Writing Christian Cartoons and Comics, 2020 Year in Review
This article was originally published on December 21, 2020
A tweet from a fellow screenwriter pal of mine got me to thinking, what have I (Brannon) accomplished in 2020 while working to create christian cartoons, animation, and comics? So first of all, let me re-state, as I've said before on several of the podcasts I've been on in the past few months, that while I totally understand that this past year has been an absolute nightmare for many, it's probably been the greatest year of my life. The reason for this is that back in April (April Fool's Day, in fact), I was blessed to go full time with Brainy Pixel, and as such, for the last 9 months, I've been living my dream life: working from home as a full-time writer/creator. It's the job that I know God made me to do, and I've been having a blast doing it. So, what have I gotten done in the past 9 months? Let's see:
Performed a total revamp of the entire Brainy Pixel website.
Created a Brainy Pixel social network and (5 person team) that includes multiple Facebook pages, YouTube pages, Instagram pages, Pinterest pages, Vimeo, Twitter, Tumblr, and more; also gained the #1 slot on all three major search engines for "Christian animation studio".
Expanded the distribution network of Pictrain from three to nine platforms (two of them are soon to be announced).
Co-created our new brand, The Cubekins, which includes a fully developed pitch, pitch page for the website, a pilot script, four original songs, a budget, and...***
...Wrote and Co-produced the first 22 minute pilot episode of Cubekins, Invasion of the Cubecumbers, which is on sale now!
Coordinated and attended scores meetings with potentially interested distributors and producers for Cubekins from all over the globe.
Obtained the Dove Seal of Approval for all ages for Cubekins!
Lead the development for a Cubekins video game demo.
Created, wrote, and art directed a series of 24 Advent coloring book pages, which will become both a Cubekins coloring book and a children's reader.
Created our new brand, Divine Nine, which includes a fully developed pitch, pitch page for the website, all art direction, a 22 minute pilot script, and a budget.
Created and wrote 12-page comic script for Divine Nine, currently in production, for which I'm also doing all art direction.
Wrote and directed a Divine Nine Intro animatic, yet to be released.
Transformed an original, single book pitch into another new brand, Fourth World Four, which includes a fully developed pitch, pitch page for the website, all art direction, seven co-authored 30 minute scripts, and a budget.
Co-authored and 12-page comic script for Fourth World Four, currently in production, for which I'm also doing all art direction.
Transformed my existing series of Tenet's Tales novellas into a Brainy Pixel pitch, pitch page for the website, show concept document, and budget; also...
Created, wrote, and produced (including all art direction) an 8-page original comic for Tenet's Tales called Troublemaker, which is on sale now, all on my own time.
Worked with Barry Cook (award-winning director and filmmaker of Mulan, Arthur Christmas, and many others) on Act 2 of a Super-Secret Brainy Pixel feature film project.
Created eight additional new brands/concepts/shows, which are yet to be released (each is at least a fully developed pitch, others have as many as seven scripts fully written, and three will be released in Q1 2021).
Envisioned, pitched, coordinated, and closed a deal with a stellar Christian comic company for a new comic line - soon to be released.
Wrote and submitted two grant documents.
Created the in-roads for two additional collaborations/crossover products with existing indie comic creators.
Landed a deal for Brainy Pixel to provide concept art services to another company.
Coordinated/attended/ran over sixty external meetings for Brainy Pixel; double that number internally.
Wrote three fully developed concepts/outlines for personal comic projects/comic collaborations, on my own time.
Assisted in the development of a new card game (in both traditional and electronic formats), on my own time.
I've likely forgotten a few things, but this seems like the bulk of it. Not bad for 9 months, I'd say. :) We're looking expectantly toward what God has planned for our little studio in 2021. One thing you can be sure of, we're always busy at Brainy Pixel, and all for God's glory!
***By the way, there are literally hundreds of other smaller achievements that could be listed as a part of this, but you get the idea...
