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TheInterviewer's News

Posted by TheInterviewer - January 24th, 2024


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Interview No. 189

Interview By: @The-Great-One

Patreon Post Date: January 17, 2024


Today's guest has been a household name on Newgrounds for over two decades now. In the past we talked about his works on Popstar, Roller Coaster Junkie, and the upcoming movie that would take Newgrounds by storm and is still in the Top 50 of the Portal which would become Tarboy. He would later on bring us a character that is a Newgrounds symbol and that is NOX. I am most pleased to welcome, @JamesLee.




Q: At what age did you become interested in animation?


A: I was 14 when my dad’s friend burnt me a CD with a whole bunch of pirated Adobe and Macromedia stuff. It blew my mind having access to all that, it was heaps of fun learning how to do all the simple stuff, like tweening a shape.




Q: What brought you to Griffith University?


A: It looked like the best animation program near me I could find at the time. I didn’t know there was anywhere to study animation in Brisbane, and Griffith had the only course that was focused entirely on animation.




Q: You have a Bachelors in Animation with Honors from Griffith University. A lot of creators tend to learn both from schooling and Newgrounds. What can you tell us the differences between learning from both?


A: Film school taught me a lot about movement, and classical fundamentals, whereas Newgrounds gave me a lot of insight into the making something for the internet. The feedback you receive on Newgrounds is honest and especially starting out, you come up against the harsh realities of making something for the public. And so I got a lot of practice in honing my work for an audience.




Q: We have a lot of animation jams that are happening on Newgrounds. Back in 2010 you would make 24 shorts in 24 hours, titled 24 in 24. This is an ambitious project which you have stated was physically exhausted. How much planning went into the shorts before the animation process?


A: 24in24 was inspired by Scott McCloud who would do a 24 page comic in 24 hours. I went into it with a few ideas in my back pocket in case I was too tired and hitting a wall. But I had a rule that all of the visuals, except the transitions would need to be completed in the 24 hour window.




Q: You would do this again in 24in24 Twenty Eleven. After the exhaustion from the first one, what made you want to make a second one and why?


A: I wanted to try it again because to see if I could improve upon the quality of ideas. I produced a lot of filler/sucky shorts in the first one, so it was a fun way to test myself under pressure.




Q: During the My Little Pony craze that was going on during 2011 and 2012 you would bring us Batman Hates Bronies. These are two of my favorite things that you would bring together in this parody. Why have Batman attacking bronies? What was the experience in working with Jazza and TomaMoto?


A: I guess I just wanted to make a video about bronies, since they were so visible at the time. And it just made sense to me that batman would have this huge aversion to them. It’s so weird looking back and thinking that this was what the internet was back then.Jazza and Tomar just nailed it. It’s such a huge relief when the first take comes back perfect, with no needed changes or finagling. They’re both total pros at what they do.




Q: Pregnetheus would not only be a parody of Prometheus, it would also be the first movie made on your new computer. I love the idea of using a claw machine. How did you come up with that?


A: haha, I cant remember exactly but i think it was just a spur of the moment thing




Q: One of your best movies in my opinion is your animated documentary entitled Nolwandle's Story. How did you come in contact with Amnesty International. What was your experience like working on a documentary?


A: They reached out to me and commissioned the short . It was tricky coming up with a style that was achievable given the budget, that also does justice to the heavy themes that were discussed. I’m proud to have worked on a project with such a personal story like that.




Q: Before we continue onward, I think we should address something important. With the Internet becoming more dominant and creators expanding their creations further and further, it is important to keep your wits about you. Tarboy 2 was at some point 50% complete. There were a lot of issues coming up due to a Tarboy game and legal problems. You were also hit with burnout during this time. What is the complete story behind the development hell Tarboy 2? What advice can you give to creators on Newgrounds so they won't fall into any similar pitfalls?


A: I started Tarboy 2 after the game project and subsequent fallout had concluded. I ended Tarboy 2 because I wasn’t happy with how it was turning out. And there was too much baggage as well, so I pulled the plug.


As for how the game project went, I’ll say, be extremely careful on who you sign a deal with. Especially if it comes to rights over your IP, or requires heavy commitment from you. Have a lawyer check over the contract, and even then you have to really trust the person. If you make anything that people like, hucksters are naturally going to climb out of the woodwork and try to sway you. Find experienced people that you can trust and get their insight. Be mindful of your own inexperience and wishful thinking, and how that can make you a target for people who will promise anything.




Q: When the Fine Bros. were attempting to copyright React videos you would bring us an idea you couldn't resist with Welcome to React World™. Why couldn't you resist this idea? Would this be the precursor to NOX?


A: Yeah I’d say so, it was the most satirical work I’d done at that point and solidified the dystopian look. I hadn’t done much only in a few years at that point. It was one of those ideas I just got obsessed with, and had to make it.




Q: We have now come to NOX. Where his debut would be on YouTube entitled Sick of Silly Logan Paul. How did you come up with the character of NOX? Why was his debut not on Newgrounds? Why start with Logan Paul?


A: It just seemed funny to me that he would of born out of some pointless run of the mill internet shit. Like some demon that crawled out of a sewer just to talk about Logan Paul. At the time I didn’t feel like it was a good fit for Newgrounds, with it having that drama/commentary channel bent to it. And I felt like Newgrounds was a cool place without all that youtubey shit. As my work integrated more animation and started commenting on broader topics, I felt like it was a better fit with the Newgrounds ethos.




Q: A Life Without Facebook would be NOX's debut on Newgrounds and his official debut. You stated that if the feedback were great, you had a lot of these planned out. Your work on Nolwandle's Story, your parody writing, and your combination of animation and live action have culminated into a new series that has taken Newgrounds by storm. Why was Facebook the start for this series?


A: I was thinking a lot about the fact that I’d spent my life trying to make engaging content, and how engaging content was feeding into people’s worst habits. That I’d have to be on these shitty platforms to progress my indie career, incentivised to clickbait and play the shitty game of getting eyeballs. So Nox was a way to reconcile this conflict, and I felt the topic Facebook privacy would be a good place to start, considering it was recently in the news with the Cambridge Analytica stuff that was going on.




Q: Out of all the NOX movies, my favorite side series involving him is absolutely the Court of Public Opinion. My favorite being Ellen & the Court of Public Opinion. The court of public opinion has always been a thing for centuries, you're the first I've seen bring it into a physical form. Where did the idea come from? What has made you continue it onward?


A: I’m not too sure where the idea came about. I was just interested in the cancelations that were going on, and the discussions surrounding cancel culture in general. My views on the topic have changed over time, or maybe gotten a little more complicated, as the weaponry of cancelations, accusations of cancelation, the language surrounding it all gets refined in the propaganda machine. It’s confusing and multi-angled, and I think people have been trying to figure out the blurry lines amongst all the shit slinging. So I wanted to represent some of that chaos and spectacle surrounding it all.




Q: I'm jumping a little out of order. With Donald Trump being referenced in the Ellen & the Court of Public Opinion, the movie before that one would be "winner". I love the line in the Ellen movie about losing subs again. Well, we can now lose subs together, because I thought "winner" was absolutely hilarious and provocative without coming off as pretentious. That's some impressive comedic humor in this time when anybody against Trump is going on about jokes that a 2nd grader could come up with. What made you want to make this movie to discuss Donald Trump during this time? Will we see a follow up?


A: Previous to that video I was looking for ways to critique people of any political stripe, but increasingly I was feeling there was this pressure that you don’t criticize Trump on youtube. And some people are gonna balk at me even saying that. And that speaks to what I was feeling at the time. That there was something uncool, un-nuanced, ‘Orange-Man Bad-Esque’ about calling him out. That you need to have this veneer of pontification, unbiased, critiquing everyone in equal measure. Or else you’re some phony hack who watches CNN. And so with all that I thought it’d be kinda funny just to make a video that plainly says I think Trump’s a fuckhead.


****It feels dirty pandering to an audience. Infantilizing. I’d prefer my audience knows I’ll do my best to speak my mind honestly, not just repeat their own thoughts back to them with pretty production gloss. It’s more respectful that way I think, even if I’m critiquing a guy you like. That’s the ideal at least.




Q: Your funniest movie and what I believe to be your absolute best is Breaking up with Adobe. With the death of Flash, you would bring us a movie that was not only a tribute to flash, but satire as well. The writing and animation is incredible. I love how you blend live action and animation together in the NOX series, and I feel this is the best one. You have a lot of history with Adobe products. Looking back on them and where we are today, how did you compile all the pros and cons into this movie? Why the analogy of a couple breaking up for it?


A: I just feel like we’re all in bed with Adobe, and we can’t get out. It lured us all in with nice features, and now we’re kinda trapped. Like a bunch of chumps. There was one day my software crashed, and I just said ‘FFFUUUUUUCK YOUUUUUUUUU’. As though years of using this shitty software had been reduced me to a husk of angry man swearing at my computer. And then like everyone, I just loaded it back up again. Like I was crawling back.




Q: Rise of NOX would be your shot at YouTube and the setup for your Patreon. You would address this topic in Web Animation & Monetization. You still submit to YouTube and Newgrounds at the same time though. As a creator is YouTube important to help grow an audience?


A: Man that’s a tricky one. I’ve been very fortunate with how my youtube has panned out this last year. At the same time though, it was such a fucking grind. The platform is full of quality content that doesn’t get seen, let alone gaining enough audience to make it financially sustainable.I do think Newgrounds is very important though. Coz early on, you’re naked on a deserted island, rubbing two sticks together, hoping to get a spark going. Newgrounds can be that spark to get those first hundred or thousand followers. Your hit rate here is going to be far better than throwing your video into the white noise on YouTube.


I know someone on here who landed a show deal after their video got some traction on here. And there’s other people who were able to translate even moderate success on Newgrounds into some very big things. So don’t think that the subscriber number on YT or Tiktok, or twitter, is the be and end all.


And if you do make it, I think it’s important to remember Newgrounds, and keep supporting the site. Help keep the site healthy so that others starting out still have that pathway.




Q: What can you tell us about your work on Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn?


A: That was my first time working on a production of that size. It was stressful. I’m not sure they knew how much I was just winging it, heh. It was awesome though, we had a lot of creative freedom, and an excellent team. I learnt a lot about production management, and gained an appreciation for logistics and producer roles.




Q: You have worked with 2D animation, 3D animation, live action, and have combined all of them together. Looking at your works from Funky Bunny Breakdance to Miyazaki is my Dad!. How do you feel about your growth over the years? What advice can you give to animators on Newgrounds?


A: It’s crazy looking back. I miss the feeling of starting out, when making some goofy little animation was this great achievement. And then staying up all night with buddies, trying to get our submission to make it through the portal. It felt like it was going to take forever, to be good enough to make something that wouldn’t get blamed. I remember seeing this janky animation of a baby crawling in the Flash 4 tutorial help, and being blown away that they could animate a character with different body parts like that. I feel nostalgic for that time, when so much was undiscovered.


I think my advice is, you don’t have to feel shitty about your animation skills, or how you measure up to other people. Any skill you want in animation, is something you can learn. That’s all it is, just something you haven’t learnt yet. And learning it is pretty fun.




Q: What is in your opinion, the definition of animation?

A: hm shit I’ll have a crack at this one:


The art of edited, stylised movement applied to screen


How’s that?




Q: What can we expect from JamesLee in the future?


A: More Nox. More Nox stories and lore.




We now come to the questionnaire invented by French talk show host Bernard Pivot, and adapted by my idol James Lipton.


Q: What's your favorite word?

A: fffffffUUUUUCK


Q: What is your least favorite word?

A: I dunno diplodocus sounds pretty shit and an even shitter name for a dinosaur


Q: What turns you on?

A: subs


Q: What turns you off?

A: marvel movies


Q: What sound or noise do you love?

A: citypop


Q: What sound or noise do you hate?

A: People who sneeze so loud, it’s like they’re being hit by a car


Q: What's your favorite curse word?

A: doodle


Q: What job or profession would you most like to take rather than your own?

A: A musician


Q: What job or profession would you least like to take?

A: adobe beta tester


Q: If Heaven exists, what would you like God to say to you when you arrive at the pearly gates?

A: sup slut




James has always been a favorite animator of mine here on Newgrounds. His art and animation alone speak for themselves. His writing and comedic timing is absolutely hilarious and dramatic. From bigwig robots getting a beat down by a boy of tar, Batman beating up bronies, to a subscribe button being chased down for a click. Whenever you watch something by JamesLee, you know you're in for a good time, or at least a strange time. He is one of the masters of animation here on Newgrounds.




The Interviewer is a part of Dohn's Desk Productions

SUPPORT ON PATREON | SUPPORT NEWGROUNDS ]


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Posted by TheInterviewer - September 13th, 2023


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Interview No. 188

Interview By: @The-Great-One

Patreon Post Date: September 13, 2023


Today's guest is one of the hardest working animators here on Newgrounds who at the time of this post is working on five individual series. Beyond the Fog, Chaotic Heart, Solace, Mix 'n' Match, and Bear-bot, which is still in development. His works involve a remarkable array of characters and worlds. I am most pleased to welcome writer, animator, and all around talent that is @9Hammer.




Q: We begin at the beginning. When and where were you born?


A: I was born in 1996 in South Florida.




Q: What do your parents do for a living?


A: For both parents, they both do accounting.




Q: Around what age did television and cartoons start to inspire your love for the craft of animation? What was it about these cartoons that drew you in?


A: At a young age, I was heavily into Spongebob Squarepants and Fairly Odd Parents. Something about the show's vibrant color palettes and grounded humor drew me into continuous bouts of viewing experiences.




Q: How did you find Newgrounds and why did you join?


A: I discovered Newgrounds at elementary school, though never made an account. Played games on it for some time, then High school came around and I decided to join Newgrounds for its helpful animation community in 2012.




Q: What can you tell us about Muffin and Banana- Pilot?


A: The pilot itself was more of a one-off idea I had in math class in High School where it was an attempt at anti-humor. Sadly, and understandably, it fell flat since I barely knew how to construct a set-up and punchline.




Q: Almost a year later you would also post Draw Anything. Why this gap between submissions?


A: The gap, from what I can recall, was mainly me stepping back to focus more on mathematic studies (which I still practice to this day). It was mainly me stepping away from animating to focus on schooling, but in a way, it helped incubate my animation mind a bit.




Q: What brought you to Valencia College? What have you studied there?


A: After a 4-year gap between High School and college, I decided that it’s best to start college studies. This was mainly because I graduated the youngest in my class, and didn’t feel confident about college yet. Nonetheless, I studied art and design to help construct the building blocks of my artistic and design abilities.




Q: You would intern for the Santo Design Group. For the artists and animators here on Newgrounds, what did you do as an intern there? How has this internship helped you and do you recommend interning? Why or why not?


A: The internship definitely helped with understanding what’s behind the curtain in the industry. We mainly handled social media posts, created graphic designs, and helped with other in-house studio needs. Interning helps, and given the opportunity during your schooling, i heavily suggest it. The opposite is also true where if you are out of school (or have the skillset & no degree), it’s probably best to go for a paying job with a portfolio.




Q: There's a lot to unpack here, I just want to know the start. What was the transition from Valencia to University of Central Florida?


A: Ah, during COVID, I had to finish my classes online at Valencia. From there, it was admittedly a nightmare to get through the transition, but that’s dealt with. There was a lot of pressure and some stressors that came about during the quarantine era with housing and the overal transition, but I was able to go in-person to UCF after all was said and done.




