•WHAT'S
A PITCH PARTY?
For the seventh year in a row we're opening up an entire section of our publication (read by more animation decision-makers than any other) to 1/6th page advertisements that pitch new ideas. For less than the cost of a workshop on "breaking into the biz" you can get your great idea in front of our major readers. [NOTE: This opportunity is only available once a year. AND to help you out, we're offering these ads at a heavily discounted price!]
PLUS! We've enlisted a panel of ten powerful development execs, producers and agents to judge your entries. The Pitch Party winner will receive a chance to pitch the judge of his or her choice. AND the winner will receive FREE Pitch Party Participation.
• WHO'S JUDGING THIS THING?
Wow! The call is just out and, already, we've got some of the most powerful people in the industry ready to judge the work of our Pitch Party Participants. Check back here everyday for the next few weeks to see what doors you could open just by entering our Pitch Party!
Karen Toliver,
VP of Development, 20th Century Fox Animation
Karen overseas the development and production of animated projects at Fox Animation, home of Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, Horton Hear a Who! and The Fantastic Mr. Fox. Before joining the studio a year ago, she was the production executive at Disney Animation, overseeing feature such as Brother Bear, Chicken Little and Meet the Robinsons. She also acquired the upcoming Disney feature The Princess and The Frog, which will be released in 2009. Earlier, she was VP at James Pentecost Prods., focusing on developing family properties for both film and television, including the Roger Rabbit sequel. Toliver also helped develop the Curious George franchise for Universal.
David Wiebe
Director of Content, YTV
Corus Entertainment Inc.
David Wiebe is the Director of Content for YTV. In addition to overseeing the development and production of creative content for YTV, David also reviews all commissions, acquisitions and interactive initiatives. David began his career in animation at Nickelodeon as a Network Coordinator, managing the hit series SpongeBob SquarePants, The Fairly OddParents and The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron. Prior to joining Nelvana, David was the Director of Development and Programming for Kids' WB! in Los Angeles, where he oversaw acquisition and original development for both animated and live-action properties. While at Kids' WB!, David supervised programming for Johnny Test, Legion of Super Heroes and the Emmy-winning series The Batman.
Alex Schwartz
Head of Development, DreamWorks Animation
As Head of Development at DreamWorks Animation, Alex oversees the development of all projects on the DreamWorks Animation slate. Schwartz began her entertainment career in 1990 at Walt Disney Studios’ Touchstone Pictures, where she oversaw such hit movies as What’s Love Got to Do With It, Sister Act, Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion and Rushmore. After a two-year stint at Bel Air Entertainment, she joined Walden Media in New York as exec VP in charge of features and oversaw films such as Holes, Because of Winn-Dixie, Charlotte’s Web and Bridge to Terabithia, Nim’s Island and Journey 3D to the Center of the Earth, Schwartz holds a Master’s degree in journalism from NYU.
Damon Ross
Senior VP, DreamWorks Animation
Damon Ross has been a DreamWorks Animation senior VP for just over a year. Before DreamWorks, he served as Vice President of Development & Production at Nickelodeon Movies. In his 12-year tenure (6 years in New York City and 6 years in Los Angeles), he brought the Nickelodeon brand credibility and integrity in movies by identifying smart, original, character-driven material that attracted visionary creators and filmmakers. As the team’s key “book guy,” he spearheaded the feature film development of Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, The Spiderwick Chronicles, Angus, Thongs & Full Frontal Snogging and the award-winning picture book, Sector 7 (Jim Carrey attached to star). In 2006, Damon co-produced the hit Jack Back comedy, Nacho Libre.
Chris Kuser
Senior Development Executive, DreamWorks Animation
Chris Kuser is a Senior Development Executive at DreamWorks Animation. He has been with the company for eight years. Prior to that, he was managing director of The Contemporary American Theater Festival in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. Chris is a graduate of the American Film Institute and Fordham University.
Daniel Wineman
Director of original series and co-productions, Jetix Europe
Daniel Wineman was appointed to the position of director of original series and co-productions in April of 2008. He is responsible for all creative aspects of Jetix Europe’s original series and co-productions, ensuring that the Jetix vision and brand consistency are carried throughout the development and production process. He reports to Marc Buhaj, senior VP of programming for Jetix Europe.
Wineman joined Jetix Europe from Cartoon Network and Boomerang in the U.S., where he spent ten years working across programming, scheduling and acquisitions. He has a B.A. degree from the University of Michigan and started his career working for The New York Times.
