Elmer Earl "Butch" Hartman IV (born January 10, 1965) is an American animator, director, producer, writer, and voice actor. He is most known for creating the
Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Group. It ...
series ''
The Fairly OddParents
''The Fairly OddParents'' is an American animated television series created by Butch Hartman for Nickelodeon. The series follows the adventures of Timmy Turner, a 10-year-old boy with two fairy godparents named Cosmo and Wanda who grant him ...
'', ''
Danny Phantom'', ''
T.U.F.F. Puppy
''T.U.F.F. Puppy'' is an American animated television series created by Butch Hartman for Nickelodeon. It premiered on October 2, 2010, on Nickelodeon along with '' Planet Sheen'', which premiered a half hour earlier. ''T.U.F.F. Puppy'' is Hartma ...
'', and ''
Bunsen Is a Beast
''Bunsen Is a Beast'' is an American animated television series created by Butch Hartman for Nickelodeon. It revolves around a small eccentric monster named Bunsen who begins attending a middle school that previously only admitted humans. In spit ...
''. Hartman also owns a production company, Billionfold Inc., which he uses primarily to produce his shows. Hartman was an
executive producer on ''The Fairly OddParents'' for the entirety of its 16-year run.
On February 8, 2018, Hartman announced in a
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...
video that he had left Nickelodeon on February 2 after having worked at the studio since December 1997;
he confirmed that this resulted in the end of production on ''Bunsen Is a Beast'' after one season.
His latest animated program, ''The Garden'', premiered in 2019. In 2021, he returned to Nickelodeon to produce a live-action ''Fairly OddParents'' reboot show, ''
The Fairly OddParents: Fairly Odder'', which premiered on
Paramount+
Paramount+ is an American subscription video on-demand service owned by Paramount Global. The service's content is drawn primarily from the libraries of CBS Media Ventures (including CBS Studios), Paramount Media Networks (formerly Viacom Media ...
on March 31, 2022.
Early life
Hartman was born in
Highland Park, Michigan
Highland Park is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 8,977 at the 2020 census. Along with its neighbor of Hamtramck, Highland Park is an enclave city surrounded by the city of Detroit.
History
The area tha ...
. He received the nickname Butch as a young boy and continued to use it as an adult. Hartman spent his childhood in
Roseville, Michigan
Roseville is a city in Macomb County in the U.S. state of Michigan, and is a part of the Metro Detroit area. The population was 47,299 at the 2010 census. Until 1958, Roseville was a part of Erin Township.
History
The first permanent post ...
and his teenage years in
New Baltimore, Michigan
New Baltimore is a city in Macomb County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 12,117 at the 2020 census. New Baltimore is a northern suburb of Metro Detroit and is located along the northern shores of Lake St. Clair.
History
Ne ...
.
He graduated from
Anchor Bay High School in New Baltimore in 1983,
and subsequently attended the
California Institute of the Arts
The California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) is a private art university in Santa Clarita, California. It was incorporated in 1961 as the first degree-granting institution of higher learning in the US created specifically for students of both ...
in
Valencia
Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the autonomous community of Valencia and the third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. The wider urban area al ...
, California. He graduated in 1987 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.As a young student he appeared on ''
The Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour'' winning close to $3,000.
Career
Early career
While still attending CalArts, Hartman interned as an
in-between animator on the
Don Bluth
Donald Virgil Bluth (; born September 13, 1937) is an American film director, animator, production designer, and animation instructor, best known for his animated films, including '' The Secret of NIMH'' (1982), '' An American Tail'' (1986), ''Th ...
film ''
An American Tail
''An American Tail'' is a 1986 American animated musical adventure film directed by Don Bluth from a screenplay by Judy Freudberg and Tony Geiss and a story by David Kirschner, Freudberg and Geiss. The film features the voices of Phillip Glass ...
''. Before graduating, he was a contestant on the
Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour
''The Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour'' is an American television panel game show that combined two panel games of the 1960s and 1970s – ''Match Game'' and ''Hollywood Squares'' – into an hour-long format.
The series ran from October 31, ...
for three episodes and shortly after graduating, he was hired as a character designer and storyboard artist for an unidentified ''
My Little Pony'' animated series. As he had no previous experience with storyboards, he was soon fired.
