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A Brief Exchange
With Fred Seibert

Ed, Edd n Eddy

1999-2009

Fred Seibert is the president of animation studio Frederator Studios. After leaving Hannah Barbera Cartoons [he was the last president], he produced many classical Nickelodeon shows such as Fairly OddParents, Oh Yeah!, ChalkZone and Teenage Robot. He's currently working on Adventure Time for Cartoon Network and Bravest Warriors for Youtube.

February 8, 2014

JXP: Hello Mr. Seibert I have a few questions for you:These questions are from some of my friends and me who love your work.
   FS: Hi Aristotle Michaelangelo, glad to be of help.

 

JXP: How did you create Frederator Studios?
   FS: I called my accountant and lawyer and said I want to start a company. What do I do? They helped.

 

JXP: Why did you create Frederator Studios?
   FS: I set up the studio because I like to work for myself, and I'd just left Hanna-Barbera Cartoons. The time seemed right.

 

JXP: Is it true that you used to work for Hannah Barbera?
   FS: Yes, I was the last president of Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, when Ted Turner owned the company, and before he sold his entire Turner Broadcasting to Time Warner.

 

JXP: What was it like working with Bill Hanna and Joe Barbara?
   FS: Being around Joe Barbera and Bill Hanna was completely inspiring. I got to see up front and personal what made them successful, how talented they were, and what kind of men they were. Simultaneously, I got to hang with Ted Turner. What a lucky time for me.

 

JXP: Did you work in 2 Stupid Dogs, Mina and the Count, ChalkZone and My Life as a Teenage Robot?
   FS: Yes, I worked on all of those cartoons. 2 Stupid Dogs, Adventure Time, Bravest Warriors, Mina & the Count, ChalkZone, My LIfe as a Teenage Robot.

 

JXP: Why or how did you create 'Oh Yeah! Cartoons' for Nickelodeon?
   FS: We've had five or six "cartoon laboratories" over the years, starting with What A Cartoon! on Cartoon Network; Oh Yeah! Cartoons was the second, at Nickelodeon. I love giving new talent a chance, and I think this is the fairest, most creative way to come up with the coolest people with the best cartoons.

 

JXP: Did you ever draw or wish to be an animator?
   FS: I never did any drawing beyond doodles. Leave art to the artists.

 

JXP: Why make Fairly OddParents, ChalkZone and Teenage Robot into series'?
   FS: We made Fairy OddParents because Butch Hartman wanted to, ChalkZone because Bill Burnett and Larry Huber wanted to, Teenage Robot because Rob Renzetti wanted to. That's what we do at Frederator, we make the cartoons that wonderful creators want to create.

 

JXP: Why did Fanboy and Chum Chum had to end? I love that show. It wasen't shown in the Nickelodeon upfront in 2013-2014 season. Why is that?
   FS: We love Fanboy & Chum Chum too, and we particularly like working with FB&CC creator Eric Robles. Unfortunately for all of us, it was completely Nickelodeon's decision to stop production of the series. But hey, we got 52 amazing, cartoony, funny episodes. Not too shabby.

 

JXP: What school did you went too? What college did you graduate?
   FS: I graduated from Huntington High School on Long Island, New York. I attended college at Columbia University's College of Pharmacy and Columbia College in New York City, but I never graduated.

 

JXP: Why leave Hannah Barbera?
   FS: I left Hanna-Barbera when it was merged into Warner Bros. Animation (it's now Cartoon Network Studios). I really enjoyed working for my boss, Turner president Scott Sassa, and media innovator, entrepreneur Ted Turner, but I didn't want to work at Warner Bros, a big entertainment corporation.

 

JXP: I am a cartoonist too. Too bad I'm sixteen so I can't go to the bigtime yet. Is it possible for you to upload my short into Cartoon Hangover or produce my short so it can be a Frederator production? Thank you for your time and patience.
   FS: Aristotle Michaelangelo, if you want to upload your cartoon to your own YouTube channel, you could join the Channel Frederator Network. If you want to be part of Cartoon Hangover, write to our head of development Eric Homan ([email protected]), and he can guide you from there. Thanks for asking your questions, glad to answer.