The future of comedy is in animation, and Comedy Central is eager to usher in that era. The network has been at the forefront of comedy for decades, and now, Comedy Central’s latest project is ready to introduce the world to a new generation of creators. The Drawing Board promises to roll out a slew of short content curated and created by diverse animators. ComicBook got the chance to speak with some creators participating in The Drawing Board, and as you might expect, the artists are all eager to bring their unique flavor to Comedy Central’s lineup.
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Maddie Brewer, a writer-animator on The Drawing Board, said they know how difficult it is for underrepresented talent to find a place in animation given the industry’s focus on profit. “My experience is that time and time again, animated projects centering women and queer people are sidelined as being less profitable,” they shared.
“I’d be really happy to see more studios feel like they’re lucky to work on stories about people who belong to marginalized communities. I think there’s sort of a self-fulfilling prophecy where people think ‘Oh man, this show is about women or queer people or non-white people, it’s not going to make us money’ so they put less money towards promoting it.”
Of course, Comedy Central’s The Drawing Board was created to push back against the trend noted by Brewer. The animated series aims to broaden opportunities in animation and comedy for underrepresented communities such as BIPOC, LGBTQ+, immigrants, Muslims, and more. The Drawing Board will dedicate its six-month development deal to uplifting those groups, and it will do this with Yes, And… Laughter Lab. The comedy organization helped identify promising voices in these communities to join The Drawing Board team, and Comedy Central hopes the “partnership will showcase new and necessary voices.”
Xano Cuervo and Mario Garza echoed this sentiment as creators were thrilled to learn about The Drawing Board as creators. “It means so much to us to be part of this incredible program, especially as underrepresented filmmakers in the industry. Programs like The Drawing Board give us those rare opportunities to work with amazing networks such as Comedy Central. We feel that The Drawing Board wants to push the limits of diversity forward,” the duo shared.
“Comedy Central, Paramount, and the YALL Laughter Lab have given us the utmost support to give us a voice in this intense industry. The greatest part for us is that the support is sincere. Everyone involved with this has a passion for storytelling, for giving underrepresented filmmakers like ourselves that rare chance to artistically express ourselves.”
“I think being a black cartoonist in the animation industry is like being a black person in any industry. It’s never about a lack of talent, it’s always about a lack of opportunity,” writer-animator Noah Cutwright added as another creator working on The Drawing Board. “I’m thrilled that the Drawing Board is creating spaces where there is a concerted effort to bring in people who aren’t usually handed the microphone and giving them a platform to express their creativity and show off the great work we can do.”
The Drawing Board wants to bring a new collection of creators into the comedy world, so this animated series will be a must-see for anyone in need of a good laugh. Comedy Central’s impressive project is dedicated to sharing stories from unsung communities from across the world. And as the years pass by, expect to see more goodies from The Drawing Board creators like Brewer, Cutwright, Garza, and Cuervo!