Julie Kane-Ritsch
Exec VP, The Gotham Group
Since joining Gotham in 1999, Julie Kane-Ritsch has been instrumental in developing animated and family entertainment projects for television, feature films and publishing, as well as creating strategic and business plans for the company. She was a co-producer on The Spiderwick Chronicles, the feature film based on The New York Times best-selling book series written by Gotham clients Tony Di Terlizzi and Holly Black.
Kane-Ritsch’s diverse list of clients include Jim Benton, author of the Franny K. Stein book series and The New York Times best-selling series Dear Dumb Diary; Annie Award-nominee Bob Boyle, creator of Nickelodeon’s current hit Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! and Disney/Jetix’s Ying! Yang! Yo!; Caldecott Medalist Peter McCarty; Sue Rose, creator of Nickelodeon’s live-action series Unfabulous; Kirk Wise, co-director on Beauty and the Beast; and Family Guy director Pete Michels.
Previously, Kane-Ritsch was director of business and legal affairs for Hanna-Barbera, Inc., VP of business and legal affairs for Turner Feature Animation, and head of business affairs for DreamWorks Television Animation. She graduated summa cum laude from the University of Denver and received her J.D. with honors from DePaul University. She is a voting member of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
Roland Poindexter
VP of current series animation for Nickelodeon
Roland Poindexter has more than 15 years of experience in television programming and creative direction, and has developed several Emmy Award-winning kids’ series. In his current position as VP of current series animation for Nickelodeon, he supervises more than 100 hours of original production for the kids cable network, including such favorites as SpongeBob SquarePants and The Fairly OddParents.
Poindexter previously served as senior VP of action-adventure properties for Warner Bros. Animation, where he spearheaded the studio’s creative development in all-genres of programming for broadcast, cable and made-for-video outlets. He was also responsible for supervising creative direction on Warner Bros. Animation’s award-winning series The Batman, which debuted to high ratings on Kids’ WB! in the fall of 2004. In addition, Poindexter served as creative exec for the top-rated series Justice League Unlimited, Teen Titans and the Emmy-winning Static Shock, as well as the feature-length direct-to-video productions The Batman vs. Dracula and Superman: Brainiac Attacks!.
In 1998, Poindexter was named VP/head of programming for Fox Kids. During his tenure, he served as principal creative executive for Godzilla: The Series, NASCAR Racers and Spiderman: Unlimited, and principal development and production exec for Where on Earth is Carmen Sandiego?, C-Bear & Jamal and The Adventures of Batman and Robin. Before joining Fox Kids, he worked as manager of development for Nelvana Ent., having started his career in creative development with ABC. Poindexter holds a bachelor’s degree in communication arts and sciences from University of Southern California.
Rob Renzetti
Supervising producer of The Cartoonstitute at Cartoon Network
Rob Renzetti is supervising producer of The Cartoonstitute, Cartoon Network’s new artist-led pilots initiative. He originally joined the development team at Cartoon Network in 2006 to co-produce the Emmy Award-winning animated series Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends.
Prior to joining Cartoon Network, Renzetti created a number of original shorts for both Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon, including Mina and the Count and A Cop and his Donut. In 2002, the last of these shorts became the Nickelodeon animated series My Life As a Teenage Robot.
Renzetti moved from Chicago to Los Angeles in 1990 to attend the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts). He worked briefly in Madrid as an animator on Batman before returning to L.A. to join Hanna-Barbera and then Cartoon Network Studios as a director, storyboard artist and writer on such hit shows as Dexter’s Laboratory and the Emmy Award-winning series The Powerpuff Girls and Samurai Jack.
Matt Harrigan
Head of program development for Adult Swim
In addition to developing new series, Harrigan also writes and produces for a variety of Adult Swim series including Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!, Fat Guy Stuck in Internet, The Drinky Crow Show, Perfect Hair Forever, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, 12 oz. Mouse, Squidbillies, Space Ghost Coast to Coast and Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law.
Harrigan grew up in Rye, New York and graduated Rollins College in Winter Park, Fla. He began his career in television working in comedy development for HBO in New York. He then went on to write for CBS’ Late Night with David Letterman on, MTV’s Celebrity Deathmatch and The Michael Moore Show.
“I Search for new talent, new ideas,” He says. “Did you see There Will Be Blood? I’m like that guy, only instead of oil I search for comedy gold, and my boy can hear pretty well.”
• AND WHAT DO I WIN?
For one thing, a whole lot of print and online coverage! Not only do you get a 1/6th page ad in our print edition, if you're a winner, you'll get additional editorial coverage, a chance to pitch your idea to the judge of your choice and the cost of your entry reimbursed. BUT, WAIT! There's more … (here's a big list of everything you could get just by entering).
