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Showing posts with label Interviews With Nickelodeon Staff. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Interviews With Nickelodeon Staff. Show all posts
Saturday, December 24, 2022
Tuesday, March 02, 2021
Tim Hill Talks ‘The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run’
Originally published: Friday, June 12, 2020.
Update (3/2/2021) - After being delayed, The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run will debut on Paramount+ and PVOD on Thursday, March 4, 2021!
The new outing centers on SpongeBob’s search for his lost pal, Gary the Snail, who has been abducted by King Poseidon. Along the way, SpongeBob and Patrick (voiced hilariously as usual by Tom Kenny and Bill Fagerbakke) travel to the lost city of Atlantis to track down the good gastropod. In addition to Kenny and Fagerbakke, the movie also features the rest of the show’s original voice cast (Roger Bumpass, Clancy Brown, Mr. Lawrence, Jill Talley, Carolyn Lawrence) as well as some surprising live-action star turns from Snoop Dogg, Keanu Reeves, Awkwafina and Reggie Watts.
This third movie in the SpongeBob cinematic experience is animated by the team at Montreal-based Mikros Image, and is co-written and directed by Tim Hill, a veteran of the TV show and the first SpongeBob movie, whose credits also include Garfield: A Tale of Two Kitties (2006), Alvin and the Chipmunks (2007), Hop (2011) and Grumpy Cat’s Worst Christmas Ever (2014).
Hill, who met Hillenburg when they were both working on Rocko’s Modern Life in the early ’90s, says he was drawn to the new movie because of its clever storyline and characters. The director met up with a group of SpongeBob series veterans and Hillenburg to explore fresh ideas for a third movie featuring the character. “I was asked to put together an outline, and then asked to take a stab at the script, and eventually they asked me to direct the movie,” Hill recalled to Animation Magazine. “The studio had plans for a different version of the movie, but that one was scrapped. Steve was always a fan of grounded, relatable and simple stories. I think the previous script was a bit too far-fetched. So we opted for this story which is about SpongeBob losing Gary as he’s kidnapped by a very vain King Poseidon (voiced by British comic Matt Berry, The IT Crowd) who uses snails to make his skin shiny and young.”
An Homage to Hillenburg
The director says the film’s story is very relatable as everyone can identify with losing a pet or a good friend. “I think it has a great theme and is built as an homage to Steve Hillenburg,” he notes. “Everyone comes together to help SpongeBob because of all the things he has done for them. We thought in a way it’s about what this character has meant to people over the years. It’s a celebration of creativity and humor, and by extension, it’s an homage to what Steve gave to all of us during his lifetime. That’s why I wanted to do the movie, because there was something deeply personal about it, which goes beyond just having a great story and memorable characters.”
Hill says he cherishes some great memories of working, hanging out and going to the movies with Hillenburg. “I met him when we were both in our 20s. When I look back, it’s Steve’s art and sense of humor that really stand out for me. I loved his perspective and ironic sense of humor. He loved art and movies. We used to catch revivals of movies of the silent classics … Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, Charlie Chaplin. We went to animation retrospectives, National Film Board of Canada shorts. He would play guitar and we would all jam in his office. He painted, too. He was a real Renaissance man.”
The helmer says in the earlier stages of development, there were questions about whether to take the traditional 2D approach or push for a CG-animated movie that wouldn’t “break” the look audiences associate with SpongeBob. “Sometimes, I feel that CG doesn’t always serve human characters very well,” says the director. “During our development period, we took a lot of time looking at old clips from the first SpongeBob movie and translating them to CG. We tried a lot of approaches, but I think we ended up with a great solution. It feels a little bit like stop-motion; it’s snappy and more forgiving than general CG. It’s like film animation, we did it on ones and twos (one frame of film per movement or two frames of film). In that way we got the animation to look similar to what we’re used to on the show.”
To animate the project, the studio tapped Mikros Image Animation (Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie, The Little Prince) with the production mainly done in the Montreal studio. “It was a bit of a learning curve because they are a digital studio and they don’t come from a 2D world,” says Hill. “We were looking for snappy animation, because it’s more comedic that way. We took the time to get everybody up to speed with the style. One of the show’s original timers went to Montreal to help them with the timing, and they got pretty good.”
According to Hill, the film’s background also presented some challenges since a lot of the show’s sets were more graphic. “For example, a wall would be just a color, but we had to make it all dimensional and put lighting on it and make it a little tactile and real. We had to do stuff with the lighting like caustic and atmosphere and rays coming from the surface to keep it feel like the water is moving round and affecting the plant life. All of those things give it a little verisimilitude and give you this feeling that they all live in a fish tank.”
Of course, there is always the issue of how to make a CG-animated version of the characters look and feel like their 2D counterparts. As Hill explains, “We had to be very subtle with our character modeling and surfacing. For example, we had to figure out how to treat SpongeBob’s shadow side: Does it go green like it does on the show? We had to be careful with the way SpongeBob’s flat top can become too angular if you use the wrong lens. Or take Plankton: He is a kind of a cell organism, so you have to have transparency, but also a little bit of a wet surface. It’s all about dialing it in until it looks right. You just know when it looks right.”
Hill also points out how important the overall colors of the movie were in the whole process. “SpongeBob is such a vibrant show, but in this CG world, the colors get saturated very quickly, so we have to weed out a lot of the specularity,” he notes. “You know, this is my first fully-animated feature, so I’m just telling you what I learned!”
Building a Better Sponge!
Sponge on the Run’s animation supervisor Jacques Daigle says he feels like he’s been living in Bikini Bottom for the past 28 months. He and his team at Montreal’s Mikros Animation have been working hard to make sure SpongeBob and his pals look as funny, cartoony and tactile in CG as they do in 2D. “We had all three first seasons of the series to look at to understand all the timing techniques,” says the animation veteran, whose many credits include Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, The Little Prince, The Smurfs 2, Mune: Guardian of the Moon and The Star.
“One of the most important things for our team to understand was the timing techniques of the show, which is crucial in comedy,” says Daigle. “Tim Hill and some of the other animation directors on the show trained us to really understand the timing. Our team at Mikros was very open and excited to make the project as honest as possible, and not try to reinvent anything.”
Daigle, who worked with about 80 people in the animation department at the Montreal studio, says the most important thing was to ask the right questions about the final goal. “In terms of the designs of the camera in 3D, we really cheated to the camera a lot,” he notes. “Comedy has to be in your face, so we ended up forcing the perspectives a lot. After all, SpongeBob is a square, so sometimes the top of his head would be hidden in CG. There’s a comfort zone where you can add all your cheats and get away with it, and it doesn’t become too noisy or questionable. It’s funny, because the original show is in 2D, which is all about drawing to make the world look 3D — while we have a 3D movie, which we wanted to make look like a 2D show. It was a cyclical argument!”
“Because of perspectives and the camera, [SpongeBob’s] back limbs looked smaller, for example, so we had to beef him up,” adds Daigle. “SpongeBob is a different Bob in every single shot. We had to simply trust the system and the original rules we were given. Why use six poses when you can just use two or three poses in five seconds to make it work? You don’t need that extra blink. We really tackled it as if we were working in hand animation. It was all about making it snappy and really understanding the language of SpongeBob. We used Maya, but we built a lot of specific tools for the movie, because there was a lot to figure out!”
Daigle says the whole experience was a great exercise in restraint for all the animators involved. “We are used to moving everything, but we just had to accept that we don’t move everything all the time. Tim Hill was relying on us to provide the comedy in our animation. He would give us a slight nudge and we’d sit down and talk about how to make it as funny as possible. We were all so proud of working on this movie. It was such a special project, and every single one of us knew that this was an experience that we were all going to remember. It made us grow so much and become better as animators and as people.”
Live-Action Surprises
The movie also features about 12 minutes of live-action footage. Hill says this was a strategy to give the audience something special, an element that would really make it a cinematic experience for everyone. “When you have a popular IP like SpongeBob, that has had so many episodes and two movies already, you have to think about things that will excite people and get them to come see it on the big screen.”
Hill says it was a good thing that all the live-action footage, the animation and the dialog was done by the time the entertainment industry had to shut down because of COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic precautions. “By the time you’re done with the animation, it’s usually just the director dealing with the editor, putting in new shots or adjusting them,” he explains. “The movie was originally scheduled for May, so most of the work was done. It just made it a little hard to do real-time notes and editing and the music. But we were just doing the post stuff — final lighting, music, effects and dubbing. We got lucky!”
When asked about the timeless appeal of SpongeBob, Hill believes it’s the intelligence, heart and playfulness at the core of the show that has made it such a phenomenal success over the years. “It’s always about friendship and relationships,” he says. “The show also comes up with creative solutions and surprising ways SpongeBob gets around things. The characters remind me of those wonderful silent movies in a way. They all work so well together. It’s truly a wellspring that Steve created and gave the world.”
Paramount is scheduled to release The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run on August 7. The movie might be available on VOD if theaters remain closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
From Animation Scoop:
The new outing centers on SpongeBob’s search for his lost pal, Gary the Snail, who has been abducted by King Poseidon. Along the way, SpongeBob and Patrick (voiced hilariously as usual by Tom Kenny and Bill Fagerbakke) travel to the lost city of Atlantis to track down the good gastropod. In addition to Kenny and Fagerbakke, the movie also features the rest of the show’s original voice cast (Roger Bumpass, Clancy Brown, Mr. Lawrence, Jill Talley, Carolyn Lawrence) as well as some surprising live-action star turns from Snoop Dogg, Keanu Reeves, Awkwafina and Reggie Watts.
This third movie in the SpongeBob cinematic experience is animated by the team at Montreal-based Mikros Image, and is co-written and directed by Tim Hill, a veteran of the TV show and the first SpongeBob movie, whose credits also include Garfield: A Tale of Two Kitties (2006), Alvin and the Chipmunks (2007), Hop (2011) and Grumpy Cat’s Worst Christmas Ever (2014).
Hill, who met Hillenburg when they were both working on Rocko’s Modern Life in the early ’90s, says he was drawn to the new movie because of its clever storyline and characters. The director met up with a group of SpongeBob series veterans and Hillenburg to explore fresh ideas for a third movie featuring the character. “I was asked to put together an outline, and then asked to take a stab at the script, and eventually they asked me to direct the movie,” Hill recalled to Animation Magazine. “The studio had plans for a different version of the movie, but that one was scrapped. Steve was always a fan of grounded, relatable and simple stories. I think the previous script was a bit too far-fetched. So we opted for this story which is about SpongeBob losing Gary as he’s kidnapped by a very vain King Poseidon (voiced by British comic Matt Berry, The IT Crowd) who uses snails to make his skin shiny and young.”
An Homage to Hillenburg
The director says the film’s story is very relatable as everyone can identify with losing a pet or a good friend. “I think it has a great theme and is built as an homage to Steve Hillenburg,” he notes. “Everyone comes together to help SpongeBob because of all the things he has done for them. We thought in a way it’s about what this character has meant to people over the years. It’s a celebration of creativity and humor, and by extension, it’s an homage to what Steve gave to all of us during his lifetime. That’s why I wanted to do the movie, because there was something deeply personal about it, which goes beyond just having a great story and memorable characters.”
