Andy Merrill
Encyclopedia
Andy Merrill is a television writer, producer
, and voice actor best known for his comedy voice portrayal of the character Brak
on Space Ghost: Coast To Coast and Cartoon Planet
and other related productions from Cartoon Network
utilizing characters from the Space Ghost
series. He is a graduate of Asbury University where he majored in media communications.
within several months of its inception (in 1992), coming over from sister company CNN
. He started working in programming, and in 1993 he and then head of programming Mike Lazzo
helped put together the first animated late-night talk show
, Space Ghost Coast to Coast
. Andy even voiced Space Ghost in the first of two unaired pilots for the show. In April 1994 Space Ghost Coast to Coast (SGC2C for short) premiered on Cartoon Network. The concept of SGC2C was that 1960s Hanna-Barbera
cartoon superhero Space Ghost
had retired from being a superhero and was hosting his own talk show, in which he interviewed with real celebrity guests, with his old arch enemies Zorak
and Moltar as band leader and director. To date, the show has had over 90 episodes aired on television, and was one of the motivating forces behind the creation of the Adult Swim
programming bracket started in 2001. Andy helped produce and write for the show for years, and voiced "Council of Doom" members Brak
and Lokar, who would appear on the show periodically, mostly Brak.
premiered on TBS (but later moved to Cartoon Network in 1996), with Andy once again writing and producing the show (along with a few other crew members that also worked on Space Ghost Coast to Coast) and voicing the character of Brak. The three main characters on Cartoon Planet were Space Ghost, Zorak
, and Brak
, and it was basically a show of skits and songs put together from the same limited animation used on SGC2C. Originally the skits and songs were just used as filler for showing old Hanna-Barbera
, Looney Tunes
, Merrie Melodies
, and Popeye
cartoons, until the skits and songs became more popular and Brak developed more of a personality and grew popular with fans. The show eventually just became made up fully of skits and songs.
. However, the specials were met with mixed reviews from fans. In the early hours of December 21, 2000, a new sitcom parody cartoon premiered, titled "Leave it to Brak" which was actually the pilot episode for the future Adult Swim
show, The Brak Show
which premiered on Adult Swim in 2001 and ran for two seasons.
(an asset of the Turner Broadcasting System
) in its programming department.
Television producer
The primary role of a television Producer is to allow all aspects of video production, ranging from show idea development and cast hiring to shoot supervision and fact-checking...
, and voice actor best known for his comedy voice portrayal of the character Brak
Brak (character)
Brak is a supervillain on the 1966 Hanna-Barbera cartoon Space Ghost, portrayed as a catlike alien space pirate trying to conquer the galaxy...
on Space Ghost: Coast To Coast and Cartoon Planet
Cartoon Planet
Cartoon Planet is an animated variety show that premiered in 1995 on Superstation TBS, and ran afterward from 1996 to 1997 on Cartoon Network....
and other related productions from Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network is a name of television channels worldwide created by Turner Broadcasting which used to primarily show animated programming. The channel began broadcasting on October 1, 1992 in the United States....
utilizing characters from the Space Ghost
Space Ghost (TV series)
Space Ghost is an animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions. It first aired on CBS from September 10, 1966 to September 7, 1968. The series was composed of two unrelated segments, Space Ghost and Dino Boy in the Lost Valley...
series. He is a graduate of Asbury University where he majored in media communications.
Space Ghost Coast to Coast
He joined Cartoon NetworkCartoon Network
Cartoon Network is a name of television channels worldwide created by Turner Broadcasting which used to primarily show animated programming. The channel began broadcasting on October 1, 1992 in the United States....
within several months of its inception (in 1992), coming over from sister company CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
. He started working in programming, and in 1993 he and then head of programming Mike Lazzo
Mike Lazzo
Michael Lazzo, , is a television producer and the senior executive vice president in charge of Adult Swim at Williams Street Studios....
helped put together the first animated late-night talk show
Talk show
A talk show or chat show is a television program or radio program where one person discuss various topics put forth by a talk show host....
, Space Ghost Coast to Coast
Space Ghost Coast to Coast
Space Ghost Coast to Coast is an American animated parody talk show hosted by the 60s Hanna-Barbera cartoon character Space Ghost. The show premiered on April 15, 1994 on Cartoon Network...
. Andy even voiced Space Ghost in the first of two unaired pilots for the show. In April 1994 Space Ghost Coast to Coast (SGC2C for short) premiered on Cartoon Network. The concept of SGC2C was that 1960s Hanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc. was an American animation studio that dominated North American television animation during the second half of the 20th century...
cartoon superhero Space Ghost
Space Ghost
Space Ghost is a fictional superhero created by Hanna-Barbera Productions and designed by Alex Toth for CBS in the 1960s. In his original incarnation, he was a superhero who, with his sidekick teen helpers Jan, Jace, and Blip the monkey, fought supervillains in outer space...
had retired from being a superhero and was hosting his own talk show, in which he interviewed with real celebrity guests, with his old arch enemies Zorak
Zorak
Zorak is a fictional character who first appeared in the Hanna-Barbera cartoon Space Ghost. Zorak appeared as a 7 foot tall green mantis and is a foe of the show's titular superhero.-Space Ghost:...
and Moltar as band leader and director. To date, the show has had over 90 episodes aired on television, and was one of the motivating forces behind the creation of the Adult Swim
Adult Swim
Adult Swim is an adult-oriented Cable network that shares channel space with Cartoon Network from 9:00 pm until 6:00 am ET/PT in the United States, and broadcasts in countries such as Australia and New Zealand...
programming bracket started in 2001. Andy helped produce and write for the show for years, and voiced "Council of Doom" members Brak
Brak (character)
Brak is a supervillain on the 1966 Hanna-Barbera cartoon Space Ghost, portrayed as a catlike alien space pirate trying to conquer the galaxy...
and Lokar, who would appear on the show periodically, mostly Brak.
