Hi, I'm Nick Weidenfeld, head of Animation Domination High Def (ADHD), a new block of late-night animation coming to FOX this summer. I used to work at Adult Swim. Ask me about stuff.

Fox is notorious for canceling anything that's not the Simpsons, (or lately Seth MacFarlane shows). What's the actual likelihood of this entire concept lasting even a full season?

Also, fuck yeah Axe Cop!

I can't speak to everything else, but we have a long term commitment from FOX to give us a chance to grow. We often talk about how the Simpson's was allowed to grow from the Tracy Ullman shorts into a real series, and that's the idea with the shows on ADHD (and the block as whole.) So if you like the shit we're making, it will be around for a while. And if you don't, I'm sorry, because we're gonna be around for a while.

have you ever moon

yeah totally

You worked with Monica Lewinsky? What was THAT like? Did you ever talk to her before all the shit went down?

I was there when the shit went down. Actually, I was on vacation and when I came back to the office all her shit (and Linda Tripps) were confiscated. It was very strange. In one week, two people I knew disappeared.

Is that Lightning Bolt I'm hearing during the short Fox ADHD promos on Sunday nights?

Yes it is! good ears.

What factors went into the decision to do everything in-house instead of shipping the animation overseas? Isn't that ridiculously expensive?

It's actually ridiculously efficient. One of the main problems when you ship stuff, is that it takes FOREVER and you lose control over the animation. When you keep it all under one roof, you can oversee every aspect so if something isn't going well or you write new jokes, you can do it immediately. In my opinion, this is the only way to make animation. And PIXAR would back that shit up.

I love the tone of your show.

Do you have issues with any sketches you made not meeting standard / practices?

If so, what's the best sketch you couldn't make?

Thanks! Standards has been really amazing with us and once we launch on TV we are going to have TV-MA Standards (AKA LOUIE) which means that if we need to, we can explore stuff I couldn't in the past. But that doesn't mean Standards is psyched with everything we make. They weren't thrilled about seeing SpiderMan's cock or all the blood in My Little Cowboys. But honestly we haven't had anything straight-up killed yet.

ADHD seems to be focusing on developing a massive internet cult and has had success in regards to some of the great shorts & gifs you've produced for YouTube and Tumblr. Are you worried however that the internet audience won't translate to the television market? Will ADHD also be appearing on Netflix, iTunes and other digital providers so computer users without television can still legally watch and support your shows?

That definitely worries me, which is why we are trying to make content that works specifically for the medium. So online, we are making GIFS and super short animations. But for TV we are writing longer, more narrative shows.

how does adhd programming compare to the youtube channel? will there be episodic series mixed in with random shorts?

the stuff for tv will absolutely be longer and episodic (both 11 minute and 30 minute). we are trying to build bigger shows with indelible characters, stuff that could potentially go on forever. with youtube, i think the medium best serves short, one-off pieces. that's why you will see more parody, topical, and songs. stuff that you can immediately get, laugh at and share.

How much does Tyler participate in the directing and filming of loiter squad, since he normally directs and produces his own stuff? Thanks! Edit: redundant question.

Tyler is VERY involved in everything he does. No joke, he's a fucking genius. He has a very clear and strong vision of what he wants the show to be. It takes a while to gain his trust but once you do, he is really collaborative. It helped that he was already big fan of Dick House and Adult Swim.

What were your favorite animated shows growing up?

I have a terrible memory and have forgotten so much of my childhood, which sucks. But I definitely can remember sitting in front of the TV watching Duck Tales, Animaniacs, Freakazoid. Kid's cartoons used to be so fucking weird and silly and almost adult in how surreal they were, and I'm happy to see that come back with shows like Adventure Time and Regular Show. The best cartoons are the ones that a five year old and a twenty year old can watch and love for different reasons.

Hey everyone I'm here!

What is it like working with Sean Solomon and Garrett Davis? My heroes.

Those guys are dorks.

Guys, we're beating Gerard Butler. Keep up the good work!

do you have any advice for a 90 year old with arthritis trying to break into the biz? is it impotant to be in hollywood, or can i do all my pictures from my bed in Toronto?

that depends. are you naked in those pictures?

what's the most creative way you've ever been pitched a show? how much would it help to already have a pilot produced?

Honestly, I really don't like high-concept pitches. The worst is when people insist on singing you the pitch. For some reason, that happens. A lot. I prefer just a few pages outlining the idea. However, if you have the means to make something, that definitely helps.

What can a college drop out do in order to get themselves a career in animation? Is building a strong portfolio, a demo real, and resume enough- or is there a secret element?

Also do you guys need an intern? :- )

Honestly, no one has ever asked me where I went to college. I'm glad I did because it was an amazing experience and I don't think that I'd have gone down the career path I did, had I not gone. But if you are passionate about animation, and are on the art side, you really just need a great portfolio. Most studios post open calls for design/animation tests (www.awn.com) and you can see postings for jobs are available and get in the door that way.

What's the funniest thing you've seen happen off-camera on the set of Loiter Squad? Also, how did the idea for Metalocalypse come about, with the idea of Dethklok and all.

Any time Tyler even remotely hurts himself, he makes SUCH a big deal out of it. We try to put that in but it doesn't read as well on camera so most of it stays out but it's so funny to see him hit his shin and then cry on the ground for a while. He's such a pussy! But I love pussy.

Metalocalypse came about when Brendon was visiting the office and pitching another show based on Middle Earth. The Hobbit was huge then and we'd seen a bunch of similar pitches but we knew we wanted to work with him. He's always wearing a T Shirt with some metal band on it and he's an awesome musician, so Mike Lazzo had the brilliant idea of telling him to come up with a metal show, where he'd play the music. And Dethklok was born.

