Profile: Gary Conrad
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JF: If you were to start your career path over again, would you choose film over TV?
GC: That’s interesting, because before CalArts, my interest was filmmaking. I used to make my own super-8 movies and so forth. Although I chose animation and I love animation, I always thought of animation more as filmmaking than drawing cartoons. I think successful studios, like Pixar, view what they do as storytelling on film more than making cartoons.JF: What’s a good example of solid storytelling in animated TV?
GC: The one that comes to mind would have to be “The Simpsons.” There again, it’s animated, but it’s really a sitcom. It’s a TV show regardless of whether it’s live action or hand-drawn.JF: Do you have an opinion about cartoon TV shows that aren’t very cartoony, like “King of the Hill” or “Daria?”
GC: Years ago I used to be a staunch believer that if you’re going to animate it, it should need to be animated. I’ve actually moved away from that, because I do think that there are different approaches. I remember in “King of the Hill,” there was a scene where Bobby was really despondent over something and he was stretched out on the floor, and it was a held cel, so he was absolutely motionless. And it struck me as funny because in live action, it wouldn’t play the same way as this animated character absolutely frozen in that pose. So I think there’s room for all kinds of ways to go.
JF: Have you ever tried pitching your own show ideas?
GC: I have on occasion pitched ideas, but I can’t say I’m driven to do so. If my pitches gets picked up, that would be great, but if not, that’s fine too.JF: What’s the market like now for people who want to pitch shows?
GC: I don’t want to be discouraging, but I do know that while all the studios are open to taking pitches, there is certainly no shortage of people pitching shows. It very much is a crowded field, but anyone who wants to pitch a show should go for it.
courtesy of Gary Conrad