Why is the Simpsons still being made? I think it’s a simple answer: After all these years, it still makes money, lots of money. The second question is maybe slightly more relevant: “Does Fox have a show to replace it yet when the Simpsons money dries up?” Continue reading “Why The Simpsons Keeps Going”
Have you watched Bottom’s Butte? This was a fun short / pilot I produced on over at Cartoon Network Studios development department with creator Minty Lewis (Regular Show).
Future Worm is an upcoming Disney ‘XD’ show from creator Ryan Quincy (Out There, South Park) about a twelve year old boy who discovers time travel and teams up with a fearless worm from the future (also a special appearance by a robotic fish who explodes in every episode). They’ve got a fantastic cast and crew, and most importantly – it’s funny. All the pieces are here for a great show – and by the looks of it, they are trying some new stuff to make sure this launch is successful. Continue reading “Future Worm is Coming”
Google has thrown down the gauntlet (again) – the claim is that Youtube ads provide a better return dollar-per-dollar vs. TV ads. They are spinning this not as the destruction of TV ads, but instead as an alternative. Spend smart money on Youtube ads as a good place to spend on digital. Harmless, right?
However, this is an interesting downward spiral – if advertisers start spending more money on digital because it banks better profits, they will continue to spend more there, which leads to → less inventory on TV → less money for TV → worse content on TV → lower ratings → less consumer interest → less advertising dollars … and continuous downward spiral. You can start to see why pay TV and broadcast TV are a little stressed. Continue reading “Youtube Ads = Better Returns Than TV”
Apple & Onion is a very funny and heartwarming animated short / pilot I produced on for Cartoon Network Studios with creator George Gendi last year. Finally this super secret animation was released into the wild online and now you can watch it millions of times!
It’s about two friends, Apple and Onion who are just trying to be good guys and figure out how they fit into the world, but they are clearly out of place in the big city. Everyone in the world of Apple and Onion are different types of food – I never asked George why, it just kind of works. Continue reading “Cartoon Network – Apple & Onion”
If you didn’t see this in the news, it’s not too surprising. This content creation and distribution game is changing quickly.
Twitter now has a deal with the NFL to broadcast games online. This is the latest big deal – not financially (it’s actually a smallish deal for the NFL), but this is another ‘the beginning of the end for pay / traditional broadcast TV.’ Continue reading “Why NFL + Twitter”
This is something I keep talking to people about and it always seems like no one in traditional media is listening. It reminds me of the slow death of newspapers and magazines. Monetization of ads is about to shift big time.
Photo by: Mike Mozart
Continue reading “Ruby Tuesday Going All Digital Ads”
If you haven’t read the news that Netflix is reportedly making an animated Matt Groening show – this is huge. It’s huge for Netflix – assuming Matt Groening has chosen to not partner with Fox, who has a proven (albeit currently traditional) distribution network, and greenlit / fostered both of his past hit shows.
Photo by Gage Skidmore
With this, Netflix will be getting some original, high quality, primetime animation content – something Netflix is missing currently. It’s huge for the animation industry – likely getting its first big hit digital distribution platform animated show. It is also huge for Matt Groening. This could give him a running start at making the first animated primetime hit for the digital distribution era.
Fan response has been mixed but positive in reaction to the announcement of an animated Justice League making a return to tv. Warner Bros is also bringing back some of the original voice talent like Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill (fan favorites from the old series). The style (based on the one PR image) appears to be an updated and younger version of the Bruce Timm version of the characters, and they even have some veteran action animation producers attached the project. Everything here should make fans happy, except one small detail…
Continue reading “Is Justice League Action the End of an Era?”
nate funaro 