Michael Hirsh is the co-founder of Nelvana, Canada’s leading animation industry. His journey in the media industry started in 1971 and influenced much of Canadian children’s animation.
Nelvana was what led to an increase in Canadian animation; there were very few original Canadian networks and media companies, mostly from the United States. Hirsh helped shift focus to the country, allowing for original Canadian shows aimed at children.
During the early days of Nelvana, the company became well-known after working with George Lucas in producing a Star Wars special, which was one of the most popular emerging franchises at the time. This project was a key stepping stone in obtaining widespread recognition and especially with children.
What inspired you to create Nelvana?
Nelvana was my first company, and really, what came out of necessity, we had to put together a project with a group of friends and continue making films in college. They couldn’t find everybody in the U.S., so they started to go to Canada and other places. And my friend offered to train myself and my crew in how to do plasticine animation.
When we finished, we enjoyed the project and liked the end product. And that, evolved into Nelvana. And Nelvana became the leading animation company in Canada and became a world leader in building the industry on a global basis.
Was this industry easy to break into, or did you encounter challenges in the early days?
Nelvana was founded in 1971, and there was nothing but challenges. But the first challenge was that there was no industry in Canada. And that was true not only in animation, but in television production and film production. So, the industry was beginning to sort of create itself around the time we started in Nelvana. We were a few years earlier than most. And the hardest part was figuring out how to get enough contracts to keep the studio going and keep people employed. And it was a time when it was also difficult to get banks to invest in you.
Did you expect Nelvana to become as big as it currently is?
Yeah. So, my wife likes to tell the story of how, when I first met her, and I was describing Nelvana, and what Nelvana did. And she thought I was talking about a studio like Disney. So, the vision was there for something big. But when she came to visit us the first time, we were the third floor of a third-floor walkup. There was a bathtub in the middle of the floor, and our animation stand was jerry-rigged by us over a toilet. So, we put a light in the toilet bowl so that we could have back lighting and used a 16-millimetre Bolex for our first camera. So, she got a laugh when she sort of saw the disconnect between what I imagined in my mind and described to her and what reality was. But out of those humble beginnings, a real studio was grown.
You worked with George Lucas. How did that feel to work with such a big name at that time?
So George was the most successful filmmaker that we had worked with up until that time. In fact, he was the first outside filmmaker that kind of reached out to us to sort of do an animated project for them. So, there was no comparison to anything. And because we were picked by him and we were going work with him, we kind of just fell into the process quite naturally. But we learned a lot because not only was George a great filmmaker himself, but he was surrounded by great technicians, great talent, great creative people.
Do you consider animation to be a lucrative career choice for entrepreneurs?
The animation field is still a great field. Kids are always watching cartoons, but the issues today in terms of how to succeed are different than they were. So, in some ways easier because we had to go sell a network. It was in those days, you couldn’t fund a show, just out of Canada. But today, a young person starting out can do their own animation and put it on YouTube. They’re not going to be paid to do it until the point where they get enough viewers that it’s monetizable. So, in some ways, it’s the best of all possible worlds today because you don’t have to go jump through the hoop to get network acceptable. You just put stuff on YouTube, and if it becomes popular, you can make money from it. And you also get invited by Netflix and Amazon, and Apple, and some of these streamers to do a network version of the show. So, is a totally different entry methodology today.
In your opinion, what is the future of children’s animation in Canada?
The Internet airs networks like Global CBC and CTV cannot finance many shows. They’re losing audience, as the audience is watching streamers and every year there’s a decline in network audiences, and cable specialty channels. So, channels like YTV, Teletoon, well, Teletoon is dead currently, but YTV, Treehouse and a lot of these channels are being killed because there aren’t enough viewers and advertising money to support them. So, transitional time for these legacy channels.
Babak Eslami | Writer
