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Pig Goat Banana Cricket by JOhnny Ryan and Dave Cooper

spx logo Here’s a on offer that many people might just get excited about: The Small Press Expo and Nickelodeon are teaming for a Call for Submissions where cartoonists can pitch ideas for an animated short. One person will be selected and get a cartoon made, working with the Nickelodeon animation staff.

The offer is open to exhibitors from the last four years, 2015 exhibitors AND “lottery” entrants—those who applied for a table this year but didn’t get it.

This is a great opportunity obviously, but it’s no surprise as Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network scouts have been attending the show for years and finding talent there. It’s one of the worst kept secrets that working in today’s indie comics inspired animation industry is what pays the bills for dozens of indie cartoonists—among them Michael DeForge, Lisa Hanawalt, Nick Sumida, Hellen Jo, and many many more—and the wagon trail to Los Angeles for indie cartoonists is deeply worn.

And the recent Nickelodeon debut of Pig Goat Banana Cricket (above)a cartoon created by indie comics mainstays Johnny Ryan and Dave Cooper probably provided more inspiration for this opportunity.

Nickelodeon’s Kevin Lee provides more details:


Hello from Nickelodeon Animation Development!!!

Nickelodeon is always looking for talented artists, writers, and creators from a broad spectrum of backgrounds.  We love and appreciate the great wealth of talent that SPX features and wanted to reach out in a big way to the SPX creator community! 
That is why we’re so excited to announce that we will be taking pitches in-person at SPX 2015 for 2-3 minute shorts and will select one to produce.  We’ll work directly with the creator/s to realize their characters, story, and world.  This is the fourth year of our shorts program and it’s been a great way for us to try out new ideas and work with creators from all over the world.    
What should you expect if your pitch is selected?  As the creator, your job is to creatively oversee every aspect of your short – from design, writing, and storyboards, to casting, animation, editing, music and sound – to make sure your cartoon comes out the way you envisioned.  Our job is to provide all the necessary resources to execute your vision and help guide you through the process. 
Your short will be posted on nick.com, as well as on our free nick app – many are viewable right now.  Shorts are also considered for potential development for series.  In fact, several have gone into development and we have two series in production that were born from shorts. 
But before any of this can happen, you need to pitch us an idea!  All pitches need to be submitted via the website and in person at SPX.  Please review the guidelines and requirements on the site. 
More details and information to come.  Meanwhile, please take a look and feel free to get started.  If you have any questions please email Kevin at: [email protected]
We look forward to seeing your ideas and meeting as many of you as we can while we’re at SPX!  Thank you for your consideration and thanks especially to SPX for allowing us to reach out to all of you!
Kevin Sukho Lee
Creative Director
Nickelodeon Animation Development

2 COMMENTS

  1. Hi, my name is Adelokiki Ibukunoluwa. I am 14 yrs old. My animation is called “Sophie series”. It’s about a girl who recently moved to Ostan leaving her past life and school. Meeting new friends and trying to keep her secret about her being a fairy. Enrolling in a new school, realizing she is not the only fairy. Will it be easy?

  2. MY NAME IS OSOBA GBEMISOLA.I AM 14 AND MY STORY IS BASED ON FIVE FRIEND THAT USE THEIR POWER TO SAVE THEIR CITY

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