Afterwards, he found work with
Ruby-Spears
Ruby-Spears Productions (also known as Ruby-Spears Enterprises) was a Burbank, California–based American entertainment production company that specialized in animation with another branch in Rome, Italy. This company was founded in 1977 by vete ...
, where he worked on ''
It's Punky Brewster
''It's Punky Brewster'' is a 1985–1986 animated spin-off of the live action television sitcom ''Punky Brewster''. It was animated by Ruby-Spears Productions. The show uses the same premise and main cast as its parent series, but also includes a ...
'' and ''
Dink, the Little Dinosaur
''Dink, the Little Dinosaur'' is an American animated series created by Karen Willson and Chris Weber, produced by Ruby-Spears Enterprises. The series originally aired as part of CBS's Saturday morning line-up from 1989 to 1990.
Plot
The series ...
''. He was also a member of the video reference crew for the
Disney
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
film ''
Pocahontas
Pocahontas (, ; born Amonute, known as Matoaka, 1596 – March 1617) was a Native American woman, belonging to the Powhatan people, notable for her association with the colonial settlement at Jamestown, Virginia. She was the daughter of ...
''.
In the early 1990s he was hired as an artist in the model department at
Hanna-Barbera, and was eventually contacted by studio president
Fred Seibert
Frederick (Fred) Seibert (born September 15, 1951) is an American television producer, co-founder of MTV and the CEO of FredFilms, an animation production company based in Burbank, California. His official biography states he has led five (working ...
to make the shorts ''Pfish and Chip'' and ''Gramps'' for the ''
What a Cartoon! Show
''What a Cartoon!'' (later known as ''The What a Cartoon! Show'' and ''The Cartoon Cartoon Show'') is an American animated anthology series created by Fred Seibert for Cartoon Network. The shorts were produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions; by th ...
''. Eventually, he became a writer, director and storyboard artist for several of the early
Cartoon Network shows, including ''
Dexter's Laboratory'', ''
Johnny Bravo
''Johnny Bravo'' is an American animated comedy television series created by Van Partible for Cartoon Network and distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution. It is the second of the network's Cartoon Cartoons, which aired fr ...
'', ''
Cow and Chicken
''Cow and Chicken'' is an American animated comedy television series created by David Feiss for Cartoon Network and distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution. It is the third of the network's Cartoon Cartoons. It follows the ...
'', and ''
I Am Weasel
''I Am Weasel'' is an American animated television series created by David Feiss for Cartoon Network and produced at Hanna-Barbera. It is the fourth of the network's Cartoon Cartoons. The series centers on I. M. Weasel (voiced by Michael Dorn), a ...
''. After his contract with Hanna-Barbera expired, he went to work with Seibert at his new studio,
Frederator
Frederator Studios is an American animation television production studio which is a division of Frederator Networks, Inc. It was founded by Fred Seibert in 1997 with its first series launching in 1998. (Seibert resigned from Frederator in Augus ...
, on the ''
Oh Yeah! Cartoons
''Oh Yeah! Cartoons'' is an American animated anthology series that aired on Nickelodeon. Created by Fred Seibert, it was produced by Frederator Incorporated and Nickelodeon Animation Studio, running as part of Nickelodeon's Nicktoons lineup. In ...
'' show for
Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Group. It ...
.
During his time working at Hanna-Barbera, he became friends with future ''
Family Guy'' creator
Seth MacFarlane. The two would later go on to make the short ''Zoomates'' together for Oh Yeah! Cartoons. The character Dr. Elmer Hartman in ''Family Guy'' was named after Hartman. He also voiced various characters in the show's first few seasons.
Working at Nickelodeon
His biggest success came in December 1997, when he created ''
The Fairly OddParents
''The Fairly OddParents'' is an American animated television series created by Butch Hartman for Nickelodeon. The series follows the adventures of Timmy Turner, a 10-year-old boy with two fairy godparents named Cosmo and Wanda who grant him ...