Hill says he cherishes some great memories of working, hanging out and going to the movies with Hillenburg. “I met him when we were both in our 20s. When I look back, it’s Steve’s art and sense of humor that really stand out for me. I loved his perspective and ironic sense of humor. He loved art and movies. We used to catch revivals of movies of the silent classics … Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, Charlie Chaplin. We went to animation retrospectives, National Film Board of Canada shorts. He would play guitar and we would all jam in his office. He painted, too. He was a real Renaissance man.”
The helmer says in the earlier stages of development, there were questions about whether to take the traditional 2D approach or push for a CG-animated movie that wouldn’t “break” the look audiences associate with SpongeBob. “Sometimes, I feel that CG doesn’t always serve human characters very well,” says the director. “During our development period, we took a lot of time looking at old clips from the first SpongeBob movie and translating them to CG. We tried a lot of approaches, but I think we ended up with a great solution. It feels a little bit like stop-motion; it’s snappy and more forgiving than general CG. It’s like film animation, we did it on ones and twos (one frame of film per movement or two frames of film). In that way we got the animation to look similar to what we’re used to on the show.”
To animate the project, the studio tapped Mikros Image Animation (Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie, The Little Prince) with the production mainly done in the Montreal studio. “It was a bit of a learning curve because they are a digital studio and they don’t come from a 2D world,” says Hill. “We were looking for snappy animation, because it’s more comedic that way. We took the time to get everybody up to speed with the style. One of the show’s original timers went to Montreal to help them with the timing, and they got pretty good.”
According to Hill, the film’s background also presented some challenges since a lot of the show’s sets were more graphic. “For example, a wall would be just a color, but we had to make it all dimensional and put lighting on it and make it a little tactile and real. We had to do stuff with the lighting like caustic and atmosphere and rays coming from the surface to keep it feel like the water is moving round and affecting the plant life. All of those things give it a little verisimilitude and give you this feeling that they all live in a fish tank.”
Of course, there is always the issue of how to make a CG-animated version of the characters look and feel like their 2D counterparts. As Hill explains, “We had to be very subtle with our character modeling and surfacing. For example, we had to figure out how to treat SpongeBob’s shadow side: Does it go green like it does on the show? We had to be careful with the way SpongeBob’s flat top can become too angular if you use the wrong lens. Or take Plankton: He is a kind of a cell organism, so you have to have transparency, but also a little bit of a wet surface. It’s all about dialing it in until it looks right. You just know when it looks right.”
Hill also points out how important the overall colors of the movie were in the whole process. “SpongeBob is such a vibrant show, but in this CG world, the colors get saturated very quickly, so we have to weed out a lot of the specularity,” he notes. “You know, this is my first fully-animated feature, so I’m just telling you what I learned!”
Building a Better Sponge!
Sponge on the Run’s animation supervisor Jacques Daigle says he feels like he’s been living in Bikini Bottom for the past 28 months. He and his team at Montreal’s Mikros Animation have been working hard to make sure SpongeBob and his pals look as funny, cartoony and tactile in CG as they do in 2D. “We had all three first seasons of the series to look at to understand all the timing techniques,” says the animation veteran, whose many credits include Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, The Little Prince, The Smurfs 2, Mune: Guardian of the Moon and The Star.
“One of the most important things for our team to understand was the timing techniques of the show, which is crucial in comedy,” says Daigle. “Tim Hill and some of the other animation directors on the show trained us to really understand the timing. Our team at Mikros was very open and excited to make the project as honest as possible, and not try to reinvent anything.”
Daigle, who worked with about 80 people in the animation department at the Montreal studio, says the most important thing was to ask the right questions about the final goal. “In terms of the designs of the camera in 3D, we really cheated to the camera a lot,” he notes. “Comedy has to be in your face, so we ended up forcing the perspectives a lot. After all, SpongeBob is a square, so sometimes the top of his head would be hidden in CG. There’s a comfort zone where you can add all your cheats and get away with it, and it doesn’t become too noisy or questionable. It’s funny, because the original show is in 2D, which is all about drawing to make the world look 3D — while we have a 3D movie, which we wanted to make look like a 2D show. It was a cyclical argument!”
“Because of perspectives and the camera, [SpongeBob’s] back limbs looked smaller, for example, so we had to beef him up,” adds Daigle. “SpongeBob is a different Bob in every single shot. We had to simply trust the system and the original rules we were given. Why use six poses when you can just use two or three poses in five seconds to make it work? You don’t need that extra blink. We really tackled it as if we were working in hand animation. It was all about making it snappy and really understanding the language of SpongeBob. We used Maya, but we built a lot of specific tools for the movie, because there was a lot to figure out!”
Daigle says the whole experience was a great exercise in restraint for all the animators involved. “We are used to moving everything, but we just had to accept that we don’t move everything all the time. Tim Hill was relying on us to provide the comedy in our animation. He would give us a slight nudge and we’d sit down and talk about how to make it as funny as possible. We were all so proud of working on this movie. It was such a special project, and every single one of us knew that this was an experience that we were all going to remember. It made us grow so much and become better as animators and as people.”
Live-Action Surprises
The movie also features about 12 minutes of live-action footage. Hill says this was a strategy to give the audience something special, an element that would really make it a cinematic experience for everyone. “When you have a popular IP like SpongeBob, that has had so many episodes and two movies already, you have to think about things that will excite people and get them to come see it on the big screen.”
Hill says it was a good thing that all the live-action footage, the animation and the dialog was done by the time the entertainment industry had to shut down because of COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic precautions. “By the time you’re done with the animation, it’s usually just the director dealing with the editor, putting in new shots or adjusting them,” he explains. “The movie was originally scheduled for May, so most of the work was done. It just made it a little hard to do real-time notes and editing and the music. But we were just doing the post stuff — final lighting, music, effects and dubbing. We got lucky!”
When asked about the timeless appeal of SpongeBob, Hill believes it’s the intelligence, heart and playfulness at the core of the show that has made it such a phenomenal success over the years. “It’s always about friendship and relationships,” he says. “The show also comes up with creative solutions and surprising ways SpongeBob gets around things. The characters remind me of those wonderful silent movies in a way. They all work so well together. It’s truly a wellspring that Steve created and gave the world.”
From Animation Scoop:
INTERVIEW: Tim Hill Is Ready To Unveil “The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge On The Run”
Alvin and the Chipmunks, Hop and The War with Grandpa director Tim Hill’s latest film is finally making waves in the U.S. Following a theatrical run in Canada last summer and a Netflix debut overseas in the fall, The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge On The Run is premiering in the U.S. this Thursday March 4th on Digital platforms and the new Paramount+ streaming service.
This is the third feature film starring Nickelodeon’s iconic sponge, who leaves Bikini Bottom with pal Patrick to look for pet snail Gary. It’s a storyline that was first highlighted on a 2005 episode of SpongeBob SquarePants (“Where’s Gary?”) But according to Hill, it’s one that always stuck with the show’s late creator, Stephen Hillenburg. Hill talks about his time with Hillenburg, as well as the major influence of a classic holiday movie on Sponge On The Run.
Jackson Murphy: The legacy of this franchise is so incredible, and you’ve been involved in it, on and off, over the past 25 years. What were your initial goals for this third movie?
Tim Hill: Well, make a funny movie. I think that’s sort of always been how we started the show. Whatever made us laugh. We never tried to make it for kids. It was just kind of Steve Hillenburg’s brain, and I was glad to get in there and help him develop it. It was always whatever we liked, and so I tried to keep that as an ethos. A goal. It’s fun, it’s funny, it’s silly, it’s stupid, it’s emotional, it’s action, it’s a lot of physical comedy, it’s a road trip. The driving story. All those elements kind of come second after you want to keep it within the SpongeBob. But then going CG and all these other things happening…
Tim Hill: [The] story was bigger when we started. It was like a 120-page script. So I had to widdle that thing down. There were a lot of songs in it. Originally it was a pretty ambitious musical extravaganza. But songs are the first things to go. Just for story and brevity and playability, I think we made the right choices. There’s still some really fun songs in it. You have your big ambitions and then you meet reality and go, “Oh. It’s too long.”
JM: Wow. There’s so much there that I want to bounce off of, Tim. You’re right in that there are still some terrific songs in the movie, including one towards the end. And you have this big, surreal sequence with Snoop Dogg and some others that you kept in. Those live-action elements embody what SpongeBob is all about, which is surrealism. How was it for you with the live-action?
TH: It’s kind of my jam: doing the live-action and having animated characters in there and having actors react to them when they’re really just looking at a piece of wood. You try to make it real for everybody. I really like doing that. It takes a lot of visualization and planning. And I had some of my old crew from my other movies who’ve done it before, so it made it a little easier. And then great actors to work with. Really fun. Danny Trejo and his great tacos.
JM: Yeah! With the restaurant!
TH: Yeah, it was really enjoyable. We had a really good time shooting that.
JM: And Keanu Reeves is hilarious too as Sage. You also directed Alvin and the Chipmunks and Hop, so yes, you’re well known for the live-action/animation combo. And speaking of songs, the soundtrack in this is so fun because you incorporate some iconic songs: “My Heart Will Go On”, “Take On Me”, “Livin’ La Vida Loca”. Did you really have free reign with the budget to choose what songs you wanted?
TH: No one ever said “No” in terms of money. The collaboration was to find the best music and we have a great music supervisor. “La Vida Loca” just came out of a “crazy time in Las Vegas” vibe. SpongeBob and Patrick going wild in a casino world and losing their focus and getting lost in it.
JM: So vivacious. Them going to the casino and losing focus AND losing money and enjoying themselves is so entertaining. And that whole Lost City of Atlantic City is so detailed. It’s amazing. How difficult was it designing that?
TH: We had great people working on it. I just remember Atlantic City as being the stepsister of Las Vegas with all the thematic stuff. I thought it was a perfect world for SpongeBob with Goofy Goobers and themed restaurants and casinos. We wanted to build it up pretty big because it is the sea of power for the king. Fun avenues. There were a lot of cool designs that we couldn’t quite get in there. We saw some funny electric carts from the ’50s on the boardwalk of Atlantic City with people driving around in them. We made funny SpongeBob versions of that. I wanted to use more but the movie got a little long, so not all of it got in, but enough to make it really powerful and colorful and a really cool set. I’d love to do more in that set. There’s so much there. Ferris wheels.
JM: Yeah. All the colors. I would love to see maybe a return there at some point. I remember when the title of this movie was going to be “It’s a Wonderful Sponge”. And as I’m watching the third act of “Sponge on the Run”, there’s a very well done, emotional scene involving many of the main characters up on a stage talking about SpongeBob. And I feel like that embodies that “It’s a Wonderful Life” feel. How much of that “It’s a Wonderful Life” concept, besides that sequence, made it into the final product of the movie?
TH: That theme is still there, and I think it’s pretty strong. The idea of someone who… At the end of “Wonderful Life” everyone chips in and replaces the money that Uncle Billy lost. And they do it for Jimmy Stewart’s character because they love him and they’ve always been there for him. And that’s sort of what we drafted off of for that idea. Originally, there was a little bit more to the beginning because Camp Coral was more of a linear construct. [The film] started in Camp Coral and then we kind of dissolved to 20 years later.
Part of what the impetus for the movie was… a celebration of the 20th anniversary of the show. But then COVID happened, so I guess we’re on the 21st (laughs). But that was why we wanted to make it kind of epic: celebrate the whole thing, see how they all met, see them all as kids. And we eventually put that into those testimonials that you mentioned instead of opening the movie that way. What happened was we ended-up having two first acts, which is never good. We had a whole Camp Coral thing and then you start the movie. It was a prologue that was too long. But it did set-up the “Wonderful Life” idea a little better. That tracks with what Frank Capra did. But it’s still there and still really strong.
