My dream is to create my own cartoon. It's something I've seriously been considering pursuing...

My dream is to create my own cartoon. It's something I've seriously been considering pursuing, but what with this talk about societal changes, I'm starting to wonder if it's worth it.

For one, it seems largely believed that kids are watching YouTube and other streaming services more often than TV these days. This seems to be supported by the fact that TV ratings are continuously declining. An obvious solution would be for major networks to focus more on streaming, but this leads to my next concern...

The 7-11 demographic is more or less fading out of existence as a target audience. Kids, teens and adults are enjoying more or less the same entertainment, so there's less value in creating "kids" entertainment unless you're aiming particularly young. So the solution would be to make the cartoon more all-ages friendly, which raises two more concerns...

The first, is that animation isn't exactly the most popular thing on the Internet. Sure, some people (kids and adults alike) do watch it, but it's drastically overshadowed by most popular forms, and most of the shows that ARE popular on the Internet don't reach the level that TV animation did just a few years ago. I doubt a web show could become the next Adventure Time or even the next Regular Show/Steven Universe/Clarence.

(continued in comments due to character limit)

The second, is that I have a reason for why my concept is aimed at kids, that isn't just "society sees cartoons as something for kids, so I guess that's who I'm aiming for". While it hopefully SHOULD entertain adults, in the way Adventure Time and other shows do, the content was largely designed to inspire kids. It wouldn't be the same if the primary audience were adults.

Considering the amount of time it would take to go through college, work in the industry for a couple of years, pitch a show, have a pilot produced, then have a first season produced, at least 10 years would have passed, and everything would have changed drastically. All the problems I mentioned above will be significantly worse.

>. I doubt a web show could become the next Adventure Time or even the next Regular Show/Steven Universe/Clarence.
Except you just said TV is shifting online. The next big thing will definitely come from online someday, and already happens. See:

Bojack Horseman
Bravest Warriors
Lizzie (at least here)

Also remember that hugely popular things like Infinity Train and Lakewood Plaza Turbo got that popular purely through an online presence.

Also, traditional channels, while going away due to lowering ratings, are surviving by pusing their own streaming services, and reruns. ratings for first airings arent that important anymore as reruns help a show make money. It's part of why Bob's Burgers wasnt canned, (aside from the loyal fanbase), and how American Dad kept afloat.

The issue though is that, yeah, streaming sites havent taken up shows aimed at kids much, as outside dreamworks, most of it is adult animation.

Still, a show that is aimed at kids but accessible for adults means adults will watch it with their children, like how I saw people Tweeting Butch Hartman about how they were watching te new season with their kids.


Good luck. I'd also love to make a cartoon someday and wish I knew where to begin.

Biggest thing I can tell you is to not waste your money on college. Yeah it might be nice to learn from someone that was/is in the biz but just use that money on tutorial sites and traveling to events to network.

It is not what you know, it is who you know. So if you can build a half way decent portfolio/demo reel and know someone with some pull, you can get a job in the industry.

Not OP, what tutorial sites do you recommend?

Stranger things got really popular too, it's not a cartoon, but it's proof that online services one day will be the next big thing, as time goes by, less and less people will watch TV and will shift towards online streaming services

How popular are the shows you mentioned with the general public though? Sure, they're mentioned a lot in online communities, but could the general public recognise them the way they do with TV cartoons?

Parents watching with their kids is one way to attract a child audience, but I'm not sure if that will be enough. A lot of kids (especially in the range I'm talking about) have their own devices and find their own entertainment, and many of them won't be looking specifically for TV shows, let alone cartoons.

I've been considering whether I should bother with college, but from what I heard, a degree in animation is pretty much necessary.

I would say that Bojack Horseman is pretty popular with the general public.

Still, being popular online is still quite important as it's largely becoming a normal part of society.

