Oh man, it’s been a year.
Hey guys, Travis here. Today, April 3rd, marks the one year anniversary of Moving. To celebrate, I wanted to write a post to explain the events that got the show started, as well as catch you up on what's been going on.
First, the present situation: I have not been able to post very many updates because a lack of productivity on my part. Co-creator Samvel Aleksanyan likes to call this a necessary lull, but the truth is that I've been crippled by some mental troubles pertaining to anxiety that I have only over the past week found myself able to crawl out of. Even approaching the idea of writing another episode has been challenging for me in light of everything going on and life has been no easier for Sam as he balances work with grad school. I will graduate with my master's in English in a short 7 weeks. I hate making excuses for myself, but knowing when to stop is key to breaking the finish line. This is a difficult but potentially fruitful transitional period for the Moving family that we're all trying to push through, hopefully finding some light at the end.
What keeps me optimistic is that Moving was borne out of transition and psychological struggles. I don't expect the present to extend to extend far into the future; it's just inspiration for the next thing. One year ago to the day, I was still in the process of weaning myself from Lexapro and clinging tightly to the things I loved, particularly animation. Shows like Bob's Burgers, BoJack Horseman and Rick and Morty were a soothing balm to my emotional instability. As a result, I was inspired to throw my hat into the ring and create something special. I wanted to make a show with a unique, fresh conceit and characters that viewers could connect to, ponder over, cry for and celebrate with.
One year ago, I intimated all of this to Sam, far less eloquently, over some drinks and he was curious about the project. He didn't think I'd be calling him up for character sketches in a matter of weeks, or bugging him at work about flash drives with storyboard scans. He didn't know how stubborn I could be about getting product out, but I'm glad I convinced him because his own steadiness has been a consistent stream of productivity that this show could not have gone without.
My wife, and Moving producer/editor Ashley Wittmann started to get more involved around this time as well, beginning the complex process of editing an animatic from a bunch of storyboard scans with unusual aspect ratios. I still have no idea what the hell she did to make that work. Convincing lead animator Bonnie Lawson to hop on board was enormous for us and her work for the show continues to turn heads. People often look at me in utter surprise when I say that our gorgeous title sequence was animated by one person. The newest member of the team, Brett Hymes, is the main reason we finally got the animatic out. His vibrant sense of humor and great voice acting was a shot in the arm for us.
Finally, I want to thank all of you that have supported us, both in person and on social media, spreading the word of this exciting project to friends and family. Lately we've been receiving more and more notice from fellow creatives and potential industry connections, which has Ashley and Sam convinced that we need to make a push to compile our impressive year of work and, finally, send some emails to agents and producers. This is intimidating, but they are correct. Moving already has an impressive portfolio of artwork, screenplays and animation that would be difficult to say no to. The only obstacles to completing this are time and mental wellness.
Once again, thank you for your patience and support. We won't let you down. As a parting gift, because we are nothing if not visual, here is a picture of Ashley, Sam and I celebrating our year as a team. Here's to another great year of Moving!
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