MattBrady
09-12-2003, 06:55 AM
<img src="http://www.newsarama.com/Other_Publishers/Platinum.jpg" width="122" height="125" border="0" hspace="1" align="right"><i>by Ryan McLelland</i>
<i>Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The Tick. Spawn. Ultraforce.</i> The list can go on and on for comic books that have graced the small screen as animated projects. Now in a first of its kind arrangement, Platinum Studios and Walt Disney Pictures have teamed together to bring the next wave of comic book adapted cartoons to a television near you. Who are they looking toward to pitch the newest comic book to cartoon ideas? The answer is any comic book creator with the skills, the chops, and the dream. The final answer could be <b>you</b>.
With a ‘First Look’ deal (which allows Walt Disney Pictures to have a first look at every animated pitch) specifically geared toward comic book creators, Platinum Studios, run by Scott Mitchell Rosenberg, the self-proclaimed comic geek who formerly headed Malibu Comics, has teamed up with Walt Disney Pictures and Television to acquire and develop comic book properties for animation.
Known for their live-action comic book to film adaptations like the <I>Men In Black</I> films from the Malibu comic and the science fiction television series <I>Jeremiah</I>, Platinum Studios thrives on developing entertainment projects based on characters and stories written or drawn by acclaimed creators like Alan Moore, Jeph Loeb, Marv Wolfman, Ben Dunn, and Steven Grant.
Creators don’t have to send in just one submission as multiple pitches for animation, live-action, or feature film are quite welcomed by Platinum and Disney. According to Rosenberg, “If a creator sent us a hundred submissions, even all at once, and we found just one that worked, we’d be thrilled, and so would the studio! This isn’t the biggest thing to hit comics, but it does allow Platinum to develop raw material with Disney. A creator doesn’t need to have a successful comic or even a published comic because Platinum can finance its publication if the creator wishes. It’s about the story and if that story could work as an animated series or feature as well as a comic.”
The first look deal with Disney, then subsequently to a wide array of other studios and television channels (to include Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim, Fox and Spike TV) if Disney chooses to pass on the project, could give comic book creators a chance to get their characters out to a wider medium, while gaining valuable experience in the field. However, seeing ‘Created By’ up there on the screen doesn’t mean big fame and huge fortune from the get-go.
“The money in animation is very low unless an artist or writer can get on the show,” Rosenberg says. “However, there is some money, the credit, and the fun of having their stories told. We’re heading into animation out of love of the medium and we love to work with creators that feel the same.”
Creators looking to get their visions out there don’t have to start with a submission process full of pages and pages of stories. “In fact, some creators do way too much! The key for us is the central concept—the central idea or vision, boiled down to a few lines. We can get a good sense from a paragraph whether it’s something that will work or not, and if it does, we can develop it further,” Rosenberg notes.
Artists can send in illustrations and concepts without having to write long-winded origins of their characters. If writers have captivating ideas but lack the artistic skill or artists aren’t strong in terms of writing abilities, Platinum sees no problem in submitting those basic ideas as long as the characters or story comes across, because development for a presentation came come from Platinum’s end. “Through the whole history of comic books, there have been a few creators who are really good at both writing and drawing, but they’re the exception, not the rule. Most are best at one or the other.”
When Rosenberg headed Malibu, he oversaw a stable of comics including the Ultraverse line, <b>Ex-Mutants</b>, and a little comic called <b>Men In Black</b>. “We heard that seventy comic publishers turned down [MIB creator] Lowell Cunningham’s fantastic comic pitch,” says Rosenberg. Malibu went on to publish <b>MIB</b> and eventually Rosenberg pitched the film version to every studio in Hollywood, being turned down at first at least two to three times at each studio. The final result once the film landed on screens across the country? <b>MIB</b> would go on to become not only of the biggest comic book films, but would also land in the top twenty-five films of all time. What followed afterwards? The animated series, of course.
“A dream creator for (Platinum) is one that knows that the Hollywood process is slow, full of rejection, but pays off for those who are persistent. If we encourage a creator to come back with other projects, even though we might have passed on (one) of theirs, then we mean it, as we only say that to creators we do actually feel can pull it off.” Creators who had in the past submitted their works to Platinum for a comic book to live action feature and been rejected are encouraged to resubmit their ideas if they feel it could work as an animated project. “A pass in February doesn’t mean it’s also a pass the following year.” Rosenberg adds, “Things change.”