''. The series originally started out as a series of shorts on the anthology show, ''Oh Yeah! Cartoons''. Eventually, Nickelodeon decided to pick the shorts up as a full series. Premiering in 2001, the adapted series ended up becoming a huge hit, second only in the ratings to ''
SpongeBob SquarePants
''SpongeBob SquarePants'' (or simply ''SpongeBob'') is an American animated comedy television series created by marine science educator and animator Stephen Hillenburg for Nickelodeon. It chronicles the adventures of the title character ...
'' (and it briefly even passed ''SpongeBob''s ratings). Following the third ''
The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius
''The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius'' (sometimes shortened to ''Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius'' or commonly ''Jimmy Neutron'') is an American CGI-animated television series. The second installment in the '' Jimmy Neutron'' franchise, it ...
'' crossover ''The Jimmy-Timmy Power Hour 3: The Jerkinators'', the series ceased production in 2006, but it was announced on Hartman's forum on February 2, 2007, that 20 more episodes would be produced; the 6th season of ''Fairly OddParents'' aired on February 18, 2008, starting with the 1-hour special ''Fairly OddBaby''. From May 1, 2009, to May 3, 2009, the 3-part special ''
Wishology'' aired; although that too was originally intended as a series finale, the series was renewed for another season. A tenth season was eventually ordered in 2015. ''The Fairly OddParents'' is Nickelodeon's second longest-running animated show behind ''SpongeBob''.
Due to the success of ''The Fairly OddParents'', Hartman was asked to create another show for Nickelodeon; Hartman says the President of Nickelodeon asked him if he had an idea, and before he could say the title he was given the greenlight. The show would later become ''
Danny Phantom''. To produce the show, in 2003, Hartman founded his own production company Billionfold Inc., which he also used, and still uses today, to produce his other projects. ''Danny Phantom'' received critical acclaim and is considered Hartman's best show, with Hartman himself acknowledging it as perhaps the best of his programs. ''Danny Phantom'' ended production in early 2007.
Around 2008–2009, Hartman began production his third show for Nickelodeon, ''
T.U.F.F. Puppy
''T.U.F.F. Puppy'' is an American animated television series created by Butch Hartman for Nickelodeon. It premiered on October 2, 2010, on Nickelodeon along with '' Planet Sheen'', which premiered a half hour earlier. ''T.U.F.F. Puppy'' is Hartma ...
'', which premiered in 2010 alongside the ''Jimmy Neutron'' spin-off ''
Planet Sheen
''Planet Sheen'' is an American CGI-animated television series. It is the third and final installment in the '' Jimmy Neutron'' franchise, the second and final spin-off television series of the film '' Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius'', and a spin-off ...
''. The series received mixed to positive reviews and ran for 3 seasons before being cancelled.
His final show, ''
Bunsen Is a Beast
''Bunsen Is a Beast'' is an American animated television series created by Butch Hartman for Nickelodeon. It revolves around a small eccentric monster named Bunsen who begins attending a middle school that previously only admitted humans. In spit ...
'', aired on Nickelodeon and
Nicktoons
Nicktoons is a collective name used by Nickelodeon for their original animated series. All Nicktoons are produced partly at the Nickelodeon Animation Studio and list Nickelodeon's parent company (Viacom, now known as Paramount Global) in their ...
from January 16, 2017, to February 10, 2018. On February 8, 2018, Hartman announced on his Twitter and YouTube accounts that he had left Nickelodeon as of February 2 after a 20-year run.
Other works
In 2015, Hartman launched a "kid-safe
nlinenetwork of live shows and cartoons" called the Noog Network.
In October 2017, Hartman started a podcast called ''Speech Bubble'', on which he talks about cartoons, movies, pop culture, and various other topics. Several voice actors have appeared on the podcast, including
Rob Paulsen,
Tara Strong
Tara Lyn Strong (née Charendoff; born February 12, 1973) is a Canadian-American actress. She is known for her voice work in animation, websites, and video games. Strong's voice roles include animated series such as '' The New Batman Adventure ...
,
Jerry Trainor
Gerald William "Jerry" Trainor (born January 21, 1977) is an American actor. He is known for playing Spencer Shay in the teen sitcom '' iCarly'', winning three Kids' Choice Awards for his performance, and reprises the role on its revival series ...
