HBO Max & WarnerMedia Access Set Inaugural Cohort For Animated Shorts Program

EXCLUSIVE: HBO Max and WarnerMedia Access have announced the inaugural cohort for their Animated Shorts Program, aimed at bolstering aspiring creators of adult animation programming from across the U.S. and Canada.

The filmmakers and projects selected are Miriam Presas (Aroon), Christopher Fequiere (Burning Rubber), Dominick Green (Kent Hammer), Aalaa Mohamed (Leech), Tank Standing Buffalo and Xstine Cook (Monstr), Caeleigh Lightning and Keara Lightning (The Act of Stealing), Yoo Lee and Xin Li (Welcome to 8th Street) and Tsvetelina Zdraveva and Jerred North (Yellowbird).

The HBO Max x WarnerMedia Access Animated Shorts Program launched in January and will run for six to nine months, providing these artists from historically underrepresented communities with the mentorship, training and tools required to create their original, one- to five-minute animated shorts for adult audiences. They’ll be mentored throughout the process by creatives including Billy Wee (SVP, Comedy & Animation, HBO Max), Aaron Davidson (Director, Original Programming, HBO Max), producer-EP Amanda Miller, Jordan Askins (Manager, Development, Adult Swim), Susan Peters (Director, Development, WB Animation Group), Melanie Hadley (Program Director, WarnerMedia Access Canada), Dan Shorr (Co-Head of Studio & Head of Scripted, Rooster Teeth), Diana Theobald (WarnerMedia’s Senior Manager, Equity & Inclusion, Content) and Gabrielle Utsey (Coordinator, Original Programming, HBO Max), and will have the opportunity to bring their completed projects to a global audience, via HBO Max.

Members of the Animated Shorts Program cohort will also be exposed to the business of animation producing, as well as the various career pathways open to those involved with the medium, with industry experts conducting virtual Master Classes on topics including script writing, storyboard and animatic, and character and location design. They were evaluated and selected by a diverse panel of executives and talent from across WarnerMedia’s brands.

The theme for the inaugural program, emphasizing HBO Max’s pursuit of boundary-pushing artists with unique voices, is “Only You.” More information about it can be found here.