JM: Yes. And this sequence is fantastic. You’re right that this story and these emotions are bigger than the show. They really work. For somebody who’s grown up with SpongeBob and has had SpongeBob as a part of his life for a long time, that sequence means a lot. And I’m sure Steven Hillenburg would’ve loved how this film turned out. How was it working with him before his passing on this particular project?
TH: The idea kind of sprung from his brain. They wanted to make a movie. They knew they had this goal of the anniversary of the show and Steve was still involved in the series. We would get together and meet and he had this idea based on a SpongeBob episode where Gary goes missing (“Where’s Gary?”) He ends-up in this crazy cat [snail] lady’s house. I think he always liked what that did for the character emotionally – the loss of a pet starting a story and driving it for the whole movie, which it does. We talked about that, and then we started talking about this skincare idea. Apparently parts of snails are used in some cosmetics.
JM: Yes, that’s explored deeply in the movie.
TH: If you didn’t know that, here it is! It also gave us an ecological theme about how we treat our fellow creatures. Steve was pretty big on that. That’s a big thing for him as he was a Marine Biologist. He graduated with that degree and he actually helped kids. I think he was involved in a program where he helped kids discover sea life down at the Marina. He was really into the ocean and keeping it from getting too far gone and spoiled.
JM: He was able to teach kids about undersea creatures and undersea life and then through the show teach them even more. You’ve had this and The War with Grandpa, which you also directed [basically] release back to back. Are you taking a little break or do you have another project lined up?
TH: I’m pretty much sitting at home, to be honest. I’m looking at stuff and taking meetings. But I don’t know if the world is really back in full force in development and making movies. I guess that’ll happen. It’s been pretty quiet since last January for me. So I’m ready!
JM: I’m ready: perfect SpongeBob phrase!
###
From TV Line:
How SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run Willed Keanu Reeves to Appear — Plus, Kamp Koral Prequel Scoop
SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run stages the franchise’s most epic run-in yet when the film’s porous and absorbent lead finds much-needed spiritual guidance from a magical tumbleweed named Sage (played by Keanu Reeves), bringing two larger-than-life characters together on screen.
According to writer and director Tim Hill, who also penned the first SpongeBob Movie and served as a writer on the animated series, no one but Keanu was suited for the ethereal guest appearance.
“When I wrote the character, I kept having Keanu in my head so I never really had another person that we were thinking about. It was so lucky that he was like, ‘Sure, I’ll do that,’” Hill shares. “We made little Keanu drawings so long before he actually agreed, he was kind of in the movie. We had temp voices doing him and the momentum was too much.”
Sponge on the Run — which premieres Thursday, March 4 on Paramount+ (currently known as CBS All Access) — follows our titular hero and his best friend Patrick on a wild journey to Atlantic City to save Gary, who’s been snail-napped by the mighty King Poseidon. Their quest puts them in the path of many other colorful characters, including the Chancellor, who is voiced by actor and comedian Reggie Watts. This was a unique experience for the Late Show With James Corden house band leader, who is excited to see his character come alive on film.
 |
| SPONGEBOB MOVIE: SPONGE ON THE RUN - Chancellor (voiced by Reggie Watts) |
“It’s just crazy,” says Watts. “The thing about animation is you do the voice and you see maybe a picture of a character and then you just go away. It was cool to see what I did and how it contributes to the story. I wasn’t expecting it to be as wild as it was, actually.”
SpongeBob and Patrick’s adventure also includes a flashback to the Bikini Bottom bunch’s younger years, setting up the forthcoming series Kamp Koral: SpongeBob’s Under Years (also set to stream on March 4). The 3D-animated series will follow the adolescent gang as they “build underwater campfires, catch wild jellyfish and swim in Lake Yuckymuck at the craziest camp in the kelp forest, Kamp Koral,” per the official description.
Hill reveals that the film began as an early idea for Kamp Koral before being consolidated into a flashback and then spun off into its own series. “It was never intended to launch a series,” he explains. “It was just something Nickelodeon picked up on and decided to do a whole thing on.”
With Kamp Koral set to explore the gang’s younger years, fans will get to see these familiar faces in a new light, while for the cast, it’s an opportunity to uncover interesting new tidbits about their characters. Just look at Carolyn Lawrence, who was intrigued to find out “that Sandy wasn’t always the smartest in the room” since that’s how the underwater squirrel usually views herself. Meanwhile Clancy Brown, who voices Mr. Krabs, joked that he was surprised to learn that “my daughter Pearl was once smaller than I was.”
Rodger Bumpass, who voices Squidward, is looking forward to the teal-tinted octopus flexing a bit more power in the prequel series. “I have my little room in the back and when I hear the insanity, I get to storm out like R. Lee Ermey in Full Metal Jacket. I get a little bit more authority than at the Krusty Krab, so that’s fun to do,” he says.
Meanwhile Bill Fagerbakke, who plays Patrick, is excited for fans to see the franchise’s signature earnestness shine through in Kamp Koral “because I think that’s important, especially for young children. I am always very appreciative of that kind of narrative when it manages to find its way into a story.”
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| Tom Kenny at Sponge on the Run premiere |
It’s been nearly 22 years since SpongeBob SquarePants (created by the late Stephen Hillenburg) premiered on Nickelodeon, arriving at the turn of the millennium when dial-up internet was standard and rewatching episodes meant either waiting for the rerun to air or recording it on VHS. Tom Kenny, who voices the title character, reflects on the show’s two-decade history and how the process has changed amid a global pandemic.
“SpongeBob arrived just before the Internet became such a giant component. There was no streaming 20 years ago,” Kenny explains. “We [recorded] the same way where you go into a studio and we’re all standing around our microphones. We always record together, which is really fun, and obviously we can’t do that now. But you try to be as real and do it as sincerely as you can, because I think people would smell it if we were phoning it in after 20 years.”
While he enjoys the “eight-second commute” to work, Bumpass says making the new film and series while apart from his costars has been difficult: “Us not being able to be together, to me, it does affect us a bit. We’re professional enough to do the characters, but not being there with people and interacting with my fellow actors in the same room is a little bit isolating — literally and figuratively.”
“You gotta push yourself a little harder to get that cojones-to-the-wall energy that just comes naturally when you’re standing in a room with everybody,” Kenny adds. “It’s more of an act of will to make it happen. It’s a different process, for sure.”
More Nick: 'Kamp Koral: SpongeBob's Under Years' and 'The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run' to Debut on Paramount+ on Thursday, March 4!
Originally published: Friday, June 12, 2020.
H/T: Anime Superhero Forum /@SweetShop209.
Follow NickALive! on Twitter, Tumblr, Reddit, via RSS, on Instagram, and/or Facebook for the latest Nickelodeon and SpongeBob SquarePants News and Highlights!
Thursday, January 21, 2021
Karisma Previews New Nickelodeon Hotels & Resorts Riviera Maya Vacation Destination; To Open June 2021 [Updated]
Update (15/1/21) - Nickelodeon Hotels & Resorts Riviera Maya will reportedly open on Tuesday, June 1, 2021! The hotel will have 280 rooms divided into 276 suites. As the hotel is geared towards families, each suite will have two bathrooms, making it the only hotel in the Riviera Maya, and one of the few in the world, to do so!
Update (21/7/2020) - Karisma Hotels and Resorts has revealed that Nickelodeon Hotels & Resorts Riviera Maya will feature a water park with 10 slides and a theater with a capacity for 500 people! Its also rumoured that travel agents will start taking bookings for Nickelodeon Hotels & Resorts Riviera Maya in October 2020 for a Spring 2021 opening!
Update (10/20) - The resort will reportedly be titled Nickelodeon Resort & Aqua Park Riviera Maya!
Update (23/4/2020) - Karisma Hotels and Resorts has revealed that the opening of Nickelodeon Hotels & Resorts Riviera Maya has been delayed slightly, and is now set to open in 2021.
Update (11/5) - Karisma Hotels and Resorts has revealed that the opening of Nickelodeon Hotels & Resorts Riviera Maya has been delayed slightly, and is now set to open towards the end of 2020. It's also been revealed that the resort will have a slime river.
Unfortunately, it's also been revealed that a construction worker has been injured in an accident on the construction site of Nickelodeon Hotels & Resorts Riviera Maya. The worker, who fell from a height whilst welding structure, has since been compensated 500 pesos.
Karisma Hotels and Resorts’ new Nickelodeon hotel in Mexico is now set to open in 2020. At the organization’s annual Gourmet Inclusive Vacation Consultants Awards (GIVC Awards), Travel Agent spoke with Kelly Poling, Karisma’s senior vice president of marketing, to learn the latest on what guests and agents can expect from the new property. The 11th annual GIVC Awards took place at the El Dorado Royale Riviera Maya, a Spa Resort by Karisma from December 5 – 8.
Nickelodeon Hotels & Resorts Riviera Maya
“When it opens it’s going to become our new flagship Nickelodeon hotel,” Poling says.
Situated next to Karisma’s Generations Riviera Maya property, the newbuild Nickelodeon Hotels & Resorts Riviera Maya will draw some design inspiration from its fellow family-friendly resort, Poling says. For example, its extra-large rooms will be configurable into one-, two- or three-bedroom suites to allow maximum flexibility for multigenerational groups, or families who wish to have a separate room for the kids. Every room will also have two bathrooms.
That said, the new hotel will also have plenty of Nickelodeon-themed features, as well.
“We’re making everything with Nickelodeon in mind,” Poling says.
SpongeBob's Pineapple House at Nickelodeon Hotels & Resorts Punta Cana
The popular SpongeBob SquarePants-themed Pineapple Villa from Karisma’s first Nickelodeon property in Punta Cana will be here. In a similar vein, there will also be a new, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles-themed “lair” Penthouse, as well. All told, there will be four character-themed Penthouse suites on the resort’s roof, all of which will have infinity pool swim-up access.
Another key selling point: “All of our rooms will be oceanfront,” says Poling. Additionally, every room – regardless of floor – will have swim-up access. In addition to the four Penthouses, there will be 276 Pad Suites and Flat Suites. The rooms will be set across two six-story buildings, in a design reminiscent of the Generations property.
Another major difference from the Punta Cana property will be the resort’s water park, which, at 500,000 square feet, will be much bigger. “It’s five to 10 times bigger than the one in Punta Cana,” says Poling.
Dubbed “Aqua Nick,” the new water park will have activities ranging from a lazy river to waterslides, a splash park and an interactive water playground for toddlers to mini relaxation pools. The variety of activities will be one way that the resort appeals to kids of multiple age ranges.
“The water park will be organized into different ‘lands,’” says Poling, with a more toddler-friendly land and a land with more thrill-type rides for teens.
“I think the Nickelodeon characters can appeal to kids of all ages as well,” Poling says, citing more young-kid-friendly characters like the pups from Paw Patrol and Dora the Explorer, as well as characters like SpongeBob, who can appeal to older kids.
The variety of activities could be a draw for repeat guests from the Punta Cana property, Polling hopes. “As children get older, they can ‘graduate’ to the Riviera Maya resort,” she says.
In terms of the resort’s culinary product, Poling says that the focus will be on experiential, social media-friendly venues and dishes.