Cartoon Planet
In 1995 a spin off from SGC2C, Cartoon PlanetCartoon Planet
Cartoon Planet is an animated variety show that premiered in 1995 on Superstation TBS, and ran afterward from 1996 to 1997 on Cartoon Network....
premiered on TBS (but later moved to Cartoon Network in 1996), with Andy once again writing and producing the show (along with a few other crew members that also worked on Space Ghost Coast to Coast) and voicing the character of Brak. The three main characters on Cartoon Planet were Space Ghost, Zorak
Zorak
Zorak is a fictional character who first appeared in the Hanna-Barbera cartoon Space Ghost. Zorak appeared as a 7 foot tall green mantis and is a foe of the show's titular superhero.-Space Ghost:...
, and Brak
Brak (character)
Brak is a supervillain on the 1966 Hanna-Barbera cartoon Space Ghost, portrayed as a catlike alien space pirate trying to conquer the galaxy...
, and it was basically a show of skits and songs put together from the same limited animation used on SGC2C. Originally the skits and songs were just used as filler for showing old Hanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc. was an American animation studio that dominated North American television animation during the second half of the 20th century...
, Looney Tunes
Looney Tunes
Looney Tunes is a Warner Bros. animated cartoon series. It preceded the Merrie Melodies series and was Warner Bros.'s first animated theatrical series. Since its first official release, 1930's Sinkin' in the Bathtub, the series has become a worldwide media franchise, spawning several television...
, Merrie Melodies
Merrie Melodies
Merrie Melodies is the name of a series of animated cartoons distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures between 1931 and 1969.Originally produced by Harman-Ising Pictures, Merrie Melodies were produced by Leon Schlesinger Productions from 1933 to 1944. Schlesinger sold his studio to Warner Bros. in 1944,...
, and Popeye
Popeye
Popeye the Sailor is a cartoon fictional character created by Elzie Crisler Segar, who has appeared in comic strips and animated cartoons in the cinema as well as on television. He first appeared in the daily King Features comic strip Thimble Theatre on January 17, 1929...
cartoons, until the skits and songs became more popular and Brak developed more of a personality and grew popular with fans. The show eventually just became made up fully of skits and songs.
Brak's Spin-offs
In 2000 two Sonny and Cher-style variety show specials premiered on Cartoon Network, titled Brak Presents the Brak Show Starring Brak. The show featured new animation, and new songs with celebrity guests and fellow Space Ghost villain ZorakZorak
Zorak is a fictional character who first appeared in the Hanna-Barbera cartoon Space Ghost. Zorak appeared as a 7 foot tall green mantis and is a foe of the show's titular superhero.-Space Ghost:...
. However, the specials were met with mixed reviews from fans. In the early hours of December 21, 2000, a new sitcom parody cartoon premiered, titled "Leave it to Brak" which was actually the pilot episode for the future Adult Swim
Adult Swim
Adult Swim is an adult-oriented Cable network that shares channel space with Cartoon Network from 9:00 pm until 6:00 am ET/PT in the United States, and broadcasts in countries such as Australia and New Zealand...
show, The Brak Show
The Brak Show
The Brak Show is an animated television series that aired on Cartoon Network's late night programming block, Adult Swim. The Brak Show is a spin-off of the animated television series, Space Ghost Coast to Coast, and featured recurring characters from Space Ghost Coast to Coast and Cartoon Planet...
which premiered on Adult Swim in 2001 and ran for two seasons.
Acting
| Year | Production | Role | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994-2008 | Space Ghost Coast to Coast Space Ghost Coast to Coast Space Ghost Coast to Coast is an American animated parody talk show hosted by the 60s Hanna-Barbera cartoon character Space Ghost. The show premiered on April 15, 1994 on Cartoon Network... |
Actor | |
| 1995-1999 | Cartoon Planet Cartoon Planet Cartoon Planet is an animated variety show that premiered in 1995 on Superstation TBS, and ran afterward from 1996 to 1997 on Cartoon Network.... |
Actor | |
| 2000 | Brak Presents the Brak Show Starring Brak | Actor | Special |
| 2000-2003; 2007 | The Brak Show The Brak Show The Brak Show is an animated television series that aired on Cartoon Network's late night programming block, Adult Swim. The Brak Show is a spin-off of the animated television series, Space Ghost Coast to Coast, and featured recurring characters from Space Ghost Coast to Coast and Cartoon Planet... |
Actor | |
| 2000-present | Aqua Teen Hunger Force Aqua Teen Hunger Force Aqua Teen Hunger Force , retitled Aqua Unit Patrol Squad 1 in 2011, is an American animated television series on Cartoon Network late night programing block, Adult Swim, as well as Teletoon's Teletoon at Night block and later G4 Canada's ADd block in Canada... |
Oglethorpe | Actor, 21 episodes |
| 2007 | Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters | Oglethorpe | Movie |
Other notes
He left Atlanta briefly, moving to New Jersey for a year, and joining BoomerangBoomerang (TV channel)
Boomerang is a 24-hour American cable television channel owned by Turner Broadcasting System, a division of Time Warner. Boomerang specializes in reruns of animated programming from Time Warner's extensive archives, including pre-1986 MGM, Hanna-Barbera, Cartoon Network, DePatie-Freleng Enterprises...
(an asset of the Turner Broadcasting System
Turner Broadcasting System
Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. is the Time Warner subsidiary managing the collection of cable networks and properties started and acquired by Robert Edward "Ted" Turner starting in the mid-1970s. The company has its headquarters in the CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia. TBS, Inc...
) in its programming department.