World of Hosers

Hhmm... Seems like MediaCaster Magazine may have jumped to conclusions about the Animax partnership with RocketOn. They connect a few dots about Animax and the upcoming "Bob & Doug" animated TV show featuring the McKenzie Brothers made famous by Dave Thomas and Rick Moranis when in the article they posit: "Bob & Doug sipping a virtual brewski in a great white Web world?"

Or maybe they saw this placeholder site... World of Hosers - the first ever virtual world focused on the favorite pasttime of Bob & Doug McKenzie.

Canada Writing Contest

On the heels of launching a new studio in Toronto with former Nelvana exec Patricia Burns installed as head of production, Animax Entertainment is casting its net wide for animation concepts via a Canadian script-writing contest. If you're Canadian, enter the contest here. (From Kidscreen Magazine)

Valley Flash is Live

The newly formed Valley Flash is live streaming it's first ever meeting right this minute from Animax. Check it out.

Membership Has Privileges

Animax is proud to have received a Lifetime Membership in the International Banana Club! Specifically, we are on the Board of Apeels.

Ta Da!

The Animax website relaunched with more in-depth access to our portfolio. The site was built using Adobe Flash with a very nifty Adobe Flex backend that finally gives us a nice way to manage our award winning portfolio of work.

Not everything is in our public portfolio though -- a lot of our virtual worlds work needs to stay hidden since some of our clients are shy. Email us if you want to see all of our top secret, stealth projects.

Someone Stole Our Logo!

skin up by *FilthyLuker on deviantART

Official Animax & McKenzie Brothers Release

Animax Entertainment issued a spanking new press release on the upcoming Bob & Doug McKenzie animated series and the recent announcement about Fox joining on board the TV pilot. Check out the trailer.

Animax Gets Multiple Facelifts

If you haven't noticed, the main Animax site got a bit of a sprucing up - stay tuned for another tweaking. Our blog also got a little love - our readers deserve it.

Animax "in" TV Guide

It was recently brought to our attention that Animax Entertainment has had a 6 Degrees of Separation kind of relationship with TV Guide. The Ashley Tisdale front page online video is only the most recent example.

Then a bunch of Dave Thomas, our Executive Creative Director, as well. Even some available for sale on ebay and here !

Recovery Anniversary

Earlier this week Animax Entertainment celebrated it's Sixth Anniversary in high spirits at a local saloon. Our anniversary coincided with the airing of an episode of one of our favorite TV shows - Slacker Cats - on ABC Family that is produced by Film Roman and for whom we did some Flash service work.

Animation Magazine Articles Us!

In Animation Magazine's SIGGRAPH issue there is a nice article about Animax Entertainment. You can get a sneak of it here. A few corrections:

• We won the Emmy last year. This year we were nominated again but we didn't win.
• We haven't opened up in Van Nuys yet - we are desperately seeking 10,000 sqft of space so if you have some in your backyard, let us know.
  
• Michael's last name is Bellavia not Begroskjlsi - the print edition supposedly butchers it.
  
• They left out that we are super duper people.
• There were other items that shouldn't have been in the article but we can't really talk about what those items are and why they shouldn't have been in there but trust us when we say they shouldn't have been.
  

And by the way if you're at SIGGRAPH - we'll be there too tomorrow so hunt us down.

Comic Con on Animax

Well the next few days, a bunch of our folks are heading down to San Diego to attend the show. A couple projects we worked on are actually launching down there so we wish much success. Go team.

Hummer-ing Along with ESPN

Season 4 of ESPN's Off-Mikes just launched. Crazy that it's already been four seasons! This season kicks off with a bunch of classic episodes. (Thank God because we are still cranking out the rest of the season's 5 new ones.)

The other new twist is that Off-Mikes is now officially a great example of brand entertainment at it's 2.0 finest. This new season is sponsored by Hummer in a very obvious way and in a sly way in every episode. The intro for the series since Season 2 has always had a bunch of visual gags referring to some of the all-time great partners - Sonny and Cher, Batman and Robin and Starsky and Hutch. Well instead of Starsky & Hutch's usual red and white Gran Torino, Mike and Mike get into their souped up Hummer. We even got to animate a Hummer commercial.

For trivia buffs, Hummer wasn't actually the first example of product placement in the Off-Mikes series. If you look closely, you'll also see the Animax banana peel logo in every episode. We even included our phone number on the side of a boat in one of them.

I SPOT ANIMAX

Shoot Magazine just ran an article on Animax's work on the Dippin' Dots mashup tool. Very nice. And top billing in the email blast that went out. So get out there and make your own animated movie!

Animax is Simon Cowell

Guy Kawaski is Randy. Mariel Hemingway is Paula Abdul and Animax Entertainment, actually, Michael, is Simon Cowell. That's the panel of judges in the "The Commuter Pod" Cartoon Write the Next Webisode Contest from our client Mentorography. It's a skills-based writing competition in which participants submit an original storyline script to be eligible to potentially be selected as the winner. Storyline Submissions are due by August 9, 2007 so get cracking.

