For Episode 6, I sat down with Alan Keane — writer, script editor, producer and long-time animation storyteller — for a deeply human conversation about creativity, resilience, and what it actually takes to build a life in animation over decades.

Rather than dissecting industry trends or chasing headlines, this episode stays focused on the person behind the work: the detours, the failures, and the reasons we keep showing up even when things don’t go to plan.

We talk about Alan’s journey from comics and psychology to screenwriting, UCLA, BBC productions, and ultimately finding a creative home in animation — and what that path taught him along the way.

We talk about:

✨ Why Personal Stories Matter More Than Industry Noise

Every career path is different — and that’s exactly where the real lessons live.

✍️ Writing Is Rewriting

Why getting something imperfect on the page is the hardest — and most important — step.

🧠 Psychology, Empathy & Story

How understanding people feeds better characters, stronger scripts, and clearer emotional beats.

🎬 Why Animation Is a Collaborative Artform

Scripts as blueprints, not final answers — and how leaving room for others makes the work better.

💥 Resilience Over Talent

Why surviving rejection, adapting to change, and staying curious matters just as much as skill.

🎨 Protecting the Magic

From production to leadership — why the real job is creating space for artists to do their best work.

⸻

🎧 Listen now — and if you want to join these conversations live, with animators and storytellers from around the world, come hang out with us inside The Toon Room:

👉 thetoonroom.com

Recorded Live Inside The Toon Room Community

For Episode 5 of The Toon Room Podcast, I sat down with Rita Street — award-winning animation executive producer, creator, writer, and President of Radar Cartoons — for a deeply honest, wide-ranging conversation about storytelling, resilience, and surviving a life in animation.

Rita’s journey spans decades and disciplines: from growing up in the Mojave Desert fueled by Disney classics, comic books, and Star Trek, to navigating setbacks that rerouted her path away from CalArts and into theater, playwriting, journalism, and eventually animation leadership. Along the way, she became Executive Producer on beloved series like Ruby Gloom, Hero: 108, and Space Chickens in Space, while also authoring the cult-favorite ebook Cartoon Girl’s Secret Guide to Developing Kids Comedy Series.

In this episode, we talk candidly about:

✨ Finding Your Way When the Plan Falls Apart

How missed opportunities, financial setbacks, and detours can become unexpected advantages.

🪑 “Chair Hours” and Craft Discipline

Why showing up every day — even when the work is bad — is the only path to becoming a better writer and creator.

🤝 Networking

How genuine curiosity, generosity, and long-term relationships quietly shape careers in animation.

💥 Why People Don’t Quit

A raw look at resilience, mentorship, and the stubborn love that keeps creatives in the industry.

🎧 Listen now — and if you want to be part of these conversations live, join animators, storytellers, and industry veterans from around the world inside The Toon Room:

👉 thetoonroom.com

Recorded Live Inside The Toon Room Community

In our fourth Toon Room Podcast conversation, I sat down with global animation producer and studio leader Marty Knox — whose career has taken him from Canada to Vietnam, Berlin, Ireland, Thailand, and beyond.

This one is all about people, global perspective, and the magic that keeps artists going in the toughest industry on Earth.

Marty shares how a rock-band drummer who once cut model sheets on a light table became a world-travelling producer — learning the craft by solving problems, culture by living abroad, and leadership by putting artists first.

We dig into big lessons like:

🌏 Animation is Global

Relationships and community can take you everywhere — from Berlin features to Cartoon Saloon to building a studio in Thailand.

🔥 Chaos is Part of the Process

Plans are important — but the unexpected is often where the creativity lives.

🎛 Dial, Don’t Dictate

Creative leadership is balancing constraints with freedom — adjusting, tuning, shaping… not shutting ideas down.

🎨 Artists Make the Magic

When artists love the work, you feel it on screen. It’s our job to protect that spark — not bury it under spreadsheets.

🤝 Humans First

Culture, communication, and trust drive quality — not fear and pressure.

If you’ve ever wondered how people stay in animation — and why they don’t quit — Marty’s story is a perfect answer.

🎧 Listen now — and if you want to join these conversations live, come hang out with animation pros, students, and studios from around the world inside The Toon Room:

👉 thetoonroom.com

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