Q: Procedural Movements of Odanates - nature of the movement of a dragonfly. This is an incredible project I want to know more about. How did it begin? What is it? What can you tell us about the work you've done on it?


A: This project came about from my recent studies in college with insects. If I were to also side major for entomology, I would’ve, but nonetheless, I decided to showcase the movements of a dragonfly with code. In Autodesk Maya, there is a scripting language called MEL, and using various lines of code, and a model with animated movements, I was able to illustrate how a dragonfly would move and wander in 3D space.




Q: What can you tell us about your work on The Oniyanna and working with Jason Laureano?


A: This project, which we’re currently brushing up on, is an introduction to an outer space team of two. Jason is also a close friend of mine whom I met at college, and we worked on this project with a few others to deliver a 3D animation based on a space-like interior look.




Q: What is Sleeping Rabbits?


A: Sleeping Rabbit’s is my music alias (and also on FA), but it’s mainly a different name for that scope of work.




Q: We now come to your first series on Newgrounds. Beyond the Fog. Where did the idea come from?


A: This idea came about after I graduated High School. The tagline “A Tale of Dissociation” came about from leaving schooling and everyone going their separate ways. I decided to take this idea through my gap years and built on in constantly.




Q: Starting at Beyond the Fog: Episode 2 - Astray at Sea, it is amazing how we go from the high seas to the high skies. What made you employ air ships and sky isles? Was it a barrier to keep Abyss away from Sen and Valerie? Why airships instead of a secluded island on the sea?


A: It’s funny actually. The initial idea with the scripting left a lot of room for interpretation as nowhere in the script was the idea of ‘water’ relevant. In the production of Episode 2’s storyboards, I came up with the idea of sky ships and isles. The idea would soon open my horizons to other ways of conveying the story, and here we are. Honestly, one of the best accidents I’ve implemented into a story.




Q: When can we expect Beyond the Fog: Episode 8? Could you give us the title as a teaser?


A: The title itself is under “Beyond the Fog: Advent”. This itself will be the conclusive episode to the series that was originally scripted, though I’m hoping to get it out by the end of 2023.




Q: We step into a world that gives me vibes of a Dungeons & Dragons campaign in the series Chaotic Heart. How did you go about building this world? Which came first; the setting, characters, or story?


A: The characters actually came first in this instance. Kai and Indigo - witch and hat respectively - were one of my favorite new characters to draw in 2017. From there, I had the characters down, and then a story of them fighting another enemy came about from a bunch of doodles.




Q: Chaotic Heart has a lot of characters. My favorite though is Indigo. Where did the inspiration behind the cat come from?


A: The inspiration actually came about out of happenstance. I thought of a character that was clairvoyant with eyes at the back of a character’s head. Thus, indigo was called into existence. Cappy from Mario Odyssey only furthered the validation for the character after that point.




Q: When The-Super-Flash-Bros were here we talked about the iconic series Another Day. You would bring us your own wholesome series with Solace. When asked why they made the series, the answer was for fun. What made you want to make Solace? Is there a part of you in these characters in this series?


A: Solace came about on a trip across the waters to Mexico in 2018. During the trip, I found the classical works of Ralph Vaughan Williams and attributed a new rabbit character to the music. The entire trip was me spilling out the ideas for the character in drawings and doodles. From there, other characters came about and stories were conceived.




Q: My favorite series by you is absolutely Mix 'n' Match. The first episode is one of the funniest things I've ever seen on Newgrounds. Where did this idea come from? How did you come up with the characters Mix 'n' Match? When can we expect the next episode?


A: Mix’n’Match came about during a halftime break at an Orlando basketball game in 2019. I had a note pad and a festering idea of a mouse baker, so putting pen to paper created the primitive design of the character Mix.




Q: A philosophy behind writing is that if you have great characters, the stories write themselves. Do you believe this? How do you come up with your characters?


A: I believe it greatly since the characters are the main characters we follow around most of the time. This itself shapes the environment from our perspective and can create compelling, intimate stories.




Q: When Monocrom was here we talked about his project A little ghost story. He described his writing as old school, using a notebook with events and a pen. When the event was completed, the event was crossed off. Once all the events were crossed off, the story was complete. You on the other hand have done work on four series, with a fifth one on the way. Are there any similarities with this method in your writing? How would you describe your writing process? Is it the same for all the series or are they different?


A: The way I get around to writing multiple stories at a time comes from my lifelong aspiration to tell new and original stories. In the wake of the 2018 start of my first original series, I started to practice constantly and fail a bunch with writing. The fear of failure was definitely a hurdle to cross, but I put that fear to the wayside after constant practice in my writing. This spans for all and future series too.




Q: What can you tell us about the upcoming series Bear-bot?


A: This upcoming series will definitely be one of my ambitious series, but I’ll say that it’ll be a very action-oriented series with combat galore.




Q: With working on Bear-bot, you will be writing, animating, and directing a total of five series. What makes you want to take on such huge workload?


A: This work ethos actually came about by happenstance with my ambition to be a constant learner. Taking a lot of facets in my day-to-day (reading, music making, cycling, work-life balance scheduling) helped with fostering a positive, efficient, and healthy mindset for art. There’s a lot I can say and aspire to talk about on this matter, but I will say that it comes about from constant disciplinary practices in and outside the field of art. You have to make the time for it over time to be motivated to tackle a lot of passion projects.




Q: What advice do you have to give the different writers and animators of Newgrounds that you wish you knew when starting out?


A: Drink water, I suppose. Keep the mind sharp any way you can!




Q: What can we expect from 9Hammer in the future?


A: A lot more new stories, art, and music. I don’t have any plans on stopping this momentum.




We now come to the questionnaire invented by French talk show host Bernard Pivot, and adapted by my idol James Lipton.


Q: What's your favorite word?

A: Intrinsic.


Q: What is your least favorite word?

A: Overrated.


Q: What turns you on?

A: Books.


Q: What turns you off?

A: “Hey Nine! Are you afraid of 7?”


Q: What sound or noise do you love?

A: The sound of an A add9 chord.


Q: What sound or noise do you hate?

A: Nail tapping.


Q: What's your favorite curse word?

A: “Damn”. Alternatively, “Dayum”.


Q: What job or profession would you most like to take rather than your own?

A: I would likely go for a modeling job. I find myself modeling mundane objects in my room, so something of that nature would be nice.


Q: What job or profession would you least like to take?

A: Call Center job.


Q: If Heaven exists, what would you like God to say to you when you arrive at the pearly gates?

A: It would be akin to a one-word response from a discord user in a DM: “hey”




At the start of this interview I stated 9Hammer is one of the hardest working animators here on the site. I still stand by that statement. To see how much he puts into production of each series is incredible. With each one being a small tidbit from high school, or evolving small little doodles into something grand. It astounds me. I remember when he announced he was working on Mix 'n' Match, which would be the fourth series he would be doing. When researching this interview, he was working on his fifth, while still putting work into the other four!? 9Hammer is an absolute machine.




The Interviewer is a part of Dohn's Desk Productions

SUPPORT ON PATREON | SUPPORT NEWGROUNDS ]


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Posted by TheInterviewer - September 7th, 2023


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Interview No. 187

Interview By: @The-Great-One

Patreon Post Date: August 30, 2023


[ PART 1 | PART 2 ]




Q: You have been asked for your advice on voice acting in the past. Part of your advice was to just do it. You have sited Rob Paulsen's Talkin' Toons and Dee Bradley Baker's I Want To Be A Voice Actor!. This would be back in 2019. In 2021 when you were asked about how to make demo reel you would talk about timing, genre, and characters and use your Character Demo 2021 as an example. Do you still agree with the advice you have given in 2019? Has how you grew as a voice actor changed with your demo reel advice in 2021? Could you elaborate more on your advice for new voice actors and those interested to voice act for the current year 2023?


A: In regards to my advice from 2019, it still rings true. When it comes to getting started in your voice acting career, the best route is to just DO IT! People will come up with every excuse in the book to not try and pursue voice acting. “I’m not good enough,” how do you know, you’ve never tried! “I don’t have a good mic,” and? Use for phone for the time being, look up cheaper mics that are perfect for beginners and continue to upgrade as you improve. I started with a USB mic from my Guitar Hero World Tour game (NO JOKE!). “I’m not talented enough.” I can guarantee ANYONE that Tom Kenny (Voice of SpongeBob) was not good when he started. Voice acting takes a lot of studying and training to improve. I SUCKED when I started, and I like to see that I’ve improved a lot over the years, it takes time! Don’t be afraid to just try it and see how you like it! If you don’t like it, you can say, “Hey, I tried, it’s not for me,” or it can motivate you to improve and become a great voice actor!


In regards to demo reels, a lot of the advice stills holds as well. The timing is the most important thing. You NEVER want to rush into making a demo and NEVER make it yourself. It’s always best to have someone help you create one, someone who has experience in the industry and making demo reels. In reels, depending on what type of demo you’re making (animation, video game, commercial, audio book, character), you wants to show off your best voices, but more importantly, you want to show off your ACTING. Acting is the most important thing in the craft. If you can’t act, you won’t make it as a voice actor. For commercial reels, acting is a component, but also understanding the various reads and styles that go into commercial spots in vital. The final thing with demos, you ALWAYS want to include your natural voice, and always showcase it first. Don’t hide it behind other voices, let the casting director, or team, know your voice right away.




Q: You would join Fro's podcast, The Dom and Fro Show in Episode 5 to talk about Fro's skit No Slip Canes!. What was it like to work with Fro on this skit?


A: It was really fun working on No Slip Canes! The best part of that skit was the fact that it was one of the first skits we produced for the very first Newgrounds Voice Ating Collab! Fro wrote the script years ago and thought it would be perfect for the collab. So I recorded the main dialogue, @NickSenny and @KidKerrigan recorded the secondary dialogue and I edited it! Fro enjoyed it so much that wanted to put it on the Dom and Fro Show. It was his story after all, but I was happy that we let listeners hear it early and give them a taste of the collab!




Q: As an interviewer and part of Off The Wall I am still new to podcasting. You would go onto interview Aaron-Long in Episode 9 of The Dom and Fro Show. You sound like a natural though. Does voice acting make this transition easier or is there something special that it takes?


A: Going into that interview with Aaron, I had a bunch of podcasting experience under my belt already. I was a part of two podcasts prior and I’ve always enjoyed recording them.It’s always been natural to just strike up a conversation and hold that conversation with a person. Plus, I’m a big Aaron Long fan, so having that opportunity to ask him questions about Sublo and Tangy Mustard, Bojack Horseman and Tuca and Berdie made it super easy to talk with him! I feel that being outgoing and comfortable speaking with others goes a long way in podcasting!




Q: You would serve as a guest and then later on become a host. How did you become a part of The Newgrounds Podcast?


A: Man, I LOVED being a part of NGP. I’m very thankful for that experience and to be a part of the team! So, I was actually talking to our mutual buddy @JohnnyGuy, and he mentioned how NGP was looking to branch out further and what ideas could work for future episodes. I mentioned to Johnny that I would love to help them out if they ever needed it, whether it be a guest host, or coming up with topics/segments that they could use for episodes. Well, Johnny being the awesome dude he is, agreed that I would be a good host, and he went ahead and mentioned to @WillKMR and @GoodL that I was interested in helping out with NGP. The crew discussed the possibility of me coming on and it was unanimous, even though I think @PsychoGoldfish wanted me to f off ha! Totally kidding. We all jumped on a voice chat and the guys welcomed me aboard! The timing was bitter sweet though because GoodL also let everyone know that he would be stepping down from hosting. I would go on to be a host on the podcast for over a year and I met a lot of amazing people along the way and connected with the community further which was amazing. I honestly believe that if it wasn’t for NGP, I would have never appeared in @Pelo’s Spooky Month as Bob Velseb. I met Pelo through the podcast and we connected after our interview with him. NGP was good to me and it will ALWAYS hold a special place in my heart. I love NGP!




Q: We now come to one of your biggest contributions to the site. The Newgrounds Voice Acting Collaborations. A project started in 2020 and has been going strong since then. I love that it brings a lot of voice actors to the spotlight here on Newgrounds. There are people I have never heard of who participate in these collabs. What was your thought process behind starting the collabs? What news is there of 2023's Voice Acting Collaboration?


A: The Newgrounds Voice Acting Collaboration is one of the greatest accomplishments of my career and Newgrounds. Before it was a collab, I simply wanted to put together audio skits that me and fellow voice actors of Newgrounds could voice on. It would be a way for me to meet other voice actors, improve my craft and grow my presence on the site. However, during one of the animation jams (I believe it was either the Pet jam or Elon Musk jam?), it dawned on me that there’s never been a collaboration solely for voice actors. So, I pieced together a simple concept for the 2020 NGVAC, posted about it in the voice acting forums and waited to see if anyone would bite. Thankfully, @NickSenny would be the first one to reach out about wanting to be a part of the collab. Then more and more voice actors reached out about wanting to voice in it. Then Fro reached out and offered to write a few skits for us. Next thing I know, we have 22 audio skits lined up and we have an assortment of voice actors, writers and composers. I was mind blown about how many people wanted to participate, how well it was executed and how well received it was by the Newgrounds community. I was so proud of what we did, and what we did in ‘21 and ‘22. I’m so proud that I created a platform for the Newgrounds voice acting community. I gave them a place to showcase what they can do, practice their craft and meet fellow voice actors like I initially wanted to do when I was starting out. It’s honestly a blessing that we’ve had the collab run for three years! I’m so grateful to the team who’s helped me put it together, you guys are the best <3 As of right now, we don’t have anything lined up for 2023, but we’ve had some recent talks about establishing a new format and trying to release a mini collab by the end of the year. It could ultimately evolve how we do the NGVAC and make it easier to manage! Keep your ears peeled for news about it!




Q: What has the experience been like working on these collaborations with all of these different voice actors?


A: It’s truly been a blessing. I’ve met some AMAZING voice actors through the collaboration. I’ve got to listen to, and experience, the amazing voice acting talent this website has to offer. I’ve been able to bask in the final product that these awesome voice actors helped put together! It truly is a testament to how badass voice actors are what they’re capable of doing with their talents. One of the coolest experiences from the collab is that I got to work with one of Newgrounds idols @AlmightyHans. I’ve always enjoyed his voice acting work and I looked up to him when I was starting. I got to voice in a skit with him and that was truly awesome!




Q: Your talents became quite known throughout the Musk Jam. You would bring the voice of Elon Musk and others to Elon's secret roomElon's Nu-HumanFat and MuskyThe New Tesla Model, and the winning entry of the jam, Son Of The Musk. How did you come about voicing this many entries? The workload alone must have been incredible.


A: Honestly, just being proactive! I was in the forum post daily looking for animators who needed help on their submissions. I made it known that I wanted to provide voices and help out in any way possible. That allowed me to secure the roles I voiced in those submissions! Being proactive during the Musk Jam produced the opportunity to work with the legend @Bowz and introduced me to my buddy @BoyPorcelain! You never know what can happen if you put yourself out there and ask!




Q: All the way back in 1999, Tom Fulp would give us Pico vs Bear. Dungeonation would work on bring us a remake of the game PICO VS BEAR DX. You would supply the voice of Tom's most iconic character, Pico. How did you come to voice Pico? What was it like working on this game?


