Jerry Beck
Encyclopedia
Jerry Beck is a well-known animation
historian, with ten books and numerous articles to his credit. He is also an animation producer, an industry consultant to Warner Bros.
, and has been an executive with Nickelodeon
and Disney
.
in New York City
intent on becoming a great animator. But his interest in animation's history led him to working with Leonard Maltin
, becoming his 'research associate' on the landmark book, Of Mice and Magic: A History of American Animated Cartoons. In the course of doing this work, Beck became well versed in the histories and films of every Hollywood cartoon studio.
in 1978, working with the MGM/UA
film library as a salesman in the non-theatrical division.
In 1981, Beck teamed with colleague Will Friedwald
to produce the filmography "The Warner Brothers (sic) Cartoons", published by Scarecrow Press. In 1984 Beck joined Orion Classics
, becoming an expert at theatrical distribution.
, The Festival of Claymation and The Puppetoon Movie to theatres. At Expanded, Beck helped organize two animation festivals (Los Angeles Animation Celebration in 1987 and 1989) and was instrumental in the creation of Animation Magazine
. In addition to his writing for Animation Magazine, Beck has contributed to Variety
, Hollywood Reporter, Video Business, The Whole Toon Catalog, Animation Blast, Animato
, Wild Cartoon Kingdom
and the on-line Animation World Magazine.
in 1994. In 1995 Beck taught "The History of Animation" at NYU and in the spring of 1996 taught "Promotion for Animation" at the School of Visual Arts
. He was a founding member of the Cartoon Network
advisory board in 1993, and serves on the board of directors of ASIFA-Hollywood
, a chapter of (The International Animated Film Association
).
, Rhino Records and Republic Entertainment
(curating the best-selling Betty Boop
: The Definitive Collection).
More recently, Beck compiled the 15 volume sets of Looney Tunes: The Collector’s Edition and Woody Woodpecker and Friends: The Collectors Edition for Columbia House. He also co-produced Somewhere in Dreamland: The Definitive Max Fleischer Color Classics for VCI Entertainment. He is now a consulting producer for the annual DVD compilation Looney Tunes Golden Collection
.
. Streamline was the first company devoted to importing Japanese animation and distributing anime to North American theatres, television and home video. Among Streamline's many titles were Akira
, Fist of the North Star
, Vampire Hunter D
, Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water
, Wicked City
, Robotech
, and Robot Carnival
. Beck also co-produced the 1993 Fox English language version of My Neighbor Totoro
and compiled Speed Racer: The Movie
for Family Home Entertainment.
Beck parted with Streamline in 1993 to pursue other areas of animation. He became Executive Producer of The Baby Huey Show
for The Harvey Entertainment Co. Beck then joined Nickelodeon Movies
as Vice President of Animation, under a three year contract. At Nickelodeon, Beck was instrumental in developing The Rugrats Movie
, and Mighty Mouse
and The Stinky Cheese Man (both which weren't finished).
. Also in 1997, Beck formed Cartoon Research Co. to write books, consult on animation projects, compile CD
's, DVD
's and home video products, supply cartoon stock footage and develop new features and TV series.
In 1999, Beck produced Totally Tooned In for Columbia Tri-Star International Television
, a 65 episode series that restored the Columbia theatrical cartoon library; and for Cartoon Network
wrote and co-produced the special Toonheads: The Lost Cartoons.
Beck was co-Creator, co-Producer and co-writer of Karen and Kirby for Warner Bros. TV Animation. 13 Karen and Kirby interstitials were produced and were shown on Kids WB's The Big Cartoonie Show.
Beck had two more books published in 2003: Outlaw Animation and Looney Tunes: The Ultimate Visual Guide.
In 2004, Beck was General Editor of Animation Art, and wrote two more books which were published in 2005: The Animated Movie Guide and Pink Panther: the Ultimate Visual Guide.
, aired as part of the Random Cartoons series Dec. 20, 2008 on Nicktoons Network
. He collaborates with Mystery Science Theater's Frank Conniff
to produce Cartoon Dump on the Web and as a monthly live comedy show at The Steve Allen Theater
in Hollywood. An annual show of Worst Cartoons has become a Friday night staple of Comic-Con International
, drawing an audience of over a thousand to watch Beck's latest selection of terrible but commercially distributed television cartoon series episodes (mostly drawn from low budget 1960s syndicated programs).
Animated cartoon
An animated cartoon is a short, hand-drawn film for the cinema, television or computer screen, featuring some kind of story or plot...
historian, with ten books and numerous articles to his credit. He is also an animation producer, an industry consultant to Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
, and has been an executive with Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
and Disney
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
.
