The Early June Studio Roundabout...

These are the days that try my soul...for this week and next I get to run from studio to studio, hauling my bags of 401(k) forms for enrollment meetings. And I'm off to a roaring start. I managed to fall on my face crossing the construction site known as Brand Boulevard in front of Rough Draft Feature Animation. On the other hand, I found out a few things... Studios continue to ramp up as various projects move into production. Rough Draft Feature Animation is bringing more and more artists on board for "Simpsons, the Movie." IDT Entertainment continues to burst at the seams. I visited their "overflow" site (actually their old location in North Hollywood) and discovered that half of the "King of the Hill" staff consists of new recruits. (IDT/Film Roman were and are keen to keep show veterans continuously employed. But of course, that plan re "Hill" sank beneath the waves when Fox cancelled "KOTH" the end of last year, then reversed course and revived it some months later. Big DVD sales can be seductive.) So now many "King of the Hill" old-timers work elsewhere, and a new staff climbs the learning curve presented by the fresh episodes.