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by Kelly Richardson
Animation School Review Columnist

When TV viewers start discussing computer animation, The Simpsons invariably come up. But as you’ll soon discover, one of the brains behind the show’s success began with almost no animation knowledge whatsoever. Here’s his story.

With sitcom writing credits such as Everybody Loves Raymond, The Pitts, and Complete Savages, Mike Scully earned the reputation as a comedic artist. But after joining the creative team for The Simpsons, Mike was forced through a crash course in computer animation. Scully arrived on the scene in 1993 during the height of the show’s success. His goal? Not to screw things up.

Animation Professional Mike Scully

Recently Scully sat down with Animation Views and revealed some interesting tidbits about his computer animation career.

• Humble Beginnings. Mike got his start in entertainment writing jokes for international comedian Yakov Smirnov.
• SimpsonsContributions. Scully is credited with writing twelve episodes of The Simpsons during his tenure, sometimes to widely mixed reviews.
• Awards. Scully has received 6 Emmy Awards for his work as well as 3 other nominations.

One thing Mike seems to appreciate most about writing for the computer animation niche is the teamwork involved. Writers, animators, producers, and editors work together to create the most entertaining show possible for the viewer.

Varied Positions in Animation

The moral of the story is that there are a variety of creative positions within the computer animation genre, and many don’t require masterful drawing skills or expertise with animation software. If you’re looking to get into the industry, use the talents you have to segue into more technical positions.

About the Author

Kelly Richardson covers the local education and technology scenes in major cities across the country. His articles appear in educational journals, periodicals, and e-zines.

Source(s)

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