I was there for all of it. Ground zero!
Both mergers.
Made a season during the pandemic.
Had three of my projects scrapped.
I was also held in limbo for six months, so even though I wasn't working, they wouldn't release me, so no one would hire me because they thought I was working on three projects, lol
Also, getting rid of CN is insanity. Though it seems like it may be merging with WB animation but still they gutted it to nothing or at the very least took that iconic identity from them.
Look, the animation model in Hollywood is broken; it's a pretty dated model to begin with. Everything from development to even when a show goes to series is positioned in a way that allows the networks to get away with things that are in grey areas. There isn't any protection for creators or writers in animation besides min. rates. The funniest thing I had a network do was change the name of a show bible to a "series overview doc" so they could pay SO MUCH less haha it's the same exact thing! The swore it was not a show bible though haha The list goes on and on... I love that the Animation Guild is fighting, but this really is a make-or-break moment for the industry. Over the last two years, you've seen animation gutted to its bones. Now granted, it was a bit bloated; trimming was bound to happen, but good lord, these are rough days. In my eyes, the only way things change is to create a situation where animation no longer needs Hollywood in the same way. Switch the power dynamic and indie animation feels like the start of that, if it can just scale up to making shows with a living wage for all its artists! Game on! Because the views are crushing the networks on YouTube alone. It's exciting! Now, any animation that provides jobs is good for everyone; it allows artists to fight another day and continue to work in this industry, something that isn't easy right now. So if it's network or indie or whatever in between I'm all for it. I have no horse in the race expect to see more animation.
Animation is one of the most amazing art forms I've ever encountered. I love it! The moment you see a character start to move it's like watching someone come alive. Christmas morning type of feeling! And I can tell you as much as I love it I've never been more frustrated, damaged, and saddened by industry in my entire life than my time in animation. And even with all of the baggage, I still love it.
I was part of the animation guild when I made Final Space, but I had to honorably withdraw because I had no active show going on and still don't....lots of development but that's it. With that being said, it's the only unified force fighting for ways to better animation in the industry. It's a worthy fight if you love animation or one day want to get into animation.
-O
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