A: This is the beauty of my last statement. You never know what can happen if you put yourself out there and ask! At this point in time, I barely knew Dungeon, but we chatted on Discord in NG related servers before. One day, Dungeon mentioned that he wanted to remake Pico vs Bear for Pico Day. I told him that was a badass idea and he should take on that task, as well as others! So he did and started providing some assets, and wips, of his early development. Me, looking for any opportunity to help out with a NG project, I asked Dungeon if he planned on having any sound bits for Pico. He told me yes and I asked if I could do it for him. He agreed to me helping, provided the sound he wanted for Pico and I created small audio bits for the game! He loved them and I was set to be the voice of Pico in DX, a dream come true, getting to voice PICO!!! Well, Dungeon continued developing and showed me the in-game dialogue he was writing for the remake. Me, being the proactive voice actor i am, asked Dungeon if he wanted to have the dialogue fully voiced. I feel he was hesitant at first, but I told him I could help find voices for Darnell and Nene and he was in. So I found the actors, recorded my dialogue for Pico and the rest is history. This was a blessing for sure, getting the chance to voice the legendary, staple character of Newgrounds, Tom’s main guy. I’m so grateful that Dungeon gave me the opportunity to voice Pico, it’s allowed me to voice in more projects since then! However, voicing Pico in DX has been my most memorable performance because it was the first performance for me and I had a blast bringing his voice to life. Seeing the community praise the voice and my effort meant a lot to me.




Q: When and how did you meet SrPelo? When did you become a part of the Spooky Month saga voicing Bob Velseb in Spooky Month - Tender treats? What is it like working with SrPelo? Did he have an idea in mind for this character who was once seen and not heard or did it come from you?


A: So as stated earlier, I met Pelo through NGP! Will was able to secure an interview with him and I was brought on to co-host the episode. The interview, I believe, is still the most listened to NGP episode on Newgrounds and the YouTube channel! We talked with Pelo for a little over an hour and we had a blast chatting with him! After the episode, I reached out to him and just thanked him for coming on to the show. During the show, we made it known that I’m a voice actor and I do voices. So in my DMs with him, I told him that I’d love to help him with voices if he ever needed the help. Graciously, Pelo told me that he would definitely put me on his list of voice actors because he’s always looking for new VAs to help him out! I was pumped and grateful that he didn’t turn me down. After that conversation, I stayed in touch with Pelo throughout the year, mainly minor chats here and there. There weren’t any voice over requests from Pelo though and Spooky Month 4 came and went. It wasn’t the end of the world for me though because I know Pelo has his team and had his actors already! I remained in contact with Pelo though, just to keep myself on his mind if he ever needed help with voices. Then, in February of 2022, his production team reached out to me and asked me if I wanted to voice a character appearing in the next Spooky Month named Bob Velseb. I was ELATED at the message and I HAPPILY accepted! Working on the show was an absolute blast. Pelo already had a voice in mind for Bob and we quickly landed on the voice you hear in the episode. Recording the lines was an absolute blast and hearing Pelo’s reaction to them was even better. I constantly thank Pelo for the opportunity to voice Bob in Spooky Month. It has opened doors for me simply because he gave me a platform to showcase what I can do as a voice actor!




Q: I have one piece of ridiculousness I would like to know more about. What can you tell me about Important Announcement and what is the story behind Bro-son's inspiration?


A: HAHAHAHAHA!!! So I know this is really random, but @Bro-son posted this silly story on his Instagram one day. I saw it, laughed my butt off and I knew I had to record it. So, that’s what I did and that’s what led to the ridiculousness of that upload!




Q: Ceevro has a series of singalongs here on Newgrounds. One involving a sea shanty entitled Barrett's Privateers Singalong. You have started the Sea Shanty Collab!. Any news on this collaboration?


A: Man, I wish I had a lot to report on the Sea Shanty Collab. As of right now, it’s still a idea that’s floating around. We’ve had people show interest, and I’ve had a few people wanting to help me and get the ball rolling, but we just haven’t been as proactive as we need to be. I really want to bring this collab to life because I LOVE sea shanties and I feel it would be a fun collab to put together! It would be a great collab for composers and vocalists to just have some fun performing, and singing, sea shanties! I’m hoping we get this thing completed. It may not be completed this year, but maybe we’ll see it in 2024.




Q: We are nearing the end of this interview. You have celebrated 200 Fans400 Fans, and 800 Fans. You are nearing 3,000 Fans here on the site. You gave us a recap of your time on Newgrounds with a Pico Day entry entitled A Homage to Newgrounds - Pico Day 2021. Although you signed up in 2008, you have taken Newgrounds by storm as of late, celebrating your 100th movie and doing more since then. Reviewing your growth over these years and the making of your homage, is the reason you joined the same as why you have stayed with the site for so long?




A: Absolutely, I joined Newgrounds because I loved watching the animations, playing the games and being part of an awesome community. Now, I get to be in those animations, games and even songs now! I’ve connected with the community further and they’ve allowed me to entertain them all these years. I always say this, and I always mean it, my Newgrounds followers are the most important to me. You guys truly care about the work that’s put on the site and your support means the world to every creator. You guys push us to be the best we can be at all times and allow us to grow in our crafts. I honestly wouldn’t be where I am today without Newgrounds and this community. Newgrounds gave me a platform to show what I can do and provided me with my first voice acting opportunities. This site is the best and I’ll always love it. Nothing will tear me away from Newgrounds. I plan on voicing Newgrounds content until you guys don’t want me anymore, and even then, I’ll still upload my work here! I’m a Newgrounds member for life! Thank you guys for all your love, and support, over the years and allowing me to show you my talents and my love for voice acting. You guys helped me get to where I am. I’m grateful for every single member who’s crossed my path and supports me!




Q: What can we expect from VoicesByCorey in the future?


A: Hopefully more and more voice acting work! You should be hearing me in more animations, and games, on the site soon! I’m hoping to land representation too and open more doors in my career. We’ll see!




We now come to the questionnaire invented by French talk show host Bernard Pivot, and adapted by my idol James Lipton.


Q: What's your favorite word?

A: Dream


Q: What is your least favorite word?

A: Stop


Q: What turns you on?

A: Positivity


Q: What turns you off?

A: Negativity


Q: What sound or noise do you love?

A: The voices of my daughter and son


Q: What sound or noise do you hate?

A: My wife’s voice - KIDDING! XD - Probably an alarm clock, the old school, loud ones that wake you up in a state of fear


Q: What's your favorite curse word?

A: FUCK! :D


Q: What job or profession would you most like to take rather than your own?

A: If I was still able to, I would play professional baseball


Q: What job or profession would you least like to take?

A: The guy who shovels elephant crap at the zoo


Q: If Heaven exists, what would you like God to say to you when you arrive at the pearly gates?

A: “Well done my good and faithful servant”…Praise my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! <3




Seeing a movie or game with VoicesByCorey in the credits is a real treat. You never know which character or characters that he's going to play. It's fun to play a game and try to find him. It's also a hard game to play because he's never truly defined or typecast to one specific style. He's ever changing to whatever the character looks like, acts like, and talks like. For him to describe the process behind his work is outstanding. He truly is this site's Mel Blanc. If you need a voice actor in your project, then Corey is your guy, for sure.




[ PART 1 | PART 2 ]




The Interviewer is a part of Dohn's Desk Productions

SUPPORT ON PATREON | SUPPORT NEWGROUNDS ]


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12

Posted by TheInterviewer - September 7th, 2023


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Interview No. 187

Interview By: @The-Great-One

Patreon Post Date: August 30, 2023


Today's guest has been the voice actor of over 100 Newgrounds movies, and including games and audio projects well over 300 projects on Newgrounds. With works on Mordecai and Rigby doing salvia, the Evangelion Collab, for which he shared the Triple Crown of Daily Feature, Weekly 1st Place, and Review Crew Pick, and Hellion: Oxenfree (PILOT). This is just a small sample of his work and to try and categorize it further to borrow a phrase would be like trying to catch lightning in a butterfly net. I am most eager and privileged to welcome, @VoicesByCorey.


[ PART 1 | PART 2 ]




Q: We begin as always at the beginning. Where and when were you born?


A: Orange, California, lived in Southern California for 30 years before moving.




Q: What did your parents do for a living?


A: Well, my mom and step-dad are both Inspectors, and they turned me onto it. My dad is currently retired and my step-mom works with LA County Probation and is high up in their ranks.




Q: Did you play around with voices when you were younger? Which voices?


A: All the time! I would mainly do silly voices to make people laugh, but the main voices I first learned were, in order, Eric Cartman, Sonic the Hedgehog (Ryan Drummond’s voice) and SpongeBob SquarePants!




Q: What brought you to the University of San Diego? What did you acquire a Master's Degree in?


A: So I went to the University of San Diego to play baseball! I played there my final two years of my undergraduate schooling. I went to a Junior College in Cypress, CA my first two years. I earned my Master’s Degree in Sports Management.




Q: When and what drew you to the pursuit of voice acting?


A: I’ve always been interested in voice acting. One of the main things that got me into the craft was hearing Robin Williams as Genie in Aladdin. In the 90’s Robin was in EVERY kids movie, so I knew his voice distinctly. When I heard his voice in Aladdin, I asked my dad how Robin’s voice was there, but not himself physically. My dad explained voice over to me and I thought it was really cool they could do that! What drove me to actually pick up a mic and begin my career in voice over was Rob Paulsen. He had a voice acting podcast called ‘Talkin’ Toons’ and I loved listening to it. He had big name voice actors on and when asked how they got started, they always answered, “I just did it!” So, the podcast encouraged me to, “Just do it,” and it’s one of the best things I’ve ever decided to do.




Q: You found Newgrounds through the animation Blockhead. The series TANKMEN would keep your interest. Why did you decide to join Newgrounds?


A: Well, when I first came to Newgrounds, it was 2002, so I was at the age where silly cartoons peaked my interest and Newgrounds had PLENTY of silly animations. Plus, I LOVED flash games and, of course, Newgrounds had a plethora of them too! It was, and still is, a great site to keep yourself entertained!




Q: You originally joined Newgrounds under the name LeVi422. You would go on to change your name to VoicesByCorey. Both usernames are based off your real name. Why did you make the change? Is there significance to the 422 in your username?


A: Yeah! Levi was, of course, derived from my last name LeVier, and the 422 is my two favorite numbers combined, 4 and 22. I will say, my latest favorite number is 28 though (it was my number when I played baseball in college). I remained LeVi422 when I started my career in 2013, but I decided to change my name when I began to take my voice acting career seriously. I wanted to create a brand and have a name that represented my craft. Hence why I switched my name to VoicesByCorey! It’s direct and lets everyone know what I specialize in, voices! I feel if I didn’t make that switch, I wouldn’t have grown as much as I did in my career on Newgrounds.




Q: How did you become associated with the Casting Call Club?


A: When I started branching outside of Newgrounds, I wanted to find sites that would provide paid casting calls. I already knew of Voice Acting Club thanks to Kira Buckland, but fellow voice actors I met suggested Casting Call Club. It’s a great site to find paid and non-paid casting calls. If you’re just looking to get some experience under your belt and practice your auditioning skills, it’s a great site to be on!




Q: You would collaborate with Cerberus Creative on a number of projects. One of the earliest projects you would share with us would be Camp Rogain VA Demo. What was the project you were working on? What can you tell us about working with Cerberus Creative?


A: I owe a lot to the Cerberus Creative team. They were the first team to hire me for my voice over services! They originally hired me to voice Camp Rogain in their mod for Arma 3. Unfortunately, they recast the role without telling, but they made up for it by hiring me as a lead in the mod! I ended up voicing Mikalis Drakon, the Greek leader of the Freedom and Independence Party. My character guided the MC during the final two missions of the mod campaign. Cerberus Creative created this mod for a contest put on by the creators of Arma 3, Bohemia Interactive. Our mod was submitted into the campaign category and we placed first in the contest! It was awesome to be a part of and Cerberus Creative made my first voice over experience meaningful.




Q: The first movie you would voice act for would win the Daily Feature, Review Crew Pick, and Weekly 2nd Place awards. You would voice Butt-Head in Mordecai and Rigby doing salvia. How did you meet MartinFelice? What was it like working with him? Looking back on this movie, what would you have done differently as a voice actor?


A: I actually met Martin through Newgrounds! He posted in the voice acting forum stating he needed voice actors who could impersonate Beavis and Butt-Head. I reached out immediately because I knew I could do both voices. He thankfully cast me as Butt-Head and the rest is history! I love that animation because it was one of my first Newgrounds toons and it was animated incredibly well! If I could have done anything differently as a voice actor, I would have listened to Butt-Head a bit more so I could pinpoint the nuances of his voice. I feel there were times where my performance didn’t hold up to Mike Judge standards.




Q: How did you come to work on FreaksOUT!? What is it like to voice two different characters in the same movie?


A: I landed the roles of Mayor Chill and Uriel the same way I did with Butt-Head! WINprince posted a help wanted message in the voice acting forum and I jumped right on it! Thankfully he gave me the roles! It’s actually really cool getting to voice multiple characters in animations! It’s happened quite a few times throughout my career and it always puts a smile on my face. The cool thing with Mayor and Uriel is the face they had accents! Mayor was British and Uriel was Irish, so I got to play around with accents for the first time as a voice actor!




Q: One of my favorites by you has to be King's Drive Audio Play. It is incredible to hear this calm voice turn into a desperate despicable character bit by bit. How did you come to meet Seth Bramwell. What drew you to this character?


A: If I’m not mistaken, I met Seth through Newgrounds as well! I wouldn’t be surprised if I was cast through the voice acting forum again! I truly enjoyed being a part of King’s Drive because it was my first attempt at an audio drama, which I’ve always loved. I also got to show off my emotional range for the first time as a voice actor! I feel that’s ultimately what drew me to the audio drama. Getting to portray a character who seems like an ordinary driver, but turns out to be a psycho who wants revenge for his daughter’s death. It was intriguing getting to bring that transformation to life! The only thing I didn’t like about it was my audio ha! I recorded half the audio in my makeshift recording space, and the second half I recorded at a studio my cousin owned, so it sounds WAY better than my home recording! The overall product was fantastic though, I was very proud to be a part of it!




Q: JoshDytonVO is a favorite voice actor of mine here on the site. You would get to work with him on Space Quest. How and when did you meet Josh and become a part of Space Quest?


A: JOSHY BOY! First off, I absolutely LOVE Josh, and he’s one of my best friends, even though we’ve never met in real life! He’s one of the reasons I’m still voice acting today. Him and our other buddy, @NickSenny, have continued to push me to be the best voice actor I can be and they’ve supported me through everything. I’m so thankful for those two dudes, much love to my brothers! <3


I met Josh through a project we both worked on! We were both cast in the base defense game Space Raiders in Space. Funny enough, Nick was cast in the game as well! It was the first project we got to work on as a trio. I voiced the lead, Andy, Nick voiced the hilarious surfer bro Jimmy and Josh was the charismatic, and flirty Narrator. We all agreed that we should start our own group, make projects and voice in them! That’s how we created our trio team, Cerberus. Now, I don’t know if Josh created Space Quest solely for us, but I do know it was an idea he had for awhile. Him and Nick voiced in the first episode, and Josh asked me to voice in the second episode, which I happily agreed to voice in! It’s always a pleasure working with my buddies. I’m hoping we get another episode of Space Quest soon!