“We know that people want to be able to see and capture amazing images, so we’ll have plenty of ‘Instagrammable’ dishes,” Poling says. “For example, at the Punta Cana property, we have the ‘Machete Burger’ – it’s so big, they have to cut it at the table with a giant machete. We’ll be carrying those types of things over to the Riviera Maya.”
All told the property will have six restaurants, including the Bikini Bottom fast-casual restaurant, the seafront Yacht Club, and the Mexican cantina Expadin, as well as four bars, including Bikini Bottom Bar, The Bar, and two swim-up bars. There will also be a Lobby Lounge that will aim to serve as a family-centric hub with music, entertainment and broadcasts of live sporting events. Much of the resort’s organic produce will be sourced from Karisma’s greenhouse, which is located next store at the El Dorado.
For more information about Nickelodeon Hotels & Resorts Riviera Maya, visit www.nickresortrivieramaya.com.
Tuesday, September 08, 2020
ViacomCBS Gives Back with Virtual Community Day
Originally published: Wednesday, June 24, 2020.
By Crystal Barnes for the ViacomCBS Newsroom
For 23 consecutive years, thousands of Viacom employees have gathered at hundreds of sites around the world to rebuild and re-energize their communities in an outpouring of goodwill that was called “Viacommunity Day.” When Viacomjoined forces with CBS—whose employees had their own decades-long history of giving back—last December, we looked forward to uniting and enhancing our traditions under the ViacomCBS umbrella this spring.
Then COVID-19 shut down the world.
Overnight, 20,000-plus ViacomCBS employees were working from home. Our television and film productions froze. Gatherings of any kind or any size for any reason were suspended until further notice. And in many ways, life, it seemed, was on hold.
None of this diminished our employees’ deep-seated spirit of generosity and concern for their neighbors. They made it clear to our team , through emails, virtual meetings and DMs, that their isolation had not dampened their desire to care for our communities, and do so together. Management at all levels across the company supported the idea. It is in that spirit of irrepressible goodwill and restless creativity that the first ViacomCBS Virtual Community Day was born.
This week and in the weeks ahead, ViacomCBS employees around the world will pour their talents and their energy and their hearts into helping individuals and organizations in need. They will consult with nonprofits on better business strategies. They will mentor students with America on Tech. They will host social issues discussions with the ACLU and lead virtual learning hours with Breakthrough New York and provide feedback to young writers and transcribe records for the Smithsonian Museum. And they will help World Food Program USA and Urban School Fund Alliance donate 50,000 meals through the atlasGO global health and wellness challenge. They will do it all online, a changed approach for a changed world.
Over the past weeks, we have seen people of all backgrounds unite to speak out against the systemic racism and police violence that has impacted so many victims of racial injustice and most recently led to George Floyd’s tragic murder. While there is much work to be done, the protests, in their scope and duration, have been inspiring. It is in this same spirit of civic renewal and institutional change that ViacomCBS employees reach out to their neighbors in need, their generosity undiminished by distance. Beyond the day, it is our ongoing commitment to each other and our communities to do more, together. Here are a few of our stories.
Crystal Barnes is the SVP for Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Strategy & Reporting at ViacomCBS. She oversees company-wide initiatives that extend ViacomCBS’ deep legacy and expertise in social impact, philanthropy, and community and employee engagement.
Julien Guiteau, Client Service Representative, ViacomCBS Ad Sales (New York, NY)
I haven’t participated in past Community Day events but I’m looking forward to a great first experience. I decided to participate in the Story Pirates event being hosted over Zoom. The organization is nationally renowned group of top comedians, musicians, best-selling authors and incredible teachers with fifteen years of experience creating content that celebrates the imaginations of kids, and their mission is to equip young writers with the tools they need to create stories of their own.
I connected with this strongly because I personally strive to uplift, teach and inspire the youth. At work, I am a client service representative within the ad sales department. Outside of work, I am a content creator, producer, and presenter. I created a web video series called Adventures with Julien for YouTube and other social media platforms in February 2019. It’s hosted by me and filmed by various talented videographers, and its mission is to bring communities together through positivity. The goal of each episode is to highlight how certain companies are beneficially impacting communities, to entertain and enlighten viewers, and to bring communities together through positivity.
Stephen Divenere, Director, Talent Acquisition (Hollywood, CA)
Being able to volunteer in person is ideal, but in this upside-down world we find ourselves in, I respect and appreciate the company so much for its continued commitment to philanthropy. People are hurting in every aspect of our society and need a helping hand now more than ever.
I chose to volunteer this year with MOSTe (Motivating Our Students Through Experience). MOSTe is a community-based mentoring, scholarship, and college-access organization that encourages young women’s education and success. I chose it because as a Talent Acquisition professional, I love mentoring and getting young people ready for the working world. I also volunteer throughout the year as a mentor to kids in need through ViacomCBS’ youth mentorship program, and have spent a lot of time working with youth at the LGBTQ center.
I’ve been with Viacom for four years and have always volunteered for community day. I‘ve met so many amazing people both within the community I was servicing as well as across the company. I love giving back and also making new friends.
Scarlette Whyte, Director, Professional Development, CBS News (Washington, DC)
I was so thrilled when I read the first email about Community Day. I am proud to work for a company that wants to give back, even during a time of uncertainty.
I chose to participate in a fundraiser for Pajama Program. This is a non-profit organization that donates new pajamas and books to children who are in foster care and homeless shelters. Due to COVID-19, Pajama Program established a separate initiative to provide new pajamas and books for the children of first responders, healthcare professionals and other essential workers. I was so touched by its initiatives I had to jump on-board.
I make it a point to do at least a few community service projects per year on my own. In December of last year I collected nearly 200 pairs of pajamas and 100 books for the local Washington D.C Chapter of Pajama Program. In addition, I donate monthly to the Areti Full Gospel Christian School in Ethiopia. A little girl named Ayanlesh is the student whom I sponsor.
Shawn Greer, Creative Resources Director, Nickelodeon Experience Design (Orlando, FL)
I am so proud to be a part of Virtual Community Day. We are socially responsible and truly care about our fans and employees. We are not just “talking the talk,” we are all taking an active role in the future of the country and society as a whole.
I, with others on the Nick Experience Design team based in Orlando, are mentoring people of color to help them get into the theme park business. I’m excited to meet them. So far, I have 30 people scheduled and the team has upwards of 230 total to meet.
I serve my community by volunteering for the career days at the local schools to teach them about what we do and how important it is for them to work hard at everything they do as you never know what skills you will need in the future. I try to inspire them all to be their best, most authentic selves and to help each other and not allow any bullying for any reason.
Danielle Green, Manager, Production Finance, Showtime (Hollywood, CA)
I’m choosing to volunteer with Common Impact because I support its mission to help non-profits build organizational capacity through skill-based volunteerism. The organization connects corporate employees to nonprofits, and I was set up as a team leader and facilitator with Diamond in the RAW foundation, which is devoted to empowering and transforming the lives of foster care and at-risk teen girls. Non-profit work is very difficult and the work requires compassionate, and caring individuals.
I’m involved with community work with various nonprofits in Los Angeles as a Board Member of NAMIC – Southern California. With my work with NAMIC, I’ve been able to partner with ViacomCBS on various youth based training and professional development workshops. I’ve also been able to connect and support other nonprofits within the Southern California Region to align them with the mission of NAMIC.
Felipe Reis, Manager, Communications and Social Impact, ViacomCBS Networks Americas (São Paulo, Brazil)
I think this year’s virtual work solution suits the moment in which we live perfectly. This adaptation is a sign that ViacomCBS, despite the challenges, is innovative in the search for creative solutions and does not let its commitment to society be diminished by difficulties.
I’ve chosen to dedicate myself to lecturing on professional guidance to needy teenagers. I’ve chosen this activity because I remember how fundamental it was for me, when I was a teenager, to listen to market professionals to decide which profession to choose.
Besides being a part of the ViacomCBS Social Impact team and being 100% dedicated to the Virtual Community Day in Brazil, I have always sought to aid small business owners. Lately, I’ve been doing this more frequently by consuming products from small producers and helping friends and family who have had their business affected by the pandemic.
Victoria Wells, Director, Production, Entertainment & Youth Group, ViacomCBS (Hollywood, CA)
My value is more than my job description. Community Day offers a workday of purpose beyond a paycheck.
As someone who grew up underserved and bi-racial, I often wonder how youth programs could have shaped my adolescent development. Volunteers are a link in the chain of facilitating these programs to participants, who far too often are told and believe that they are not good enough—in the words “you ain’t s**t.” Teachers and counselors of my past have uttered similar words. Joke’s on them.
As a Curtis Kulig stan, youth mentor, and supporter of art accessibility, I will be volunteering for the Free Arts Day with Curtis Kulig on Thursday to advocate for the marginalized. But, my life is devoted to service year-round, and I’m involved as a mentor for the Youth Mentor Connection, Time’s Up, and ViacomCBS’ professional mentoring program. I’m also involved with various organizations on the local and national level.
This will be my 10th year participating in Community Day. Now is a critical time for service, check-in, and immediate action.
Michael Roberts, Director, Customer Marketing, Paramount Pictures (Hollywood, CA)
This will be my 8th year in a row volunteering on Community Day. It is hands down my favorite day at Paramount. Not only are we given the opportunity to spend our time and energy bettering our community, but it’s also an amazing day to feel pride in where we work and who we work with. I am always the painter. I’ve painted everything from a kitchen at New Economics for Women to counseling rooms at APAIT. The biggest takeaway for me each year is a sense of hope knowing that there are countless organizations around the country that work every day to make sure that the future is bright, and that we’re giving more people the opportunity to benefit from it.
This year, I’m leading the voter registration task through When We All Vote. It’s a fantastic organization that works to increase engagement in the voting process, particularly with minorities and young Americans. November 2020 will be one of the most consequential elections of our lifetime. In these uncertain times, voting is one of the most empowering and significant things we can all do to not only ensure that our voices are being heard, but to enforce long overdue change for communities in need.
Getting the word out to vote has been my top priority this year. In addition to When We All Vote, I’ve also worked with the nonprofit organization, VoteForward. Its mission is to empower grassroots volunteers to help register voters from underrepresented communities. There are so many things to focus on that need our social and financial attention. Some of my favorite organizations to donate to are the ACLU, GLSEN, and Foster Nation.
Sarah Pindler, Manager, Production & Project Management, Attractions & Exhibits Nickelodeon Experience Design (Orlando, FL)
Virtual Community Day is important for all of us to understand that there are so many different ways we can all help. I am thrilled that I work for a company that not only supports an initiative to volunteer, but also really encourages all employees to take a working day to do so. It is inspiring that even during this pandemic, ViacomCBS still pushes the importance of volunteering. In addition to helping those who need it, community day has also been an amazing team building exercise and brings our office closer together, usually filled with smiles and laughs.
This year, I chose two opportunities. I will be packing two KyndKits—an opportunity I am very excited for. The company behind the KyndKits provides so many different options for people in need– from LGBTQ teens to homeless citizens. I chose to do two packs for citizens who receive meals on wheels. I chose those boxes because I don’t actually know any people around me who are a part of the program and I think it would be a good opportunity to meet some new folks nearby. I’ve reached out to my local chapter and they didn’t have any open driving routes, but they need help in their thrift store to unpack and move items. I am planning to bring my KyndKits to a driver (or become a driver in future weeks).