1) Call 818-991-2884 or e-mail sales@www.animationmagazine.net to reserve your entry space. One of our great sales execs will contact you immediately. Entry Deadline is June 9, 2008. What you'll need to provide via e-mail: a JPEG or TIFF image from your pitch, a 30-word description of your pitch and your contact information. The entry fee is $375. Ask about our special student discounts.
• FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How Do I Protect My Idea? Well, the easiest answer is "by entering the Pitch Party." If you're pitching your idea in our magazine then your idea has appeared in print with your name attached; your idea is no longer floating around out in the ether for anyone to pick up. To further protect yourself though, we suggest registering your idea with the Writers Guild. Go to www.wga.org for more info.
WHAT KIND OF STUFF CAN I ENTER?
Anything! As long as your idea has the potential to be animated, you can enter a television series, movie, game, whatever! Be forewarned, however, our judges are strictly from the movie and TV arena.
WHEN DO YOU ANNOUNCE THE WINNERS?
As soon as our August issue hits the newsstands, around July 1. We will also be hyping our winners online during the week of the San Diego Comic-Con, July 24-27 (www.comic-con.org).
WHAT SHOULD I ENTER?
Basically an idea that's different; something our judges haven't seen before. Most development folks want a show that is "character-driven" or "kid-relate-able." In artist-speak that just means they're looking for a show that has a strong character at the center of the action and, if it's a TV show, a character that kids can latch onto. Remember to pick a really strong image for your entry, one that describes your show or its main character in a striking visual manner. Concerning your 30-word description, all we can say is re-write, re-write, re-write. Don't just give us the first thing that trips off your fingertips onto the keyboard and into Microsoft word. Work it! Then read it to your friends. They'll tell you if they get it or not. (And, we know this sounds dumb, but run a spell check.)
• LEGAL STUFF
Animation Magazine is not responsible or liable for ensuring the images used in Pitch Party Participant advertisements are the property of the advertisers/participants.
For the seventh year in a row we're opening up an entire section of our publication (read by more animation decision-makers than any other) to 1/6th page advertisements that pitch new ideas. For less than the cost of a workshop on "breaking into the biz" you can get your great idea in front of our major readers. [NOTE: This opportunity is only available once a year. AND to help you out, we're offering these ads at a heavily discounted price!]
PLUS! We've enlisted a panel of ten powerful development execs, producers and agents to judge your entries. The Pitch Party winner will receive a chance to pitch the judge of his or her choice. AND the winner will receive FREE Pitch Party Participation.
• WHO'S JUDGING THIS THING?
Wow! The call is just out and, already, we've got some of the most powerful people in the industry ready to judge the work of our Pitch Party Participants. Check back here everyday for the next few weeks to see what doors you could open just by entering our Pitch Party!
 |
VP of Development, 20th Century Fox Animation
Karen overseas the development and production of animated projects at Fox Animation, home of Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, Horton Hear a Who! and The Fantastic Mr. Fox. Before joining the studio a year ago, she was the production executive at Disney Animation, overseeing feature such as Brother Bear, Chicken Little and Meet the Robinsons. She also acquired the upcoming Disney feature The Princess and The Frog, which will be released in 2009. Earlier, she was VP at James Pentecost Prods., focusing on developing family properties for both film and television, including the Roger Rabbit sequel. Toliver also helped develop the Curious George franchise for Universal.
 |
Director of Content, YTV
Corus Entertainment Inc.
David Wiebe is the Director of Content for YTV. In addition to overseeing the development and production of creative content for YTV, David also reviews all commissions, acquisitions and interactive initiatives. David began his career in animation at Nickelodeon as a Network Coordinator, managing the hit series SpongeBob SquarePants, The Fairly OddParents and The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron. Prior to joining Nelvana, David was the Director of Development and Programming for Kids' WB! in Los Angeles, where he oversaw acquisition and original development for both animated and live-action properties. While at Kids' WB!, David supervised programming for Johnny Test, Legion of Super Heroes and the Emmy-winning series The Batman.
 |
Head of Development, DreamWorks Animation
As Head of Development at DreamWorks Animation, Alex oversees the development of all projects on the DreamWorks Animation slate. Schwartz began her entertainment career in 1990 at Walt Disney Studios’ Touchstone Pictures, where she oversaw such hit movies as What’s Love Got to Do With It, Sister Act, Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion and Rushmore. After a two-year stint at Bel Air Entertainment, she joined Walden Media in New York as exec VP in charge of features and oversaw films such as Holes, Because of Winn-Dixie, Charlotte’s Web and Bridge to Terabithia, Nim’s Island and Journey 3D to the Center of the Earth, Schwartz holds a Master’s degree in journalism from NYU.