*How involved were you with the various PFFR projects- Xavier, Heart She Holler, Delocated?

*What is working with them like?

*What is the perception of them within the industry? I think they are geniuses, but most people seem to find it unapproachable/alienating/too weird.

*Any plans to bring them to ADHD?

PFFR IS GENIUS. They may be TOO smart, which may make them unapproachable. One of the things I'm most proud of being involved with is Xavier: Renegade Angel. I can't believe that ever made it to TV. If I ever have the opportunity to work with John and Vernon again, I will jump at the opportunity.

Greetings from Nashville! Since leaving Atlanta, what's been your biggest high-five moment working on ADHD? Follow up: What show have you worked on that didn't make it, but should have?

Best moment ever was meeting and recording Mike Erhementrout from Breaking Bad for AXE COP. Actually recording anything for AXE COP. It's insane getting all these talented people to say the craziest stuff. They're literally saying the words of an eight year old. Also, when we got Mandy Moore to say "I hope he's straight, so I can suck his gay cock." I got the best job in the world.

How has it been different working with the AXE COP creators? I imagine having an 8-year-old as the head writer must be very different from other shows; it seems easy to do as a two-person web comic but doesn't it make it complicated when working with studios, network execs, money people, to say "ok so whatever the kid says goes"?

the writing room for Axe Cop is made of grown ups, but whenever we hit a dead end, we call malachai (the eight year old creator) and have pulled out of school to pitch us solutions. for example, in one episode we couldn't figure the motivation for one of our villains. Malachai said it was obvious: "he wants to go to heaven to kill god and become jesus." like he said, obvious.

What music have you been blasting in the office recently?

Trinidad James.

I was curious if you purposely create your cartoons with a political agenda in mind? Is it because most students today are left leaning?

Is that you, Rupert?

What was the working environment like when you worked at Adult Swim?

The Adult Swim office in Atlanta is amazing. It's a converted mattress factory and doesn't feel like a TV Network. There's taxidermy all over the place and interesting wall murals. There was a period of time where the head of Adult Swim, Mike Lazzo, was redoing his apartment and had to move all his stuff in to the office. It's working at your house, if your house was a giant converted mattress factory.

Are you working on Dan Harmon's new Adult Swim show?

Rick and Morty was the last show I picked up before leaving Adult Swim. I worked on the pilot and it's AMAZING. I was so happy when they told me it was picked up for a full series. On a totally unrelated note, Dan just recorded a voice for Axe Cop. He plays a very disgruntled audience member in Axe Cop's magic act.

How does it feel knowing it will be cancelled in three weeks?

Please, please, please tell me you're not talking about 1600 Penn. I JUST started getting into it.

what kinda role will music play with adhd? i love how you do little musical vignettes and music videos on the yt channel (SLENDER MAN!!!!!!!)

Music is a big part of who we are and will definitely be part of ADHD. I think the original songs work really well online and we have really talented people in the building that can play music and sing so it's easy to produce. For example, Slender Man was sung/played by our associate producer Liz Beebe.

We are also going to start doing animated music videos for bands that we like. I hope we can do one a month. Sort of like a music club? Golf Wang will absolutely represent.

What made you leave Adult Swim?

It was a big decision. Adult Swim was like a family. For real: My wife and brother still work there. But there was a great opportunity to build something new and do it in a different way.

[deleted]

Seven

When will Sick Animation be getting its own show? Also, is Marc as handsome in real life as he is in my dreams?

Marc. Is. Gorgeous. And I'm not just saying that because he's great at the Asshole 69. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gB1SoF0FLfA

How long is the block gonna be?

Also, is the animation I've seen on the YouTube channel, hand-drawn?

The block is from 11-12:30 every Saturday Night starting July 27

And we are doing all the animation in house, under one roof (which is one of the most exciting aspects of ADHD). It's all done on computers in flash and after effects. But I think when it comes on air, you won't have any idea that it wasn't animated traditionally, by hand.

What's your favorite cartoon?

Easy. DuckTales. Woo Woo.

Yo, where do you come up with the ideas for your YouTube shorts? Funny shit!

We have a in-house writers who help us with all our stuff but the shorts are all the work of Heather Anne Campbell. She's in a sketch group called the Midnight Show. She's a fucking genius.

You've mentioned Axe Cop and High School USA, but what is the other hour of ADHD going to consist of?

We are working out the details now but the idea is that it will be an hour and half of original and pre-existing shows. But if that doesn't happen it will be this on loop: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvhIf5Y9MdQ

What's your biggest goal? Is there anything you haven't achieved yet?

well, we haven't yet aired so my biggest goal is to make it to July 27. I think we're doing a good job, but this could all be a huge mistake.

How long did you work with Dino Stamatopoulos?! Did you have anything to do with that amazingly brilliant circular story in Morel Orel? If you started in Journalism, how the hell did you break into cartoons? Is writing really what bridges the gap? Is that what I need to do non-stop in order to be as cool as you?

Dino, is that you? Why are you up so early?

Why does every metalocalypse song sound the same? Also, Morel Orel was absolutely genius. Big ups to Dino.

Come on, Dino. No need to trash Metalocalypse.

if you promise to not put any of that anime crap or loiter squad on i will watch it, those are the only two things that prevent me from switching the channel off cartoon network

done.

Dear Mr. Weidenfeld, why are you in the animation business? You're not funny, but you're really good at spinning things. Maybe you should sell used cars?

Are you serious? I've been trying to break in to the used-car business for a while. Do you know anyone? When's your AMA?