Q: You would use your voice to compete here on Newgrounds under the 13th Voice Acting Contest. The theme was Horror. You would end up placing 6th in the contest. What is the difference in using your voice in competition versus a project?


A: I would say the biggest difference between a project submission and competition submission is solely the writing! Not only did I have to come up with voices, but I had to put together a story that was compelling and fit within the parameters put in place by the judges! I wrote a story based on a concept I’ve had for a while. To me, I didn’t execute it the way I wanted to, and it didn’t really fit within the Horror theme they asked for. If I could go back and record it again, I definitely would and make adjustments to my story. Another key difference are restrictions you’ll have in a competition. We have a time limit and it affected my submission because I had to leave out crucial story details to fit within the time limit. When you’re in a project, it can be as long as you want it to be!




Q: You would go from competitor to judge in the 14th Voice Acting Contest. How did you form a process in judging voice actors skills?


A: Thankfully, LuckyDee, who orchestrated the contest, put together a grading scale for us so we could examine every component of a submission. We would focus on the voices, then the acting, then how they fit within the story, then the story itself, then their editing of the submission. There was so much that went into judging and it was a lot of fun too! It also put into perspective what I should be focusing on when I record for an audition, or project!




Q: One series you have done a lot of work for would be In the Shadow of the Valley. What can you tell us about M.M.M. Studios and how you became a part of this project? What's it like working on a large series?


A: M.M.M. Studios was great to work with on ‘In the Shadow of the Valley!’ I found them through Casting Call Club and auditioned for the lead Martin. Thankfully I was cast in the role and got to participate in another audio drama, my biggest one to date! The cool thing about the audio drama is that it’s based on a book written by the head of M.M.M. Studios! The story is a prequel to another book written by the same person! It was really fun to be a part of it, but it was a lot of work! We recorded 30 chapters for the audio drama and I had a lot of dialogue to record being the lead. The final episode had me record over 120 lines if I remember correctly! It was a great experience for sure, not only for my voice acting, but my audio editing skills too! I got into a groove with editing because of this project!




Q: You and I not only have a friend in common, but a project as well. How and when did you meet Fro? What was it like for you working on THE FROLLAB - The Father of Forums?


A: I met my Corey counterpart through the Voice Acting Collaboration! Fro offered to write some skits for us to record and the rest is history! Fro is a TREMENDOUS writer and I always enjoy seeing what he puts together. Some of my favorite audio skits from the NGVACs, like ‘The Pretenders,’ were written by Fro. Aside from the NGVAC, I worked with Fro on his podcast, ‘The Dom and Fro Show,’ and we interviewed Aaron Long! Fro is an awesome dude, and I’m glad I can call him my friend. He’s a great representation of what every Corey should be like.


I loved working on The Frollab! I had the chance to narrate the story put together by all the collaborators! I narrated the first half, while my buddy Geoff Galneda narrated the second half! It was hilarious and an awesome tribute to Fro!




Q: On the subject of Fro, on the Off The Wall podcast hosted by ThatJohnnyGuy and myself we talked to Fro about a project you two would be a part of. One of the funniest damn songs I have ever heard on Newgrounds. What can you tell us about I'm a Simp For You by The Simpletons?


A: Hahaha! ‘I’m A Simp For You,’ was all derived in the Newgrounds Podcast Server if I remember correctly. Me, Fro, PyschoGoldfish, and a few others, were talking about how dumb it was that people were buying bath water from Belle Delphine. It turned into a whole discussion of how weird some people can be and how awesome it would be if we made a song about it. So, we sat there writing lyrics for an hour or so while MrSnuggles put together a catchy track! The Simpletons created the best simp song ever and it was the biggest hit EVER on Newgrounds. Sadly, we let the fame get to our heads and we disbanded after we released the track. We’ve talked about getting back together for a world tour, but Fro didn’t want to leave his cat at home, which is understandable.




Q: You would sing alongside with other Newgrounds members with another hilarious song. How did you become a part of the song Welcome to Ram Ranch - Cloppin' Clyde? What was it like to work on it?


A: I was fortunate to work on Ram Ranch simply because @TeraVex is a homie! Tera reached out to me and wanted to know if I was interested in hoping on the track. So I happily obliged and recorded vocals as a super country sounding bloke and Elvis. It was really fun and hilarious as well. Tera let us improv some dialogue that found its way into the song and it just makes the song that much better!




Q: HaniaCaylerJazzaZachary LouisFolegAlmighty, and MistyEntertainment are all past singers who have joined us in the past. You are another singer added to this list. Unique is this situation, where you have been a voice actor on the site first and have sung in songs on the site. I always was interested in how voice actors develop their character towards singing. How are you able to make a character sing? Is any musical training required?


A: I mean, I would say that being able to hold a tune while staying in character is a must, but it can be tough. Thankfully, the only times I’ve had the chance to sing on Newgrounds' tracks, I sand in my natural voice and over the top with my others. So there wasn’t a lot of effort to truly stay in tune and sing to a standard. With Ram Ranch, Tera wanted us to be over the top and silly with our deliveries so that’s how I performed. With Simp For You, we wanted to sound bad on purpose haha! So if I was out of tune on that track it was all part of the performance. I will say though, if you’re looking to be in animations that feature songs, it doesn’t hurt to have vocal training. Look at Jim Cummings, he’s one of the biggest voice actors out there and sings in nearly every Disney film, or show, he’s appeared in. It also makes you versatile because a studio doesn’t have to search for a vocalist to sing for you.




[ PART 1 | PART 2 ]


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Posted by TheInterviewer - August 30th, 2023


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Interview No. 186

Interview By: @The-Great-One

Patreon Post Date: August 23, 2023


Today's guest is one of the most dynamic game creators on the site. From taking the shooter genre to new levels, with titles All-in-Gun, Dynacore, and Pain Reaction, which would win the Daily Feature. To redefining the platformer genre with Wall Clip, which would win him a Daily 2nd Place, The Right Turn, which would win him a Daily 3rd Place, and Fruity Tower, which would not only win him Daily 4th Place, but would be the highlighted feature on the Frontpage. This is just a small taste of the variety that our guest offers. I am pleased to welcome, @Prox276.




Q: We begin at the beginning. You were born on April 26th in Germany. What part of Germany do you come from?


A: That's true. I've spend most of my life in Lower Saxony, its more quiet parts at that. Nothing too exciting but I hope to escape to a big city when I go to university to study computer science. There isn't all that much to do and most people come here to retire, so yeah, not exactly silicon valley.




Q: What do your parents do for a living?


A: My mother works as a cashier full-time and my father is a former truck driver who is currently on unemployment benefits due to medical reasons. We've never had much money but it's enough to make ends meet.




Q: What was the first video game you ever played? How has the experience shaped you as a game developer?


A: I don't remember the exact first game I ever played, ironically enough I think it was probably some flash game that originated on Newgrounds because that's the type of game I was playing non-stop at the time. Like with many others it made me value creativity, individualism and dark humor. I think you can see that shine through in some of my newer games.




Q: How and when did you become interested in game development?


A: Video games have been an integral part of my childhood I always wanted to express my ideas through this interactive medium but for the longest time I lacked the skill, willpower and/or tools to learn how to make games. I've probably spent hundreds of hours in Little Big Planet and Super Mario Bros. X as a kid, using the built-in tools to create my own games, which I'm guessing is was what sparked this fascination at first. Around the age of eleven I began to dabble in various game engines but I never followed through with actually making a game since I initially found the learning process tedious and frustrating. What kickstarted my gamedev adventure was 2kliksphilip's "The Game Making Journey" series, which made the game development process seem a lot less intimidating.


Instead of the hyperpolished console games I came to expect it showed something way more achievable for thirteen year old me. I installed Clickteam Fusion 2.5 the same day and made my first game; Blob's Adventure, a very simple platformer looking back but still a start!




Q: How did you find Newgrounds and why did you join?


A: At first I was just looking for another platform to publish my games on to gain some recognition I wasn't getting from itch.io alone, but I quickly found a sprawling community of very talented creators and excited players alike. Since then the Newgrounds release of my games has risen from "just upload it and see what happens" to top priority for me. Updates always release first on NG and I try to add medals and other API Integration where possible. Overall I cannot thank the community enough, it's safe to say that I wouldn't be where I am now if it weren't for their feedback and encouraging words! I'm still surprised I blew up the way I did on here!




Q: Your first game on Newgrounds would be something I have never seen before on the site. All-in-Gun. Where did the idea for this come from? Looking back on it with what you know now, what would you do differently?


A: I took part in the GMTK Game Jam 2019. The theme was "only one" and I created a top-down shooter called "Upgraded". Shortly after I took the theme and decided to create a new game with it on my own terms. The result was "All-in-Gun", a game where everything is controlled using only one input. It was the very first game I ever uploaded to Newgrounds, which is why it is still a huge milestone for me. It has held up remarkably well but I still think that it is a huge mess on a technical level and it has a lot of flaws in it's design. To put it harshly the artstyle incoherent and uninteresting and the game has pacing problems with a lot of levels feeling like a tedious and frustrating test of precision rather than the high-speed action game I wanted to create, so I would definitely work on those two aspects.




Q: An inventive concept of not only the platformer, but the changing platformer is The Right Turn. Playing SHIFT here on the site and seeing how the game changes by simply modifying the level. This is a flipped version of it. Was the platforming aspect built first then the turning added or was the turning aspect thought of first? How did you pull these two things together into a game?


A: The game was designed around the turning mechanic from the start. I just followed my intuition concerning how a game like this would work in real life. The spring at the bottom, which you use for jumping, was inspired by the way you launch a ball in a game of pinball and mechanics such as flipping the box to flip gravity came naturally through that way of thinking.




Q: I want to know about Dynacore. How did @TomFulp inspire it? This is one of the biggest games you have made. When did this project begin? When was it complete? What hurdles did you overcome when making it?


A: Dynacore is by far the biggest game I've ever made, and even that would be an understatement. It took two years start to finish, starting development in September of 2020 and releasing in August of 2022, although it was supposed to release in late 2020. At first it was nothing more than a short game for a school assignment but it quickly ballooned out of control. My previous games were more primitive so there were a lot of hurdles, mostly in technical and design related aspects. The dungeon generation for instance took many iterations, some of them late in development when I had to painfully rework it to work with the existing code. I definitely bit off more than I could chew so Dynacore ended up taking much longer than it had to, but hey, that's the cost of learning! I've made a video on my YouTube channel where I talk about Dynacore's development in a bit more depth, so you can feel free to check that out if you wanna know more!




Q: Fruity Tower has been your latest game. It would not only grace the Frontpage, but Tom would showcase it as well. Was this game in production at the same time as Dynacore or did it come after its completion? Where did the idea for Fruity Tower come from?


A: Fruity Tower was a submission for the Juice Jam II, a game jam me and a few moderators from our game development discord server "Game Dev Bois" hosted, so it was in production well after Dynacore was released. The theme was "Paying the Price", which I struggled with for a while before I came with the idea of fruity tower, partially

inspired by Minecraft funnily enough. I always found the simple mechanic of losing all your items on death fun. You could choose to play it safe and return to your base to store and use all the loot you found, or you could venture further into unexplored territory, risking everything for more items. I tried to imitate this risk/reward dynamic in fruity tower by letting the player choose how far they go in each run before "chickening-out".




Q: You have genre hopped here and there throughout your development history. I would say that you have perfected the Shooter Genre of games in multiple styles. Each game though doesn't feel the same. How are you able to adapt this genre into these styles so naturally?


A: That's a good question. I feel like the top-down shooter genre in its most basic form is so simple that it can be adapted to fit many different styles. Even just changing the player speed, acceleration or bullet velocity goes a long way in changing the feel of a game, so it's kind of a blank slate for any type of project. Apart from that presentation plays a large part as well; I believe in substance through style. The visuals and music of a game influence the way a game is played and perceived more than many realize. Just attaching even a simple story and world to a game is enough to make the game flow naturally.




Q: What are the key differences between game programming and game designing?


A: Game design is more about crafting every aspect of a game to fit an idea. You can change a game's design by adjusting many different aspects such as visuals and sound, with code being just one of the tools of game design. A good programmer isn't necessarily a good game developer because like any tool code can be underutelized, overused and misused (like for example adding mechanics that are technically impressive but don't make the game any more fun) and knowing when and how to use it to create a good game is what makes a great game developer.




Q: For new game developers coming to the site, what advice do you have to give to them?


A: Have fun with it! Experiment! Push the boundaries! Don't look at ratings or views, just make the stuff you want to make and everything else will come sooner or later! If your game doesn't excite you it won't excite anybody else. For the longest time I created the games I thought I "should be making" but once I dropped that notion the whole process became much more fun, fulfilling and personal.




Q: You're also a musician here on the site, making music for your own games and releasing your own albums. How and when did you become interested in music?


A: It actually happened pretty recently and very suddenly. As a solo game developer I was forced to learn how to compose and produce music, but I later found out that it was one of the most enjoyable processes of game development for me. Something about making music was just the quickest path to get into "the zone" for me. Since then I've picked up alto saxophone, electric guitar and bass and it's been a big source of inspiration for me that doesn't seem to be stopping anytime soon.




Q: What is, in your opinion, the definition of video games?


A: I'm gonna sound a bit full of myself but bear with me. I think it's important to look at a game as an experience first. It's not an interactive movie, but something that transcends the sum of its parts. The screen you play it on, the controller you use the control the character, the game itself, it all forms an experience.




Q: What can we expect from Prox276 in the future?


A: I am currently working on a chiptune EP in the same vain as my previous album "Cat Issues" called "Melochromatic", I'm aiming for a release this year but with finals approaching school has got me busier than ever. I've also started getting more comfortable in Godot and I've set myself the goal to start working on my first commercial game before 2024. I don't wanna promise anything because I'm still looking for the "perfect concept" to fill out my unreasonably high expectations but it's probably going to be more story-oriented, perhaps more linear than something like Dynacore.




We now come to the questionnaire invented by French talk show host Bernard Pivot, and adapted by my idol James Lipton.


Q: What's your favorite word?

A: Kraftfahrzeug-Haftpflichtversicherung


Q: What is your least favorite word?

A: Queue, sorry but there's no way that's pronounced as "Q".


Q: What turns you on?

A: The On-Button.


Q: What turns you off?

A: When they don't tip the waiter.


Q: What sound or noise do you love?

A: The sounds of rain at night.


Q: What sound or noise do you hate?

A: The sound of a fly buzzing.


Q: What's your favorite curse word?

A: пиздец, I live in a Russian household so I hear it a lot. It has a lot of meanings but often just means "Shit".


Q: What job or profession would you most like to take rather than your own?

A: Independent Indie Developer


Q: What job or profession would you least like to take?

A: Waiter


Q: If Heaven exists, what would you like God to say to you when you arrive at the pearly gates?

A: Kraftfahrzeug-Haftpflichtversicherung




Prox276 has the ability to take one game genre and adapt it into a variety of games. These are games which you have certainly played with similar controls. Not in the similar fashion though. He finds a way to perfectly marry game design and development in a way some designers and developers can't. His creativity and insight are remarkable. No two game feels alike. If you haven't played any of Prox276's games, you're doing yourself a great disservice.




The Interviewer is a part of Dohn's Desk Productions

SUPPORT ON PATREON | SUPPORT NEWGROUNDS ]


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Posted by TheInterviewer - April 5th, 2023


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Interview No. 185

Interview By: @The-Great-One


Today's guest has been brightening up the Audio Portal and the Writing Forum with his music and poetry. With songs such as Vista Sounds - Library, Vista Sounds - Must Be, and School Days, which has developed into a series. At a young age, he has taken the site by storm with his works. I am pleased to welcome, @Vista-Sound13.




