19 Comments
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Lee Rudder's avatar

This show was and is a huge inspiration and source of rejuvenation. God bless

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Will Schmidt's avatar

Really love it. Do you remember when a fan sent you a picture of a young pup named Chonto? Well that Chonto pup lived a good 12 years and was the best dog anyone ever knew. He had the perfect name and everyone knew that as well. God bless.

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Carson Mell's avatar

I do remember that! So happy he was a good pup. God bless, indeed.

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Bam Sandwich's avatar

man, i've been a fan since way back when i got that wholphin dvd and was mesmerized by your short. read all your books, have followed your tv career. loved the original tarantula shorts, so was stoked to hear it was being made into a series. i was definitely a little apprehensive when i heard it was gonna be on tbs. i had worked with them for a number of years producing and cutting trailers for movies and promos for shows that disappeared quickly. those shows were bad, though. really bad. they had an incredible knack for greenlighting garbage. and it was my job to help them sell it to the masses. i mean who doesn't want to see a joker's wild reboot with snoop dogg? so when they reached out to the company i worked for to have us cut your trailer and promos, i took the lead. because i knew your work, and i knew your voice, and really really really wanted them to be good. i wanted them to be great. because the show was great. ultimately, i saw how little they cared. i saw them bury the show. i saw them bury the trailer and the promos. but i cared. and i tried. all this to say, you've got some die hard fans out here rooting for you, my man. just remember, "you can't untell a tale. you can't outslow a snail."

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Carson Mell's avatar

I wondered why the trailers were actually good when the rest of the promo materials they gave me were so slipshod. Thanks for the help!

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Noelke's avatar

I’d love to know the hows and what’s of this production, did you work closely with an animation studio?

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Carson Mell's avatar

I moved into Rough Draft Studios in Burbank (Futurama, Simpsons Movie) and insisted on building a closer-than-usual relationship with all my directors and producers. The MVPs on the project were Claudia Katz, Edmund Fong, Alexandra Johnstone, Grant Falardeau, and Sam West.

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Carson Mell's avatar

And Paul Calder. Everyone who worked on it was great. Crystal Chesney. Ira Sherak. Just a great, talented group of people. I could list a hundred more names. Dwayne Carey-Hill. I'll stop.

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Noelke's avatar

Gotta say, the mixed media vibe of the original series is something I really loved.

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Noelke's avatar

That’s awesome! Sad there was never a chance for another season, happy to hear that the animation process was a positive one. I’m all for more scrappy animation, but it was really great to see Tarantula evolve the way it did. I thought your world and character design really stuck to the original. It seemed like you still had the opportunity to guide the art direction. So many great lines in Weird River.

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ColdFusion's avatar

I am so glad I got turned on to this show, it's truly a masterpiece. Hopefully go down in history with other shows that were just too good to stay. Right away from that first "can I see you erect?" joke, I knew this was going to be something special. Too bad Adult Swim didn't pick it up, that probably would have gone better. But I think their permitted "shit" budget is too low for a show with a biker gang called the Shitmen.

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Mike Wodkowski's avatar

That show was poetry.

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Carson Mell's avatar

Thanks to you among many!

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DB's avatar

I remember all too well.

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Carson Mell's avatar

Of course! My Hank Azaria.

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Will Schmidt's avatar

DB you are greatness personified. If I ever make it in the world of entertainment I'm in sales currently) first thing I'm doing is getting your representation on the phone for some sort of back end deal they talk about in Guinness.

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DB Denholtz's avatar

These Tarantula episodes were gold. Absolutely shiny 24 carat stuff. I'd love to see them all together again. Fight the powers that be! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmo3HFa2vjg

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Carson Mell's avatar

You can BUY them altogether from Bezos, Apple, YouTube... The usual players. Where the hell that money goes is anybody's guess.

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Noelke's avatar

You can buy it on amzn prime too!

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