PREQUEL: Star Farm Productions’ flagship property, “Edgar & Ellen” cartoon series, is big business, supported by books, animated TV and an online community.
“Trick or Twins,” “Nobody’s Fool” and “Nod’s O-lympians” feature the scheming twins, who have been immensely popular with 6-12-year olds since Star Farms animated them from books created by Rick Carton.
In 2002, Carton, Trish Lindsay and Sara Berliner founded Star Farm Productions to produce “Edgar & Ellen.” Employing a staff of 32, the Farm is located in a 3,000-sq. ft. West Loop loft.
WHO HE IS: Children’s animation expert Jon McClenahan, a two-time Emmy winner and three-time Emmy nominee for directing children’s programming, has been Star Farm’s animation director since March 2006.
HIS JOB: Saying “an animator is an actor who performs through his pencil,” McClenahan supervises animation, script consultation, voiceovers, character and background design, storyboards, timing and post-production for “Edgar & Ellen” and other properties in development.
PROS: “I get paid for drawing funny pictures!”
CONS: “Animating is so labor-intensive, I don’t get a lot of time to get out to parties.”
MOST MEMORABLE PROJECT: Lead animator on feature-length “Footrot Flats: The Dog’s Tale,” produced in New Zealand and Australia. It kept him amused with the Down Under countries’ popular “sheep farm humor” during the mid-80s.
BIGGEST PROJECT: Won an Emmy in 1997 for directing “Steven Spielberg Presents Animaniacs,” produced by Warner Bros. for Fox TV.
BIG BREAK: Sherman Oaks, Calif., 1991: After an unsuccessful day of trying to rub elbows at Warner Bros, he accidentally met former Warner’s animation chairman Tom Ruegger. That led to test work and that led to “Animaniacs,” the first TV show animated out of Chicago.
HEADACHES: “Inflexible industry moguls.”