Q: How did you find Newgrounds and why did you join?


A: I actually found out about NG out of nowhere when I was in Kindergarten, and I used It as a website to play games on, mostly Mario games. After Kindergarten, I haven’t been in Newgrounds until 7th grade. That is when I heard about Geometry Dash and its music. I also found out that you can make music and get it heard in GD, hence my existence in this part of the media. I joined so I can get my music allowed for use in GD, but now, I’ve grown a passion for music which is sadly fading away slowly.




Q: When and how did you become interested in music?


A: I was weirdly inspired by an artist hight Rukkus who is a dubstep producer, and I really loved listening to music overall. So, I decided to download FL Studio and start my first song in which honestly wasn’t terrible. Then, I started making more and more brief pieces, which were quite bad, but then I started making longer pieces, learned tips, got more interested in music, and became a decent artist, and the process was quite fun.




Q: Your Dad purchased Image-Line's old-school breakout sample pack. What was it about this sample pack that appealed to you. What songs have you made with it?


A: The style of early hip-hop appealed to me a lot, and this drumkit that you are talking about was pretty good for that kind of music for the most part. After getting this pack in 2019, I had been producing pieces with it





Q: We come to your first song, entitled Calm System. You made it on Fruity Loops Studio. Although simple from the works that would follow, I can still see your style has not changed, but evolved. If you were to remake this song, what would do differently?


A: Well, I kinda did lol… and it came out very Vistaed!

Anyway, if I were to do it again, I would


  • use the same melodies (obviously),
  • make some new melodies,
  • use much more sounds to make the piece more full,
  • maybe use a more consistent drumbeat,
  • make it more structured as the alpha piece doesn’t have structure.


Those stuff will make a superior remix, but there is your beta piece. Who knows if I’ll make a gamma piece?




Q: You and I are both writers here on Newgrounds. While I have dabbled in short stories and journalism, you have dabbled into poetry. Your first step here on Newgrounds being "Double Entendre". How long have you been writing poetry? I get the feeling that the poem is about two personalities presented online. The yellow and blue in cyberspace. That was until the ending which throws me off.


A: I’ve actually been writing poetry since I wrote Double Entendre, That was the first poem I’ve written for fun, and I’ve been writing for fun since.


And speaking of “since”, SINCE you were befuddled by the envoi of Double Entendre, I was basically saying that I am a person who appreciates clean content more than dirty content, and ogling racy pieces would resemble the opposite of who I really am. That’s what “Verso” essentially means. I should really make a music piece out of that word.




Q: You would continue to share poetry on Newgrounds, to the point you made a thread to collect the archive entitled Vista's Poesy. Do you have any plans of turning one of these poems into a song?


A: I kinda do, and I’ve been proposed that suggestion as well, and it’s really cool, but I’m not a rapper, I don’t really have bars, and I cannot sing, I’d need autotuned if I wanted to even try to sing. Anyway, I would have to pay a rapper to rap over a beat I’d make using my verses, and I don’t make money yet, so I’ll have to wait ‘til I can get my hands on that opportunity.




Q: One of the first songs I heard by you would be Vista Sounds - Library. I absolutely love this piece. Not only do I love the music, the beat, but my favorite part is the pencil writing and scribbling in the background. It just matches everything else that is going on. I love the jazzy groove it sets, that it isn't a quiet song, which is something I expect in songs titled library. What made you break away from that norm? How did you do the pencil sounds in the song and incorporate it to get this balance?


A: I’m happy to hear that you really enjoyed my Library piece. Anyway, I never really adding constant background effects recently. I didn’t really stop, it just happened naturally.


How did I do the pencil sounds? I didn’t, I simply looked up a pencil sound online and found something good.


How did I incorporate the balance? It was really as simple as adjusting the volumes of the sounds and a few EQ tweaking until I got a good mixing.




Q: Vista Sounds - Must Be would be the first of your songs to grace the Frontpage of Newgrounds. A nice ambient piece, with some Techno and World vibes going into it. What can you tell us about this song? How did it feel hitting the Frontpage for the first time?


A: The song Must Be is a piece which is apparently dubstep without growls and all that jazz (I thought it was simple, ambient electronic music) that honestly just happened. Sometimes, I get inspired to write pieces of certain moods, and sometimes, pieces would just happen, but recently, my pieces were planned as I’ve been encountering beautiful words to musicalize.


Anyway, it felt absolutely amazing to see my work on the homepage for the first time. At first, it felt huge going on the homepage as I was going to start getting views, but after winning this achievement again and again (it happened a lot), The big feeling petered off, but it still felt good.




Q: At the time of this interview, there are fourteen songs in the School Days series. How did the first song School Days accumulate into thirteen other songs. Will we see a continuation of it?


A: The first song didn’t accumulate into the rest of the saga. What really accumulated the saga, were the school-related pieces outside my grasp (other people’s work) like School Days by []. Also, there are music videos with a school background/setting imbuing be with that high school vibe. Not for learning but with cool, significant coveys of teenagers getting together and being school.


I would like to lengthen the saga, but it’s going take some inspiration.




Q: We now enter the Country genre. With another favorite song of mine, Vista Sounds - Nature. You have this skill of being able to add a beat to anything. Hearing the country twang of a guitar with this great beat, just melts my ears. Your first dip into Country would be with Vista Sounds - No Mention. What made you want to pursue the Country genre here on Newgrounds?


A: Thank you for your two pleasant cents on such pieces. Anyway, nothing really made me really want to make country music, and I never really pursued the Country genre. In 2020, I was simply producing incidental music, and it just turned out to be a Country style, hence No Mention. In 2021, I had some guitar samples I could chop up for my next pieces, and that’s what I did, hence Nature. They really came together nice.




Q: You are the only musician here on Newgrounds I know of that adapts their style into Classical, Jazz, Hip Hop, R&B, Country, Pop, and even Brit Pop. How do you adapt your style through a wide range and still keep your music fresh?


A: I get inspired by other music like modern western pop music, early hip-hop, and rarely classical piano music, and the big factor of my style is me wanting to describe moods and settings through music and hoping that people will make use of it, and that requires different soft genres like chill hop. But, A.I. technology is growing in the music community, and people may start using music made by A.I. as they won’t have to pay for the music or wait for permission, but my pieces are free too. Anyway, I keep my music fresh because I try to keep my mixing clean and radio-ready. When I’m cooking something quirky, I always need it to be pleasant to listen to as well, or I’ll get slated for the questionable mixing.




Q: During your time, you have confessed to cracking songs. You would remove these songs and later re-upload them with their original versions. I don't fully understand what it is you did. Could you elaborate on it? What cautionary advice can you give to aspiring musicians here so they can keep their wits about them?


A: Not songs, plug-ins. What I did was get my father to pay for some of the products I didn’t pay for, and only reupload the pieces with those samples. The other songs with the other samples are still gone, but maybe one day, I’ll be rich enough to free every one of my pieces, even the bad ones.


Anyway, I would advice produces to not do what I did because you can face charges for it, and I heard that piracy is more serious than it seems. It make sense because you’re not paying the people who work so hard on these goods, and because they worked hard on it, they should get hard-earned money and a lot of it.




Q: We have spoken to different Newgrounds members when it comes to battling depression. You would share these symptoms with us. How have you been feeling since? What advice can you give to creators who are also depressed?


A: I think the main reason I’ve been sad sometimes is school. I try to be a good person that almost everyone would appreciate at the very least, but sometimes, I would somehow slip up and get royally chided for it. It happened a year ago, and I was super ablaze as I felt violated. When I’m depressed, I don’t do anything fun; I spend time thinking of what an apparent knave I’ve managed to prove to be.


I’m really sorry when I say this, but for advice, I don’t have any goof advance for depression. All I can say is that depression absolutely sucks, it’s the worst illness to ever exist, and everything and everyone that imbues others with this illness are defo evil until they edify themselves and fix things.




Q: You are also quite the artist and animator here on Newgrounds. What can you tell us about the Newgrounds Ratings characters? What can you tell us about When the Submission is Rated A?


A: The Newgrounds Ratings characters are a covey of characters who represent the content ratings used in Newgrounds. Everyone, Teen, Mature, and Adult.


E is a happy, awesome fellow who is positive, outgoing, and appreciates kids.


T is mellow, cool dude who is mostly negative, but haute. He also has the power to print T-rated contents from his head, which is a printer.


M is one who is snaky sometimes, but most of the time, he is somewhat a chill one, but he’s not very nice. I first illustrated him to be a quite grumpy and cross, but now I think he should be more laid-back. Anyway, he can also print content out of his printer of a head, but with M-rated contents to scare kids and bribe adults so they don’t hurt him.


A is more outgoing and animated than M, but he’s bawdy, sultry, and a lecher. He can also print adult content out of his head, like T and M. I first illustrated him to be an evil one with an wicked attitude which he carries most of the time, but I then felt like that was weird to do, so I had to allay his persona a bit.


And there’s When the Submission is Rated A. This skit was supposed to speak for two things. Not being comfortable to see a piece of alluring content at its fullest because the rating says you shouldn’t, and quickly seeing the true colors of an innocent looking thumbnail before you see the whole thing. It’s not really a pet peeve as it’s not frequent, but it is annoying when it happens.




Q: As much as I love your characters. I have to say I love Waffle Wedges!. What made you take a shift to something different with your art?


A: For one, I’ve watched the Alphabet Lore by Mike Salcedo, and it was quite the mini-movie; it was amazing. Then, I saw a lot of LittleElcho’s pieces which were very quite. Then, at one point, I wanted to illustrated the characters I and Y from the Alphabet Lore. I chose those two because the letters “I” and “Y” rhyme, and I kinda wanted to emphasized that. To do that, I felt like doing a different approach, and it was inspired by LittleElcho.


For Waffle Wedges, I saw a picture of some waffle wedges which looks very scrumptious and made me want to remix it, in the same style I remixed I and Y.




Q: What is in your opinion the definition of music?


A: I think that it’s so broad that it’s awesome. Music can be many things; it doesn’t have to be a fully-made song. It can be just rhythmic percussion, and maybe you can add actual melodies to it. Music is so broad that we don’t have to try super hard to make music, and that’s one of the beauties of it.




Q: What can we expect from Vista-Sound13 in the future?


A: You can definitely expect more music and utile (useable/useful) loops for your convenience from me, at least once a month. You can also expect a few Alphabet Lore fanart as the movie is that good. If I ever make a lot of money, I may be able to purchase some quality software and hardware to create quality animated skits or digital art pieces.




Vista-Sound13 is a musician I came across while looking for music for The Tank Tribune Phonograph. I absolutely fell in love with his music. It is my vibe whenever I am working on something here on the site. To see how he can blend his style into so many genres, it reminded me of Back-From-Purgatory. Vista-Sound13 is quite the underrated musician here on the site. One that this writer, truly appreciates being able to listen to his music.




The Interviewer is a part of Dohn's Desk Productions

SUPPORT ON PATREON | SUPPORT NEWGROUNDS ]


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Posted by TheInterviewer - July 20th, 2022


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Interview No. 184

Interview By: @The-Great-One


Today's guest is one of Newgrounds most brilliant minds. They went out to place a spotlight on the different creators of the Newgrounds community. With the Underrated Artist Hangout Thread and The Official Hav Show Thread. They also had their own project called Nol's Therapy Mansion. I am pleased to welcome the genius that is @HavryloThePigeon.




Q: How did you find Newgrounds and why did you join?


A: Like a lot of people, I originally sort of hung around Newgrounds and various other flash sites back when I was a wee lad in the early 2010s; sort of the final years of the "flash era" before flash games in general began to die out in popularity. Newgrounds never really stood out to me compared to all the others, but around 2019 when news broke that Flash was gonna be shelved soon, I started re-visiting a lot of these old flash sites to see how they were doing, and\ Newgrounds was one of them.


I had vaguely heard of Newgrounds experiencing an uptick in users after the Tumblr exodus, but it wasn't until I spent a few days browsing the site that I began to realize that this place still was still quite active and had a thriving community. Of course it's still not nearly as big as it used to be, but the community was still very much there, and I really liked how it was continuing to operate as an independent content-hosting service that didn't have the restrictions and algorithms of bigger social media apps. So in September 2019, I made my Newgrounds account so that I could be part of it. And I don't make accounts lightly, I promise :3




Q: When and how did you begin writing?


A: I can't really answer that myself. Apparently I always had the talent, since I've always done well enough in English classes and all that; and I used to write a lot of stories as a kid. Honestly, I feel like it's just one of those cases where you feel compelled to do it because you just do. I was never discouraged by anyone to stop writing, nor did anyone ever put a lot of pressure on me to write. It's just always been there.


But I'd be lying if I said there weren't times where I gave up on trying to write because I felt it was pointless; especially nowadays where a lot of people prefer to just read stuff online over reading full-length novels (including myself at times) and I've tried getting into other things like art and drawing, etc. But the only thing I've ever really been good at, it seems, is writing; at least that's what I probably have the potential to be good at. It's like the passion isn't always there, but it still eats away at you, begging to be used.


That may sound like a non-answer, and I suppose in a way it is. Maybe because there really isn't any clear-cut answer as to why writing has always been my default quirk. In university I'm studying English and Creative Writing, though, so let's hope this quirk does some good for me in the long run.




Q: How would you describe your writing process?


A: It varies a lot, and probably not for the better.


Sometimes I can write poems in a single night and feel happy with them. If I'm writing a short story, I maybe spend a couple days labouring over it, then after some time when I'm finished I go back to revise it/clean it up. As for longer stories/articles/zines, my structure is usually to write up a plan, fill in sections of the story in the order that I desire, until eventually it can be fit together as one. And then doing revision later. Nothing particularly unique about my process, I'd say.


A lot of the ideas I get for stories and poems are, weirdly enough, often based on the music I listen to; which probably explains why they're so weird. That was the primary inspiration behind Nol's Therapy Mansion, for example, but I'll talk more about that later.


And of course the books that I do in fact read influence my writing too. If I had to list some authors that inspire me the most, they'd be:


  • Haruki Murakami
  • Cormac McCarthy
  • Denis Johnson
  • Charles Bukowski
  • Osamu Dazai
  • Jesmyn Ward
  • Leonard Cohen



Q: What can you tell us about Rhodia?


A: A defunct story I'm no longer working on...




Q: You had an idea to bring Newgrounds an official magazine which would lead to The Official NG Fanzine Thread. It looked absolutely incredible. From the Introduction to the Best of the Month. Why did you not pursue it further and end it?


A: To put it bluntly, I just felt it was a waste of time. Plus I realized that I didn't really have the capacity to go through every aspect of Newgrounds so comprehensively, searching for the best content for it every single month. And, of course, there's the Tank Tribune, which actually started up around the same time as my little thing. So I figured you would be the much better guy to run a regular publication for NG, especially with all your credentials. :)


This is a habitual thing, though. I'll pick up on something I'm really passionate about, but then once the flame dies out or the reception isn't as good as I'd hoped, I just drop it. It's a part of growing up, I'd say.


