Month: June 2025

“But… I see so many projects doing volunteer-based stuff. Why can’t I just do that?”
I’m not saying you can’t, but… the way I see it, you really shouldn’t. This is a massive point of contention within indie animation and many, many creators have decided to cut ties with me because of my stance on this. Your “studio”, as you call it, your “for profit” projects… you should be paying the people that work on them. That’s how I see it. A group of friends working on a project they have equal ownership in is different – but still, friends can have fallings-out that can ruin a project. I’ve seen it happen.
It’s better to just pay folks for their time and ensuring everything is divided clearly, so no one can come back later and make demands should the mood sour at any point.
And when you’re hiring strangers and expecting them to follow schedules, have experience, etc… you’re not a hobbyist artist, you’re trying to run a business. Imagine how you’d feel if your boss told you “exposure and portfolio experience is enough”. Or the hundreds of times you’ve had to decline a “commission” because the person wanted to pay in exposure. No, it isn’t. Stop pretending an indie studio is beholden to any different.
Especially when it’s obvious you’re at least trying to monetize what you’ve got going on. If you can afford to spend money on merch, you can afford to pay your crew.

I’ve seen creators mocked because their work wasn’t as good as ‘the golden standard’, always being one of those series. And I say ‘piss off’ to those folks. How do you expect a series from a budding creator or a small team with limited funds to match that?
Stop telling aspiring animators that the only way to be seen is to make basically TV-quality animation for free. And animators, stop thinking that the only way your work deserves to be seen is if it meets that standard.
That’s gatekeeping too. Indie animation should be a place to tell the stories the industry is afraid to because their old white investors won’t part with their money.
Who the hell cares if it’s stick figures. Tell your story. And even if no one listens…
You can still say, ‘I made that.’

“Industry artists are not, and can never be, indie” is the biggest nonsense I’ve ever heard. Especially coming from the “just go indie” crowd. So first, when they’re on strike and not making your precious cartoons and movies when you want them to, you claim you want all these “famous” creators to abandon their jobs to create their own indie shows, but as soon as one of them does, your next comment is, “Oh, but you’re rich. You don’t deserve or need my money.”
Then don’t tell them to go indie. Indie is crowdfunding. It always has been and always will be, no matter how rich you may perceive a creator to be.