Biography
Jerry Beck graduated John Bowne High School in Queens, New York City, where he was a member of the staff of OPUS, the school's yearbook. While at Bowne, he was also developing his own comic art style as well as a keen interest in animated films and film in general. After high school, Beck studied at The School of Visual ArtsSchool of Visual Arts
The School of Visual Arts , is a proprietary art school located in Manhattan, New York City, and is widely considered to be one of the leading art schools in the United States. It was established in 1947 by co-founders Silas H. Rhodes and Burne Hogarth as the Cartoonists and Illustrators School and...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
intent on becoming a great animator. But his interest in animation's history led him to working with Leonard Maltin
Leonard Maltin
Leonard Maltin is an American film and animated film critic and historian, author of several mainstream books on cinema, focusing on nostalgic, celebratory narratives.-Personal life:...
, becoming his 'research associate' on the landmark book, Of Mice and Magic: A History of American Animated Cartoons. In the course of doing this work, Beck became well versed in the histories and films of every Hollywood cartoon studio.
Early career
Beck began his career in the film industry at United ArtistsUnited Artists
United Artists Corporation is an American film studio. The original studio of that name was founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charles Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks....
in 1978, working with the MGM/UA
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programs. MGM was founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer...
film library as a salesman in the non-theatrical division.
In 1981, Beck teamed with colleague Will Friedwald
Will Friedwald
Will Friedwald is an American author and music critic. He has written for such newspapers as The New York Times, The Village Voice, Newsday, The New York Observer, and The New York Sun, and for such magazines as Entertainment Weekly, Oxford American, New York, Mojo, BBC Music Magazine, Stereo...
to produce the filmography "The Warner Brothers (sic) Cartoons", published by Scarecrow Press. In 1984 Beck joined Orion Classics
Orion Pictures
Orion Pictures Corporation was an American independent production company that produced movies from 1978 until 1998. It was formed in 1978 as a joint venture between Warner Bros. and three former top-level executives of United Artists. Although it was never a large motion picture producer, Orion...
, becoming an expert at theatrical distribution.
Expanded Entertainment
His interest in animation and knowledge of film distribution brought him to the attention of Terry Thoren's Expanded Entertainment company in 1986. With Beck's expertise, Expanded began distributing the International Tournee of AnimationInternational Tournée of Animation
The International Tournée of Animation was an annual touring program of animated films selected and assembled from films from many countries around the world and which existed from about 1970 to the late 1980s...
, The Festival of Claymation and The Puppetoon Movie to theatres. At Expanded, Beck helped organize two animation festivals (Los Angeles Animation Celebration in 1987 and 1989) and was instrumental in the creation of Animation Magazine
Animation Magazine
Animation Magazine is a monthly publication covering the animation industry, including different reviews about film and television animation, visual effects and video games....
. In addition to his writing for Animation Magazine, Beck has contributed to Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
, Hollywood Reporter, Video Business, The Whole Toon Catalog, Animation Blast, Animato
Animato
Animato is a compilation of short films by Mike Jittlov, using extensive use of stop motion, pixilation, kinestasis, animation, and multiple exposures. It featured The Interview, Swing Shift, Rocketman, The Leap, Time Tripper, and Fashionation.It was screened at Filmex in 1977...
, Wild Cartoon Kingdom
Wild Cartoon Kingdom
Wild Cartoon Kingdom was an animation magazine published from 1993-1994 by Larry Flynt Publications.-History:The magazine was created by Film Threat founder Chris Gore. It was edited by a number of people during its run, including Kevin Burke, Andrew J...
and the on-line Animation World Magazine.
Teacher
Recognized as an authority on animation, Beck taught a nine week course at the UCLA Extension on "Animation: The State Of The Art" in 1992 and conducted seminars on "The History of the Hollywood Cartoon" for the American Film InstituteAmerican Film Institute
The American Film Institute is an independent non-profit organization created by the National Endowment for the Arts, which was established in 1967 when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act...
in 1994. In 1995 Beck taught "The History of Animation" at NYU and in the spring of 1996 taught "Promotion for Animation" at the School of Visual Arts
School of Visual Arts
The School of Visual Arts , is a proprietary art school located in Manhattan, New York City, and is widely considered to be one of the leading art schools in the United States. It was established in 1947 by co-founders Silas H. Rhodes and Burne Hogarth as the Cartoonists and Illustrators School and...
. He was a founding member of the 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....
advisory board in 1993, and serves on the board of directors of ASIFA-Hollywood
ASIFA-Hollywood
ASIFA-Hollywood, a non-profit organization in Los Angeles, California, USA, which is a branch member of the "Association Internationale du Film d'Animation" or "ASIFA"...
, a chapter of (The International Animated Film Association
International Animated Film Association
The International Animated Film Association or ASIFA is an international non-profit organization founded in 1960 in Annecy, France by the best known animation artists of the time such as the Canadian animator, Norman McLaren...