 |
Senior VP, DreamWorks Animation
Damon Ross has been a DreamWorks Animation senior VP for just over a year. Before DreamWorks, he served as Vice President of Development & Production at Nickelodeon Movies. In his 12-year tenure (6 years in New York City and 6 years in Los Angeles), he brought the Nickelodeon brand credibility and integrity in movies by identifying smart, original, character-driven material that attracted visionary creators and filmmakers. As the team’s key “book guy,” he spearheaded the feature film development of Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, The Spiderwick Chronicles, Angus, Thongs & Full Frontal Snogging and the award-winning picture book, Sector 7 (Jim Carrey attached to star). In 2006, Damon co-produced the hit Jack Back comedy, Nacho Libre.
 |
Senior Development Executive, DreamWorks Animation
Chris Kuser is a Senior Development Executive at DreamWorks Animation. He has been with the company for eight years. Prior to that, he was managing director of The Contemporary American Theater Festival in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. Chris is a graduate of the American Film Institute and Fordham University.
 |
Director of original series and co-productions, Jetix Europe
Daniel Wineman was appointed to the position of director of original series and co-productions in April of 2008. He is responsible for all creative aspects of Jetix Europe’s original series and co-productions, ensuring that the Jetix vision and brand consistency are carried throughout the development and production process. He reports to Marc Buhaj, senior VP of programming for Jetix Europe.
Wineman joined Jetix Europe from Cartoon Network and Boomerang in the U.S., where he spent ten years working across programming, scheduling and acquisitions. He has a B.A. degree from the University of Michigan and started his career working for The New York Times.
 |
Exec VP, The Gotham Group
Since joining Gotham in 1999, Julie Kane-Ritsch has been instrumental in developing animated and family entertainment projects for television, feature films and publishing, as well as creating strategic and business plans for the company. She was a co-producer on The Spiderwick Chronicles, the feature film based on The New York Times best-selling book series written by Gotham clients Tony Di Terlizzi and Holly Black.
Kane-Ritsch’s diverse list of clients include Jim Benton, author of the Franny K. Stein book series and The New York Times best-selling series Dear Dumb Diary; Annie Award-nominee Bob Boyle, creator of Nickelodeon’s current hit Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! and Disney/Jetix’s Ying! Yang! Yo!; Caldecott Medalist Peter McCarty; Sue Rose, creator of Nickelodeon’s live-action series Unfabulous; Kirk Wise, co-director on Beauty and the Beast; and Family Guy director Pete Michels.
Previously, Kane-Ritsch was director of business and legal affairs for Hanna-Barbera, Inc., VP of business and legal affairs for Turner Feature Animation, and head of business affairs for DreamWorks Television Animation. She graduated summa cum laude from the University of Denver and received her J.D. with honors from DePaul University. She is a voting member of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
 |
VP of current series animation for Nickelodeon
Roland Poindexter has more than 15 years of experience in television programming and creative direction, and has developed several Emmy Award-winning kids’ series. In his current position as VP of current series animation for Nickelodeon, he supervises more than 100 hours of original production for the kids cable network, including such favorites as SpongeBob SquarePants and The Fairly OddParents.
Poindexter previously served as senior VP of action-adventure properties for Warner Bros. Animation, where he spearheaded the studio’s creative development in all-genres of programming for broadcast, cable and made-for-video outlets. He was also responsible for supervising creative direction on Warner Bros. Animation’s award-winning series The Batman, which debuted to high ratings on Kids’ WB! in the fall of 2004. In addition, Poindexter served as creative exec for the top-rated series Justice League Unlimited, Teen Titans and the Emmy-winning Static Shock, as well as the feature-length direct-to-video productions The Batman vs. Dracula and Superman: Brainiac Attacks!.
In 1998, Poindexter was named VP/head of programming for Fox Kids. During his tenure, he served as principal creative executive for Godzilla: The Series, NASCAR Racers and Spiderman: Unlimited, and principal development and production exec for Where on Earth is Carmen Sandiego?, C-Bear & Jamal and The Adventures of Batman and Robin. Before joining Fox Kids, he worked as manager of development for Nelvana Ent., having started his career in creative development with ABC. Poindexter holds a bachelor’s degree in communication arts and sciences from University of Southern California.
 |
Supervising producer of The Cartoonstitute at Cartoon Network
Rob Renzetti is supervising producer of The Cartoonstitute, Cartoon Network’s new artist-led pilots initiative. He originally joined the development team at Cartoon Network in 2006 to co-produce the Emmy Award-winning animated series Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends.