Oh yeah, and I was on the Newgrounds Podcast to talk about it too. I actually asked the crew to delete it because I'm just so ashamed of how awkward I was, with that insane stutter and my social ineptness on full display for hundreds of people to see. I shouldn't have gone on the podcast in the first place, considering how the fanzine was never going to get up off the ground anyway. Well, at least I learned to not believe my own hype lol.




Q: You would start highlighting underrated artists on the forums, which would later become the Underrated Artist Hangout Thread. What made you want to place a spotlight on the artists on the site?


A: There were some artists on NG I enjoyed that, in my opinion, weren't getting enough recognition by the wider NG community. And given the accessibility of Newgrounds and the supportive community there is here of propping each other up, I figured I'd fit right well into it by making something of a series out of it. And it was definitely good




Q: You started NSFW Artist Interviews by Interviewing Edeshye. From one interviewer to another I can understand the choice. Why NSFW interviews? Why Edeshye as your first pick?


A: Edeshye and I had been acquaintances for some time before the interview, so he was my natural first choice! But aside from that, I just saw that nobody else on Newgrounds was trying to make a thing out of interviewing NSFW artists, so I tried to jump to the chance to do it. However, even after that first interview, it was hard to find other artists willing to be interviewed with me; I must've gotten turned down by like 3-4 people. But honestly I get it. I'm just some nobody on Newgrounds, no reason for them to waste their time with me lol.




Q: What can you tell us about The Official Hav Show Thread?


A: It was just a thread to gather ideas for The Hav Show, a podcast I did back in 2021 as basically an audio form to the stuff I was doing with the Underrated Artist Saga and my fanzine. I dropped it after a few episodes because 1) I didn't have enough ideas to keep going, and 2) I was terrible at riffing over a microphone; which you can clearly tell just by listening to it. I'm leaving them up just as a sort of reminder of how far I've come or something like that, and I'm also just less ashamed of it than my abortion of a fanzine podcast. I'd like to think my voice has gotten slightly less bitch-boy esque since then.


@Matthew-Lemons and @GenericAnime, I'm still incredibly sorry lol.




Q: My absolute favorite thing by you has to be Nol's Therapy Mansion. You wanted to collaborate with other Newgrounds members. It reminds me of scottmale24 was here and we talked about Epic Quest! - The Newgrounds Choose Your Own MS Paint Adventure. Where that was drawings, this was audio. It was like listening to a radio serial. Where did the idea come from? Where is Episode 3? Why did you decide to drop this project?


A: Yeah this was a pretty weird thing. Some of my main inspirations for it were Yume Nikki, and - you'll die in agony when you hear this - motherfucking Roblox horror games. I just thought it'd be a cool idea to try and make a little series based off some of this scant ideas I had of this alternate fantasy world within our world, where the main character is someone who knowingly puts himself into it and has at least some idea of what he's getting into and is okay with it. But at the same time he's also clearly disturbed and his apathy towards his situation is at least partially born out of that. Sort of a metaphor for a period in my own life where I was apathetic about life and felt like I lived in a world that was alien to me.


And it actually got a fair amount of momentum, which was pretty cool considering all I had was an Audacity mic and some choppily spliced together audio files. I made a thread offering people to give me ideas, and I actually got more than enough ideas to work with for a second episode from a whole bunch of different people, including some of the artists I had made friends with through my shouting-out posts. @SaucySaucepan even made some brilliant fanart of characters he wanted in my show. It was really awesome to see all this traction for my stuff, even if it was just a tiny community on a niche art site like Newgrounds.


Ultimately I didn't make Episode 3 because I couldn't figure out what exactly I wanted out of it. Even by Episode 2 I could tell I was stretching myself thin with the writing and story (there was probably six minutes worth of Zeph rambling that could've been condensed a helluva lot to save time) and I just couldn't see myself improving enough with future episodes to really sustain a following, let alone grow it. And so, I dropped it. Yet another project I jumped on only for a brief, fleeting time, because it just didn't represent the heart of what I wanted to make. Whatever that was!




Q: olskoo at one point made a thread where anonymous confessions could be made. You took this idea to the next level asking for confessions, rants, and venting and gave us Hav's Depression Chamber - Episode 1. Why an advice show? Why only one episode?


A: I thought it'd be a cool idea at first, but it didn't get much traction and I sort of realized there was a reason why it stuck to the forums. So that endeavour was over and done with pretty quickly. Needless to say I ain't no Therapy Gecko here lol.




Q: You have had many ups and downs here on the site. From not doing much on the site, to praising Newgrounds and hoping to add content to it, to wondering if what you're working on is good enough, to talking about your future, and ceasing your endeavors on Newgrounds. You have had many incredible ideas that we have spoken about through this interview. It is an impressive portfolio and shows off your skills well. Could you elaborate further on your rollercoaster of growth here on Newgrounds and what you hope to achieve outside of it?


A: Oh man, you didn't even address the most embarrassing shit. Back during the Half-Life collab I joined the official server of all the animators working on it, because I wanted to """write an article"""" about the collab's development process. However because I had no people skills I had no clue what to ask anyone, and I never reached out to anyone about any personal issues they were facing during development. So my """article""" was solely based off the crap I was

seeing in the public Discord chat. It got to the point where @TerrorByte chewed me out over DMs for being the nuisance I was, and so I took the hint and just dropped the whole thing after that. So yeah, if you want the most embarrassing moment in my whole NG career, that would be it lmao.


But I think the main takeaway I've gotten from my time on this website is that, as much as I may hate myself for all the bandwagons I've boarded and crashed, it's all really just a part of growing up. I've had my time on here to figure my shit out, and I still have plenty of time to continue doing just that. I used to feel ashamed for not having scored something big when I was still younger, but now I realize that I'm very grateful for having had the privilege to divulge in all my ridiculous avenues of creativity without having everything I do constantly scrutinized by people online at such a young age. When you're young and you blow up, the negative repercussions will always be far heavier than the positive ones. And as much as I may have wasted my childhood online, at least I didn't have to experience that, even when there were many times where it could've amounted to that. People complain that you can't get a large following on Newgrounds, and honestly that's kinda true these days, but at least in my case it definitely saved me from much more dire consequences. It's a small but tight-knit community where everyone is sort of kept in check, which is really good and I'm glad to have at least experienced that while I've been here.


As of for now, I'm moving on from NG because I think all my endeavours here have run their course. I'm not really looking to become internet famous anymore. I feel like I'm reaching a point now where I'm just realizing how toxic it can be to focus on that kind of shit. Not saying I'm fully independent of the desire to become internet famous - I still think about it a lot, and it's obviously much more helpful for your career, whatever it is, to be internet famous,- but having online attention just for the sake of it is something I'm now realizing is simply not worth it. I've come to the same conclusions as the people you shouted out, @wavetro and @Burner98, that online attention-whoring comes back to bite you in the ass at some point or another.


I still post here on NG fairly regularly and I still check for notifications, but that's the tale end of it. I'm not a creator on here anymore. From here on out, I'm just moving forward with my life. That's about all I can say right now in terms of what I "plan to achieve" outside of here.




Q: What can we expect from HavryloThePigeon in the future?


A: You can expect me to occasionally be in the BBS, usually in either Politics or General, just having a normal one with all the other forum regulars. This might sound weird but I don't have a lot of internet accounts where I feel I can just be my normal, chill, boringly authentic self, but my Newgrounds account is one of them. So yeah, I'm not ready to just up and leave this place quite yet. As long as I feel like I need to someone "authentic" for the day, I'll still be on the regular, at least for the time being. It's been fun, and now I'm like Mario on the castle roof, just lounging around.


That's about all I gotta say. Thank you Great One for giving me this opportunity :D




I have always loved the ideas that HavryloThePigeon would come up with. Whenever I saw them working on something new, I just had to know what it was. I was sad to see many projects just stop though. Juggling all of that would be a hassle. Believe me, I can know. I am glad that we can still expect to see HavryloThePigeon around on the forums at least. Maybe something will come to this pigeon, and they will share it with Newgrounds. Whatever it is, I am eager to see it!




The Interviewer is a part of Dohn's Desk Productions

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Posted by TheInterviewer - May 31st, 2022


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Lost Episode: 9/12/2007

Interviewed By: @The-Great-One


POST COMMENTARY

This is probably the only interview I am still pretty proud of. I was just starting to hit my groove. I didn't like it back then when I deleted these episodes. Looking back on it now, I think it held up pretty well. It does resemble the interviews done on the Newgrounds Mag back in the day though. Which was what I was going for, and I finally nailed it. If you want to read a more proper interview, I interviewed MaestroRage as part of collab interview, Interview with The Symphony of Specters. That is a better interview than the one here.




Well here it is. Right after Castle Crashers closing and the winners announced I have interviewed one of the winners. This person has contributed over 60 songs here on Newgrounds under three different accounts. One person on Newgrounds who has a gift and has given it to us all who have heard his music. The one and only MaestroRage.


Maestro's first account ever created was if I recall correctly was "SoulStrings" but he changed the username to MaestroSegments. Songs are still submitted under that username so keep an eye out for those, and also if I'm not mistaken songs are also still submitted under Maestro's second account MaestroSorrow. So check out all three and look at all of the Maestro's Music.




Q: Where do you get your inspiration for your music?


A: There's really no certain way to answer this to be honest. A majority of my inspiration comes from movies and scenes I act out in my head. I used to be an avid writer and poet, writing stories has always been a driving force for me, and so I act out these stories in my head, and a soundtrack slowly emerges. As I liked fantasy/sci-fi setting stories, my songs follow suit in that regard.




Q: How does it feel being part of the Castle Crashers winners list with your song _-={Rage of the Champions}=-_?


A: Quite good! I was actually not even expecting to place! When I heard that WinterWind-NS, Arbiter, DavidOrr, MusicalRocky were all competing, I simply could not refuse the challenge! Knowing that I was up against the most powerful classical composers NG had to offer I couldn't sleep for literally a week, and spent a LOT of time in front of the computer experimenting, testing, building, scrapping. DavidOrr and I talked from time to time, and he helped. But nothing helped me more then when he showed me a demo of his work. I told him RIGHT there and then.


"David, you're going to win!"


He didn't believe me, but I knew. Knowing that something so foreboding was out to get me, it sent me into an even crazier frenzy. At that point I didn't even want to win, I just wanted to test my mettle against these people. To be fourth in this competition is not something I take lightly. Oddly Rage of the Champions was the one I was so sure wouldn't win.




Q: With over 60 songs on at least three different Newgrounds Accounts you still haven't shown your Flash potential yet. Do you have any upcoming plans for making a flash?


A: I did, and I do. I simply do not have the patience to improve my art. I'm fairly decent with the pencil, but like most flash authors, the mouse is no representative of the hand. If I do start flash seriously, it would not be a cartoon, but gadgets. Juke Boxes, flash effects and the like.




Q: The return of MilkMan-Dan to the Newgrounds Audio Portal, do you and him plan on making any more collaborations together?


A: MilkMan-Dan is a very close friend to me. We do not talk as often as we used to, but he will always be a friend. He's return is not real in my opinion. He made a return song, and then left after the redesign. He did not find it to his liking, and closed shop. That is, as far as I know anyways. Our styles have also developed in very different directions, a collab looks less likely to be successful with every passing month. I can only hope.




Q: You're mostly known for submitting Classical music to the Newgrounds Audio Portal...are there any other genres you've been experimenting with?


A: Yes, in fact I just finished my newest experiment He's a Pirate Dance Remix. Though technically thats a classical remix with electronic elements. My next projects will involve collabing with DarKSidE555 in extending and enhancing "Rage of the Champions", give it a much crueler, darker feel with much more ruthless guitar action. After that, I don't rightly know.




Q: Other than Newgrounds what is your basic day to day life like?


A: Varies, somedays i'll sit outside, and watch the day wash away while thinking. Other days i'll do math all day, and some days the musical muses invade my personal space and I work on tunes all day. I've also recently started practicing the piano. It's getting embarassing to say "I don't play any instruments :P"




Q: If people go through the reviews of your music they can read the stories that the reviewers paint in their minds. Going back through those reviews are there any in particular that have caught your eye?


A: So many to pick from now... I personally take every story painted for me and take it in, and live that life, that story. There were some that really made me stop and think, though to be honest I do not remember where they were, and by whom. I do remember the story, and the sentiments. To try and filter out which ones of these made me really think would be a week long adventure. I do remember the most recent, written by one Link1243, on Remember Us. His story really moved me, and I have plans to make a piece based around it.




Q: What other Newgrounds Users here do you have connections with?


A: Real life connections? Sadly none. But if you mean by whom I talk to regularly, and am friends with. Well, just bounce into the forum. At least 75% of the people who post there are people I know, or are familiar with.




Q: After competiting in the June's Monthly Audio Contest # 7. Are you willing to try and get your music branched out even further?


A: Every contest, i'm there, every day I try to think of something new. Some styles need to be studied before attempting them... like... well all of them :/. My dance experiment was a failure in terms of being really dance, but it is an important step. I wonder how badly i'll miss the mark on some Industrial :D!




Q: What do you have planned for Newgrounds in the near future?


A: It's strange, I keep literally all my music exclusive to Newgrounds. I mean, I have tried signing up for other music sites, uploaded a song here and there, but Newgrounds is the only place where certainly you can trace my history and my progress. I don't rightly know if I will ever really move out of here. The day I stop making tracks, I will be certain to let everybody know, in my own way of course. And that will be something unique, let me tell you ;).




POST COMMENTARY

I think part of the reason I didn't like this one was because it didn't feel authentic. When I changed over to what is now the official account, I wanted my own style. Which I don't think I fully got until I interviewed Sexual-Lobster for the first time. This is the last lost episode though. It was a delightful high note to end on.




The Interviewer is a part of Dohn's Desk Productions

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Posted by TheInterviewer - April 13th, 2022


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Interview No. 183

Interview By: @The-Great-One

Patreon Post Date: Apr 6, 2022


Today's guest has delighted Newgrounds members throughout the year of 2020, during the pandemic, with his Stickmen Series. Not only that, but he's also told us stories with characters such as Teddy in im eating goldfish and takeout. He has addressed the pandemic with coronavirus video. And he would complete the series in 2020 with bankrupt. His style has not been seen on Newgrounds. The writing and animation are some of the funniest movies on Newgrounds. Without further ado, I am privileged to welcome, @wavetro.




Q: How did you find Newgrounds and why did you join?


A: I always heard about Newgrounds here and there while I was a kid since the site has games, and this was during the golden era of free Flash games. I would really only play on Miniclip though, as well as Nitrome and Club Penguin. I was really just a Super Mario kid that didn't like anything that was even slightly-aggressive on my senses. I didn't even like playing games like Halo or Zelda lmao, so I may have tried playing on Newgrounds as a kid once but got off-put by its edgy appearance. I would only start to see the creative value of Newgrounds once I entered my teen years and got into 3D animation. This was when I was known as @RobotUnderscore. I created my account and tried uploading some animations, but I didn't recognize that the site doesn't have any pressure to upload like YouTube did. Instead, I thought I was under pressure to make super-polished things only, so I didn't stick around much until I finally came back with @wavetro and have since truly learned what the Newgrounds community is and how integral it is to the site. I know it's pretty boring but that's basically how that went down lol




Q: When you were younger your first was "computer". Could you tell us the full story behind this?


A: Yeah I was 2 or 3 and my parents always saw me get fixated whenever they would use the dusty beige desktop the family had. I kept trying to say "computer" but instead said "pooper" or "puter" as my first words. Quite the foreshadowing




Q: How and when did you become interested in animation?