).
The 1990s
In the 1990s, Beck co-produced a successful series of laser disc compilations for MGM/UA Home Video, which included The Golden Age of Looney Tunes, The Compleat Tex Avery and The Art of Tom & Jerry and he has programmed over 100 video tape collections. He has been an animation consultant to Walt Disney Home Video, Warner Home VideoWarner Home Video
Warner Home Video is the home video unit of Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., itself part of Time Warner. It was founded in 1978 as WCI Home Video . The company launched in the United States with twenty films on VHS and Betamax videocassettes in late 1979...
, Rhino Records and Republic Entertainment
Republic Pictures
Republic Pictures was an independent film production-distribution corporation with studio facilities, operating from 1934 through 1959, and was best known for specializing in westerns, movie serials and B films emphasizing mystery and action....
(curating the best-selling Betty Boop
Betty Boop
Betty Boop is an animated cartoon character created by Max Fleischer, with help from animators including Grim Natwick. She originally appeared in the Talkartoon and Betty Boop film series, which were produced by Fleischer Studios and released by Paramount Pictures. She has also been featured in...
: The Definitive Collection).
More recently, Beck compiled the 15 volume sets of Looney Tunes: The Collector’s Edition and Woody Woodpecker and Friends: The Collectors Edition for Columbia House. He also co-produced Somewhere in Dreamland: The Definitive Max Fleischer Color Classics for VCI Entertainment. He is now a consulting producer for the annual DVD compilation Looney Tunes Golden Collection
Looney Tunes Golden Collection
The Looney Tunes Golden Collection was an annual series of six four-disc DVD box sets from Warner Bros.' home video unit Warner Home Video, each containing about 60 Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies animated shorts...
.
Streamline Pictures
In 1989, Beck partnered with producer Carl Macek to form Streamline PicturesStreamline Pictures
Streamline Pictures was an American media company that was best known for its distribution of English dubbed Japanese animation. -Founding:Founded in Los Angeles, California, in 1988, Streamline Pictures was one of the first North American companies that was created primarily for the intention of...
. Streamline was the first company devoted to importing Japanese animation and distributing anime to North American theatres, television and home video. Among Streamline's many titles were Akira
Akira (film)
is a 1988 Japanese animated cyberpunk science fiction film directed by Katsuhiro Otomo, written by Otomo and Izo Hashimoto, and starring the voices of Mitsuo Iwata, Nozomu Sasaki, Mami Koyama and Taro Ishida. The screenplay is based on Otomo's manga Akira....
, Fist of the North Star
Fist of the North Star
is a Japanese manga series written by Buronson and drawn by Tetsuo Hara that was serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1983 to 1988, spanning 245 chapters, which were initially collected in a 27-volume tankōbon edition by Shueisha...
, Vampire Hunter D
Vampire Hunter D
is a series of Japanese novels written by Hideyuki Kikuchi and illustrated by Yoshitaka Amano since 1983.To date, twenty-two novels have been published in the main series, with some novels comprising as many as four volumes...
, Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water
Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water
is a Japanese animated television series inspired by the works of Jules Verne, particularly Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea and the exploits of Captain Nemo...
, Wicked City
Wicked City
Wicked City may refer to:* Wicked City , a series of novels by Hideyuki Kikuchi.* Wicked City , a 1987 Japanese anime adaptation of the first Wicked City novel.* The Wicked City , a live-action adaptation of the anime...
, Robotech
Robotech
Robotech is an 85-episode science fiction anime adaptation produced by Harmony Gold USA in association with Tatsunoko Production Co., Ltd. and first released in the United States in 1985...
, and Robot Carnival
Robot Carnival
is a Japanese anime anthology film released in 1987. It consists of nine shorts by different directors, many of whom started out as animators with little to no directing experience...
. Beck also co-produced the 1993 Fox English language version of My Neighbor Totoro
My Neighbor Totoro
, is a 1988 Japanese animated fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and produced by Studio Ghibli. The film follows the two young daughters of a professor and their interactions with friendly wood spirits in postwar rural Japan...
and compiled Speed Racer: The Movie
Speed Racer
Speed Racer is an English adaptation name of the Japanese manga and anime, which centered on automobile racing. Mach GoGoGo was originally serialized in print form in Shueisha's 1958 Shōnen Book, and was released in tankōbon book form by Sun Wide Comics, re-released in Japan by Fusosha...
for Family Home Entertainment.
