Research Guru
Posted:
Jan 8, 2012, 1:47 PM
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Fox forges new unit for Saturday night animation
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Building on its more than 20 years of animation domination, Fox Broadcasting Company has created a new unit to oversee the development and production of alternative animated series, shorts and user-adapted material for a brand new late-night animated programming block and new digital multi-platform network, FOX president of entertainment Kevin Reilly announced Sunday.
To run this new unit, FOX has inked an exclusive deal with Nick Weidenfeld, former head of program development for Adult Swim and executive producer of acclaimed series Children's Hospital and The Boondocks. The network has also tapped producer Hend Baghdady (Warren The Ape, The Andy Milonakis Show) as the executive in charge of production for the new division.
Under their leadership, the unit will develop and produce an ambitious slate of original animated shorts and series to run both on-air and online. The late-night programming block will air Saturdays (11 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. ET/PT) on FOX and will feature four new animated series per season, starting in January 2013.
The digital channel will extend across platforms such as Web, mobile apps, game consoles and Video on Demand. It kicks off this year and will feature 50 original short-form pieces per year, online windows of FOX animated shows, and user-adapted content.
It will create a unique opportunity for fans and up-and-coming talent to engage with professional FOX-curated content, which they could possibly platform into their own series. FOX will also use its expertise and cross-promotional power to nurture these new assets through this pipeline.
"This may be the first time a network is building a clear bridge for talent to develop and grow ideas in the digital/alternative arena and organically move them into the mainstream," said Reilly. "These new late-night series will be assets in their own right -- but the clear possibility exists for a breakout digital success to graduate to primetime.
"Nick had an incredible track record at Adult Swim and is a dynamic guy with the instincts to cultivate and produce inventive and irreverent series that animation fans love. Together with Hend, they are the perfect partners for us in this exciting new venture," Reilly continued.
Prior to teaming with FOX under his Friends Night production company banner, Weidenfeld served as the head of program development for Adult Swim. Over the last eight years, Weidenfeld helped grow the late-night block of programming on Cartoon Network -- featuring breakout hits such as Robot Chicken and Aqua Teen Hunger Force -- into the No. 1 cable entertainment channel among young men. He executive-produced a variety of animated and live-action shows, including the Peabody Award-winning The Boondocks, Children's Hospital, NTSF:SD:SUV::, Metalocalypse, Superjail! and China, IL.
In 2009, Weidenfeld co-created and co-wrote the animated hour-long cartoon Freaknik: The Musical, starring Grammy Award-winning singer T-Pain as well as Cee Lo, Lil Wayne, Andy Samberg and Bill Hader. The musical is currently being adapted for the stage. Most recently, he adapted the feature film Black Dynamite into an animated series and built a sketch show around the rap group and Internet sensation Odd Future.
Baghdady began her career in New York working on the first season of Crank Yankers with Jackhole Industries. Since then, she has developed, produced and created production formats and templates for live-action and animated comedy series for MTV, Comedy Central and Adult Swim. Her most recent credits include the Community stop-motion Christmas special "Abed's Uncontrollable Christmas"; the first strip animated show, DJ & The Fro; The Andy Milonakis Show; Warren The Ape; and Kanye West's pilot Alligator Boots.
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"Oh boy." -- Allan Sherman
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Directing Animator / Contributor
Posted:
Jan 8, 2012, 4:29 PM
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Re: Fox forges new unit for Saturday night animation
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I guess that explains the aeon flux of adult cartoons that FOX has been greenlighting as of late. I was wondering how the network intended to cram all of those animated shows onto 1 night, and the answer is they're not; the ones that don't air on Sunday prime-time will air on late night Saturdays, although a part of me is cynical enough to suspect that FOX will use this late night block as a dumping ground for any show that doesn't cut the mustard on the Animation Domination lineup the way the network with Sit Down, Shut Up.
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Visit mine and my twin brother's blog. It goes down smooth.
www.astralcity.blogspot.com
(This post was edited by SpaceDemon on Jan 8, 2012, 6:36 PM)
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Directing Animator / Contributor
Posted:
Jan 8, 2012, 6:34 PM
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Re: Fox forges new unit for Saturday night animation
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Yeah, that explains why FOX has been greenlighting all these animated comedies lately.
I wish I could say that psyched to hear about this (since I've been dying for something good to watch on Saturday nights again), but sadly I'm not. None of FOX's animated comedies of late have really done anything for me (I currently make it a point to avoid Animation Domination at all costs) and the fact that this block is being headed by one of the guys behind Adult Swim isn't making me more enthused about this. Over the past few years, Adult Swim has degenerated into repetitive, juvenile, frat boy/stoner junk. I'd like to see some intelligent, clever, innovative animated comedies like Mission Hill, Duckman, Liquid Television and Space Ghost: Coast to Coast, but if it's just going to be more AS and Animation Domination type shows, then I'll pass.
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An unemployed court jester is nobody's fool.
(This post was edited by Starburst on Jan 8, 2012, 6:37 PM)
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Supervising Animator
Posted:
Jan 10, 2012, 7:18 PM
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Re: Fox forges new unit for Saturday night animation
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I wonder if Seth McFarlane's shows may make it on Saturday Night?
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Thank God for kids who love obscure things-Lee Hazelwood (1929-2007)
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Zinc Saucier
Posted:
Jan 13, 2012, 11:58 AM
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Re: Fox forges new unit for Saturday night animation
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Aside from the perceived opportunity that this may give to up-and-coming people in the animation industry, I have to say that it pretty much sums up, for me, everything that is wrong with animation on TV these days. Fox has quite possibly the worst line up of animated sitcoms on any network/channel. I'm going to exclude The Simpsons from that list though. I know several people don't care much for The Simpsons any more, or even watch it, that's their call (this won't be allowed to derail the thread and degenerate in a "The Simpsons is/is not relevant" discussion). But to me, pretty much anything by Seth McFarlane isn't worth watching. Perhaps even sadder, Adult Swim- the model Fox was using for this proposed block- features nothing worth watching or even producing. ANYTHING that is done in the vein of Aqua Teen is imo a complete waste of time and actually damages animation's reputation. There are very few exceptions to that way of thinking that actually still air on AS- Metalocolypse and Robot Chicken may be the only two I can think of. But anything that is live action in any way, several of which were named in the release, are just insulting if you ask me.
So to sum up, I guess I'll be avoiding Fox on both Sun. nights AND Sat. nights when this block starts.
(This post was edited by krisAHQ on Jan 25, 2012, 10:39 AM)
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Supervising Animator
Posted:
Jan 24, 2012, 9:55 PM
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Re: Fox forges new unit for Saturday night animation
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I'm just gonna dodge "The Simpsons"...they're just recycling shows now.
But I'm STILL a walking lollipop for the Seth McFarlane Shows!
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Thank God for kids who love obscure things-Lee Hazelwood (1929-2007)
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