On the set of Animation Now! Executive Producer Bob Miller (center) reviews the teleprompter during green screen shooting, with producer Rich Horine (seated) and host Harper Johnston (right).

BOB MILLER has been involved in the animation industry for over a decade, as a writer (Gerhard Hahn Filmproductions, Germany; Stretch Films, New York), character animator (Sullivan Bluth Productions), special effects animator (Rich Entertainment, Warner Bros.), and storyboard artist (Film Roman, Universal, Hyperion, Warner Bros., Hanna-Barbera, Philips Media, Cornerstone Animation).

In 1998 Bob became Storyboard Supervisor on The Lionhearts for MGM Animation. A year later he served as Storyboard Supervisor for the first season of Courage, the Cowardly Dog for The Cartoon Network. He developed the template for Courage to be the first cartoon compatible with the HDTV format. He joined The Simpsons as a storyboard artist in June 1999. He boarded Act One of "Behind the Laughter," the episode that won The Simpsons its 16th Emmy. In June 2001, he joined Cornerstone Animation as Creative Director of Your Child, a direct-to-video series for Focus on the Family, and co-wrote and storyboarded two episodes of the hand-drawn animated Veggie Tales series, Larryboy. In 2003, Bob became storyboard supervisor on the Cartoon Network series, Megas XLR. In 2005 he was storyboard supervisor for Say It with Noddy for SD Entertainment. He returned to The Simpsons in 2006.

Since 1985 Bob has written numerous articles covering the animation industry, for publications such as Starlog, Comics Scene, Comics Buyer's Guide, Animation Magazine, Animato! and Animation World Magazine. Bob is a contributing author to Jerry Beck’s The Animated Movie Guide and The Hanna-Barbera Treasury. He served a lengthy term on the board of directors at the International Animated Film Society, ASIFA-Hollywood.

For his contributions to the animation field, Bob was honored with a Certificate of Merit at the 28th Annual Annie Awards.

Bob’s online articles include:

Year in Review 2006

The Power Behind Atomic Cartoons
Bob Miller talks with Rob Davies, one of the founders of Vancouver's Atomic Cartoons, which from pre-production to Flash, is making a name for itself. The secret? Click on the link and read on... [September 01, 2000]

The Triumphant Independent
John R. Dilworth, creator of Courage, the Cowardly Dog, discusses taking the award winning short to series. [November 01, 1999]

Lean, Mean Fighting Machine: How Brad Bird Made The Iron Giant
[August 01, 1999]

HARPER JOHNSTON has produced and written on several projects including the series The Ivy League and The Adventures of Nathan Banks as well as screenplays Bravo Zulu and Belgium, currently in negotiations. He can also be seen often as host for live performances and Schnuck’s Grocery Stores.

Working both in New York and Los Angeles, Harper has received several awards and appears in the film Homeroom, in addition to The Bachelor, High Adventure, Visitation, Vital Signs, Romeo & Juliet and Mendel & Moses.

TIFFANY WONG
Field Reporter

Since graduating the University of Southern California, TIFFANY WONG has taken business classes with an emphasis on international studies and broadcasting. She obtained production experience at West Coast Talent Productions and Columbia TriStar Television of Sony Entertainment. Tiffany’s internships include the Fox News Channel, Los Angeles Bureau and Channel 36 in Los Angeles. She is currently a writer/producer/reporter/anchorperson for both Torrance CitiCable and El Segundo City Cable. Tiffany believes in the collaborative process and feels that teamwork is the key to success.

AMID AMIDI
Animation historian, Critic

AMID AMIDI is a Los Angeles-based animation historian. He is the publisher and editor of the acclaimed magazine Animation Blast, the only publication that puts the emphasis directly on animation artists and their art. The Blast has the second largest circulation of any current US animation magazine with over 7,500 copies published of the most recent edition. Amid has previously served as associate editor of Animation World Magazine, and has written for a variety of publications including Animation Journal, Animato!, the San Diego Comic-Con International Souvenir Book, and Animation Planet. He has served on the nomination committee of the ASIFA-Hollywood Annie Awards and has been invited to present Fifties-related animation screenings in 2002 at North America's largest animation gathering, the Ottawa International Animation Festival.

