In this final episode of Season 4, I chat with Writer Director Phil Svitek, creator of The Arbiters, an animated feature he is developing. We talk about the pitching process, what a Pitch Deck is, the difference between a teaser and a trailer, and all the things he does as a director of his first animated feature, We go back in time to the time of Saturday morning cartoons and how Phil was reared on Hey Arnold and Captain Planet among other shows. Also he talks about how a course in editing led him to "reverse engineer" his way into directing and writing. And great advice for anyone, but specifically those wanting to go into animation from live action. For more information about The Arbiters, you can go to https://thearbitersfilm.com

I chat with Patric Verrone, who is a Writer/Producer on Futurama and has worked on Disenchantment, The Simpsons, Rugrats, and one of my favorite animated shows of the 90s, The Critic. We talk about how a Producer credit on an animated show is usually just a title for established writers of a show and less of a job description. We talk about how, like Conan Obrien, he got into animation writing through writing for late night and sketch comedy shows and how that was a pipeline for comedy writers. We get into how "Writer's Rooms" are different for Prime Time animated shows than smaller budget shows and how they're very similar in structure to live action sitcoms. When we go back in time, we talk about how Patric was influenced more by Chuck Jones and Looney Tunes than Disney cartoons as Disney was more stingy with Mickey during his upbringing. And as always, we get great advice, for writers looking to get into animation writing. You can watch new episodes of Futurama as they come out on Hulu!

I chat with the Chief Strategy Officer for Superplastic, Zack Sugarman. We talk about how Superplastic is building a "Demented Disney" empire, starting with vinyl art toys (much like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) and creating animated content on Instagram and TikTok with their IP. Plus, we get into how Zack's love of collectibles and penchant for numbers makes him perfect for his role. And, as always, great advice for everyone!

I chat with Leo Glantschnig, whose YouTube channel, Crash Frontier, has over 600k Subscribers and several videos with over 1 Million views. We talk about how he uses a sandbox-style, physics-based car crash simulator to create cinematic disaster shorts. In my "back-in-time" segment, we discuss how a trip to Universal Studios in 2003 inspired his love of directing and how the disaster movies of the late 90s led him to create these disaster shorts. Plus, great advice on how to start a YouTube channel using your passions and grow it using analytic tools. You can watch his videos at https://www.youtube.com/@CrashFrontier

I chat with a peer in the animation industry, Casandra Groves. Previously, I've talked with other voice actors, but never with one at my level, trying to get voice acting work of significance in the industry. We talk about the trials and tribulations of attempting to "make it" as a voice actor, which sites to avoid, which classes to take, what equipment to buy, and much more. In my "back in time" segment, we delve into Casandra's love for late 90s Nickelodeon. And as always, great advice if you wish to get started as a voice actor. You can follow her on Instagram at @casandra_groves_vo

I interview Producer Michael Hirsh, who led several animation companies including Nelvana, which was responsible for developing Babar, The Magic School Bus, The Berenstain Bears, Beetlejuice, and many more animated series. We talk about how his company got hired to create the animated short (as part of the Star Wars Holiday Special) that was the defacto introduction of the character of Boba Fett. In my Back-in-time segment, we go back to when he started Nelvana with a college friend and hired recent graduates from a nearby animation school. And in advice, Michael talks about what a great era it is now to be able to start your own animation company. His book Animation Nation: How We Built a Cartoon Empire, is available for pre-order on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and sutherlandhousebooks.com

You can follow Michael on Instagram at @michaelhirshanimation

I talk with Post Production Supervisor Chris Keith about how his job was to be the last person to see an animated episode before it went out to the audience, ensuring the proper mix of dialogue, sound effects, and music. He talks about his work on Goof Troop, Bonkers, Biker Mice from Mars, Darkwing Duck, and the 2nd season of Family Guy (including some great stories about working with Seth MacFarlane), as well as working on the original Tron film. In our "Back in Time" segment, Chris reveals a certain popular film he had a chance to work on, but declined. And great advice as always about getting into post production, even in this slow time. Go check out his book and podcast, Ghosts of Greystone Beverly Hills https://www.youtube.com/@ghostsofgreystonebeverlyhills

I meet the podcast's youngest guest ever, Josh Young. At just 13 years old, he is already set up to become an incredible cinematographer and stop-motion animator. While his current productions are short and with a very low fps (frames per second), his attention to detail and camera angles already betrays a bright future ahead. We talk about how his younger brother's obsession with The Nightmare Before Christmas got him interested in Stop Motion and later in the interview, he shows how he is one of the wisest 13 year olds I've ever met. Plus we talk about how his grandfather combined with great older war films got him interested in World War II as a subject as well as Star Wars. Plus, the great advice for creators out there. Especially those just getting started. You can follow his content and career as it unfolds on Instagram at @lastbrick_production_

I chat with Doug Engalla, a Researcher at the Walt Disney Animation Research Library (ARL) about his work preserving the art of Disney Animation. We talk about how Disney has accumulated approximately 65 million artworks in the 100 years of the Walt Disney Company and how Walt himself started the archive to create a repository to learn from past works and be able to reference older works at any time. We also talk about the impact Disney has had on the world of animation, including the influence it has had within and outside of its doors. In my "Back in Time" segment, I go back 34 years to when Doug first started with the ARL and how he took an unorthodox path to get there, but ultimately found his dream job. Plus, Doug recalls his first time at Disneyland and how a particular ride scared him so much, he didn't ride it again for many years. And as in every episode, we get advice, this time for those who want to work at a research library, especially one involving art. The Animation Research Library will be involved with D23 this year as part of the Ultimate Disney Fan Event, so go to d23.com to get tickets and more info.