Wildseed Begin To Unleash New Crop of Talent.
Wildseed Studios, the studio set up by former BBC executive Jesse Cleverly and Aardman Animations’ former head of broadcast Miles Bullough have launched their new YouTube channel showcasing the talent the next generation content and talent incubator has been nurturing and they’ve given Skwigly the first look.
Jesse Cleverly (L) & Miles Bullough (R
The first project to go live is an adult animation based on the comic strips of Ralph Kidson, who has been drawing and contributing to underground comics as long as he can remember. “It was Ralph’s writing and irreverent, dry social commentary as much as his comic-man-ship that stood out.” said Cleverly. Wildseed Studios is making animations based on three of Ralph’s strips: Animal Job Centre, which features an unemployed squirrel trying to navigate the job market, God and Jesus where God explains his plans to Jesus for his latest miracle, and Battle at Serengeti where punchy and loutish animals launch into foul-mouthed tirades against each other at the slightest provocation.
The film is slightly adult in nature but Miles Bullough goes on to explain
It is telling that there is no category for Adult Animation at the British Animation Awards this year. There is also a misconception in the British broadcasting community that British adult animation ‘doesn’t work’. Wildseed Studios is here to demonstrate that there is a new generation of UK talent ready to discredit this idea!
Following Ralph Kidson’s cartoons will be pilots for new animated series for grown-ups from recent Wildseed signings The Spin Kick Brothers, Nicholas Bowe, Joel Veitch & David Shute and a comic book from cult comic artist and illustrator Jack Teagle.
Ralph Kidson
The world of animation isn’t the only area the pair are interested in, as they have also launched Heather’s American Medicine which you can view on their YouTube channel. The studio recognises a gap in the market for female comedians eager to develop their characters and ideas. The short comes from Michelle Gomez – who may be recognisable to Green Wing fans – who approached Wildseed for a new way of working and to develop a female right-wing comedy character – something relatively unseen in a male dominated business.
Bullough summarised Wildseed’s strategy:
Wildseed Studios is not interested in being perfect first-time; we are interested in empowering talent and engaging with communities of fans to better understand what works most. We believe that in the on-demand media age, the current diet of marketing-driven broadcasting will be replaced by extraordinary, original content, which is driven by word of mouth on social media networks. Wildseed Studios intends to be a pathfinder for this movement.
Wildseed Studios is looking for creators to submit their original ideas in four genres: Genre Fiction (Sci-Fi/horror/fantasy), Animation for adults, Character Comedy and Kids 6-11. Creatives can submit their idea here http://wildseedstudios.com/sending-ideas-to-wildseed