It was one year ago today that the first show was released. The site’s been around for a bit longer than that, and the idea is even older, but this seems like the right date to celebrate. Podcasting wasn’t even a hobby over two years ago so I could have never imagined that I would spend so much of my spare time doing it. When I started, there were about 3,000 registered podcasts on Podcast Alley. Today there are over 18,000. Many have come and some have gone, but The Animation Podcast is still going strong at the ripe old age of 1.
Archive for the 'News & Info' Category
If you didn’t know, the site was offline for a day while I transfered to a new host. It was fairly painless. I think in the whole process I only lost one or maybe two of the most recent comments. Well I’m glad that’s all done! I also tried to reduce some of the visual clutter in the process.
I’m assuming you don’t care about all this and just want the next show. I’ve been working on the site all day and I’m all computed out. It’s Easter weekend. Go outside. Breathe fresh air! I’ll get to the next one this week.
See you guys later.
I’m transfering my site to a new host in the next week or so. I can’t say exactly when because it’s out of my control. When that happens, the website will most likely not be available for about a day, and that’s if I get to it right away.
I’ve decided to hold off on releasing Glen Keane, Part Two until after the switch because I don’t want people to come looking for it and find absolutely nothing. It’ll only be a short while and when everything is squared away, I’ll put out Show 15.
I host the audio files on a totally different server, so all the previous shows will still be available. The best bet is to access them through iTunes or another podcast directory like Odeo, Yahoo! Podcasts, or Podcast Alley.
Thanks for your understanding and patience,
Clay
Hey everybody,
I’ve been collecting a couple things in my head so it’s time to dump them here. (My head only holds so much.)
Comments
Thanks to everyone who’s commented here on the site and via email. Generally, I’ll respond to the site comments first since the emails I get usually have more detailed questions, but I do try to answer all of them. So if you’ve sent me mail, I’ve got it, I just haven’t had a chance to respond yet.
Odeo Voicemail
Thanks for all the Odeo voice messages too! Like I said in the last show, the audio is so much better!
Survey
The survey is still active, so click it in the header, or here, if you haven’t taken it. I have a target number of participants and you’re already half way there. It’s giving me some great insight to who you guys are (and who you’d like to hear on upcoming shows).
Badges (or buttons)
If you’ve been wanting an image to use on your site to link back to me, want no more. I’ve got a variety of sizes to choose from, so step right up and get your badges here.
Voting
I’ve kind of dropped the push for votes at Podcast Alley, but listener Paul’s comment rightly points out that it does help to get more listeners. If you’re so inclined, you can vote from the link on the homepage (under Feedback), or through this link. Thanks Paul.
I’ve been futzing with a new theme that offers some cool functionality, so check it out. If you don’t see a difference, use the Theme Switcher in the sidebar. And if it totally busts your viewing experience, just switch back. I know it’s very “traditional” in the animation sense of the word, but don’t get all bent, there’s a CG theme coming soon.
I love having a site that people enjoy, and I’m flattered when other sites see fit to link back to what I’m doing, but I have seen a couple examples out there of other sites blatantly re-publishing my every post, word for word, images included. I feel that using my work as a source of content without my permission is downright despicable and I certainly wouldn’t consider myself a “Contributor” to any site that takes without asking. Don’t worry if you’ve merely blogged about The Animation Podcast, I like you guys. The real offenders are quite aware of what efforts they make to misappropriate my work for their own profit.
So, like Jim at Seward Street, who is in the same boat and equally unflattered, I’ve made a slight change that I hope you will tolerate. If you subscribe to the RSS feed, you will see that each post will have a copyright message attached to the end. It not a big deal, but I like it when it shows up on those sites I’m talking about, just to let people know what they are reading when they happen to go there.
Also, this has caused me to reconsider how I link to good stuff you might like. Now I will point you to the place where I originally hear about something cool, instead of directly to the file. I’m not doing this to cause you more work, but to honor the work that others do on the web.
Three things real quick-like:
1. I’m still alive and I haven’t quit - because I can’t quit you!
2. I just got iLife ‘06 and the new podcast features in GarageBand will make my life so much easier!
3. That means I won’t dread the tedium and time of packaging a podcast (the way I like, with chapters and pretty pictures), so this darn three-months-between-shows-wait will be a distant memory. YEEeeeHah!
I guess I should have done this a while ago, but I always have felt that this site isn’t about me, but the guests on the shows. I’ve finally gone and made a page with all the juicy details about how I came to work in animation, as that subject (not me particularly, but in general) seems to be an area of great interest for many people who have contacted me. I think that’s what they wanted. At least I hope so. When someone asks, “What do you do?” they want a little something more than, “I do this thing,” don’t they? Well, I know I like a little history thrown in, so that’s what I did. Enough already, there’s a link in the sidebar as well as here.
I know, I know. You want more shows. They will come, I promise. In the meantime, I just took a break and set up a Frappr map. You can go there and add yourself so we can all see who’s listening and from where.
Be sure to use the Shoutout box to tell something about yourself like your homepage, where you work/go to school, what is your favorite type of animation. You can add a picture (or a creatively drawn rendition) of your mug too! And by mug I mean face, not coffee.
I started it off, but it’s so lonely on that map. Fill ‘er up!
If you ever want to change what you’ve put up there, send me an email and I’ll delete your name so you can start fresh and clean. By the way, I’ll add something that looks more like me when I’m at home with my scanner.
After working in animation for eleven years, I decided that it was time to participate a little more in the animation community. This site is an tangible, um audible, result of that decision (hope you like it). Something else I decided to do was to finally join ASIFA-Hollywood. So earlier this week I dropped off a couple applications at their offices in Burbank (one for me, one for the intro voice). I figured what the heck, I’ll go for the Patron membership since it supports what their site calls the “Animation Preservation Project.” I didn’t know what that meant, but it sounded reasonable enough. ASIFA-Hollywood does other cool things like the Annie Awards and the 2D Expo. Plus, for the months before I was hired at Disney, every Tuesday night I went to ASIFA’s little office on Victory Boulevard in Burbank for the cheapest figure drawing in town (not counting sneaking in to Art Center classes). I made my first good drawing there.
So anyhow, imagine how good I felt today when I read Cartoon Brew and learned about the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive Project. So that’s what they were talking about. What a fantastic idea! Hopefully our new membership will help get them a little closer to their goals. If you want to help by donating money or time, you can find more info on their blog. You might also consider becoming a member too.
Thanks to Jim for pointing out that they are hoping for some linkage to their blog.
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