A: In 2008 I had a friend come over and introduce me to "movie making" in general, which were basically plush videos but instead of putting them on YouTube I would burn them on blank DVDs for my family. Prior to that I was making "comic books" with Microsoft PowerPoint and its shape tools, although I have to give my older sibling credit for coming up with that. Jumping forward to 2010, I had recently bought toy figures from a series called Gogo's Crazy Bones, and their website had a special section for making your own Gogo's videos that you upload to the site (which reuploaded them to YouTube so that they didn't have to pay for video hosting. Clever!) As I tried to figure out what movies to make for this new website (instead of DVDs) with my new Gogos (instead of plushes,) my siblings were watching an episode of iCarly in which Spencer suffers while making a stop-motion animation. I saw that and went "oh yeah I could do that." And coolernow123 was born.




Q: You and I have something in common. We both made comics in MS Paint and PowerPoint. Have you drawn comics by hand? How would you describe the transition?


A: Oh I used to draw comics on paper! I completely forgot that there was a point in time when I did that. However, every time I would try to draw with a mouse on the computer in MS Paint, it would look like dogshit. My time with that program was short-lived after I found out about shape tools in PowerPoint instead. It was way easier to control and make comics, and it also allowed me to use the cool magical box (the computer) more. The characters were a lot more abstract since they were just made of basic shapes, but I saw this actual "drawing" process as a mere barrier that I just needed to jump over so I could get to the cool part where I make the characters do stuff. My hand-drawing habits only then really existed as me doodling in notebooks during school, and then faded away completely. I guess that's why I never really had an interest in drawing anatomy or making 2D animation




Q: You and I have also filmed movies and edited with Windows Movie Maker. What stories can you recount for us?


A: I loved the shit out of Windows Live Movie Maker. The new one Windows 10 has is nowhere near as stellar as that thing. I learned how to use it to edit my plush movies and burn them onto DVDs. When I started making stopmotions in 2010, I learned to set the image durations to 0.03 seconds to make the characters move, and my peak with the program was when I made that coolernow123 movie called 4:15 To Nowhere. At some point in my teen years I eventually graduated to Sony Vegas, and then on to other video editors in general. I have this huge issue with Blender 3D where I cannot figure out how to do the same 3D things I do in that program in its competitors (Cinema 4D, Maya, etc) but when it comes to video editors I can jump into any of them and quickly figure out how to use them to get what I need. Sorry I don't really have "stories" about them other than that, I don't remember much outside of me just making the videos




Q: You were inspired to make stop motion animation from an episode of iCarly. What episode was it? What about it gave you the inspiration?


A: It was in Season 1 Episode 15, the iHate Sam's Boyfriend episode. I can't find a clip of it on YouTube, but there's this pivotal scene where Spencer is adjusting the characters, taking a picture, and then doing it over and over while complaining his hands hurt. It was the most efficient stopmotion tutorial I had ever seen. That scene alone + my Windows Live Movie Maker knowledge was literally everything I needed to go "oh I can do that" and then start making coolernow123 videos.




Q: What can you tell us about coolernow123 and the Gogo's Crazy Bones series?


A: Oh man, that was such a good time while it lasted. I have really poor long-term memory because thinking about making my next video has consumed my daily life for the past decade, but rewatching my coolernow123 videos makes me remember the childhood memories or story behind most of them, like my dad taking me to his workplace in Drawing Wars or the Lego houses I was gifted in Angiru Gets Rich. I love those videos dearly. The biggest events on coolernow123 by far (other than my stopmotion movie 4:15 To Nowhere) were the live-action vacation movies I did, where my family would save up to take the family on international trips, and I would take my Gogos with me. Most of them are currently privated because they contain doxxing information, but I want to remaster/reupload all my coolernow123 videos into definitive collections on that old channel at some point (and also remove the doxxing vacation scenes since they're not integral to the story so that people can enjoy them again.) It's a little tragic how I wasn't more firm on ending coolernow123 and my YouTube run after I got tired of making these videos in 2013 (since I let myself get guilted to continue making videos,) but I hear horror stories about other people who also found fame at a very young age like me, only that they were way more successful and ended up way worse as a result. I guess I'm lucky I didn't end up worse too. Plus, I wouldn't be here right now if I actually quit that year, nor would I have the same online friends I do today. Life is weird. As for the Gogo's Crazy Bones era, I had no idea how huge the toy series truly was at the time. I see people today notice the coolernow123 characters in my 3D videos and mention how they loved Gogos as a kid, which is really cool! Not to discredit coolernow123's legacy though- I mentioned before how there are STILL people today who make coolernow123 videos in the same footsteps of what I did eleven years ago. Though a lot of the time, I most frequently think about where the other members of the Gogos YouTube community went. F139HEY, supereggy5, TheElipticTensaitchi, and more- some of them I can go digging to see where they are now, while others simply vanished without a trace. I did want to shout-out one of the OG YouTuber friends I had from this era though, WackyBrothersHQ. He's still here creating the same videos on Newgrounds as @ShaeGuy! We did a video together recently actually.




Q: What was the transition of Gogo's Crazy Bones to idiots.exe?


A: So we already established that around 2013, I was getting tired of making Gogos stopmotions. But I didn't want to disappoint my fanbase, so I began to learn Blender 3D to continue the videos in a more adventurous format. It was really surprising how I was able to go from complete beginner to a finished pilot episode of idiots.exe in under 2 years. There's a lot of other things I did during this training period, from running the This Is It webcomic to filming my (only) live-action movie. It's way too much to talk about, but you can find all of it neatly-organized and documented at https://robot.wavetro.net/




Q: When did you start attending college? What degree have you pursued?


A: I started attending college in the fall of 2017 for a computer science Bachelor's degree at the "stern recommendation" of my parents. It was horrible- I may not remember much of most things, but the lowest point of my life was September 2017, hands-down. I tried for three semesters but ultimately fell behind, and transferred to a much easier major to graduate on time in spring 2021. I don't really want to say the degree anymore for my own privacy, but just know that it's kinda useless. No offense to the professors or the fellow students- they were really nice! Looking back I can see why my parents or most other families try to give kids who finish high school something to occupy yourself with until you turn 21, because you're still emotionally-turbulent at 18 even though you're technically an adult. (Sorry but it's true!) That being said, I feel like my time at college was really just a way to delay entering the real world for another 4 years rather than an important academic cornerstone in my life or something. If you are an American high school student, do NOT go to a university just to "figure out your life," especially if you need student loans for it- you need to actually make a plan for how you'll make money in the real world and properly decide if college is right for you, and almost no US high school prepares you for that. This was my senior year experience with the public education system in New York City anyway- the high schools were too busy showing off their college acceptance ratings to parents who had kids that just finished middle school




Q: Your first movie on Newgrounds would be under RobotUnderscore entitled rich dinos. What do you think of this movie looking back now? Why didn't we see more from you on this account?


A: I already mentioned earlier how I felt pressured to be my absolute best creative self on Newgrounds while I was still RobotUnderscore, hence the lack of any videos on there. (I was even worried that my Stickmen 2020 videos didn't have enough effort to be on this site back when that was still around!) I fondly remember rich dinos because it was the first proper feature of my voice actor friend @KindaDrake. He was originally going to voice Angiru on idiots.exe before that show collapsed, but I managed to debut him with this animation instead. It's short, sweet, and doesn't waste that much time. A good video I think!




Q: You would make a new name for yourself that is still in use today. That being wavetro. With it your first movie on the site, cavefolder (Andy and Bulb). I absolutely love the story in this and was truly wondering where it was going to go. Why the name cavefolder? Where did the idea come from?


A: Yep, wavetro is my third (and FINAL) username for the internet. Anyways, the funny thing about cavefolder was that it was created with almost no thought in mind. There was a semester-long college assignment where we all had to learn project management, and cavefolder was basically my homework. Everything about the animation was pretty much thrown together randomly- the name, the characters, the story, etc. It seriously doesn't get deeper than that. I had no idea it was going to be as popular as it became when I decided to try YouTube again with it, and I really really REALLY wish I never promised it as a series. Cavefolder was really just meant to be a flash in the pan, but it turned out to be one that people still really love it seems. The show is now in the public domain so anyone can make something with it if they'd like




Q: im eating goldfish is one of the funniest damn things I've ever seen. The set-up is brilliant, but as it keeps going it just goes off the wall completely. How did you come up with this? Why this animation style?


A: I'm glad you're picking out all the landmark videos! im eating goldfish was a test animation to try out the "mouse-puppeting" technique that I saw 2D artist YouTubers like CircleToonsHD use to quickly make videos. I started with the dumb premise of "a fish eating Goldfish" and just built it all out from there. Teddy suddenly became my most important character because of how he unintentionally set up the foundation for Stickmen 2020 to happen. While I don't have much to say about the actual writing of the dialogue/plot since it's just something that comes naturally to me from my years in YouTube and such, this video is super-important for being the key animation discovery that made my 2020 so successful. I chose this animation style because it was the only thing I've ever used that can keep up with how fast I wanted to bring my ideas to life: I could think of anything and put it online as soon as possible, instead of spending too long on an idea and getting tired of it halfway through




Q: food cart is the start of the Stickmen series that would go throughout 2020. What made you decide on stick figures?


A: Here's the thing- I really try to keep my character designs as neutral as possible. Not just because of my love of iconography/symbols/minimalism that probably developed from my years of vector PowerPoint comics, but because I want people to approach my videos with no expectations. If I use specific kinds of characters (like certain animals,) it will attract specific fanbases that will associate me with them, which takes away the control I have that allows people to discover my work without any preconceived notions. Of course, I can't entirely avoid using animal-based characters since I made some that were fish or birds, but I try to keep all of their appearances simple. It allows people to not get distracted by the character designs and just focus on the story. (This is in direct contrast to art communities like Twitter that value character designs themselves and the simple joy of bringing them to life, rather than what those characters actually do. This opposite thinking I had made creation exponentially harder for me of course, and I'd say it's even borderline disrespectful that I treated the actual art/animation step as "an obstacle" to what was actually the completion and sharing of my story ideas via video.) The stickman design I tried out in food cart was the perfect abstraction of literal humans. It let people watch my videos with visual interest but without feeling alienated by the character designs. I finally recognized what I had on my hands with this video and RAN with it that year, which was the start of Stickmen 2020...




Q: I first became introduced to you through your movie pigeon. I don't think I ever laughed this hard at a Newgrounds movie in quite a while. How did you come up with the idea of bread evolving pigeons throughout civilization?


A: It's actually called "pigeons," but I had to take out the "s" because the Newgrounds upload page said I couldn't call it that when "there's an existing popular video of the same name." As it turns out there is a famed Newgrounds animation from 2000 called "Pigeons," and now it's literally impossible to upload a video of the same title- try it sometime! Anyways, I can't say much about how I came up with this idea, it was just "another video" to me. I tend to view Stickmen 2020 as a whole rather than individual videos with their own backstories, save for the coronavirus video which I actually couldn't rewatch for a while when the pandemic got worse! Sometimes I wonder how many more videos we would've gotten if I never made a Patreon and just kept my mometum going past "math prohlems guy," since early 2020 in general was my golden era for my work and "pigeons" became the most popular video of the series (which I think is deserved)




Q: Through multiple episodes of the Stickmen Series you have touched on issues in the world. With gamestorecoronavirus video, and airbnb just to name a few. What is it about these events that inspire you to create comedy around them through animation?


A: Comedy is making fun of real life- that's all it is. I grew up loving it and it's my way of expressing my thoughts on the world in an entertaining format, because all good writing has a point of view or something to actually say. Comedy is in a unique spot this generation, as it seems other Gen Z people like me really resonate with it in an otherwise horrifying world of dystopian technology and manmade horrors beyond comprehension. But memeing everything helps all of us get by one day at a time




Q: A string of events occurred that lead us to where we are now. It seems to have started with bankrupt, lead to moving in (Teddy and Ben), and the culminating to I quit. I know the video has explained your journey. Why it has brought you to where you are now. I was wondering though if you could elaborate a bit more into starting a series and dropping it. You started cavefolder, dropped it. And now Teddy and Ben is dropped. With the Stickmen series being a completed series. What was it about the Stickmen series that made you keep going?


A: For those of you who don't know what this question is referring to, it's talking about my video "I quit being a YouTuber" that announced the end of my one-man animation career. You can find it on YouTube or Odysee and go to the timestamp 8:50 for the full explanation why I disappeared for half of 2020 and returned with the show's end via the "bankrupt" video. If you don't want to watch that, the quick summary was that I discovered that there was no possible way to make these online videos my career, since I heavily disagreed with taking ad revenue for a living, and also that direct donations (Patreon) were just not a feasible income source. Not much more to say here that the video didn't already explain. As for making a series and then dropping it, it was really painful that I had to constantly relearn that I'm simply not meant to promise such elaborate projects as a single person. I haven't learned yet how to delegate the animation work to others (especially because I was VERY particular about how my videos turned out) and I constantly want to do various different projects all the time. You have to make a "series" of some kind if you want to thrive on YouTube though- you almost never get views if you literally "do what you want," since most people only subscribe to you for one type of video format. Stickmen 2020 barely survived even though it should technically have died. A huge motivator to keep that show rolling was not only to make great videos with this amazing format I found, but also to prove to myself that I didn't peak at coolernow123. It was also the only series I came up with that was barely feasible-enough for one person to do, but the moment I tried to make anything slightly more complex like Teddy & Ben or cavefolder, things just got boring and fell apart after the first episode




Q: What is in your opinion, the definition of animation?


A: This is a funny question to answer after refusing to call myself an artist or animator for almost my entire run. There's no way around it- animation is when you simply make anything non-human on a screen move in a deliberate way, and that makes me both an artist and an animator. The online art community (from my old point of view) depicts being an online artist or animator as someone who loves the literal process of making art, draws/designs detailed characters, and is totally okay with spending years of their lives on something creative because the journey is fun for them. I didn't really identify with most of that, so I refused to associate myself with it out of fear of being called a fraud. (It's the reason why I called my work "videos that happen to be 3D" and not just 3D animations.) I thought it was too late for me to stop animating and make a change since I've been at this for so long, but eventually reality finally caught up to me, and now I know that the animations I do are not for me. It's also a weird feeling when you're someone that has a hard time finding a place to belong online. I've been almost completely alone on this entire journey, and that's only changed during recent years when the wavetro videos started to gain traction, and when Newgrounds basically showed me it was okay to not be the ideal internet artist with the love it had for Stickmen 2020. Even though the type of creative I am (whatever the fuck it is) may not be common or prominently represented, I've now since learned to not overthink things- anyone can be creative and accepted in a community, and you don't have to force yourself to learn something you don't like just so you can feel like you actually belong.




Q: What can we expect from wavetro in the future?


