I was thinking today about how certain animators and creators who have worked for Cartoon Network eventually went on to have really stellar careers in the animation industry, while others ended up fading into obscurity.
For example, the likes of Genndy Tartakovsky and Craig McCracken went on to have a number of successful animated series not just for Cartoon Network, but other studios as well, after DEXTER'S LABORATORY and THE POWERPUFF GIRLS brought them some notority and recognition . . . in the case of Genndy, he's now with Sony Pictures Animation, as is David Feiss, who created COW AND CHICKEN and I AM WEASEL.
But then, you've got the likes of Danny Antonucci and John R. Dilworth, both of whom have yet to be able to get another mainstream project off the ground, in spite of the popularity that they enjoyed from ED, EDD N EDDY and COURAGE THE COWARDLY DOG. I know they both have cult followings, and I can kind of see why some networks and studios are a little apprehensive about picking up anything from Dilworth, but with EEE being one of CN's biggest smash hits, you'd think Antonucci wouldn't have so much trouble getting someone to take a chance with a new project from him.
Then again, one of the biggest differences here is that Tartakovsky, McCracken, and Feiss were insiders who worked directly for the studios and networks, whether it was Hanna-Barbera, Turner, or Cartoon Network itself; Antonucci and Dilworth, on the other hand, were outsiders who mostly did and still do independent work.