Beck parted with Streamline in 1993 to pursue other areas of animation. He became Executive Producer of The Baby Huey Show
The Baby Huey Show
The Baby Huey Show is a cartoon television show which ran in syndication during the 1995-96 TV season. The show featured the character Baby Huey. 26 episodes were produced by combining old theatrical Famous Studios cartoons and new episodes produced by Film Roman....
for The Harvey Entertainment Co. Beck then joined Nickelodeon Movies
Nickelodeon Movies
Nickelodeon Movies is the motion picture production arm of children's cable channel Nickelodeon, originally launched in 1995. Its first film was Harriet the Spy. It has produced films based on Nickelodeon programs, as well as other adaptations and original projects...
as Vice President of Animation, under a three year contract. At Nickelodeon, Beck was instrumental in developing The Rugrats Movie
The Rugrats Movie
The Rugrats Movie is a 1998 American animated film, produced by Klasky Csupo and Nickelodeon Movies. The film was distributed by Paramount Pictures and first released in theaters in the United States on November 20, 1998....
, and Mighty Mouse
Mighty Mouse
Mighty Mouse is an animated superhero mouse character created by the Terrytoons studio for 20th Century Fox.-History:The character was created by story man Izzy Klein as a super-powered housefly named Superfly. Studio head Paul Terry changed the character into a cartoon mouse instead...
and The Stinky Cheese Man (both which weren't finished).
Late 1990s
From September 1997 through April 1998, Beck had an exclusive consulting and development deal with Walt Disney Television AnimationWalt Disney Television Animation
Disney Television Animation is an American animation studio that is the TV animation production arm of the Disney-ABC Television Group, owned by The Walt Disney Company, dedicated to creating, developing and producing animated television series, films, specials and other projects.Established in...
. Also in 1997, Beck formed Cartoon Research Co. to write books, consult on animation projects, compile CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
's, DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
's and home video products, supply cartoon stock footage and develop new features and TV series.
In 1999, Beck produced Totally Tooned In for Columbia Tri-Star International Television
Columbia TriStar Television
Columbia TriStar Television was the third name of the television studio Screen Gems, named after its then-current 1991 home video division....
, a 65 episode series that restored the Columbia theatrical cartoon library; and for 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....
wrote and co-produced the special Toonheads: The Lost Cartoons.
Beck was co-Creator, co-Producer and co-writer of Karen and Kirby for Warner Bros. TV Animation. 13 Karen and Kirby interstitials were produced and were shown on Kids WB's The Big Cartoonie Show.
Writer
Beck was the West Coast Bureau Chief for KidScreen magazine for one year (July 2000 through July 2001), and co-wrote the Cartoon Network special Toonheads: The Wartime Cartoons (which aired 7/1/01 and received a modest 2.3 rating). Beck also co-wrote Toonheads: The 12 Missing Hares and Toonheads: The Worst Cartoons Ever (both projects were shelved). In 2002, Beck became a writer/producer for Rubberbug Animation, which produced an award winning educational DVD project named algebra'school.Beck had two more books published in 2003: Outlaw Animation and Looney Tunes: The Ultimate Visual Guide.
In 2004, Beck was General Editor of Animation Art, and wrote two more books which were published in 2005: The Animated Movie Guide and Pink Panther: the Ultimate Visual Guide.
Current activities
Beck's six minute cartoon short Hornswiggle, produced by Frederator StudiosFrederator Studios
Frederator Studios is an independent American production company founded by Fred Seibert in 1997, with its first series launching in 1998. The studio focuses primarily on artists who write their own shorts, series, and movies...
, aired as part of the Random Cartoons series Dec. 20, 2008 on Nicktoons Network
NickToons Network
Nicktoons is an American digital cable and satellite television network owned by Viacom. It is a sister service of the Nickelodeon cable channel...
. He collaborates with Mystery Science Theater's Frank Conniff
Frank Conniff
Frank Conniff is a writer and actor who is perhaps best known for his portrayal of TV's Frank on Mystery Science Theater 3000 .-Early work:...
to produce Cartoon Dump on the Web and as a monthly live comedy show at The Steve Allen Theater
The Steve Allen Theater
The Steve Allen Theater at the Center for Inquiry Los Angeles is a multidisciplinary resident fringe theater and theater of the absurd in Hollywood developed and helmed by Founding Artistic Director, Amit Itelman....
in Hollywood. An annual show of Worst Cartoons has become a Friday night staple of Comic-Con International
Comic-Con International
San Diego Comic-Con International, also known as Comic-Con International: San Diego , and commonly known as Comic-Con or the San Diego Comic-Con, was founded as the Golden State Comic Book Convention and later the San Diego Comic Book Convention in 1970 by Shel Dorf and a group of San Diegans...
, drawing an audience of over a thousand to watch Beck's latest selection of terrible but commercially distributed television cartoon series episodes (mostly drawn from low budget 1960s syndicated programs).