Creators don’t have to start looking for agents or calling Hollywood to have their writings or creations seen. By logging onto Platinum’s submission page (http://platinumstudios.com/submissions/index.php), a quick download and fill-out of the proper forms can have your ideas out to Platinum in no time, something Platinum welcomes.
The first-look animation deal with Disney will allow comic book creators to get their ideas pitched for a wide array of Disney channels, including Disney Channel, ABC Saturday Morning, and ABC Family (which currently runs an ‘Action Block’ including <I>Spider-Man</I> and <I>Digimon</I>), including moving beyond to CGI and traditional animated feature films. In regards to a CG “look”, Platinum is hoping that half of the pitches come in that way, as there’s a hunger for CG looking shows right now. Additionally, Platinum’s publishing program can also finance comics if a creator doesn’t have a publisher or an existing comic, while also being able to help subsidize self-publishers.
Helping to process the animation pitches and produce some of the projects is ace animation executive Kaaren Lee Brown. Having produced or executive produce over 700 episodes of animation for DIC and Hanna-Barbera, Brown’s producing/development deal with Platinum will help to further cultivate the animated properties while Platinum looks to expand it’s capabilities further by partnering with more producers.
Other key players in helping the comic book to animation fruition include Barry Blumberg, the President of Walt Disney Television Animation, Jay Fukuto, VP of Creative Affairs, who also will serve as the Disney development executive for Platinum, and Lee Nordling, who runs Platinum’s comic book division. The Gotham Group, the leading independent company representing animation and family entertainment, will manage many of Platinum’s animation ventures, with help coming from top Hollywood talent agencies like The William Morris Agency and Creative Artists Agency.
The chance to break out of the comic medium into a wider arena might be a dream come true for first time creators and established veterans alike. While having doors slammed in your face could be expected out of Hollywood, the chance to have a comic/production company that <I>wants</I> to read submissions is surely the freshest breath of air. Just be prepared for the possibility of one day visiting Walt Disney World to see Mickey Mouse walking down the street with your comic book creation right there walking beside him.
<i>Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The Tick. Spawn. Ultraforce.</i> The list can go on and on for comic books that have graced the small screen as animated projects. Now in a first of its kind arrangement, Platinum Studios and Walt Disney Pictures have teamed together to bring the next wave of comic book adapted cartoons to a television near you. Who are they looking toward to pitch the newest comic book to cartoon ideas? The answer is any comic book creator with the skills, the chops, and the dream. The final answer could be <b>you</b>.
With a ‘First Look’ deal (which allows Walt Disney Pictures to have a first look at every animated pitch) specifically geared toward comic book creators, Platinum Studios, run by Scott Mitchell Rosenberg, the self-proclaimed comic geek who formerly headed Malibu Comics, has teamed up with Walt Disney Pictures and Television to acquire and develop comic book properties for animation.
Known for their live-action comic book to film adaptations like the <I>Men In Black</I> films from the Malibu comic and the science fiction television series <I>Jeremiah</I>, Platinum Studios thrives on developing entertainment projects based on characters and stories written or drawn by acclaimed creators like Alan Moore, Jeph Loeb, Marv Wolfman, Ben Dunn, and Steven Grant.
Creators don’t have to send in just one submission as multiple pitches for animation, live-action, or feature film are quite welcomed by Platinum and Disney. According to Rosenberg, “If a creator sent us a hundred submissions, even all at once, and we found just one that worked, we’d be thrilled, and so would the studio! This isn’t the biggest thing to hit comics, but it does allow Platinum to develop raw material with Disney. A creator doesn’t need to have a successful comic or even a published comic because Platinum can finance its publication if the creator wishes. It’s about the story and if that story could work as an animated series or feature as well as a comic.”
The first look deal with Disney, then subsequently to a wide array of other studios and television channels (to include Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim, Fox and Spike TV) if Disney chooses to pass on the project, could give comic book creators a chance to get their characters out to a wider medium, while gaining valuable experience in the field. However, seeing ‘Created By’ up there on the screen doesn’t mean big fame and huge fortune from the get-go.