> lot of kids (especially in the range I'm talking about) have their own devices and find their own entertainment
But at that point you'd be appealing to kids who will definitely be watching cartoons like Loud House and SU

Good point, but ST also isn't a kid's show. The very idea of a kid's show seems to be gradually phasing out of existence as entertainment becomes more cross-aged.

There was a thread here on Sup Forums earlier about how the lack of good entertainment aimed at kids could have a negative impact on them, as it basically strips away the joys of being a kid and reduces them to inferior adults. There's a good point to that. I think kids need their own specialised entertainment that isn't shit, so they have something to do besides wish they were older.

It sounds like you want popularity more than you want a cartoon.

animation college IS the networking

you need to be majoring in art to even get an internship

I want to entertain and inspire kids. If they don't even see the work, it all goes to waste.

the big three things you need to know for animation are drawing, cinematography/composition and storytelling

proko, vilppu and schoolism basically have all you need to sharpen your drawing skills

for composition check out a course called storyboard secrets and another book called framed ink, tons of good shit in there

there's tons of classes on udemy that give you the rundown on storytelling, but once you know story structure, read and dissect things constantly from other stories

Work on all that nonstop for the next 3-4 years and you'll have a pretty solid foundation that you didn't have to go 300k into debt for. Everything else is just networking like the other user said

then do something other than animation, because it sounds like you don't really care that much about the medium and are just using it for something else. if you aren't really that passionate about animation you are not going to get far.

I also want to make animated cartoons.

My ideas aren't exactly adult, but I wouldn't call it just for kids either...
I want to make stuff on Youtube or something, but I fear I'll never gain an audience.

Most popular animation channels don't have ongoing series, just random comedy skits...

>come up with show idea
>kickstart a pitch bible
>hire artists to work on designs n sheeit
>send in your show idea to different networks
>????
>profit

Gotta agree, the best series are always targeted at adults, kids deserve better
>How popular?
I heard Bojack is insanely popular over russia

I chose animation because it's a way to achieve my goal using something I'm interested in.

I'm also interested in creating video games, but that has issues as well. There's practically no such thing as a video game aimed at kids nowadays (even Nintendo is starting to become less kid-exclusive) and the kind of games that are common enough with kids to have cultural impact tend to be building sandbox games like Minecraft, which isn't really what I have in mind.

>actual discussions on MY Sup Forums
??????

>but from what I heard, a degree in animation is pretty much necessary.
Only because it's easier to get your foot through the door with the downside of crippling debt as a working artist. Your 4 years of college pretty much act as "Experience", so most jobs that ask for experience will in fact count college towards that tally. It's why so many people right out of college are able to become storyboard artists on a big network show right out the gate.

It's also part of why the animated movie industry has way more rigorous requirements for getting hired. I think Disney's movie department asks for 8 - 10 years of experience because they know that college already counts for half of that.

you are not going to get far. people who have a real interest in animation are going to work harder and better than you.

Go ahead and make it, just don't expect much profit if you choose the Youtube route unless you bum off patreon

Just:
>Don't quit your day job
>Don't be afraid to experiment
>Don't censor yourself
>Don't go to art school

Keep it as a fun side hobby, and task yourself with completing certain milestones every so often.

If you're really serious about starting an animation channel, do it for yourself and not for popularity.

You'd be able to see that in your work, and animating wouldn't be as fun.

That's good advice for those who need to find a way to pitch their show, but doesn't really solve any of the cultural problems mentioned.

if you don't even care about animation and just want to use it as a way to entertain kids you don't really deserve a show over someone who actually cares for animation

Even when you go back to baby shpws, they realise that making it for adults to watch too is the way to go

>animation college IS the networking
This, pretty much the only point in majoring in animation at college.

Sure you can enter the medium without going to an art school and establishing networks, but it'll be hard on you.

Unless, you don't want to work for a major network Not saying that a major in animation guarantees a position at a major network, but it makes it easier

This is incredibly helpful, thanks

I have to agree with this user, OP.

