The Man, The Myth, The Legend: Fred Seibert
Exclusive Interview with Fred Seibert, Founder and CEO of Frederator Networks
At VRV, we have the unprecedented opportunity to bring together incredible partner companies under one platform. With channels offering the best in anime, animation, gaming, comedy, fantasy and horror, fans won’t have to look anywhere else to watch all their favorite content. We’re so excited for VRV to unite all members of the fandom, and we know our partners are too.
As VRV kicks off, we’re giving our partners the opportunity to share that excitement with you. We went straight to the source, chatting with the legendary Fred Seibert, Founder and CEO of Frederator Networks, to learn why he can’t wait to bring his beloved content to VRV. Read on to find out what happens in the next seasons of Bravest Warriors and Bee and PuppyCat (spoiler alert!), Fred’s thoughts on representation within the animation industry and how he creates content specifically to serve his passionate fanbase.
What are you most excited for regarding Cartoon Hangover’s exclusive partnership with VRV?
Honestly, I can’t think of a more awesome Cartoon Hangover partner than VRV, the perfect marriage of technology and the Cartoon Hangover audience. They’re building the right platform to make our audience happy. And the happier that our audience is, the more valuable programming we can provide for them on a long-term basis. Without VRV, I’m not exactly sure how we could have made the hours and hours of fantastic cartoon series our fans have been begging us to make.
Cartoon Hangover will be exclusively available via the VRV platform. Why did you think VRV was the right home for Cartoon Hangover?
It’s pretty simple: VRV’s Crunchyroll partner is the home of the largest group of animation subscribers in the world, period. The Crunchyroll audience crosses over perfectly with the Cartoon Hangover audience. We’ve got a lot to offer each other.
VRV has one of the world’s best tech and product groups dedicated to the subscription video industry. Given our own personal consumer experience with video platforms, that’s meant a lot to us. And I didn’t mention the other VRV partners, they’re incredible. Everyone at Cartoon Hangover is a big fan of their programming, and we are honored to be a part of their company.
Bravest Warriors Season 3 and the complete first season of Bee and PuppyCat will be available on VRV. Why have fans connected so deeply with both of these shows? And, any teasers you can share with us?
Bravest Warriors has Catbug!
Then, just a little teaser is that in Season 3, mild spoiler, we finally find out what happens to Chris. And, not for nothing, we’ve tweaked the format a bit in the upcoming Season 3 of Bravest Warriors. It is six, 11 minute episodes, and they all form a story arc, pretty unusual for this type of American animated series.
Bravest Warriors was first developed at Nickelodeon as part of Frederator’s Random! Cartoons anthology series–along with Adventure Time and Fanboy and Chum Chum–and back in 2012 when Frederator launched Cartoon Hangover, Bravest Warriors was done as five, six minute episodes, long in those bygone YouTube days.
But, the world’s changed: video on demand platforms like VRV have really revealed the strength of serial watching.
You’ve worked in both the traditional TV/cable and digital media industries. What’s different between the two? What’s similar?
I started my television career in cable television, but I knew those days were gone when someone bootlegged our original Adventure Time short, and millions of viewers fell in love with it four or five years before the successful run on Cartoon Network. Not only that, but for all those years the digital world let us have direct, and continuing, relationships with our biggest fans. Incredible!
That said, Frederator has consistently been on the lookout for creators with original voices, with the talent and the craft to tell emotionally compelling–and hilarious–stories. That’s what makes us fall in love, and we’re never going to abandon the search for those feelings, no matter the platform.
You’ve been involved in creating some classic animated shows: The Fairly OddParents, Adventure Time, Fanboy & Chum Chum and more. What goes into the production of these shows? How do you know if a show will be a hit?
If we ever know for sure that we had a hit, we would be able to solve the human problems of the universe for thousands of years to come. The only thing we really have an instinct about, upfront, is creators that have a unique voice that touch the hearts of the viewers, and the ambition to make wonderful films.
Fans have been heavily involved in the creation process of some of Cartoon Hangover’s shows like with the Bee and PuppyCat Kickstarter campaign. How does that open and organic conversation between the creator and fans affect the content?
At Frederator and Cartoon Hangover, we’ve had a particular feeling for years that young women were being underserved in animation. The combination of digital audiences and crowdfunding has allowed the Bee and PuppyCat audience to have a direct voice in seeing more of the things that executive preconceptions have held up for decades. There’s probably no other way that series could have happened at a traditional TV network.
How has the animation industry evolved since you joined over 20 years ago?
Understatement .— For most of the 20th century, animation creation was anchored in a handful of large metropolitan areas, dominated by white males. Digital production technology, communication and distribution have liberated filmmakers from endless territories, and we now can hear the voices of animators and their stories from all over the world.
Just the other day, I spoke to the Texas A&M SIGGRAPH club (Special Interest Group on Computer GRAPHics and Interactive Techniques) and I did a quick survey of the 50 attendants: over 50% women, 15% Latino, 5% African-American, and a little under 5% LGBTQ. That’s the change that started about 20 years ago and will affect 21st century animation more than anything else. For the better.
You have a very passionate fanbase. How do you ensure you interact and engage with your community from a place of authenticity?
Damn right we’ve got fans!
Every one of the Frederators works here because of the love of the stories and creators that we work with. So every possible communication vehicle that our fans have is answered thoroughly by someone who knows what they are talking about. Nothing’s more authentic than that.
You’ve been in the digital media industry for some time. What’s your favorite part about that community?
The ability to green light films that are made somewhere other than Los Angeles and New York. And the ability to constantly reach new fans no matter where they live.
What are the biggest trends you’re seeing in the digital media industry right now?
Audiences are flocking to subscription video as the most intoxicating way to experience their favorite programming. The onward march is always towards more convenient ways to consume and targeted ways to consume. I only see that progression getting smarter and better. I think VRV is at the forefront of that trend, and we hope to ride that magic carpet with them for years to come.
The subscription video space is rapidly shaking out the way that network and cable televisions did in their day. VRV represents an ability of independent players to compete effectively with the largest companies in the world and match creators and audiences that could never get together in the past.
