Supply Closet Animation Pickup

From the trades:

HBO has given a two-season pickup to the animated series “Animals” produced by the Duplass Brothers.

The first two episodes screened this year at Sundance, generating buzz that led to the HBO pickup. HBO has acquired worldwide rights to the first batch of episodes produced and has ordered a second season. The half-hour series is targeted for a 2016 debut.

“Animals” was created by New York-based advertising creatives Phil Matarese and Mike Luciano as a series of animated shorts revolving around downtrodden creatures — pigeons, rats, bedbugs, etc. — living in New York City. ...

“Going from having made ‘Animals’ in the supply closet at our day job to making ‘Animals’ in a supply closet at HBO headquarters is an unfathomable dream come true,” Matarese and Luciano said.

Starburns Industries, the studio behind Adult Swim’s “Rick and Morty,” produced the animation for “Animals.” ...

From the festibal circuit to an HBO deal. Not too shabby.

Now we'll just have to see if we can coax the production into the Animation Guild fold.