“The money in animation is very low unless an artist or writer can get on the show,” Rosenberg says. “However, there is some money, the credit, and the fun of having their stories told. We’re heading into animation out of love of the medium and we love to work with creators that feel the same.”
Creators looking to get their visions out there don’t have to start with a submission process full of pages and pages of stories. “In fact, some creators do way too much! The key for us is the central concept—the central idea or vision, boiled down to a few lines. We can get a good sense from a paragraph whether it’s something that will work or not, and if it does, we can develop it further,” Rosenberg notes.
Artists can send in illustrations and concepts without having to write long-winded origins of their characters. If writers have captivating ideas but lack the artistic skill or artists aren’t strong in terms of writing abilities, Platinum sees no problem in submitting those basic ideas as long as the characters or story comes across, because development for a presentation came come from Platinum’s end. “Through the whole history of comic books, there have been a few creators who are really good at both writing and drawing, but they’re the exception, not the rule. Most are best at one or the other.”
When Rosenberg headed Malibu, he oversaw a stable of comics including the Ultraverse line, <b>Ex-Mutants</b>, and a little comic called <b>Men In Black</b>. “We heard that seventy comic publishers turned down [MIB creator] Lowell Cunningham’s fantastic comic pitch,” says Rosenberg. Malibu went on to publish <b>MIB</b> and eventually Rosenberg pitched the film version to every studio in Hollywood, being turned down at first at least two to three times at each studio. The final result once the film landed on screens across the country? <b>MIB</b> would go on to become not only of the biggest comic book films, but would also land in the top twenty-five films of all time. What followed afterwards? The animated series, of course.
“A dream creator for (Platinum) is one that knows that the Hollywood process is slow, full of rejection, but pays off for those who are persistent. If we encourage a creator to come back with other projects, even though we might have passed on (one) of theirs, then we mean it, as we only say that to creators we do actually feel can pull it off.” Creators who had in the past submitted their works to Platinum for a comic book to live action feature and been rejected are encouraged to resubmit their ideas if they feel it could work as an animated project. “A pass in February doesn’t mean it’s also a pass the following year.” Rosenberg adds, “Things change.”
Creators don’t have to start looking for agents or calling Hollywood to have their writings or creations seen. By logging onto Platinum’s submission page (http://platinumstudios.com/submissions/index.php), a quick download and fill-out of the proper forms can have your ideas out to Platinum in no time, something Platinum welcomes.
The first-look animation deal with Disney will allow comic book creators to get their ideas pitched for a wide array of Disney channels, including Disney Channel, ABC Saturday Morning, and ABC Family (which currently runs an ‘Action Block’ including <I>Spider-Man</I> and <I>Digimon</I>), including moving beyond to CGI and traditional animated feature films. In regards to a CG “look”, Platinum is hoping that half of the pitches come in that way, as there’s a hunger for CG looking shows right now. Additionally, Platinum’s publishing program can also finance comics if a creator doesn’t have a publisher or an existing comic, while also being able to help subsidize self-publishers.
Helping to process the animation pitches and produce some of the projects is ace animation executive Kaaren Lee Brown. Having produced or executive produce over 700 episodes of animation for DIC and Hanna-Barbera, Brown’s producing/development deal with Platinum will help to further cultivate the animated properties while Platinum looks to expand it’s capabilities further by partnering with more producers.
Other key players in helping the comic book to animation fruition include Barry Blumberg, the President of Walt Disney Television Animation, Jay Fukuto, VP of Creative Affairs, who also will serve as the Disney development executive for Platinum, and Lee Nordling, who runs Platinum’s comic book division. The Gotham Group, the leading independent company representing animation and family entertainment, will manage many of Platinum’s animation ventures, with help coming from top Hollywood talent agencies like The William Morris Agency and Creative Artists Agency.
The chance to break out of the comic medium into a wider arena might be a dream come true for first time creators and established veterans alike. While having doors slammed in your face could be expected out of Hollywood, the chance to have a comic/production company that <I>wants</I> to read submissions is surely the freshest breath of air. Just be prepared for the possibility of one day visiting Walt Disney World to see Mickey Mouse walking down the street with your comic book creation right there walking beside him.