In preparation for Virtual Community Day, we also have been going through our house to find items and clothing to donate. If people are unable to take the day and go volunteer somewhere, or are not able to join a virtual volunteer opportunity, then donating items that they no longer use is a great back-up plan.
Alan Jones, Account Executive, Ad Solutions (New York, NY)
I’m excited to be participating in the Story Pirates’ “Happy Hour” this year for Community Day. This is something that really stood and I thought was cool because it’s promoting the youth to flex and strengthen their creativity muscles. I think that a lot of initiatives often promote stirring children into more conventional routes, where this promotes pride in imagination. I think it’s really cool that we’re encouraging our future storytellers here.
I’m very happy and pleased that ViacomCBS is taking part in a day of virtual community service. To be honest, I was wondering if everything was going to be postponed this year. I think it really shows that in the midst of a current world of uncertainty and economic strain, ViacomCBS is still prioritizing and finding effective ways to uphold their social responsibility.
During the year, I participate in a non-profit called 100 Roses from Concrete as a mentor. This is an initiative that aims to expose, help and coach college students of multicultural backgrounds about the media industry.
I’ve volunteered on community day for the past four years. I’ve participated in initiatives inside and outside of the ViacomCBS walls and each year has been a blast. Community day has provided an opportunity for great team building outside of our typical daily responsibilities. It has also allowed us to take a break and really connect with our neighboring communities. It’s been really fulfilling in many cases to really connect with the people of certain communities and to see the positive impact we’ve been able to have.
Jorge Tijerina, Production Supervisor & Director of Content, ViacomCBS International Studios (Mexico City, Mexico)
All companies should engage in community service just like ViacomCBS. It is a necessary and noble effort that makes our world a better place to live in. The fact that the company was able to adapt in the midst of a pandemic speaks to its humanity. It’s so wonderful to work in a company that places human needs over corporate ones. I have volunteered for “Ayudar a ayudar COVID-19” which means that I will donate money and send messages of hope to the doctors and nurses who are trying to save lives all over Mexico. I chose this activity because the medical community needs our full support during these painful times. They are our true heroes.
Throughout the year, I try to donate clothes to my local parish, participate in races and marathons that favor social causes and get involved in charity events.
In the past, I have volunteered to clean up the trash-filled streets of poor communities. It was a tough, yet ultimately emotionally rewarding experience, because it made me realize that real, tangible change can be brought about if we all team up and put in the effort.
Catherine Shousha, Supervisor, Worldwide Distribution Services, Paramount Pictures (Hollywood, CA)
I’m so proud that ViacomCBS has continued this longstanding tradition of Viacommunity Day even through the midst of this challenging time. It is such an important facet of our company’s culture and needed now more than ever. It’s incredible how so many charities have been able to pivot their outreach from in person activities to virtual ones. This way we’re still able to make a meaningful impact within the community while prioritizing everyone’s safety at the same time.
I’m volunteering as a project leader with Meals on Wheels West. COVID-19 has heavily impacted its mission as it’s seen a tremendous increase of those currently struggling to sustain themselves with enough meals throughout the week. I and those volunteering will be calling program participants to extend a friendly “hello” and check-in on how they are doing and if there are any resources we can recommend to help them through these hard times. I think human interaction of a caring voice on the other end of the phone is needed now more than ever for those struggling to even put food on the table.
I have participated in seven Viacommunity Days both as a current employee of Paramount Pictures in Hollywood, Calif. and also as a previous Viacom employee in New York City. I am also a member of Paramount’s “Volunteer Crew.” We meet once a month to learn ways in which we can champion different causes within the community. Through this resource, I have had the opportunity to participate in giving back to several worthwhile causes from AIDS Walk LA, MPTF, Epilepsy Foundation of America, Ronald McDonald House, and many others.
Paula Denise Velasco Gadea, Corporate Affairs & CSR, ViacomCBS Networks Americas (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
I am proud that ViacomCBS adapted our annual community day to a virtual format to show that we can continue to help from home. I think adapting is evolving. My work in Argentina’s Social responsibility office permits me to work with the community all year.
I am organizing the UNICEF and Red Cross lectures that will take place on June 18th, becoming the Argentine ambassador for a day and helping to spread and amplify the message of these organizations. I think it is important to help them given the hard work they are doing during COVID-19. I organized the last four community days in Argentina’s offices. I had very impactful experiences painting schools, fixing and painting houses, planting vegetable gardens, and sharing activities with children, among many others. These experiences were a very rich learning opportunity for me.
--Ends--
From Comunicati-Stampa.Net:
La CSR ai tempi del Covid: la giornata solidale di ViacomCBS Italia viaggia anche sul web
Attraverso canali digitali e non solo, i dipendenti ViacomCBS Italia devolveranno una giornata di lavoro a iniziative benefiche
Il rispetto delle norme per il contenimento del contagio da Covid19 non ferma la solidarietà in ViacomCBS Italia, che ogni anno coinvolge i propri dipendenti in una giornata di impegno, vicinanza, solidarietà , consapevolezza e condivisione. A beneficio di progetti sociali e ambientali e di realtà associative benefiche sul territorio italiano.
Anche quest’anno, ViacomCBS Italia non ha rinunciato a questa importante iniziativa di CSR, proponendo, lo scorso 3 settembre, un evento in veste ‘digital’, oltre che fisica. Il medesimo contenuto solidale dell’iniziativa è stato, infatti, affidato al web e agli strumenti online, attraverso i quali i dipendenti hanno potuto esprimere la propria capacità di essere comunità aziendale vicina ai bisogni della comunità . In un inedito connubio di solidarietà , il digitale si è così integrato con il ‘fisico', con azioni realizzate anche in modalità diretta e tradizionale: le persone ViacomCBS Italia hanno così avuto la possibilità di agire nel concreto, come veicoli e promotori di sostenibilità sociale, ambientale e culturale nei luoghi della propria vita quotidiana, in tutta Italia.
“Come azienda responsabile, crediamo nella possibilità di generare valore condiviso, dal punto di vista sociale, ambientale e culturale. Ci facciamo carico di questa responsabilità garantendo, innanzitutto, la salute delle nostre persone e delle comunità in cui operiamo, attraverso la rigorosa applicazione delle norme anti-Covid.” – sottolinea Alberto Carrozzo, Country Manager di ViacomCBS Italia – “Ma crediamo anche che il rispetto delle regole possa e debba convivere con l’impegno solidale verso gli altri: proprio in questo momento così difficile, abbiamo fortemente voluto rinnovare il nostro tradizionale appuntamento solidale. Le nuove tecnologie ce lo hanno permesso. Piccole azioni concrete, condivisione di competenze ed energie, momenti di servizio e aiuto: questa iniziativa è molto più di una giornata di CRS e abbiamo quindi scelto di riproporlo in sicurezza, come segnale di tenacia e speranza per tutti”.
Queste le attività che sono state animate dai dipendenti di ViacomCBS Italia.
• Videolettura collettiva – associazione Libro Parlato Lions: la cultura deve essere un diritto alla portata di tutti, anche di chi ha una disabilità e non è in grado di leggere in autonomia. Per questo, l’associazione si occupa di distribuire e prestare gratuitamente libri registrati da ‘Donatori di Voce’. In questa veste, alcuni dipendenti ViacomCBS Italia hanno preso parte ad una lettura corale di alcuni racconti tratti da “Piccolo mondo borghese” di Giovannino Guareschi, che è stata trasmessa ‘live’ sulla pagina Facebook di Libro Parlato e farà ora parte dell’audioteca;
• Lezioni online – DynamoCamp: impegnata per sostenere il diritto alla felicità per i bambini affetti da patologie, DynamoCamp ha già realizzato in passato numerosi progetti con la collaborazione di ViacomCBS Italia. Quest’ultima metterà a disposizione le competenze specialistiche delle proprie persone in area comunicazione, media, marketing e analisi di mercato, per permettere all’associazione di costruire nella maniera più efficace la propria campagna natalizia di raccolta fondi;
• Solidarietà capillare: a livello individuale, ciascuno di noi può fare la differenza nel proprio quartiere, attorno alla propria abitazione, dentro la propria comunità . Con questo spirito, i dipendenti ViacomCBS Italia hanno avuto la possibilità di destinare parte del proprio tempo ad una buona azione, nei confronti di micro-organizzazioni locali, verso persone in difficoltà nel proprio condominio, alla riqualificazione del giardino di quartiere, alla pulizia dei litorali, ad iniziative di volontariato online, e così via. A titolo esemplificativo:
o Consegna abiti al “Muro della Gentilezza” di via Luigi Nono a Milano, dove è possibile lasciare alcuni capi direttamente appesi al muro a disposizione di chi ne ha più bisogno;
o Pulizia canale Villoresi (Milano);
o Pulizia spiagge e aree balneari;
o Attività di cura del quartiere e di strutture parrocchiali;
o Donazione libri e indumenti usati (tramite associazioni come Milano Altruista e altre).
La giornata solidale del 3 settembre rientra nel crescente impegno sociale di ViacomCBS Italia sul fronte della sensibilizzazione della propria comunità aziendale interna e nei confronti dei propri pubblici esterni. Ai temi della ‘diversity’ e dell’inclusione sarà dedicata anche quest’anno la Inclusion Week che coinvolgerà tutti i dipendenti di ViacomCBS Italia tra il 29 settembre e il 2 ottobre.
Rispetto delle regole durante il lockdown, sostenibilità , supporto nei confronti delle istanze del mondo giovanile e lotta alle discriminazioni razziali sono stati, inoltre, alcuni dei leit motiv che hanno animato numerose iniziative di sensibilizzazione, promosse da ViacomCBS nel corso degli scorsi mesi. Questa sensibilità da sempre rappresenta la cifra distintiva della company e dei suoi diversi brand, tradizionalmente vicini alle fasce di pubblico – giovani, teens e bambini – più recettive, sensibili e strategiche per il futuro del pianeta.
ViacomCBS
ViacomCBS (NASDAQ: VIAC; VIACA) è una delle principali media company di intrattenimento a livello globale. Offre contenuti ed esperienze premium per le diverse audience nel mondo. Il portafoglio comprende alcuni dei brand più iconici, tra cui Network 10, Channel 5, Telefe, Viacom 18, ViacomCBS International Studios, Nickelodeon, MTV, Comedy Central, BET, Paramount Network e Pluto TV. Oltre ad offrire servizi innovativi di streaming e prodotti digital video, ViacomCBS presenta forti capacità di produzione, distribuzione e soluzioni pubblicitarie per i partner in tutti i cinque continenti e in oltre 180 paesi. In Italia, ViacomCBS Networks Italia, guidata dal Country Manager Alberto Carrozzo, possiede al 100% i brand MTV, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, Paramount Network, Spike, VH1 e Super! (distribuiti sul digitale terrestre e su Sky) e tutte le relative piattaforme digital e social. È Sky Media – concessionaria del Gruppo Sky Italia – a curare la raccolta pubblicitaria di ViacomCBS Italia.
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More Nick: Nickelodeon Upfront 2020 Roundup!
Originally published: Friday, June 19, 2020.
Follow NickALive! on Twitter, Tumblr, Reddit, via RSS, on Instagram, and/or Facebook for the latest Nickelodeon News and Highlights!
VIACOMCBS GIVES BACK WITH VIRTUAL COMMUNITY DAY
How employees around the world have found new ways to give back for the company’s annual day of service.
