Aaron Augenblick on how animation can keep in toon
Aaron Augenblick, founder and creative producer of animation prodco Augenblick Studios and sister company Future Brain Media, explains how the industry must evolve if it is to survive times of crisis and an ever-changing animation sector.
New York-based Augenblick Studios celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, while younger sister company Future Brain Media turns five.
Founded by Aaron Augenblick in 1999, Augenblick Studios has predominantly produced adult animation, with series including Superjail! and The Jellies! (Adult Swim), and Ugly Americans (Comedy Central) to its name.
“When we started our studio in the late 90s, people were still of the mindset that animation was just for kids. People thought we were insane, asking how we could ever focus on adult animation, such a small part of the industry,” founder and creative producer Aaron Augenblick says.
“But for us, it was a very interesting, untapped resource. I’d grown up reading a lot of underground comics and graphic novels, which were always slanted a little more towards adults, things like The Watchmen or The Dark Knight. So to me it seemed like a natural progression when I started my studio that we could do animation for those types of stories.”
Five years ago, however, Augenblick decided to branch out into kids’ animation too, leading to the launch of Future Brain Media.
“Some of the most daring animation being made is actually being made in the kids’ space now, whereas a lot of the adult animation is tending to look somewhat similar. There’s a formula,” Augenblick says.
“I was seeing all these incredible animated kids’ shows that were really pushing the form, trying out different styles, different kinds of animation, different forms of narrative, that really were impressing me. So I wanted to try it out.”
Future Brain Media’s first programme will be City Island
Having “always loved anthropomorphic shows,” inspired by series like Sesame Street, Augenblick came up with the idea for Future Brain Media’s first programme City Island, a shortform series set in a living city where the objects are people. The second season will premiere this week on PBS Kids.
In addition to City Island, Future Brain Media currently has over a dozen projects on its development slate.
Back in the adult animation space, Augenblick Studios is currently working on adventure comedy movie The Adventures of Drunky, starring Sam Rockwell, in addition to various other projects.
Augenblick’s priority is on original IP, according to the exec, who says it is “the most important thing in our industry right now.” But during a period where commissioners are prioritising ideas based on known IP that already has a fanbase, Augenblick says alternative forms of financing are needed for original projects to get the green light.
“Original ideas are the heart of art itself, so they will never, ever go away,” he says.
“You’re seeing two factions forming. You’re seeing the big studios focusing almost exclusively now on legacy IP and you’re seeing smaller companies and animation studios globally focusing on original IP.
“What that means is, if you have a new idea, you can’t expect a big studio or corporation to pay for it. That used to be the case for 20 years; when I had a good idea I would take it to a network and they would say, ‘Here’s some money for you to write me a script. Here’s money for you to make a pilot. Here’s money for you to make a series. And we own the IP.’
The Adventures of Drunky stars Sam Rockwell
“That’s not the case anymore. They’re going to only spend money on legacy IP. That being said, original IP is happening. It’s being seen, it’s being created, it’s being enjoyed. It just needs to have alternate forms of financing.”
Acknowledging that “it’s an incredibly difficult time for our industry” at present, amid a global economic crisis, tough competition from the streamers and as commissioners cut down on commissions, Augenblick says the only way for businesses to survive and thrive is to explore new methods of funding but also production.
“I’ve been through a few stages of chaos. The nice thing about having a studio that’s been open for 25 years is there has been a number of times when everybody said, ‘This is the end of the industry,’” the exec says.
“Things change; the only thing you can count on is change. As the years go on, the companies that survive this situation we’re in are going to be the ones that harness new methods of funding and producing animation.
“People that try to recreate the way animation has been made for the past 100 years are the ones that are going to disappear. And I mean that in every aspect: I mean that in ideation, I mean that in funding, I mean that in production. Every part of the way animation has traditionally been made for the past 100 years has changed and we need to embrace the future.
“The only thing that doesn’t go away is that people enjoy watching cartoons. The medium evolves and changes, but the reality is people like to watch cartoons that tell stories. So you need to embrace where people are watching things, how people are watching things and the new ways of producing these things.”
