Our Next 4 Years

Immediately after the November election, I was contacted by Carolyn Bates, a long time friend and colleague.  She wanted me to create a public service announcement for a grassroots organization called Our Next 4 Years (ON4Y).   I wrote, designed, voiced, and animated a piece called "Make Cheese, Not Walls".   Enjoy!


I asked Carolyn some questions about Our Next 4 Years.....

1.  What is ON4Y and how did it come to be?

Our Next 4 Years  is an all volunteer organization of almost 300 animation professionals.  We are partnering with progressive organizations in order to create animated PSA’s that can counter the regressive policies of the current administration.  Our group’s members include Oscar, Emmy, Annie and Humanitas award winners and nominees from studios big and small.

Following the election, producer / director, Mike Blum of Pipsqueak Films, reached out to me and broached a grand idea. Mike was motivated to action after reading a fervent Facebook post by his animation supervisor, Ramiro Olmos.  Ramiro wanted to lend his animation skills to help support progressive causes and create change.  Mike has tremendous creative & organizational skills and a good dose of chutzpah to make that happen. 

Animation Brat

The following is a re-post of one of my favorite articles from the old format FLiP, from 2007.  Enjoy! - Steve

by Sarah May Bates
advertising art director/copywriter/voice-over/commercial actress, and former “animation brat”.

When asked to write this, I have to admit I had no idea what the term “animation brat” meant. Animation and animators are really all I’ve ever known and are still a central inspiration and influence in my life. I grew up with “cool” parents, but when you’re a kid, you don’t know that kind of thing. It was just normal to me. For context, my mom is Carolyn Bates (former BG artist at Fred Calvert, Xerox checker at H&B, moved up from Duck Soup Ink & Paint to Disney producer), and my dad is Nick Bates (Vis FX supervisor at Pepper Films in Los Angeles)*. Everything cool about me stems from my parents, which in certain social spheres, I don’t necessarily cop to. My first exposure to Miyazaki, John K, Tim Burton, classic Sam Raimi - my parents. I was always inspired to draw, be weird, create.

Producer Carolyn Bates Talks Shop

Carolyn: "Here's a pic of me and BG painter, Cathy Patrick, 1973. on Emergency+4.
 Don Jurwich had taped a xerox of 'The Yellow Kid' over my desk - typical 70's un-PC.
The extreme right side pencil sharpener and phone are Walt Peregoy's."

FLIP: How did you get your start in animation?

Carolyn: Walt Peregoy hired me as an apprentice BG painter At Fred Calvert Productions on Emergency +4 the day I graduated high school. He regaled the BG team with expletive laced stories of his days at Disney and Hanna-Barbera. He admired creative passion and spoke ardently of the beauty in nature. I learned a ton and made friends with a number of folk, many of whom I'd get to work with later: Corny Cole, Libby Simon, Paul Shively, Freddie Hellmich and Amby Paliwoda.

Opening titles to Fred Calvert's Emergency +4, Carolyn's first gig.  

You can almost hear Walt Peregoy bitching.