More Than A West Side Story

Animax Entertainment has been growing by leaps and bounds. So much so that we recently sublet space in our previous home on La Cienega. We're at 5,000+ sqft between our Culver City home (aka Animax West) and the Los Angeles digs (Animax East) and we're still growing.

Double Dippin'

Animax Entertainment wants everyone to make their own animated movie. Now you can channel your inner Walt Disney and create an animated short featuring an A-List movie star who needs no introduction: Packy! That's right, that lovable package whose insides are filled with delicious Dippin' Dots - the ice cream of the future. Working with matrixx Productions, we created the world's first-ever online animation mash-up tool. Enter the contest and you could win $2,500 if you thoroughly entertain the masses.

Click here to see some of the movies.

Platform Win

A few months back Animax Entertainment contributed a short to an animated exquisite corpse experiment for Frederator called FredEx: The Secret Life of Robots. Our short was the first one in the movie - it's called Dating. Well the movie won Best Film For the Internet at the first ever Platform Animation Festival. Way to go team.

Mingle with Animax

Saturday, July 14th, 2007
Main Event: 12P - 6P
Party: 6P - ?
FREE EVENT - FREE PARKING - NO RSVP REQUIRED

525 Venezia St. Venice CA

Between Venice and Washington Blvd just off Abbot Kinney.

Animax Entertainment is sponsoring the LAFlashapaloozastock2. We'll be continuing our hunt for the best local Flash talent. Flash Animators and Programmers please pry yourselves out of your creative lairs, out of your coding basements, away from the soft glow of your Cintiqs and spend one lovely Saturday mingling with Animax. Maybe, just maybe, we'll fall deeply in Flash love together.

Animators, Designers, Flashers, Oh My!

Animax Entertainment is on the hunt again for more people - for both our animation and interactive business units. Junior or Senior level we have a bunch of job postings on Craigslist, AWN, ColdHardFlash, AnimationNation and a bunch of other places. We are actively looking for the following:
- Flash Character Animators
- Flash Character and Background Designers
- ActionScript Developers
- Game Programmers
- Graphic Designers
- Animation PAs
- Interactive Project Managers
- Marketing Coordinator
- Recruiter
- Business Development
- Interns

Did we leave anything out? Please email us at careers AT animaxent DOT COM.

Michael on Board

Michael Bellavia, Managing Director of Animax Entertainment, was just elected to the Board of the Producers Guild of America New Media Council. Nice. If you're not a member already and you are a new media producer, then join.

Keep Oceans Clean Game

There's a new kids game on the Keep Oceans Clean site for The Ad Council. Animax Entertainment designed the original site and produced this game that rewards kids for cleaning up the ocean. Navigate your diver as she swims around the ocean picking up trash and trying to clean up the mess.

Catch-up and Fried

These past couple months have been absolutely nutty for Animax - we're kinda fried. We haven't been able to keep up with blogging because of the frenzied pace and a lot of what we've been doing we can't fully talk about because of lots of codes of secrecy, but to help you guys catch-up with us, here's what we can say.

On the broadband front:

• Phase 2 of the Kelloggs Yogos site rolled out for Fox's 4Kids. The third phase will be released soon.
  
• Kodak's InkIsIt.com launched into Phase 2 with a focus on helping consumers understand how their printing habits could be better served by the new product line.
• We're working on few projects for the Starlight Starbright Children's Foundation, one of which has us in recording sessions with Bob Saget, Jamie Lee Curtis, Ashley Tisdale, Dominic Scott Kay, and (hopefully) a guy who used to drive around in a 1982 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am.
• We're creating a very kooky mashup activity for a futuristic ice cream company (thankfully there is ice cream in the future!)
  
• We didn't win the Emmy this year for Off-Mikes, but we are going to be producing more episodes for ESPN.com.
• We won a couple Horizon Interactive Awards for our work with Sesame Workshop and the Ad Council, both of whom we have follow on project work with right now.
  
• Michael is running for the PGA New Media Council Board of Delegates so get out and vote.

On the broadcast front:

• We're animating certain episodes for a certain company for a certain TV show.
• We just finished animating other episodes for another company.
• There are some other episodes we worked on awhile ago that are finally, hopefully going to see the light of day but even if they don't we're at least certain we animated them. At least we think we're certain.
  

Commuter Pod

Animax just produced an animated short for Mentorography called “The Commuter Pod” and it was just covered by Plenty Magazine.

PGA Honor

Michael Bellavia, Managing Director of Animax, a.k.a. the person typing this blog post, was just nominated to join the Producers Guild New Media Council Board of Delegates. If you're in the PGA, get out and vote. If you're not, join so that you can!