You said that you mainly want to do this to entertain kids, but you yourself don't seem all that into the animation medium.

Based user, thanks for posting this

All the best animators created shows that they enjoyed it.
Here you are crying about how you want to inspire children.

>Gotta agree, the best series are always targeted at adults, kids deserve better
It's actually really depressing.

Once upon a time, I liked the idea of eliminating age boundaries and making it the norm for cartoons (and entertainment in general) to target both kids and adults, but the more I think about it, the more I think this would actually be a bad thing.

Kids used to have their own entertainment, their own interests and their own activities that were separate from those of adults. Being a kid was a joyful and memorable experience.

There's little excitement about being a kid in today's society. Today's kids do the same online stuff adults do, except they have less power, more restrictions, and less skills to produce their own content.

This, you have to make a show that you'd enjoy watching OP, don't try to cater toward a certain audience.

That's how you get those "executive board-room" cartoons like how Nick's toons were in like 2012

*Note: I'm NOT saying adults can't enjoy content made for kids (if I thought that, I wouldn't be on Sup Forums) but it should still remain primary targeted towards kids.

What weird statements. They wouldn't look good taken out of context.

For whatever reason it feels like there is a whole lot less of resources for learning how to get better at storytelling and writing than there is for how to draw

I actually had a discussion with another user a while back about pitching a cartoon to a network and what it all details.

The big three are mostly interested in ages 6-13, lesser so for 14-17, but there is always a market for 1-5; (actually kind of needed now due to the flooding of PC variant of childrens shows)

When it comes to actually pitching the show, its really less about you and more about what your product is, and who you know.

Who to know isn't that hard if you lurk around here for a couple of years and get to know some Sup Forums folk.

When you come with a pitch, it all depends on what the pitch is. You don't have to necessarily be overly talented (that is what the studio is for) so don't think you need to present something Miyazaki tier awesome as a first go. Pilot pitches are often quite roughly animated.

The idea is the marketing, and if you deliver well on the pitch.

Think of it like Billy Mays selling a Garbage Can. If you come to me presenting a Garbage Can I'll be like "That's a Garbage Can. It's where Garbage goes."
If you Billy Mays it up, I'll be like "Wow! That is a really great Garbage Can! I need it!" Now, that's not to say come into a studio pitch saying "HI user HERE WITH THE CARTOON OF YOUR DREAMS." but to put work and love, and hype into work.

And sometimes pitches get turned down, that's okay. Do it because YOU want to and it means something to YOU. If you are in it for the money and fame, then you can just make Cookie Cutter Show Number X, and throw it up on Youtube for sweet advertisment dosh.

Where you should start is online communities where you can talk and rub shoulders with other animators and artists. Sup Forums /wsg/, Tumblr, and Youtube are great starting points. Try to avoid FA and DA because people will snicker.

If you put love and effort into improving your skills and presenting a cake that you made with love, I have no doubt that you'll see your cartoon on TV someday
I have faith in you user! Do you best!

I mean, it's what OP said That, and he mainly want's his toon to be uber popular At least implied

>I doubt a web show could become the next Adventure Time or even the next Regular Show/Steven Universe/Clarence.

THE NEWS WHEN

How is entertaining and inspiring kids a bad thing?

I learned from binge-browsing TV Tropes.

I have an idea for a cartoon about three gay-acting 10 year old boys. They believe walking to the toilet is a waste of time, so they just pee their pants whenever they need to go.

how about you stop making fucking excuses for not even trying and just fucking do it?

Why do you hate kids so much anons?

I have an idea for a cartoon about three gay-acting 10 year old boys. They believe walking to the toilet is a waste of time, so they just pee their pants whenever they need to go.

>i dont care about animation but i deserve to get an animated show over someone who does because reasons

Why do you think entertaining and inspiring kids is bad?

But I didn't say that.
You're competing with other people for a show. There will be plenty of people you are competing with who want to entertain kids but also love animation. You cannot compete. Just give up.