As many of you know, Animation Magazine’s World Animation returns to The Garland Hotel in N. Hollywood (Nov. 3-6) next weekend. In addition to all the great keynotes, panels and parties, the event is a way to meet like-minded animation colleagues to plan out your next big project together. Animation producer René Veilleux, CEO and co-founder of Verite Entertainment and director/producer Ethan Shaftel (Gargoyle Doyle) met at the Summit a couple of years ago. They were kind enough to answer a few questions about how the event helped them put together their project together:
Can you tell us a bit about how you two met at the Animation Summit?
René Veilleux: We first started chatting at the opening night cocktail hour. It really is such a wonderful atmosphere and everyone is always in such in great spirits because of the amazing energy at the event. I recall Ethan saying it was his first time at the event. I was surprised and curious to know why he was at the event. He explained that he was speaking on the VR panel and started to tell me more about his work in VR. I was immediately hooked. VR/AR was always something that intrigued me. He was in production on a project at the time (AJAX The All Powerful), and as luck would have it he was just starting to think about voiceover for the project! We set up a time to meet the next day, and the rest is history.
Ethan Shaftel: I had a few VR animated projects under my belt by that point, but I was still pretty star struck by the other people on the panel who had worked with Disney, Jon Favreau, and others. I like meeting knew people, but I definitely get intimidated when it seems like everyone knows each other but me. Events like the Animation Summit feel more like an even playing field where the networking seems to come more naturally and people are genuinely interested in hear about your project and what you are looking for. I had a lot of good conversations at that event and actually met more than one person I still keep up contact with. And you never know when, like with René, you end up working with someone because of the relationship that formed over a good conversation and a cocktail!
What brought each of you to the Summit in L.A.?
René: had already attended a number of World Animation Summits previous to this one. It’s one of my favorite events of the year, so I always go out of my way to attend the even The summit hosts a number of social events during the week. We happened to connect at the opening night cocktail.There’s always such a wonderful vibe at these gatherings. People are all excited to connect and talk about animation. And this night was not an exception. It is a great opportunity to see old friends and to introduce yourself to new friends. Ethan and I just started up a conversation and hit it off immediately.
Ethan: I was attending a cocktail party at the Animation Summit and started chatting with a stranger about an indie VR animated project I was working on that was still in early stages. At that point it was only an animatic with placeholder voices, and that stranger (spoiler, it was René) was very enthusiastic and started telling me about his company Verité and all the work they do in post-production sound, casting and recording. My main thought was that this guy seemed very well spoken and affable and like someone who would be very easy to work with. If I remember correctly it was only a few weeks later that the VR project got off the ground – it was a VR comedy titled AJAX ALL POWERFUL – and I needed someone to talk to about casting and recording and it was obvious that I should reach out to René.
Can you tell us a bit about the project you collaborated on?
René: The first project was a film called AJAX All Powerful. Ethan already had some cast in mind, and as we talked I realized we knew the talent’s agent very well. There was a concern he might be out of range for budget reasons, but I knew I could reach out to the agent and let them know how unique and fun this project would be. Sure enough, we were able to get them, and a few weeks later Chris Parnell and Henry Winkler were in the booth at Verite Studios! The recording sessions were an amazing collaboration Ethan had a very clear vision of what he wanted from the actors, while also leaving room for creative collaboration.
We partnered with Ethan on his most recent project Gargoyle Doyle. When Ethan first told us about it we were thrilled to partner with him. It seemed truly to be an “experience” for the audience, and we were really excited about the ideas Ethan had for casting. What we really love about Ethan is that he always aims high for casting. And when he told us he wanted to get Jason Isaacs for the role of Doyle and Haley Joel Osment for the role of Chet we were ready to get to work! Again, we knew Jason and Haley’s agent and even though it was a low budget project, we were successful in getting them on board! We are so proud to watch as the film continues to win award after award, including the top prize at Annecy!
Ethan: We’ve now collaborated on two projects and the relationship has really grown. Ajax the Powerful had a tight budget but was very ambitious, and René and Verité really understood my constraints and were great about working with me to fit in the budget but still allowing the project to “punch above its weight” in casting and recording. Because of that great experience I went back to René and Verité to come onboard as a co-production partner when we embarked on an even bigger and more ambitious VR movie starting back in 2022 titled Gargoyle Doyle They really understood the vision and scope of the piece and became a key part of what became a co-production with partners in the US, Argentina, Austria, the Netherlands, and Mexico. We pitched that project at the Venice Film market in 2022 and premiered only a year later in 2023 featuring voice performances from Jason Isaacs, Haley Joel Osment, and T’Nia Miller. Gargoyle Doyle won the Cristal for Best VR at Annecy this summer, and will be released on Meta headsets later in the year.
What else are you working on right now?
René: We continue to support Ethan as he continues his journey with Gargoyle Doyle and look forward to our next collaboration with him. We are getting ready to record season 2 of Mermaid Magic which sat at #1 in Kids on Netflix for weeks and continues to be in the top 10 today! Also getting ready to start Season 12 of Hello Kitty and Friends Supercute Adventures with Sanrio. And of course ready to meet our next partner at the World Animation Summit in November!
Ethan: I’m still all-in on VR and AR narrative and the power of the medium for storytelling. Right now as we are finalizing distribution for Gargoyle Doyle and looking forward to the commercial release, I’ve been pitching new immersive projects and getting some new ones off the ground with studios in France and Germany. And one of those companies I was introduced to through René!
Ethan: Absolutely, I met many people that year and got a tremendous amount of value out of it. And it’s not only about who you meet, but also getting a sense of the community and the direction the medium is going. VR and AR and immersive content is still relatively niche, but every event or film festival that puts you in contact with your peers gives context for your own work.
What kind of advice would you offer those who want to get the best out of events like the World Animation Summit?
René: Just GO! Don’t even hesitate. Jean, Kim and Ramin and the entire Animation Magazine team put on a spectacular event that is filled with creative people and creative energy! The who’s of who’s of the animation industry are there, and they are super cool and very approachable. The animation industry is filled with very outgoing and generous people, so don’t be shy to go up and introduce yourself! You’re bound to start up some great conversations that could lead to some great collaborations!
Ethan: I always have the best luck and the most interesting conversations if I go alone to an event like this. It can be fun to be with your team or your partner, of course, but if you do you need to have the discipline to stop talking to each other and split up to meet new people. If I’m alone at an event, it’s much easier to find myself chatting, and then getting into a conversation, and that’s what really pays dividends!
For more info, visit veritentertainment.net and ethanshaftel.com.
To buy your tickets to this year’s Summit (Nov. 3-6), visit animationmagazine.net/summit.
