How did you get into animation? Was it something you wanted to do as a child?
I loved animation as a kid but really wanted to get into comic books. I was a bit discouraged trying to be a cartoonist after high school, and got into computer programming and doing some animation for games. This ultimately led to my studio hiring animators and getting more serious about it... Animation came as a bit of surprise after doing it on Yo Gabba Gabba! and that show becoming a huge hit.
You are a producer, actress, writer, and animator. Which one came first?
I'm very performative. If I wasn't trans I'd have gotten into acting and continued doing stand up. The behind the camera stuff came as a result of wanting to be creative but not feeling like there was a future in being seen. Producing came easy, I managed a Taco Johns at 17, and started reading a lot of management books to do that job well. At this point I am a writer and executive producer, but the writer part is really just writing down performances. I do the voices and improv in the room and capture what I like.
For Danger and Eggs, how did you decide who to work with? Was it organic or did you pick?
We had a few key people I've worked with for a decade. My partner Mike Owens originated [the character] 'Phillip', and Eric Knobel developed that voice and helped us sell him... We all had similar politic and points of view around the types of skills and lived experiences we wanted to hire. Some people were Amazon's A-Team but mostly it was an existing network of folks we loved.
You have done cartoons for children in the past as well; why a cartoon for children and not for adults?
Danger & Eggs started out as a cartoon for adults and I would love to work on grown-up stuff. Hollywood likes to pigeonhole you a bit. I tried out as a writer on Transparent and they said they couldn't hire a person from "other areas of the industry." We have a great reputation in the "kid space" so things come a bit easier there... There aren't a lot of venues, and the ones that are there are very male crew and male audience-driven. Total boy's club. Kids is changing much faster.
How was the process of coming up with the main characters? Where did the names come from?
D.D.'s name is Danger Delano Danger. Danger is NOT her middle name. Some of the other names are people we love or temp script names that stick. Duncan probably came because I was doing a show with Duncan Trussel at the same time. Lydia is Lydia Hearst, basically because I want her to guest star if we ever show that character.
Any hidden symbols in the show?
If you watch in reverse you will understand the New World Order. No. We really wanted to get around the metaphors and hidden symbology and be overt. In the pride festival we have actual pride, trans, agender, asexual, pansexual flags. I feel like shows for kids have a long history of "that blue monster you thought was scary was actually nice!!!" but it hasn't done a lot to end systemic oppression. So we wanted to be overt. This is a black girl with black girl magic based on a black girl we cast. Being overt was so important.
What is the main message you want to portray with Danger & Eggs?
Weirdly, the thing I want to take away is that it's really funny. I also want to show that the atypical is great.