By Crystal Barnes for the ViacomCBS Newsroom
For 23 consecutive years, thousands of Viacom employees have gathered at hundreds of sites around the world to rebuild and re-energize their communities in an outpouring of goodwill that was called “Viacommunity Day.” When Viacomjoined forces with CBS—whose employees had their own decades-long history of giving back—last December, we looked forward to uniting and enhancing our traditions under the ViacomCBS umbrella this spring.
Then COVID-19 shut down the world.
Overnight, 20,000-plus ViacomCBS employees were working from home. Our television and film productions froze. Gatherings of any kind or any size for any reason were suspended until further notice. And in many ways, life, it seemed, was on hold.
See how thousands of #ViacomCBS employees spent our annual day of service giving back to their communities—from home. #ViacomCBSGives pic.twitter.com/WROIVEjKwV
— ViacomCBS (@ViacomCBS) June 24, 2020
None of this diminished our employees’ deep-seated spirit of generosity and concern for their neighbors. They made it clear to our team , through emails, virtual meetings and DMs, that their isolation had not dampened their desire to care for our communities, and do so together. Management at all levels across the company supported the idea. It is in that spirit of irrepressible goodwill and restless creativity that the first ViacomCBS Virtual Community Day was born.
IT IS OUR ONGOING COMMITMENT TO EACH OTHER AND OUR COMMUNITIES TO DO MORE, TOGETHER.
This week and in the weeks ahead, ViacomCBS employees around the world will pour their talents and their energy and their hearts into helping individuals and organizations in need. They will consult with nonprofits on better business strategies. They will mentor students with America on Tech. They will host social issues discussions with the ACLU and lead virtual learning hours with Breakthrough New York and provide feedback to young writers and transcribe records for the Smithsonian Museum. And they will help World Food Program USA and Urban School Fund Alliance donate 50,000 meals through the atlasGO global health and wellness challenge. They will do it all online, a changed approach for a changed world.
Over the past weeks, we have seen people of all backgrounds unite to speak out against the systemic racism and police violence that has impacted so many victims of racial injustice and most recently led to George Floyd’s tragic murder. While there is much work to be done, the protests, in their scope and duration, have been inspiring. It is in this same spirit of civic renewal and institutional change that ViacomCBS employees reach out to their neighbors in need, their generosity undiminished by distance. Beyond the day, it is our ongoing commitment to each other and our communities to do more, together. Here are a few of our stories.
Crystal Barnes is the SVP for Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Strategy & Reporting at ViacomCBS. She oversees company-wide initiatives that extend ViacomCBS’ deep legacy and expertise in social impact, philanthropy, and community and employee engagement.
Julien Guiteau, Client Service Representative, ViacomCBS Ad Sales (New York, NY)
I haven’t participated in past Community Day events but I’m looking forward to a great first experience. I decided to participate in the Story Pirates event being hosted over Zoom. The organization is nationally renowned group of top comedians, musicians, best-selling authors and incredible teachers with fifteen years of experience creating content that celebrates the imaginations of kids, and their mission is to equip young writers with the tools they need to create stories of their own.
I connected with this strongly because I personally strive to uplift, teach and inspire the youth. At work, I am a client service representative within the ad sales department. Outside of work, I am a content creator, producer, and presenter. I created a web video series called Adventures with Julien for YouTube and other social media platforms in February 2019. It’s hosted by me and filmed by various talented videographers, and its mission is to bring communities together through positivity. The goal of each episode is to highlight how certain companies are beneficially impacting communities, to entertain and enlighten viewers, and to bring communities together through positivity.
Stephen Divenere, Director, Talent Acquisition (Hollywood, CA)
Being able to volunteer in person is ideal, but in this upside-down world we find ourselves in, I respect and appreciate the company so much for its continued commitment to philanthropy. People are hurting in every aspect of our society and need a helping hand now more than ever.
I chose to volunteer this year with MOSTe (Motivating Our Students Through Experience). MOSTe is a community-based mentoring, scholarship, and college-access organization that encourages young women’s education and success. I chose it because as a Talent Acquisition professional, I love mentoring and getting young people ready for the working world. I also volunteer throughout the year as a mentor to kids in need through ViacomCBS’ youth mentorship program, and have spent a lot of time working with youth at the LGBTQ center.
I’ve been with Viacom for four years and have always volunteered for community day. I‘ve met so many amazing people both within the community I was servicing as well as across the company. I love giving back and also making new friends.
Scarlette Whyte, Director, Professional Development, CBS News (Washington, DC)
I was so thrilled when I read the first email about Community Day. I am proud to work for a company that wants to give back, even during a time of uncertainty.
I chose to participate in a fundraiser for Pajama Program. This is a non-profit organization that donates new pajamas and books to children who are in foster care and homeless shelters. Due to COVID-19, Pajama Program established a separate initiative to provide new pajamas and books for the children of first responders, healthcare professionals and other essential workers. I was so touched by its initiatives I had to jump on-board.
I make it a point to do at least a few community service projects per year on my own. In December of last year I collected nearly 200 pairs of pajamas and 100 books for the local Washington D.C Chapter of Pajama Program. In addition, I donate monthly to the Areti Full Gospel Christian School in Ethiopia. A little girl named Ayanlesh is the student whom I sponsor.
Shawn Greer, Creative Resources Director, Nickelodeon Experience Design (Orlando, FL)
I am so proud to be a part of Virtual Community Day. We are socially responsible and truly care about our fans and employees. We are not just “talking the talk,” we are all taking an active role in the future of the country and society as a whole.
I, with others on the Nick Experience Design team based in Orlando, are mentoring people of color to help them get into the theme park business. I’m excited to meet them. So far, I have 30 people scheduled and the team has upwards of 230 total to meet.
I serve my community by volunteering for the career days at the local schools to teach them about what we do and how important it is for them to work hard at everything they do as you never know what skills you will need in the future. I try to inspire them all to be their best, most authentic selves and to help each other and not allow any bullying for any reason.
Danielle Green, Manager, Production Finance, Showtime (Hollywood, CA)
I’m choosing to volunteer with Common Impact because I support its mission to help non-profits build organizational capacity through skill-based volunteerism. The organization connects corporate employees to nonprofits, and I was set up as a team leader and facilitator with Diamond in the RAW foundation, which is devoted to empowering and transforming the lives of foster care and at-risk teen girls. Non-profit work is very difficult and the work requires compassionate, and caring individuals.
I’m involved with community work with various nonprofits in Los Angeles as a Board Member of NAMIC – Southern California. With my work with NAMIC, I’ve been able to partner with ViacomCBS on various youth based training and professional development workshops. I’ve also been able to connect and support other nonprofits within the Southern California Region to align them with the mission of NAMIC.
Felipe Reis, Manager, Communications and Social Impact, ViacomCBS Networks Americas (São Paulo, Brazil)
I think this year’s virtual work solution suits the moment in which we live perfectly. This adaptation is a sign that ViacomCBS, despite the challenges, is innovative in the search for creative solutions and does not let its commitment to society be diminished by difficulties.
I’ve chosen to dedicate myself to lecturing on professional guidance to needy teenagers. I’ve chosen this activity because I remember how fundamental it was for me, when I was a teenager, to listen to market professionals to decide which profession to choose.
Besides being a part of the ViacomCBS Social Impact team and being 100% dedicated to the Virtual Community Day in Brazil, I have always sought to aid small business owners. Lately, I’ve been doing this more frequently by consuming products from small producers and helping friends and family who have had their business affected by the pandemic.
Victoria Wells, Director, Production, Entertainment & Youth Group, ViacomCBS (Hollywood, CA)
My value is more than my job description. Community Day offers a workday of purpose beyond a paycheck.
As someone who grew up underserved and bi-racial, I often wonder how youth programs could have shaped my adolescent development. Volunteers are a link in the chain of facilitating these programs to participants, who far too often are told and believe that they are not good enough—in the words “you ain’t s**t.” Teachers and counselors of my past have uttered similar words. Joke’s on them.
As a Curtis Kulig stan, youth mentor, and supporter of art accessibility, I will be volunteering for the Free Arts Day with Curtis Kulig on Thursday to advocate for the marginalized. But, my life is devoted to service year-round, and I’m involved as a mentor for the Youth Mentor Connection, Time’s Up, and ViacomCBS’ professional mentoring program. I’m also involved with various organizations on the local and national level.
This will be my 10th year participating in Community Day. Now is a critical time for service, check-in, and immediate action.
Michael Roberts, Director, Customer Marketing, Paramount Pictures (Hollywood, CA)
This will be my 8th year in a row volunteering on Community Day. It is hands down my favorite day at Paramount. Not only are we given the opportunity to spend our time and energy bettering our community, but it’s also an amazing day to feel pride in where we work and who we work with. I am always the painter. I’ve painted everything from a kitchen at New Economics for Women to counseling rooms at APAIT. The biggest takeaway for me each year is a sense of hope knowing that there are countless organizations around the country that work every day to make sure that the future is bright, and that we’re giving more people the opportunity to benefit from it.
This year, I’m leading the voter registration task through When We All Vote. It’s a fantastic organization that works to increase engagement in the voting process, particularly with minorities and young Americans. November 2020 will be one of the most consequential elections of our lifetime. In these uncertain times, voting is one of the most empowering and significant things we can all do to not only ensure that our voices are being heard, but to enforce long overdue change for communities in need.
Getting the word out to vote has been my top priority this year. In addition to When We All Vote, I’ve also worked with the nonprofit organization, VoteForward. Its mission is to empower grassroots volunteers to help register voters from underrepresented communities. There are so many things to focus on that need our social and financial attention. Some of my favorite organizations to donate to are the ACLU, GLSEN, and Foster Nation.
Sarah Pindler, Manager, Production & Project Management, Attractions & Exhibits Nickelodeon Experience Design (Orlando, FL)
Virtual Community Day is important for all of us to understand that there are so many different ways we can all help. I am thrilled that I work for a company that not only supports an initiative to volunteer, but also really encourages all employees to take a working day to do so. It is inspiring that even during this pandemic, ViacomCBS still pushes the importance of volunteering. In addition to helping those who need it, community day has also been an amazing team building exercise and brings our office closer together, usually filled with smiles and laughs.
This year, I chose two opportunities. I will be packing two KyndKits—an opportunity I am very excited for. The company behind the KyndKits provides so many different options for people in need– from LGBTQ teens to homeless citizens. I chose to do two packs for citizens who receive meals on wheels. I chose those boxes because I don’t actually know any people around me who are a part of the program and I think it would be a good opportunity to meet some new folks nearby. I’ve reached out to my local chapter and they didn’t have any open driving routes, but they need help in their thrift store to unpack and move items. I am planning to bring my KyndKits to a driver (or become a driver in future weeks).
In preparation for Virtual Community Day, we also have been going through our house to find items and clothing to donate. If people are unable to take the day and go volunteer somewhere, or are not able to join a virtual volunteer opportunity, then donating items that they no longer use is a great back-up plan.
Alan Jones, Account Executive, Ad Solutions (New York, NY)
I’m excited to be participating in the Story Pirates’ “Happy Hour” this year for Community Day. This is something that really stood and I thought was cool because it’s promoting the youth to flex and strengthen their creativity muscles. I think that a lot of initiatives often promote stirring children into more conventional routes, where this promotes pride in imagination. I think it’s really cool that we’re encouraging our future storytellers here.
