Toon Trailblazer JJ Sedelmaier celebrates 30 years

Pop culture connoisseurs recognize the incredible JJ Sedelmaier for his influential Saturday TV Funhouse e The ambiguous gay duo shorts for SNL and producing the first season of MTV Beavis and Butthead. But true animation fans know that the talented Mr. Sedelmaier and his wife Patrice celebrate the 30th anniversary of their New York-based animation / graphic design studio in July. On this special occasion we had a chance to chat with the Annie award winning illustrator, designer, author and director / producer.

Can you tell us a little about how you started the business?

JJ Sedelmaier: I think I always knew I wanted to be part of the art world, especially comics. Since elementary school, I was immersed in drawing and other creative things. My mom was a graphic designer / painter and my dad was a director (he made the ad "Where's the meat?"). They met at the Chicago Institute of Art. So I got a lot of encouragement and support. After I finished college, my strategy was twofold: if I wanted to get into animation, I would move to the West Coast. If the comics industry was what I wanted to explore, I would have moved to New York. I had been to New York to visit family almost every Christmas of my life, so I chose New York and comics. After taking my wallet to the few companies in town, I found that my fantasy bubble of drawing superheroes had burst. Patrice stepped in and encouraged (pushed) me to take my work to more places and people. As soon as I did, I was asked several times if I was interested in animation… Who? I knew it Was there animation in New York? Taken off from there.

What was your first job in the animation industry?

My first studio job was at Perpetual Motion Pictures (February 1981) working as an intermediary in Strawberry Shortcake in the Big City of Apples. From there I went to perpetual animation, then to Buzzco and then to Blechman's RO The Ink Tank from May 1984 to 1990. My wife Patrice and I joined JJ Sedelmaier Productions on July 12, 1990.

Looking back, what are the secrets of your success?

Well, first of all, having a business partner in Patrice has made the past three decades more useful than anything else I can think of. The level of investment we have in the company and in the sector is unmatched. Plus, our desperate desire to stay small and manageable. It gives you much better control and allows you to focus on work instead of driving and juggling people. Endless patience and a basic appreciation of working and collaborating with others certainly help. I'm in a bad mood when the emphasis deviates and becomes politics, etc. There is absolutely nothing better than finding a partner to play with on a project. Being in tune and acting as a mutual support system is what this is all about! And the other beloved decision we made was to do it in White Plains, New York, near our home. It gave us much more control over how Patrice and I could balance our personal and corporate lives.

What are some of the best memories of your career?

Too many… but always at the top of the list are all the talented people I have been able to work with. Whether it's employees, artists, ad agencies, or people on the net, they're the people you can hang out with! Some of the cartoonists and designers I have been lucky enough to play with are: Al Hirschfeld, Seymour Chwast, Al Jaffee, Don Martin, Patrick McDonnell, Peter de Sève, Bill Plympton, Sue Rose, George Booth, Garry Trudeau, Berkeley Breathed, Lee Lorenz, Sempé, David Levine, Neal Adams, Ed Sorel, MK Brown, Rick Meyerowitz, Lenny Glasser, Lou Myers, Gary Baseman, Guy Billout, Joost Swarte, Barry Blitt… these are my idols!

What were some of the biggest nightmares?

Not too many, really. to do Beavis and expanding from four or five to 60 was a journey. We only found out after signing that he had switched to almost all the studies that would consider him. We were the only ones willing (crazy enough) to face it, but only because we could do it digitally. I've always been grateful for B & BH making us understand as soon as we are some kind of "little studio", and not being big for the sake of greatness. I have seen many other studios become giants and lose sight of their original mission and then explode.

What are you currently working on?

Finishing in fourth place for an award-winning campaign we started two years ago for the Regional Hospice in Connecticut. Use cartoon animation (and even humor) to tackle the difficult subject of nursing hospice for old and young candidates.

How do you survive changing tastes and new technological preferences in the business world?

It helps to be known for making edgy humor and parody. It was also very helpful to be able to work in any style and / or technique. Over the years, we have worked in an infinite variety of 2D, CG, stop-motion and live / animation combos. The work we did with Robert Smigel SNL has left a very special mark.

Favorite movies and TV shows of all time?

Movie: Disney & # 39; s Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio, The joy of living, An optical poem, Yellow submarine, Iron Giant, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. TV shows: Rocky & Bullwinkle, Ren and Stimpy, South Park, Invader Zim e Family man. Animation idols: Winsor McCay, EG Lutz, Disney, Tytla, Natwick, Tissa David, Dick Williams, Marv Newland, Bill Plympton, Brad Bird, Rebecca Sugar.

Can you offer any advice to aspiring entertainers looking to do business?

• "Don't be an asshole." (you can quote me…) Industry (and any successful production) depends on collaboration as a key component. It might be a gift from God to the art world, but if no one wants to work with you, all that talent means nothing. And the industry is incestuous, so it quickly becomes known who is a pleasure to work and who is a pain.
• Enter your work in festivals and competitions! It is great advertising and public relations.
• Find the people who are doing what you think is a great job and try to connect. However, do your homework and get ready to explain why you dig your things e What can you possibly contribute!
• Join the ASIFA chapter in your area and meet the people of the community you finally want to be part of. It's not just your chance to meet them, but his possibility to verify you outside !
• Finally, you can obsess over animation as much as you want, but also spread your interests and exposure to other realms. Film, art, music, history… you have to be expert in everything you can!

For more information, visit jjsedelmaier.com.