A: I want to start this by mentioning how there was an error in the recent Tank Tribune that said I would keep "making movies" for Newgrounds after I quit. This statement isn't really true- all these animations I made alone are basically dead forever. I'll still be creating online things in general, but I have no idea how many of them can even go on Newgrounds. I first have to take some time off and do nothing for a little while, slowly ending the daily stress I had on myself thinking about the next YouTube animation. This should help me figure out what I actually like to do. You'll always be able to see what I'm up to at https://wavetro.net though. If I ever DO return to movies or animation, I refuse to let myself do it again without a team. I know there are people who really don't want me to throw away all the creative abilities I built up from making these videos, and I promise I won't! I'll find ways to keep them alive, albeit more sustainably. I'll also still keep uploading any videos I may want to make for myself on YouTube/Odysee/Instagram too, but those videos obviously won't be polished animations anymore. I also want to make sure whatever I do doesn't come off as "YouTuber behavior," in which I accidentally create expectations for me to post on a regular basis. I don't owe anyone anything anymore, and if I ever teeter close to a "solo online career" again, please make sure I stay the fuck away from that path LMAO. There's a big problem right now where giant tech companies are dominating child & teen upbringings with infinite piles of free content and never-ending social feeds, and it's raising a generation of people to think that everything is either a performance for online fame or a hustle to get online money. Please listen to me when I say this: it's okay to be a nobody. You will do a whole lot better in life without all that stress compared to a person that bases their own self-worth on their work, fanbase, or bank account. Take it from me, a guy that let his life be defined only by his videos for 12 whole years...




As stated in this interview, I first learned about wavetro from pigeon. His series reminds me somewhat of the asdfmovie series. The biggest difference is where asdfmovie goes for the random factor, Stickmen has more concise comedic writing with incredible timing. I love everything he has made here on Newgrounds. I don't know what he has planned next. I can say though, without a shadow of a doubt, that it will be amazing.




The Tank Tribune is a part of Dohn's Desk Productions

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Posted by TheInterviewer - April 6th, 2022


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Interview No. 182

Interview By: @The-Great-One

Patreon Post Date: Mar 30, 2022


Today's guest has graced the Audio Portal with inspirations from a comic artist in the Art Portal with the entries, Polymer Sunrise and Lurkers. To participating in the Newgrounds Tankmas ADVENTure 2020 with Fizzy Snow. They are also the winner of Best Audio for Pico Day 2021 with Nechromatic - World Wide Web [FULL EP]. I am most pleased to welcome @ARAMort.




Q: How did you find Newgrounds and why did you join?


A: So, I didn't have a computer at home, right? I was a new kid in a new country with nothing to his name, but I did have one friend that showed me around a local library and imagine my shock when I found out that they had computers! And I could use them for like, a whole HOUR every day??? At the time I didn't really know much about the internet, I just loved fiddling with computers. So imagine how flabbergasted I was when my friend told me that there were HUNDREDS of games online that I could play for FREE????? Seriously, huge revelation to me.


Problem is, it was one of these stinkin' sites that reuploaded stuff from Kongregate, Armor Games, Miniclip and of course Newgrounds. I kept seeing all these logos pop-up in games that seemingly had nothing to do with each other, and I think it was either Madness Regent or Accelerant that made me want to click on one of these things.


I instantly realised that I hit the source, and not only did the website look cooler but it also had CARTOONS???? Somebody hold me!!!


This was a really subconscious thing, but seeing that all these games weren't made by some mysterious 'Newgrounds Corporation' but rather just other people like you and me, it completely turned my life around and gave me purpose. I joined Newgrounds around 2009 swearing an oath that when I grow up, I would make something as cool as the most awesomest coolest people on the site!


In short: thank god for pre-loaders!




Q: At what age did you become interested in music?


A: Basically ever since I joined Newgrounds haha, so I guess when I was around like 9 years old. I wasn't really interested in music that much until I heard Cheshyre's work on the Madness series (pls interview him next thx). I swear to god I thought it was the coolest shit ever, he's definitely one of the reasons I've been infatuated with texture in music from a young age. When I found out that I could listen to all of these tunes on their own, without any of the gunshots or gore sound effects, as much as I wanted, and then put that stuff on my own CDs????? blew my mind. YouTube was blocked on these library computers so I relied exclusively on Newgrounds for music for quite a while. Good times.


Now, music making? Until like 5 or so years ago that was just a pipe-dream for me. I really wanted to do it, but it always seemed so inaccessible. It's a fact that music has a high barrier of entry. All the tools and instruments are expensive, and if you don't have anyone to show you the ropes you'll just keep bashing your head in frustration without making any progress.


I'm glad that this has been changing this past decade though, with tutorials and digital synths and instruments being so easily available and accessible to anyone with a computer. I probably wouldn't have gone anywhere with music if I wasn't able to acquire this stuff digitally.


Don't pirate software tho! Piracy is very bad and very illegal and you'll definitely go to jail! Just felt like saying that for no reason in particular hehe.




Q: What can you tell us about Animal Collective and their inspirations on your work?


A: You see, before discovering them, I only really listened to EDM, Dubstep and whatever I found on Newgrounds, which were great don't get me wrong, but I was kind of closed-off of anything that wasn't rhythmic and electronic. For whatever reason I was very against singing in music as well. Didn't like it at all. I think M83 and some instrumental post-rock bands were as far as it went for me.Damn do I really talk about them that much? There's too many things to say... so if anyone ain't interested in me gushing about my favorite artists y'all can skip this one lol. Seriously, this is gonna be corny as fuck.Now, I think every person that creates stuff has that ONE artist that completely changed some intrinsic aspect of themselves, and for me that's the band Animal Collective.


Then, out of nowhere, 'In The Flowers' comes in on a YouTube video and hooooly shit, I couldn't believe what I was listening to, it was like somebody flipped a switch. After that I devoured their discography, and what these guys ended up doing to my brain is that they completely warped and expanded my perspective on what music and art in general can be. I also discovered them when I was at a crossroads with art, I didn't really know if this was something I really wanted to pursue, I was seriously on the brink of quitting, but their music really reignited my desire to keep on going.


There's so many reasons as to why they are so influential to me. The way they use texture and melody is unlike anything out there, I don't think I've ever heard electronic music sound so alive before, with their soundscapes being so vivid and dense. And with all the details they cram into their songs, I keep discovering new sounds everytime I come back to them. They also keep re-inventing their sound with every single release, and I truly mean re-invent. Seriously, if you have the time take a listen to these 5 tracks in succession and tell me how the hell are these the same people making these songs?


1 2 3 4 5


And all of this without any pretensions of being deep or aggrandized egos, just normal dudes completely in tune with themselves, playing the music they like.


Again, this will sound super corny, but their way of doing things has made me realise that I can do anything and be anyone, without having to box myself into one thing. I work in so many different mediums now, and have so many diverse interests, and it's in great part thanks to their music.


Another fact when it comes to my sound work, I didn't actually start out making music, but rather mixing it. These dudes are super gracious when it comes to archiving live shows, they encourage people to record whatever they can and as such there's a whole community out there doing it. So a hobby of mine was to take these live recordings, mix them in with the album versions and then create my own personal versions of their music, all of this in Sony Vegas too! It was all very sloppy but it taught me a lot about properly EQ-ing and leveling stuff, and through this I also kinda managed to uncover some of the ways that they themselves make their music work.


So here's a tip, if you wanna make music but have absolutely no idea where to start, I recommend starting small by doing something like this, maybe loop that part of a song you like, maybe just slow it down and slap some reverb on it, and if you're feeling really adventurous maybe try making a mashup. Making the music you like your own in that way is super gratifying and you end up learning and connecting things together that'll help you later down the line.

It's kind of a roundabout way of getting into music-making, but hey it worked for me.


Of course Animal Collective aren't my only musical point of reference, far from it. I would love to make a write-up on all the artists that I love, but if I did this interview would be like 20 pages long AT LEAST lol. Join me next time for my dissertation on Za! and Oneohtrix Point Never.


In short: STREAM TIME SKIFFS NOW.




Q: You first song on Newgrounds is entitled Powered Chaindrill where you played around in Fruity Loops. What did you learn when playing with Fruity Loops?


A: That track is complete ASS!!! I don't really remember what I've learned per se, because it was the very first track I made in FL Studio... I guess I've learned that I've yet to learn a lot of things... yeeeah...


Shit, now I remembered, I was so clueless about how to use the damn thing, that I didn't even know how to make multiple patterns, nor how to export a track. If I remember correctly, I think I made that little synth loop and then I recorded the playback in Audacity in real time and put in all the percussion at random, on the fly, while the whole thing was looping every bar. All I remember is feeling completely demoralized after, I honestly don't know how I didn't quit making music haha.


What I did take away from that though is that I really liked playing around with synths. Twisting knobs and faders on a synth and making cool new sounds has to be one of the most fun and relaxing things on the planet.




Q: Primordial Soup, Polymer Sunrise, and Lurkers would be inspired by Amunito by @Hambonous. How did you come across this comic? What about it inspired these tracks?


A: @Hambonous and I have been bffs for a long time now! @Wandaboy and I, we kinda forced him into making a NG account. AT GUNPOINT. He was just ruminating on the idea of making this cool-ass comic inspired by the works of Moebius and the primordial soup. I was in a bit of a creative rut at the time, but this shit was so inspired and compelling to me that I made a batch of tracks in like, I think an hour or two? There wasn't even a comic page to draw inspiration from yet, I just went by his own descriptions. Those 3 tracks I uploaded were the best of the bunch. Hopefuly they are not the last tho! I would love to make something more 'official' later down the line, if Ham ever wants to do that... idk, time will tell I guess.




Q: Why was there a three-year gap between Powered Chaindrill and your Amunito inspired tracks? What were you working on during this time?


A: I was in my training arc, getting stronger and taking my vitamins 😎😎😎


After putting that first track on NG I knew that I had a huge road ahead to improve and learn. Most of this time I mostly spent on learning the tools and principles behind everything and toying around with plugins rather than actually making any music. There were some tracks here and there that I abandoned, and that's something I've learned to make peace with. Abandoning your work for whatever reason doesn't have to be painfull as long as you learn something from it, and luckily for me, that was the case most of the time. The few tracks that I did finish were kinda shitposty and inside-jokey, and I only really shared them with friends. Not really sure who else would even wanna listen to that stuff lol.


I also have a bunch of tunes I recorded on a shitty accoustic guitar. I would've liked to re-record some of them later down the line with a better mic, but the guitar broke and the mic never came. Such is life.




Q: You would be a part of Tankmas ADVENTure 2020. Your track Fizzy Snow would be featured. I really like this song, it gives me a sense of nostalgia of being at my parent's Christmas Party. You said it didn't start off as a festive holiday song, but pushed it in that direction. What was the song's original intent going to be? Why did you make the shift?


A: It's super good to hear that it evokes those feelings! I oftentimes wonder if the intent comes across in my music so it's awesome to hear that it does.


Originally this track was just a little FEZ inspired ditty I made around 2018, and it sounded something like this. Years pass, this thing rots on my hard-drive, and then one fateful night, my good friend @NoMoreChie approaches me and tells me that they needed some last-minute tunes for the Advent collab.


I wasn't sure if I could make something new in time, one of the organizers in that collab told me that I could send 'em whatever tracks I had that sounded wintery-ey.


So naturally, what I did was take this old-ass track that sounded vaguely cold, completely re-worked it and then I said to myself "yup, not good enough" and then just created a completely new part that sounds nothing like the first. All with sounds (mostly) made from scratch of course, couldn't help myself. I think Take Pills by Panda Bear kinda inspired the whole vibe and shift it took in the end with it being a two parter. It's really jovial sounding but you can't quite make out the details. It was a fuzzy year for all of us I think and that kinda reflects on the track




Q: You won the Best Song for Pico Day 2021 with your entry Nechromatic - World Wide Web [FULL EP]. Why did you release a full album for Pico Day? How did this project begin? How did it accumulate into a full album? What were your thoughts on winning Pico Day?


A: Yeah, WWW was kind of an accident lol.


It was really a spur-of-the-moment sorta thing, there was so much momentum on and around NG and that made me super invigorated to try my hand at something. In the beginning I wanted to make a couple short tracks in the style of some Newgrounds musicians that I loved from way back in the day, but I thought that'd I'd kinda be doing those artists and myself a disservice. After that I thought of remixing a couple iconic tracks, but it wasn't really turning out the way I wanted to, so I shot that idea down just as quickly as the last.


I took the risk of doing my own tracks my own way, mainly to take some pressure off. The main idea now was to make tracks that, while not directly referencing Newgrounds itslef, would evoke the sounds and vibes of Newgrounds and the internet from way back then. Leaning into making this a genre pastiche really helped me to get an idea of how the finalized idea would sound like and to not worry too much about it. I only intended for maybe 3 tracks max, but then it went completely out of hand. It went so out of hand in fact that I missed a ton of classes just to finish the thing. Probably the best decision I made that year lmao.


I'm not gonna delve too much into the process since I made a whole write-up that goes over every song, so if that sounds interesting to you then check it out!


As for winning, I'm honestly still suprised.  Not because I think that WWW didn't turn out awesome, I wouldn't change anything about it. It's just the fact that I took the risk to do something more personal and it paying off. I listen to it from time to time and when I do I'm like "Did I really make this? Me? With my own two hands?", almost like an outsider. And my outsider self says that it sounds really fuckin' cool!


I used the prize money to get my first MIDI controller and let me tell ya, that's already changed the way I'm doing things. Seeing tangible change from my work is something I seldom see.


And this interview? Man, that's super awesome too. I mean just taking a glance at your past interviews, a lot of those people are a key reason in why I'm an artist in the first place. I dunno if I'll ever have that effect on people, but man is it cool to have a little corner here next to the greats. 


Also, gotta shout out Elikapika and QueenBoo for making some badass art based on the EP. I seriously do appreciate it.




Q: What is in your opinion, the definition of music?


A: The more I've come to learn about music the more broad that definition's become. In this time and place, I feel like music is just assembled sound and as long as the intent is for it to be music, then it's music. Simple as. Merzbow blasting vaccum cleaners for 2 hours? 100% music in my book. Yoko Ono's dissonant yelping? Absolutely. It's all just as musical to me as The Beatles and The Wiggles. Doesn't mean I like it all, but there's definitely a lot of value to it.




Q: What can we expect from ARAMort in the future?


A: I could honestly ask you the same question haha. School's completely sucked all the creative juices out of me, so it's hard to make any plans rn.


I need to get back to drawing more, so hopefully you'll see more on that side come summer. I also want to finally get into animation, as that's what I set out to do when I joined Newgrounds in the first place. It'd be awesome to finally make some fun shit with my friends. As far as music goes... I mean I'm always fiddling around with stuff. I probably have like 2-3 albums worth of unfinished tracks that'll never go anywhere. Because of that, I'm trying to kind of un-learn and re-learn the way I've been doing things for the past 5 years. I want my stuff to sound more fleshed out and let myself loose, but doing so within the rigid framework of a DAW is kinda hard when you're doing all of this in a vaccum. Hopefully I'll also collab more in that front. I wanna LEARN from other cool musical people!!! I just haven't really had the chance to do so. So if you're a cool musician with cool tricks up your sleeve and u wanna make some cool noise hit me up lol :DDD


Also, here's a lil track for making it all this way (INTERVIEWER EXCLUSIVE!!!). It's not really a sign of anything I might do in the future, I just wanted to revisit and remake one of my very first tracks. Future stuff will be tastier and far different from what you might've heard from me until now, I can assure you that much.




ARAMort is a musician here who is always building upon their craft. The hiatus spent, coming back better than ever. To taking a small project and making a full album. ARAMort is indeed an underrated talent here on Newgrounds. Recognized? Sure, absolutely. They should be taken notice of more though. Here's to seeing what else ARAMort has in store. Perhaps something grand for this year's Pico Day.




The Tank Tribune is a part of Dohn's Desk Productions

SUPPORT ON PATREON | SUPPORT NEWGROUNDS ]


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