Slammo Dunk for AOL

Well, the word is out. Maybe a little early, but still it's spreading. Animax Entertainment produced the Flash animation for AOL's new series Slammo and Sloshie’s Super Sexy Interstellar TV Jamboree. The show is a mix of 2D and 3D and is probably one of the lushest looking broadband animation shows ever created. Yeah, we're a tad boastful, but deservedly so.

Happy Easter!

We animated a cute ecard for American Greetings that's perfect for the holiday season. Animax Entertainment wishes everyone a happy holiday.

Animax is Flashed, Cold and Hard

ColdHardFlash covered the Animax Entertainment Emmy news. Thanks, Aaron.

Another Emmy Nod for Animax

Animax Entertainment just received another Emmy Award Nomination! We are nominated for Outstanding Broadband for "Off-Mikes," a Flash animated series that we produce for ESPN. We won the first ever broadband Emmy Award last year in a category called Outstanding Achievement Original Content for Non-Traditional Platform. This year's award definitely has an easier to say name.

Read the press release here.

Springtime at the Clubhouse

There's a new Mickey Mouse Clubhouse DVD coming soon on Disney DVD called Mickey's Great Clubhouse Hunt. Spring flowers are popping up all over the DVD's website and Animax Entertainment has a spring in its step.

Virtual Worlds and Avatars

We recently stumbled upon a new favorite blog - Terra Nova. It covers everything you'd want to know about Virtual Worlds. We've also been reading about all the developments going on in virtual economies. And why would Animax Entertainment care about avatars and immersive virtual experiences? Well, you'll find out soon.

In NYC at Kidscreen

Michael Bellavia is in New York City speaking at Kidscreen this week about emerging media trends and opportunities. If you're going to be there too, feel free to contact us to set up a meeting time.

In addition Tuesday is a big launch day - stay tuned for details on the live event.

Media Silence

Sorry we've been pretty quiet lately but we've been working on a big project that launches next week. Here's a hint - it's not animated. Another hint - it will be mind blowing. Not sure on that last hint, but we'll be sure to let you know when it launches.

While Animax Entertainment scrambles around, take a listen to Schwarzenegger speak about Arnold Palmer.

Featured Revver Creator

We're barely into 2007 and we're already full steam ahead. Animax Entertainment just made the featured creator list over at Revver - another home page tout for us. We've been using Revver to distribute some of our original animation productions like those profound missives from Arnold Schwarzenegger over at ArnoldSpeaks.com, our well received Christmas cards and then some of other animated content. If you are a content creator, the Revver model is a producer respectful one in that you get a cut every time someone checks out your content. Take a gander.

Animax on Sundance Channel

Hey there - Animax Entertainment is on the Sundance Channel - actually the Greenimation promo site for the Sundance Film Festival. Watch Meet the Banes and vote for us! You can vote once a day. If we win we get a series.

The Banes are the most despicable family on Earth. Enjoy!

And a special hello to Robert Redford!

Healthy Kids

Wow - Animax Entertainment loves the new Disney site called Healthy Kids. The site helps kids understand the importance of healthy eating, the food pyramid, and the importance of physical activity. You get a chance to watch, train and play along with all of your favorite Disney characters including Mickey Mouse and his friends, The Incredibles, Lilo & Stitch and Kim Possible. There are a bunch of games mixed in with all the food information. What with all the news reports about kids and obesity, the site hopes to shrink the problem at least a little bit. We're doing sit-ups as we write these very words....

More Holiday Love

More fans of Animax Entertainment's Christmas greetings from the ad world: AdRants and AdLand.

And from the animation world:

• Chris Georgenes of Mudbubble said "Nice Animax! Love them both."
• Ed Scharlach, writer of numerous Scooby-Doo, Happy Days and Odd Couple episodes, and all around nice guy said, "Funny cards. Loved King Klaus."
  

Head of the Class

Wow. Another great holiday gift. We just found out that Arnold Schwarzenegger's Hanukkah card over at ArnoldSpeaks.com was one of the top 5 holiday cards on Revver this month.

Thanks for submitting a video to the Revver Film School holiday greeting card project! Your video was one of the 5 most-watched videos, and will be featured on the Revver blog (http://blog.revver.com/?p=405), in a dashboard message to all Revver users, and in the featured Head of the Class collection (http://one.revver.com/collections/show/78137).

Good work!!! Keep watch on your dashboard for the next project theme. Happy Holidays from Revver!

Alex Black

Thanks everyone for voting for ArnoldSpeaks even if you might not for Arnold Schwarzenegger himself :)

Christmas Cards

This Christmas, Animax produced two different Christmas cards. You can watch them below, or send the urls to a friend.

King Klaus


A Nutty Christmas!

Animax Got Into MIT!!!

Congratulations Animax! We got into