Profile: Gary Conrad

JF:How do you bounce back after having your pitch ideas discarded?

GC: The people I know who pitch shows have thick skin and tenacity and perseverance. I also think they also have an understanding that just because someone says “no” doesn’t mean it’s not a good idea. It could easily just not fit what they’re looking for right now, or it could be a hundred other reasons. And I think the important thing is to remember that it doesn’t mean that it’s not worthy, it’s just that it may just not fit into their demographic. For instance, Butch Hartman who does “Oddparents” and “Danny” literally spent years pitching various ideas, and “Oddparents” is the one that went.

JF: You’ve worked on a lot of shows that have had a long run. Have you collected any pearls of wisdom on what makes a show work?

GC:I wish I knew the secret; I’d bottle it and sell it. I would have to say that, #1, it needs a good idea to start with, and then #2, a good crew of people that can execute it well. “Oddparents” is a great example for Butch, who really had such a strong, clear vision of what he wanted that show to be, and he assembled a whole crew of people who got his vision. I’m sure it’s no secret to anyone that it’s never just one person who makes the show. It takes a lot, and I’ve been lucky to work with a great team of talented people.

JF: What’s a good way to set a path in motion for a career in children’s TV?

GC:I don’t think there is one way. The beauty of CalArts is that it’s not just reading about it, it’s actually hands-on doing it. And that was huge, because after four years of CalArts, you kind of come out of there with the ability to do various things, and ultimately that’s what anybody who’s hiring is going to look for – not a degree, but if can you actually do the job. So in one way or another, I would say it’s deciding what it is you want to do and then having the ability to do it. From there I think you’ll be fine.

JF: How many hours of post-school independent learning would you do just to stay on top of the changing industry?

GC:I’ve actually been pretty lucky, because when I came out of CalArts I could animate well enough to get a job doing it. And then I’ve been fortunate to learn what I needed to learn on the job, the storyboarding and following the directors and seeing what they were doing. Every show’s a little different, but you learn how different shows work and what needs to be done on that show.