Cartuna is a Brooklyn-based animation
production company
A production company, production house, production studio, or a production team is a studio that creates works in the fields of performing arts, new media art, film, television, radio, comics, interactive arts, video games, websites, music, and ...
that has made animated TV Shows for
Syfy
Syfy (formerly Sci-Fi Channel, later shortened to Sci Fi; stylized as SYFY) is an American basic cable channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. Lau ...
,
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American basic cable channel owned by Paramount Global through its network division's MTV Entertainment Group unit, based in Manhattan. The channel is geared towards young adults aged 18–34 and carries comedy programming ...
and
Facebook Watch
Facebook Watch is a video on demand service operated by American company Meta Platforms (previously named Facebook, Inc.). The company announced the service in August 2017 and was available to all U.S. users that month. Facebook Watch's original ...
. The company has producers, all of which have their own unique style.
History
The company was founded in May 2015 in
Bushwick, Brooklyn
Bushwick is a neighborhood in the northern part of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. It is bounded by the neighborhood of Ridgewood, Queens, to the northeast; Williamsburg to the northwest; East New York and the cemeteries of Highland Par ...
by James Belfer and Adam Belfer, viewing a perceived gap in the market for adult animation for digital and mobile audiences that they could fill. The Studio would produce the animation for the documentary film ''
Nuts!'' in 2016, which won a Special Jury prize at the
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,66 ...
. Later, the company would expand into making animated series releasing the web series like ''Dogs in A Park''. In 2018, the company would increase production making the shows ''
Human Kind Of
''Human Kind Of'' is an American adult animated comedy series created by Diana McCorry that premiered on September 16, 2018, on Facebook Watch. It was Facebook Watch's first original animated series.
Premise
''Human Kind Of'' begins when "Judy Rei ...
'' and ''
Liverspots and Astronots'' for
Facebook Watch
Facebook Watch is a video on demand service operated by American company Meta Platforms (previously named Facebook, Inc.). The company announced the service in August 2017 and was available to all U.S. users that month. Facebook Watch's original ...
and ''Alan & Elle'' for
IFC. In 2019, the company would release its first feature, titled ''Film Tux and Fanny''. More recently, Cartuna partnered with
Syfy
Syfy (formerly Sci-Fi Channel, later shortened to Sci Fi; stylized as SYFY) is an American basic cable channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. Lau ...
to produce shows for its
TZGZ
The following is a list of TV programs for the American channel Syfy, including both original and acquired programming.
Current programming
The following programs first aired in their entirety or had specific seasons on American Syfy channel. Pro ...
block, specifically ''Science!'' in 2019 and ''
Magical Girl Friendship Squad
''Magical Girl Friendship Squad'' is an American adult animated magical girl sitcom created by Kelsey Stephanides and starring Anna Akana and Quinta Brunson. It follows two directionless young women who must figure out how to save the Universe. T ...
'' in 2020, along with the associated pilot series released the same year, ''
Magical Girl Friendship Squad: Origins''.
Cartuna would also be responsible for work on ''
Loafy
''Loafy'' is an American adult animated comedy series of animated shorts created by former SNL cast member and comedian Bobby Moynihan and made by Cartuna, which partnered with the company, Big Breakfast. It premiered on Comedy Central's digital ...
'', a series of animated shorts which aired on
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American basic cable channel owned by Paramount Global through its network division's MTV Entertainment Group unit, based in Manhattan. The channel is geared towards young adults aged 18–34 and carries comedy programming ...
.
In September 2020, in an interview, Kelsey Stephanides, creator of ''Magical Girl Friendship Squad'', argued that her show would have been "totally different" if another studio produced it.
Cartuna worked with over 100 artists on the series. The animation was done on
Adobe Animate
Adobe Animate (formerly Adobe Flash Professional, Macromedia Flash, and FutureSplash Animator) is a multimedia authoring and computer animation program developed by Adobe Inc.
Animate is used to design vector graphics and animation for televi ...
, the backgrounds done in
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Photoshop is a raster graphics editor developed and published by Adobe Inc. for Microsoft Windows, Windows and macOS. It was originally created in 1988 by Thomas Knoll, Thomas and John Knoll. Since then, the software has become the indu ...
, and character design done in both. Five years earlier, while in school at
New York University
New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin.
In 1832, the ...
, studying
Media
Media may refer to:
Communication
* Media (communication), tools used to deliver information or data
** Advertising media, various media, content, buying and placement for advertising
** Broadcast media, communications delivered over mass el ...
,
Culture
Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these groups.Tyl ...
and
Communications
Communication (from la, communicare, meaning "to share" or "to be in relation with") is usually defined as the transmission of information. The term may also refer to the message communicated through such transmissions or the field of inquir ...
, Stephanides, an avid fan of the
magical girl
is a subgenre of Japanese fantasy media (including anime, manga, light novels, and live-action media) centered around young girls who possess magical abilities, which they typically use through an ideal alter ego into which they can transfo ...
genre, came up with the idea for the show and was convinced by Belfer, a professor at the same school, to pitch it to Cartuna.
After that, production on the series began, meant to be a "short-form pitch to networks," and it was pitched around for years until 2019, when
SYFY
Syfy (formerly Sci-Fi Channel, later shortened to Sci Fi; stylized as SYFY) is an American basic cable channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. Lau ...
picked it up, wanting to reboot it, polish it more, and have longer episodes, leading to the creation of the main show, ''Magical Girl Friendship Squad'', itself.
Also in September 2020, Cartuna picked a new Senior-Vice President named Mike Flavin, who formerly worked at
Gunpowder & Sky
Gunpowder & Sky is a Los Angeles-based independent studio that produces feature films, series, short-form content, and podcasts. The company was founded in 2016 by Van Toffler and Floris Bauer.
History
In January 2016 Van Toffler (former CEO of ...
, an independent studio owned by
WarnerMedia
Warner Media, LLC ( traded as WarnerMedia) was an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate. It was headquartered at the 30 Hudson Yards complex in New York City, United States.
It was originally established in 1972 by ...
. Belfer was quoted as saying that they were "doubling down" on development, adding that animation is a medium, rather than a genre, and noted Flavin's experience "from live-action development," allowing them to expand
adult animation in the future.
In November 2020 it was announced that Cartuna would be collaborating with
Doing Things Media on a
IGTV
IGTV, short for ''Instagram TV'', was a standalone video application by Instagram for Android and iOS smartphones. It allowed for longer videos compared to Instagram feeds. IGTV was available as a stand-alone app, though basic functionality was ...
series titled ''Office Fire''.
Films
Television
Music videos
Notes
References
{{Animation industry in the United States
2015 establishments in New York City
Companies based in Brooklyn
American animation studios
Mass media companies established in 2015
Entertainment companies based in New York City
Cartuna
Television production companies of the United States
Adult animation studios