I’m very happy and pleased that ViacomCBS is taking part in a day of virtual community service. To be honest, I was wondering if everything was going to be postponed this year. I think it really shows that in the midst of a current world of uncertainty and economic strain, ViacomCBS is still prioritizing and finding effective ways to uphold their social responsibility.
During the year, I participate in a non-profit called 100 Roses from Concrete as a mentor. This is an initiative that aims to expose, help and coach college students of multicultural backgrounds about the media industry.
I’ve volunteered on community day for the past four years. I’ve participated in initiatives inside and outside of the ViacomCBS walls and each year has been a blast. Community day has provided an opportunity for great team building outside of our typical daily responsibilities. It has also allowed us to take a break and really connect with our neighboring communities. It’s been really fulfilling in many cases to really connect with the people of certain communities and to see the positive impact we’ve been able to have.
Jorge Tijerina, Production Supervisor & Director of Content, ViacomCBS International Studios (Mexico City, Mexico)
All companies should engage in community service just like ViacomCBS. It is a necessary and noble effort that makes our world a better place to live in. The fact that the company was able to adapt in the midst of a pandemic speaks to its humanity. It’s so wonderful to work in a company that places human needs over corporate ones. I have volunteered for “Ayudar a ayudar COVID-19” which means that I will donate money and send messages of hope to the doctors and nurses who are trying to save lives all over Mexico. I chose this activity because the medical community needs our full support during these painful times. They are our true heroes.
Throughout the year, I try to donate clothes to my local parish, participate in races and marathons that favor social causes and get involved in charity events.
In the past, I have volunteered to clean up the trash-filled streets of poor communities. It was a tough, yet ultimately emotionally rewarding experience, because it made me realize that real, tangible change can be brought about if we all team up and put in the effort.
Catherine Shousha, Supervisor, Worldwide Distribution Services, Paramount Pictures (Hollywood, CA)
I’m so proud that ViacomCBS has continued this longstanding tradition of Viacommunity Day even through the midst of this challenging time. It is such an important facet of our company’s culture and needed now more than ever. It’s incredible how so many charities have been able to pivot their outreach from in person activities to virtual ones. This way we’re still able to make a meaningful impact within the community while prioritizing everyone’s safety at the same time.
I’m volunteering as a project leader with Meals on Wheels West. COVID-19 has heavily impacted its mission as it’s seen a tremendous increase of those currently struggling to sustain themselves with enough meals throughout the week. I and those volunteering will be calling program participants to extend a friendly “hello” and check-in on how they are doing and if there are any resources we can recommend to help them through these hard times. I think human interaction of a caring voice on the other end of the phone is needed now more than ever for those struggling to even put food on the table.
I have participated in seven Viacommunity Days both as a current employee of Paramount Pictures in Hollywood, Calif. and also as a previous Viacom employee in New York City. I am also a member of Paramount’s “Volunteer Crew.” We meet once a month to learn ways in which we can champion different causes within the community. Through this resource, I have had the opportunity to participate in giving back to several worthwhile causes from AIDS Walk LA, MPTF, Epilepsy Foundation of America, Ronald McDonald House, and many others.
Paula Denise Velasco Gadea, Corporate Affairs & CSR, ViacomCBS Networks Americas (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
I am proud that ViacomCBS adapted our annual community day to a virtual format to show that we can continue to help from home. I think adapting is evolving. My work in Argentina’s Social responsibility office permits me to work with the community all year.
I am organizing the UNICEF and Red Cross lectures that will take place on June 18th, becoming the Argentine ambassador for a day and helping to spread and amplify the message of these organizations. I think it is important to help them given the hard work they are doing during COVID-19. I organized the last four community days in Argentina’s offices. I had very impactful experiences painting schools, fixing and painting houses, planting vegetable gardens, and sharing activities with children, among many others. These experiences were a very rich learning opportunity for me.
From Comunicati-Stampa.Net:
La CSR ai tempi del Covid: la giornata solidale di ViacomCBS Italia viaggia anche sul web
Attraverso canali digitali e non solo, i dipendenti ViacomCBS Italia devolveranno una giornata di lavoro a iniziative benefiche
Il rispetto delle norme per il contenimento del contagio da Covid19 non ferma la solidarietà in ViacomCBS Italia, che ogni anno coinvolge i propri dipendenti in una giornata di impegno, vicinanza, solidarietà , consapevolezza e condivisione. A beneficio di progetti sociali e ambientali e di realtà associative benefiche sul territorio italiano.
Anche quest’anno, ViacomCBS Italia non ha rinunciato a questa importante iniziativa di CSR, proponendo, lo scorso 3 settembre, un evento in veste ‘digital’, oltre che fisica. Il medesimo contenuto solidale dell’iniziativa è stato, infatti, affidato al web e agli strumenti online, attraverso i quali i dipendenti hanno potuto esprimere la propria capacità di essere comunità aziendale vicina ai bisogni della comunità . In un inedito connubio di solidarietà , il digitale si è così integrato con il ‘fisico', con azioni realizzate anche in modalità diretta e tradizionale: le persone ViacomCBS Italia hanno così avuto la possibilità di agire nel concreto, come veicoli e promotori di sostenibilità sociale, ambientale e culturale nei luoghi della propria vita quotidiana, in tutta Italia.
“Come azienda responsabile, crediamo nella possibilità di generare valore condiviso, dal punto di vista sociale, ambientale e culturale. Ci facciamo carico di questa responsabilità garantendo, innanzitutto, la salute delle nostre persone e delle comunità in cui operiamo, attraverso la rigorosa applicazione delle norme anti-Covid.” – sottolinea Alberto Carrozzo, Country Manager di ViacomCBS Italia – “Ma crediamo anche che il rispetto delle regole possa e debba convivere con l’impegno solidale verso gli altri: proprio in questo momento così difficile, abbiamo fortemente voluto rinnovare il nostro tradizionale appuntamento solidale. Le nuove tecnologie ce lo hanno permesso. Piccole azioni concrete, condivisione di competenze ed energie, momenti di servizio e aiuto: questa iniziativa è molto più di una giornata di CRS e abbiamo quindi scelto di riproporlo in sicurezza, come segnale di tenacia e speranza per tutti”.
Queste le attività che sono state animate dai dipendenti di ViacomCBS Italia.
• Videolettura collettiva – associazione Libro Parlato Lions: la cultura deve essere un diritto alla portata di tutti, anche di chi ha una disabilità e non è in grado di leggere in autonomia. Per questo, l’associazione si occupa di distribuire e prestare gratuitamente libri registrati da ‘Donatori di Voce’. In questa veste, alcuni dipendenti ViacomCBS Italia hanno preso parte ad una lettura corale di alcuni racconti tratti da “Piccolo mondo borghese” di Giovannino Guareschi, che è stata trasmessa ‘live’ sulla pagina Facebook di Libro Parlato e farà ora parte dell’audioteca;
• Lezioni online – DynamoCamp: impegnata per sostenere il diritto alla felicità per i bambini affetti da patologie, DynamoCamp ha già realizzato in passato numerosi progetti con la collaborazione di ViacomCBS Italia. Quest’ultima metterà a disposizione le competenze specialistiche delle proprie persone in area comunicazione, media, marketing e analisi di mercato, per permettere all’associazione di costruire nella maniera più efficace la propria campagna natalizia di raccolta fondi;
• Solidarietà capillare: a livello individuale, ciascuno di noi può fare la differenza nel proprio quartiere, attorno alla propria abitazione, dentro la propria comunità . Con questo spirito, i dipendenti ViacomCBS Italia hanno avuto la possibilità di destinare parte del proprio tempo ad una buona azione, nei confronti di micro-organizzazioni locali, verso persone in difficoltà nel proprio condominio, alla riqualificazione del giardino di quartiere, alla pulizia dei litorali, ad iniziative di volontariato online, e così via. A titolo esemplificativo:
o Consegna abiti al “Muro della Gentilezza” di via Luigi Nono a Milano, dove è possibile lasciare alcuni capi direttamente appesi al muro a disposizione di chi ne ha più bisogno;
o Pulizia canale Villoresi (Milano);
o Pulizia spiagge e aree balneari;
o Attività di cura del quartiere e di strutture parrocchiali;
o Donazione libri e indumenti usati (tramite associazioni come Milano Altruista e altre).
La giornata solidale del 3 settembre rientra nel crescente impegno sociale di ViacomCBS Italia sul fronte della sensibilizzazione della propria comunità aziendale interna e nei confronti dei propri pubblici esterni. Ai temi della ‘diversity’ e dell’inclusione sarà dedicata anche quest’anno la Inclusion Week che coinvolgerà tutti i dipendenti di ViacomCBS Italia tra il 29 settembre e il 2 ottobre.
Rispetto delle regole durante il lockdown, sostenibilità , supporto nei confronti delle istanze del mondo giovanile e lotta alle discriminazioni razziali sono stati, inoltre, alcuni dei leit motiv che hanno animato numerose iniziative di sensibilizzazione, promosse da ViacomCBS nel corso degli scorsi mesi. Questa sensibilità da sempre rappresenta la cifra distintiva della company e dei suoi diversi brand, tradizionalmente vicini alle fasce di pubblico – giovani, teens e bambini – più recettive, sensibili e strategiche per il futuro del pianeta.
ViacomCBS
ViacomCBS (NASDAQ: VIAC; VIACA) è una delle principali media company di intrattenimento a livello globale. Offre contenuti ed esperienze premium per le diverse audience nel mondo. Il portafoglio comprende alcuni dei brand più iconici, tra cui Network 10, Channel 5, Telefe, Viacom 18, ViacomCBS International Studios, Nickelodeon, MTV, Comedy Central, BET, Paramount Network e Pluto TV. Oltre ad offrire servizi innovativi di streaming e prodotti digital video, ViacomCBS presenta forti capacità di produzione, distribuzione e soluzioni pubblicitarie per i partner in tutti i cinque continenti e in oltre 180 paesi. In Italia, ViacomCBS Networks Italia, guidata dal Country Manager Alberto Carrozzo, possiede al 100% i brand MTV, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, Paramount Network, Spike, VH1 e Super! (distribuiti sul digitale terrestre e su Sky) e tutte le relative piattaforme digital e social. È Sky Media – concessionaria del Gruppo Sky Italia – a curare la raccolta pubblicitaria di ViacomCBS Italia.
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More Nick: Nickelodeon Upfront 2020 Roundup!
Originally published: Friday, June 19, 2020.
Follow NickALive! on Twitter, Tumblr, Reddit, via RSS, on Instagram, and/or Facebook for the latest Nickelodeon News and Highlights!
Saturday, August 08, 2020
As COVID-19 Slows Hollywood, Animation Offers Hope
Update (7/15) - ViacomCBS CEO Bob Bakish has emailed employees to inform them that staff probably won’t be able to return to their offices this year:
Even as cities begin to reopen, many employees are still wondering when they can return to their desks.
The voice cast of SpongeBob record new at-home special, The Stars of SpongeBob Fan Favorites Special
But for those working in Hollywood’s top offices, the question of the hour is somewhat different.
“For us it’s not so much when can we go back into the office,” a marketing executive at Disney told Anhar Karim, reporting for Forbes. “It’s when can we go back to set.”
While restrictions due to COVID-19 (coronavirus) are steadily lifting, precautions and safety procedures continue to greatly limit major studios’ physical productions. This means highly anticipated live-action films and television shows are not getting the footage they need to be completed. New projects are still being pitched and purchased, but after that there’s just a lot of planning and waiting for things to get better.