Prior to joining Cartoon Network, Renzetti created a number of original shorts for both Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon, including Mina and the Count and A Cop and his Donut. In 2002, the last of these shorts became the Nickelodeon animated series My Life As a Teenage Robot.
Renzetti moved from Chicago to Los Angeles in 1990 to attend the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts). He worked briefly in Madrid as an animator on Batman before returning to L.A. to join Hanna-Barbera and then Cartoon Network Studios as a director, storyboard artist and writer on such hit shows as Dexter’s Laboratory and the Emmy Award-winning series The Powerpuff Girls and Samurai Jack.
 |
Head of program development for Adult Swim
In addition to developing new series, Harrigan also writes and produces for a variety of Adult Swim series including Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!, Fat Guy Stuck in Internet, The Drinky Crow Show, Perfect Hair Forever, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, 12 oz. Mouse, Squidbillies, Space Ghost Coast to Coast and Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law.
Harrigan grew up in Rye, New York and graduated Rollins College in Winter Park, Fla. He began his career in television working in comedy development for HBO in New York. He then went on to write for CBS’ Late Night with David Letterman on, MTV’s Celebrity Deathmatch and The Michael Moore Show.
“I Search for new talent, new ideas,” He says. “Did you see There Will Be Blood? I’m like that guy, only instead of oil I search for comedy gold, and my boy can hear pretty well.”
• AND WHAT DO I WIN?
For one thing, a whole lot of print and online coverage! Not only do you get a 1/6th page ad in our print edition, if you're a winner, you'll get additional editorial coverage, a chance to pitch your idea to the judge of your choice and the cost of your entry reimbursed. BUT, WAIT! There's more … (here's a big list of everything you could get just by entering).
- 1/6th page in the August edition of Animation Magazine, distributed to readers in over 100 countries with bonus distribution at the San Diego Comic-Con.
- A high-powered panel of development execs and producers will personally evaluate your pitch.
- If you win, you get to pitch your idea to the Judge of your choice. Plus! You'll get editorial coverage in our August edition.
- If you win, you get FREE Pitch Party Participation.
- If you come in second or third, you'll get editorial coverage in our August edition.
- We also run a STAFF PICKS contest. So if our staff picks you, they'll write about why you won in our August edition.
- Finally, we run an ONLINE READERS' POLL using your 1/6th page ad. So for one week your ad will be online and oggled by more than 100,000 unique visitors. AND! You guessed it! We also write about the winners of the online poll in our August edition. (Don't worry, we monitor our ONLINE READERS' POLL carefully. No reader can vote more than one time!) The Online Readers' Poll begins on or about June 9.
1) Call 818-991-2884 or e-mail sales@www.animationmagazine.net to reserve your entry space. One of our great sales execs will contact you immediately. Entry Deadline is June 9, 2008. What you'll need to provide via e-mail: a JPEG or TIFF image from your pitch, a 30-word description of your pitch and your contact information. The entry fee is $375. Ask about our special student discounts.
• FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How Do I Protect My Idea? Well, the easiest answer is "by entering the Pitch Party." If you're pitching your idea in our magazine then your idea has appeared in print with your name attached; your idea is no longer floating around out in the ether for anyone to pick up. To further protect yourself though, we suggest registering your idea with the Writers Guild. Go to www.wga.org for more info.
WHAT KIND OF STUFF CAN I ENTER?
Anything! As long as your idea has the potential to be animated, you can enter a television series, movie, game, whatever! Be forewarned, however, our judges are strictly from the movie and TV arena.
WHEN DO YOU ANNOUNCE THE WINNERS?
As soon as our August issue hits the newsstands, around July 1. We will also be hyping our winners online during the week of the San Diego Comic-Con, July 24-27 (www.comic-con.org).
WHAT SHOULD I ENTER?
Basically an idea that's different; something our judges haven't seen before. Most development folks want a show that is "character-driven" or "kid-relate-able." In artist-speak that just means they're looking for a show that has a strong character at the center of the action and, if it's a TV show, a character that kids can latch onto. Remember to pick a really strong image for your entry, one that describes your show or its main character in a striking visual manner. Concerning your 30-word description, all we can say is re-write, re-write, re-write. Don't just give us the first thing that trips off your fingertips onto the keyboard and into Microsoft word. Work it! Then read it to your friends. They'll tell you if they get it or not. (And, we know this sounds dumb, but run a spell check.)
• LEGAL STUFF
Animation Magazine is not responsible or liable for ensuring the images used in Pitch Party Participant advertisements are the property of the advertisers/participants.
 |