,
Grey Griffin
Grey DeLisle (; born Erin Grey Van Oosbree; August 24, 1973), sometimes credited as Grey Griffin, is an American voice actress, comedian and singer-songwriter. DeLisle is known for various roles in animated productions and video games. On Sept ...
, and
Vic Mignogna
Victor Joseph Mignogna (); born August 27, 1962)Birthday tweet:
* is an American voice actor and musician known for his voice-over work in the English dubs of Japanese anime shows, such as Edward Elric from the '' Fullmetal Alchemist'' series ...
. After initially posting excerpts on his primary YouTube channel, the podcast videos were later moved to its own dedicated YouTube channel, now including full episodes.
On June 22, 2019, Hartman released the animated web series, ''
HobbyKids Adventures''. This series, produced by PocketWatch, Inc., was created for
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...
channel HobbyKidsTV. On 13 July, Hartman released a book, ''Mad Hustle'', which details the ins and outs on pitching and selling a show in Hollywood.
In 2019, Hartman created, wrote, and produced a Christian animated web series for preschoolers called ''The Garden'', along with his wife, Julieann. The Hartmans have already planned at least two seasons of the series and plan to launch a subscription-based app for ''The Garden'' in late 2022. Hartman's further plans for the property include creating a VBS curriculum for churches and illustrating a children's bible published by
Thomas Nelson, entitled ''The Garden Children's Bible'', which stars the characters from ''The Garden'' and is scheduled to release in 2023.
Return to Nickelodeon
In February 2021, Hartman was announced to be returning as a producer of ''
The Fairly OddParents: Fairly Odder'' a live-action/animated reboot of his original show. The show premiered on March 31, 2022.
Personal life
Hartman currently lives in
Bell Canyon, California
Bell Canyon is an unincorporated community in eastern Ventura County, California, United States. Bell Canyon is a gated community in the Simi Hills with the main access through the Los Angeles community of West Hills and the western San Fernan ...
, with his wife, Julieann, and daughters, Carly and Sophia Hartman. He also has three younger brothers. Hartman is also an openly devout
born-again Christian and
young-Earth creationist, converting in 2000 after hearing a sermon by
Frederick K. C. Price.
In 2005, Hartman, along with his wife, founded Hartman House, a non-profit organization that supports those in developing nations, as well as some of the most poverty stricken areas in the United States. Hartman House has built two homes for families in
Guatemala, fed nearly 7,200 families with
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in the United States, Canada, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Philippines. It is also observed in the Netherlander town of Leiden ...
meals in the U.S., and is in the midst of funding a school in
Uganda
}), is a landlocked country in East Africa. The country is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the south by Tanzania. The sou ...
. At Hartman House events, Hartman usually draws and autographs items related to his work for children.
Controversies
Misleading Kickstarter campaign
Hartman started a
Kickstarter campaign for OAXIS Entertainment, a
streaming service stated to be a "family-friendly" alternative. After the fundraising goal had been reached, it was then revealed the network was meant to be specifically a Christian one, which was never disclosed on the page.
However, he later claimed that while faith would continue to be a part of his life, OAXIS would not be a faith-based service.
Plagiarism
In February 2021, Hartman was accused of
plagiarism when he published his commissioned artwork of ''
Attack on Titan'' character Mikasa Ackerman, in which similarities were noted to a 2018 artwork of a Japanese artist. The artist confirmed Hartman did not receive permission.
Filmography
Film
Television
Internet
Written works
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hartman, Butch
1965 births
21st-century American male writers
21st-century American screenwriters
American animated film directors
American cartoonists
American Christians
American Christian writers
American male non-fiction writers
American male screenwriters
American male voice actors
American podcasters
American storyboard artists
American television directors
American YouTubers
Animators from Michigan
California Institute of the Arts alumni
Cartoon Network Studios people
Contestants on American game shows
Hanna-Barbera people
Living people
American male YouTubers
Nickelodeon people
People from Bell Canyon, California
People from Highland Park, Michigan
People from New Baltimore, Michigan
People from Roseville, Michigan
Screenwriters from California
Screenwriters from Michigan
Showrunners
Television producers from California
Television producers from Michigan
YouTube animators
YouTube channels launched in 2015