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FADE IN: It's no secret, historically the fellas have dominated the writing of superhero cartoon shows. But the ladies have made a significant mark, and making strides daily.
ANGLE ON Freelance Animation Writer and Story Editor of Samurai! Daycare for Shut Up Cartoons -- Joelle Sellner, proves that when it comes to action, like penning her recent Ben 10 Omniverse script -- gender is definitely not an issue.
Let's not forget our animated divas in front of the camera who refuse to take a back seat to the show's superhero, and continue making their presence known in the action/adventure world.
Kim Possible -- one our favorite ninja divas, and The Powder Puff Girls -- will forever stay in their fans' hearts.
Kim Possible
Ben Tennyson's go-to-cousin, Gwen, may not have an Omnitrix on her wrist that transforms her into an alien fighting machine, but she can still kick the aliens' butts without breaking a nail.
Eventhough she's off to college, enjoying the galaxy she fought to save -- fans can still see her galactic smarts in many episodes.
We're thrilled Joelle took time out of her busy freelance schedule to chat with Got Toon-Game Scribe? for our debut close-up.
She's our first scribe to brave our interview chair. But before we find out about her adventures in animation, let's do a quick pan of her writing career.
Joelle sharpened her animation teeth writing for the Cartoon Network, DC Comics, Marvel Studios, Mattel, Porchlight Entertainment, Dic Entertainment and You Tube... for the shows: Samurai Daycare, Ben 10 Omniverse, Monster High, Hi Hi Puffy Ami Yumi, Teen Titans, Shin Chan, Secret Saturdays and Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes.
(youtube.com)
Joelle also swims in the comic book waters, writing for Lion Forge, Marvel and DC comics.
Whipping on her copywriter's hat, she wrote webisodes, videos twitter feeds, mobile phone messages and web copy as eight different Mom characters for Kleenex's Get Mommed campaign.
Her copywriting clients include: Draftfcb - one of the largest global advertising networks; StudioCom - An Agency for Digital Times, Team One Advertising and the Rosetta Company (formerly LEVEL) - a consulting-centered interactive agency.
In the game world, she recently wrote story and dialogue for multiple characters and story arcs for Voltage Entertainment.
GTGS: What's the best advice you've ever received from a fellow animation writer?
Joelle:
The best advice I got from another writer was that writing (in any genre) is 5% writing and 95% sales. You always have to pitch yourself and your ideas, so if you're more comfortable staying home and writing than dealing with people this may not be the career for you.
GTGS: What aspects of copywriting prepared you for the transition into animation writing? And what prompted you to enter this field?
Joelle:
Advertising is excellent training for animation writing. Working with an art director at an agency, I learned to think visually. In animation you have to visualize what the scene looks like as well as what the characters are saying.
Also, copywriting teaches you to meet a strict deadline. Your client presentation is scheduled whether you have work to show or not -- so you better have something written.
I decided to pursue animation because I always loved cartoons, and I wanted to write longer form work. You can't get a lot of character development in 30
seconds.
First, there's a research period where I read the scripts that have already been approved, or I watch the previous season of the show to get a sense of where it's going. When I'm ready to start an expanded premise or an outline, I usually write the broad strokes of the story on a legal pad so I can scribble and cross things out.
GTGS: What was your first television writing assignment?
Joelle:
I used to write with a partner, and one of the people he worked for got a story editor job on Mary Kate and Ashley Mysteries. She had read our sitcom specs and liked them, so she brought us in to write an episode. The execs were happy with our work so we wrote two additional ones. Sadly, the show only lasted one season.
Joelle:
Samurai! Daycare is the closest to a staff job I've ever had in animation. It wasn't a traditional staff job where you had to be in a writing room every day. We only met in person once a week, and then went off and wrote our episodes and worked on everyone else's scripts to make them better. There was constant communication over email, so we always knew what needed to be done.
GTGS: Describe a typical day?
Joelle
Every day was different. I had two other shows I was writing at the same time, so some days I'd have to stretch my time
management skills to get it all done. But usually I was able to set aside time
to do whatever was needed for the show. This might include making
revisions on my work, giving notes on the other episodes, writing jokes,
discussing and pitching premises for future episodes, etc.
GTGS: What are the challenges and joys of this market?
Joelle:
Joelle:
Most animation jobs are
freelance, so I'm always looking for work. I can have multiple projects at
once, or months with nothing to do. But I enjoy working with people in
animation. Every story editor I've had has been great to work for and made my
script ten times better.
GTGS: What are some of the pitfalls to avoid?
Joelle:
GTGS: What are your hobbies and interests?
Joelle:
I try to run and take spin classes a few times a week. Sitting in front of a computer all day makes me nuts -- sometimes I just need to jump around or bike so I can clear my head.
GTGS: We all know about marathon writing in front of a computer. For me, the physical outlet of choice is jumping on my rebounder, (aka mini-trampoline) while watching my favorite television show. Of course, that's when I'm not teaching a Dance-it-Out! class. (Zumba, retro, hip-hop a little line dancing)
Jumping on a trampoline is a great low impact cardio workout... and great for our lymphatic system. It's especially effective if you're recovering from an injury. But always consult a doctor before starting any exercise program.
Stay tuned for more of our chat with Joelle Sellner in our next text webisode.
FADE OUT
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