Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1277150
BUSINESS www.postmagazine.com 27 POST JULY/AUG 2020 in and out, even with campaigns or with return work. It's much more refreshing than doing the same thing." The studio spent three seasons creat- ing animated shorts for Saturday Night Live, including Ace and Gary, known as The Ambiguously Gay Duo, as well as time on Cartoon Network's Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law. "Even when it started out, we were reluctant participants," he says of Harvey Birdman. "We knew the people at Cartoon Network. We like those guys. The work is interesting. The whole up- front work is a lot of fun. That's where all the fun is. [But when] you start getting into the manufacturing of the cartoons, it's just not as stimulating." J.J. Sedelmaier Productions has al- ways done commercials. At their busiest time — between 1992 and 2001 — the studio was turning out as many as 50 or 60 projects per year. Nowadays, ten is more the norm. Some of their more recent work includes animation for Geico (He-Man), Progressive (Big Jim), Betadine and Got Milk. The company was a cell-animation studio until the late 1990s and became a totally digital ink & paint facility by 2000. They've employed a virtual workflow for the past eight years, allowing artists to work with their own preferred tools. This helps keep infrastructure, IT and upgrade costs at a minimum. "I completely leave it up to whoev- er I end up bringing onto the project," Sedelmaier explains. "Everyone has their own system that they're comfortable with, that they can take responsibility for. I have a set group of people who work on smaller projects. I have another group of people that can work on lon- ger-form projects." Being nimble, says Sedelmaier, is one of the keys to his business's success and longevity. "I think this would apply to anything you do — anything one does in any realm," he says of his outlook. "If you're flexible and up for anything, you not only are prepared for the pitfalls, but you're also prepared for the opportunities." Beavis was an early adopter of the digital ink & paint process. This VW spot featured Speed Racer. Cartoon Network partnered with the studio on this series. The He-Man cast appears in this spot for Geico. The studio spent three seasons on these SNL shorts.