Where were you when you found out your episode was nominated and what was your initial reaction?
I was arrayed at home in all my stay-at-home magnificence of comfy pants and slippers. I felt lucky I once again got to direct a nominated episode, proud of everyone who worked on it, and grateful I got to attend last year’s in-person Emmys now that these things are no longer possible.
How long have you worked on the show and what is your background?
I was a director on BoJack for all six seasons. Prior to this I was the creator of the Nickelodeon series Making Fiends which was based on my independent web cartoon. I’ve also created several other independent shorts and web series such as MuffinFilms, Big Bunny and Hooray for Hell. My start in the industry was lip syncing and animating on the first season of South Park while I was an animation student at UCLA.
What was your favorite part of working on this episode?
I was happy that my last episode just happened to be a big epic resource hog. It gave me an excuse to work with almost all the BoJack board artists from all the other director’s teams. I was also pleased that it literally had a built-in talent show to showcase our board artist’s varied skills.
Did you face any creative challenges on this episode? If so, how did you address them?
With dance sequences, horror, action and moments of quiet subtle acting, every day of storyboards was chock full o’ challenges. I’m glad I had some extra time before the episode to plot out all the new locations and work on dream-like surreal details I wanted to add, like impossibly tall pianos and disappearing doorways. I’m also grateful for my trusty assistant director, Chris Nance, who boards beautifully and helped me work out many tricky details, and Mike Hollingsworth who helped make sure the big picture wasn’t getting lost in this forest with so many frickin’ trees.
Why do you think this particular episode resonated with viewers?
In a year with so much uncertainty and pain, I think its anti-suicide message was especially welcome. And if that message can be delivered while still accommodating silly things like Zach Braff in short shorts … even better!
What are your top highlights from working on the show (not specific to this episode)?
From rock operas, to funeral monologues, to night markets in Hanoi, to abortion music videos, to drug trips, to gubernatorial ski races, I’m happy that I was able to direct such a wide array of episodes and contribute so many truly stupid animal gags. I’ll miss it!
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