if you know Grug.

[We did not know Grug]

Grug is a book series and he has lots of adventures. I think he's Australian. He’s made from a Burrawang tree, so that's pretty Aussie! I remember when I was a kid, I just loved it. I wanted to be Grug.

I love old claymation stuff too, like Postman Pat. I would have stabbed someone to work on that show. I love making things with my hands, and that show was all clay and felting and fluffy stuff! That’s what I remember most, thinking “I want to do that! I want to make that! I want to tell little stories and do art!”

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Why do you tell stories?

Well, originally, it was just to make my sister laugh. Growing up, we had two main stories. Looking back now, they are both pretty f***ed up.

One was called Baby Magnum (pronounced like Bibi Mangmun).  And Baby Magnum was kind of a killer, but living as a baby, and they were going out and kill other babies. It was really weird.

And the other was in a far off distant land. We based it off our distant relative, who wasn’t that nice –  so I can’t tell you the name of the story because it would be too obvious.

We would tell these bedtime stories all the time. My goal was always to make her laugh or make her squeamish or get any reaction out of her. I think that’s where it started and my audience just got larger from there.

Now I teach and I want to make my students laugh...or feel squeamish...I’m a really good teacher, I swear. I’m really good at teaching. Haha!

How has storytelling shaped your worldview?

I don't think I've ever not told stories. It’s hard to answer because storytelling has always been part of my existence. My mum would tell you, even growing up I would pretend I was other people and not respond to my own name. You’d have to call me the name I decided I was that day, just making up the story. It would drive my mum crazy.

My sister and I played a lot of Barbies, we had a room dedicated to it. My Barbie land wasn’t “let’s put on a dress,” it was “We’re fighting to the death!” It was like Barbie Mafia, but I was only 5!  I don’t know how I knew all these things—it’s kind of worrisome, oh well!

I can’t remember a time when storytelling wasn’t part of my life. It’s just so important. Not just important for your imagination and creativity, but also to develop a perspective and compassion and understanding of other people. I think the world needs a bit more of that.

So maybe more people should try telling stories. And seeing things from someone else's point of view, because then you realize “Oh. That's dumb, that I think that,” or that everyone just wants to be loved.

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How do you connect with the characters in your story?

I think it's a combination of seeing myself and seeing others in them. I try not to write anything that's too far removed from a lived experience or feeling or emotion.

For instance, Flufftops is inspired by my sister. She has that intensity and rigidness but also that crazy silliness as well. It’s easy that way to be like “Yeah I know what they’d do,” because I’ve got one.

Then it’s a bit of yourself mixed in. Or maybe the person that you imagined you wanted to be, but don’t anymore. It’s got to feel authentic, really authentic - that’s the main thing to me anyways.

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How do you measure the success of a story?

That's a dangerous game to play and I don't really like playing that game.

I think success is if I'm happy with it. Did I laugh? Did it make sense to me? Did I make someone happy?

Success is an intrinsic feeling, if we start looking for external reinforcements, I think that's when people get caught up in the negative.

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Our motto is Creators First, Original Always - is there a new creator or a new thing you’ve been into recently?

I’ve been pleasantly surprised by Mythic Quest. It’s the guys from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia but it’s about a game studio. I must have tried to watch it a few years ago and got 10 minutes in and was like ‘meh’. But I tried it again and I’m really glad I did! It’s really awesome and funny.

But the best thing ever at the moment is Severance! I literally wept the other day about it, it’s so good! I can’t believe that Zoolander is the director.

I also want to shout out some more indie creators. Some that come to mind are @femtasia who is one of my favorite artists and @viktoria_volcheg who makes the most awesome soft sculptures.

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Find Elyse's work here!

“...stand for something different and build loyalty instead.” 

FredFilms Postcard Series 10.4 

“Copy and you’ll always  play second fiddle;   stand for something different and   build loyalty instead.” Neil Pedliham for FredFilms Quotations

Neil Pedliham* wasn’t a name I was familiar with (and there’s nothing about him that I can find on the internet, so I clipped his bio from the book I mention below) but boy did his sentiment ring true to the FredFilms “original, always” promise. 

Not for nothing, I read some of Neil’s thoughts in a fabulous book called “I love it. What is it?: The power of instinct in design and branding” from the UK creative studio Turner Duckworth. 

*Neil Pedliham. After graduating in graphic design from Salisbury College of Art in the UK, Neil began an expansive career working for a variety of consultancies in London. Gaining experience in many key disciplines with a a wide range of clients, he built a solid portfolio of work in corporate literature, identity, packaging, retail, leisure photography and art direction. He began his long association with the health and beauty retailer Superdrug as a packaging designer in the early 1990s. Early into his tenure, he became instrumental in a key brand redirection, incorporating  the restructure of its own label, and was subsequently appointed Design Services Manager, heading up the in-house design and artwork team while also managing the external roster of design consultancies. Having been a joint recipient of several gongs for Superdrug packaging, Neil was twice a judge for the DBA Design Effectiveness Awards.   

After a brief career wind-down as a food photographer, neil is now retired and lives in Wales with his wife, two dogs, one cat and several thousand bees. He spends his spare time playing guitar, woodworking, tending his bonsai and nature watching in the hills around their cottage.  

.....

From the postcard back:

Congratulations! You are one of 125 people to receive this limited edition FredFilms postcard!

www.fredfilms.com

Original, always Your next favorite cartoon Creators first

FredFilms Quotations “Copy and you’ll always play second fiddle; stand for something different and build loyalty instead.”

Neil Pedliham, graphic designer & photographer

FredFilms promises “Original, always.”

FredFilms Postcards Series 9.3-5