Beyond the Internet, Amid has had a varied career in the animation field. His most recent book Cartoon Modern: Style and Design in Fifties Animation (Chronicle Books) won the prestigious 2006 Theatre Library Association Award for best English-language book about film and television. He has also written The Art of Robots for 20th Century Fox about the making of the Fox/Blue Sky computer animated feature Robots.

JERRY BECK
Animation historian, Critic

JERRY BECK studied at The School Of Visual Arts in New York City intent on becoming a great animator. But his interest in animation's history led him down another path. In 1977, Beck began his cartoon research with Leonard Maltin as "research associate" for his landmark book, Of Mice and Magic: A History of American Animated Cartoons (McGraw Hill/Plume 1980). Beck became well versed in the histories and films of every Hollywood cartoon studio. In 1981, Beck teamed with Will Friedwald to produce the filmography, The Warner Bros. Cartoons (Scarecrow Press), later revised as Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons (Henry Holt) in 1989.

Beck has written I Tawt I Taw a Putty Tat: 50 Years of Sylvester and Tweety (Henry Holt, 1991), The 50 Greatest Cartoons (Turner Publishing 1994), and co-authored (again with Will Friedwald) Warner Bros. Animation Art (published by Hugh Levin) in 1997. Beck is also a contributing editor to Leonard Maltin’s Annual TV & Video Guide.

Beck's books include Outlaw Animation, Looney Tunes: The Ultimate Visual Guide, Pink Panther: The Ultimate Guide to the Coolest Cat in Town!, Not Just Cartoons: Nicktoons!, The Art of Bee Movie (with Jerry Seinfeld), The Animated Movie Guide and The Hanna-Barbera Treasury.

Beck was instrumental in the creation of Animation Magazine and has also contributed to Variety, Hollywood Reporter, Video Business, The Whole Toon Catalog, Animation Blast, Animato!, Wild Cartoon Kingdom, and the online Animation World Magazine.

In 1989, Beck partnered with producer Carl Macek to form Streamline Pictures, the first company devoted to importing Japanese animation and distributing anime to North American theatres, television and home video. Among Streamline's many titles were Akira, Fist of the North Star, Vampire Hunter D, Nadia, Wicked City, Robotech, and Robot Carnival. Beck also co-produced the English language version of My Neighbor Totoro (Fox Video) and compiled Speed Racer the Movie for Family Home Entertainment.

In 1997, Beck formed Cartoon Research Co. to write books, consult on animation projects, compile CDs, DVDs and home video products, supply cartoon stock footage and develop new features and TV series. Beck has been an animation consultant to Walt Disney Home Video, Warner Home Video, Rhino Records and Republic Entertainment.

Beck was the West Coast Bureau Chief for Kidscreen Magazine for one year (July 2000 through July 2001), and co-wrote the Cartoon Network specials Toonheads: The Wartime Cartoons (which received a significant 2.3 rating) and Toonheads: the 12 Missing Hares.

He is the host/producer of the annual “Worst Cartoons Ever” screening at the Comic-Con International: San Diego. In 2008 he was honored with ASIFA-Hollywood’s prestigious June Foray Award, for significant and benevolent or charitable impact on the art and industry of animation, at the 35th Annual Annie Awards.

HARRY JOHNSON
Announcer

HARRY JOHNSON is a professional announcer with 30 years in broadcasting and 15 years of community college teaching experience. He specializes in providing voiceovers for commercials, cartoons, promos and industrial films. Harry served as announcer for ABC’s Home Show with Gary Collins and Sarah Purcell. From 1977 to 1982, Harry hired and directed a team of announcers (for KOST Radio) that held the number two ratings in easy listening FM stations in the Greater Los Angeles radio market. From 1983 to 1988, Harry was the mid-day announcer weekdays for KBIG Radio in Los Angeles, rated number one from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. In addition to doing voiceover work, Harry currently teaches radio and TV announcing at Santa Monica College.