But the situation is very different in the world of animation.
“For the most part, animation keeps on trucking,” said Mariah Wilson, a production assistant at Nickelodeon. While her peers in other departments and other studios are spending their time reading, writing, and just planning for the future, she and her co-workers are hard at work getting episodes delivered on schedule. From what she’s seeing, animation remains fine.
To be fair, even animation studios did have their share of issues with the transition to remote work.
“There was a mad dash scramble in the two weeks up to everyone working from home,” said Wilson. In those very hectic days employees ran about to make sure everyone had their emails set up, had access to all the links they’d need, and most of all that creators had the necessary software to keep on creating.
And even after all that prep, problems still arose.
Recently, Wilson was tasked with checking if some new designs were good to go.
“Usually this would be a quick conversation,” she explained. “Like, ‘Hey...do you have the design ready?’”
But in the new work from home setup, what would have normally taken a few minutes now took days as Wilson tried repeatedly to reach the designer, only to have her investigation end with learning that the designer hadn’t even set up his email. Wilson’s messages weren’t even getting read.
However, even with small hiccups like this, the pandemic has still not done much to hinder the animation production process. Across the major animation studios, most projects that were previously planned are still being written, animated, and produced at almost the same speed as expected.
“We’re not as reliant on people having to be together,” said Wilson. As long as everyone’s still communicating online and the artists have access to the assets and tools they need, there really is no impediment to getting the work done.
Given animation’s unexpected resilience in these odd times, it might be the exact thing Hollywood needs to turn to in order to stay afloat.
While demand for things such as restaurants or flights has dropped significantly due to the pandemic, the rise of popular streaming services means that audiences are burning through entertainment very quickly. So, there is a lot of demand, and it appears the most effective way to provide more content to meet that demand is to animate it.
For Wilson, this spells out an exciting future for the medium.
“It would be really cool to see animation take off for adults not only in the comedy space,” she said. While animation certainly isn’t just for children or comedy, much of it is produced only in those spaces. So, this new shift in what is possible for entertainment production could push studios to apply animation more broadly.
Sure enough, some have already decided to go for it. The popular live action drama The Blacklist notably chose to finish off their season with animated segments when they could no longer capture new footage.
In addition to animating new content, streaming platforms are also delving into the archives for content, which has also been a hit with consumers. When Netflix added Nickelodeon's Avatar: The Last Airbender to its library in May, the already 15-year-old series instantly became the number-one property on the service.
Another way networks are providing
Wilson predicts that by this time next year, when so many live action projects will have been significantly delayed, what will be left for viewers to consume is plenty of new animated content. So, from there it’ll be up to audiences to decide whether to reward it with their time.
The coronavirus continues to challenge a lot of assumptions about how Hollywood produces its content, from removing theatrical guidelines to making socially distant shoots work. But despite it all, Wilson chooses to see the positivity in everyone trying their best to keep going.
“Everyone’s just trying to keep on,” she said. “There’s really nothing else we can do.”
From CNBC:
How remote work risks a new digital jobs divide for minorities
Key Points:
- Black and Hispanic students entering the workforce feel significantly less comfortable with remote jobs than White students, according to a recent survey.
- Lack of space and limited access to technology are among the career challenges underrepresented minorities face.
- Young workers of color may permanently be left behind if digital inequality in the labor market is not addressed by employers.
The mass migration to remote work helped companies solve a major coronavirus challenge, but the recent civil unrest has exposed diversity and opportunity gaps across the U.S., which telecommuting is beginning to exacerbate. Low-income students and students of color entering the workforce are struggling to overcome a telecommuting digital divide.
The data is starting to back up the personal experience. A WayUp survey in April 2020 highlighted that Black and Hispanic college students and recent grads are much less comfortable with virtual work than their White peers.
“Now that I’m back home in Illinois living with my mom, I’m in a very tiny apartment where there is no separation between eat, work and sleep. ... If I want privacy, it doesn’t exist,” said Ibrahim Mokhtar, a Black student at the University of Southern California who is spending his summer interning remotely with the nonprofit organization GiveDuet.
Remote work capability as top concern
The WayUp survey indicated that among all students, how capable they are of working remotely is a top concern, but Black and Hispanic students were 145% more likely than White peers to express this issue. Among respondents who indicated that they were most concerned about being able to perform a remote internship, over half were Black or Hispanic.
Respondents also identified a lack of physical space to work as a key issue. Census data shows that Black households have 20% more people and Hispanic households have 80% more people compared to White households, which can result in concerns about background noise, distractions, as well as the basic concern about lack of space.
Zamir Ramirez, who is Mexican American and navigating his first year working full-time at Nickelodeon Animation from home, said space is vital for his working environment but hard to find. “For low-income families like my own, finding a room to work in is difficult. It can be cramped, it’s usually a room that’s used as storage, and there’s no real sense of privacy. That already does a lot in terms of the psyche,” Ramirez said.
“We have a big family of kids, so anywhere I go, I’m pretty much around loud kids going buck wild,” said Destiney Johnson, a junior at Grambling State University who identifies as Black. She relocated to a relative’s house to do her immersive research internship program with Florida International University this summer. “I realized I could get in a better situation living elsewhere,” Johnson said.
Technology barriers
Access to technology has made remote work particularly difficult for members of low-income families. The 82% of White adults in the U.S. who report owning a desktop or laptop computer compares to 58% of Blacks and 57% of Hispanics who indicated the same in a 2019 Pew Research Center survey. Black (66%) and Hispanic (61%) respondents in the Pew survey reported having broadband internet, versus 79% of White adults.
“Financially, having good internet where you can keep your camera and audio on for Zoom and other things is difficult, especially when everyone is on their devices at the same time.” Mokhtar said.
The financial stress caused by the pandemic has made these work-related expenditures an ever greater challenge.
“The hidden costs that people never talk about, like internet or even a desk, are huge,” he said.
To compensate for the financial burden of setting up a work-from-home space, Mokhtar was able to receive a CARES Act emergency grant through USC. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act’s Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund was distributed to universities across the U.S. for students facing hardships as a result of the pandemic. USC students who have filed or can file for Federal Student Aid also qualify for this grant and are eligible to receive up to $3,000 each in aid.
“Thankfully, I had savings from my past internships and on-campus jobs, but getting funding from the school was a very big help,” Mokhtar said.
Career development and ‘code-switching’
For Ramirez, one of the biggest hurdles of being a new full-time employee remotely is having opportunities to connect with co-workers and managers. “Young professionals need to network and develop relationships with their bosses — that’s what the first year is used for,” he said. “At home that disconnected is felt. It’s much more difficult to reach out to people without feeling like I’m encroaching on their time.”
As there is more talk of “living at work” overwhelming a more balanced “work from home” environment, there are specific difficulties that young workers from underrepresented minorities face when their worlds of work and home are the same.
Christine Cruzvergara, vice president at jobs platform Handshake — which connects students and university career offices to employers, a “LinkedIn for college” — said every student deals with uncertainty when starting a new job, but additional barriers for students of color in a virtual workplace will need to be addressed.
Corporate culture can be harder to learn remotely, she said, giving as an example the concept of code-switching — changing languages or language styles in different settings — can be particularly prevalent for students of diverse backgrounds, who feel the need to switch from their own vernacular to a workplace standard.
“Some might have to code-switch in the workplace and determine how to do that when they’re mostly on email and phone calls with limited body language to read,” Cruzvergara said. “They’re going to have to find other cues to give them a sense of what the culture is like and how to navigate it in terms of their conversations and their relationships.”
For Jephtha Prempeh, a Black student from USC who recently started a remote internship with Bloomberg Associates, the government-focused consulting arm of Michael Bloomberg’s Bloomberg Philanthropies, being home with family and working from a bedroom makes code-switching even more complicated. “I do feel self-conscious about if I sound intelligent, but speaking differently and approaching things differently does change my home space, and I can’t shake it off when the day is done. I don’t have that fresh space to come back and be myself,” Prempeh said.
"Students are often afraid to ask and jeopardize their internship. Help your employer understand your situation. Don’t try to cover it up." Everette Fortner, ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA’S CAREER CENTER
Despite socioeconomic gaps making remote work challenging, many students feel supported in their roles, both with material resources and emotional support. “I would be absolutely unable to take care of myself mentally and get the work done if it wasn’t for the fact that I have a very understanding and reasonable boss and team,” Mokhtar said. “I’m able to communicate with everyone on the team pretty easily, so they know what I’m dealing with.”
Everette Fortner, associate vice president at the University of Virginia’s career center encourages students to speak up to their managers about their concerns with remote work. “Students are often afraid to ask and jeopardize their internship. Help your employer understand your situation. Don’t try to cover it up. ... It’s a matter of continually communicating with your manager about how to best get your work done in the living situation you’re in,” Fortner said.
Johnson said her program spoke to each intern prior to their start date to ensure they had all of the resources they needed for work, and were even provided a stipend to cover for any additional supplies. “I was worried if I was going to be prepared and have everything I needed to do a good job, so I’m really happy they took that into consideration,” she said.
The diversity and inclusion push in the workplace needs to start from the hiring process taking into account the digital divide. “If you want to recruit and manage a diverse group of people, you need to ensure you’re not only sourcing those candidates, but that you’re also interviewing them in a way that removes as much bias as possible,” said Liz Wessel, co-founder and CEO of WayUp. She said the remote environment can be used to help diversity efforts, as hiring managers can use technology to access a wider range of diverse candidates without the physical and financial barriers of travel.
While companies figure out the best way to accommodate these transitions, Johnson advised her student peers to use university resources and social networks to find opportunities and get connected with employers. “Check in with school advisors and counselors; they have more resources and are ready to help,” she said.
University career services connect students directly with employers, and can also provide additional funding to support students in unpaid internships. UVA is among the numerous universities which, in addition to providing federal emergency relief funding, offer parent-sponsored and provost-sponsored grants and scholarships of up to $5,000 based on the needs of the student and the industry they are working in.
“Our absolute priority is making sure students, particularly first-generation and low-income students, can financially afford to get the same experiences as everyone else, especially during these times,” said UVA’s Fortner. The school’s career center had an extended grant application deadline this year to accommodate the number of students whose internship plans had changed or became unpaid. “We strongly encourage students to sit with a career counselor and turn over every stone we have for financing their internship,” he said.
With many large employers laying the foundation for a permanent shift to a remote working environment, diversity and inclusion planning needs to be a component of the shift.
For Johnson and other students who had initial concerns about working remotely, communicating with hiring managers and tapping into university resources has allowed them to overcome initial challenges and excel in their endeavors. “Everyone has been so helpful and motivating, always encouraging us that we could do it despite what’s going on around us,” she said.
###
From Kidscreen:
Is the future of WFH a hybrid model?
As employees shift to remote work, studios like Atomic Cartoons and Jam Filled see offices as a "home base" in the future—a place for key meetings and celebrations.
Thousands of animation employees started working from home in March when physical distancing measures went into effect around the world. Thanks to huge leaps in technology, animating an entire show away from a studio is more than doable. In lockdown, many studios have finished productions, met deadlines and even started new development projects from the comfort of their homes.
However, while this remote work has been lauded, many are asking how much longer can it last? Some believe questions about the effectiveness of WFH have been laid to rest forever—we’ve done it, we can keep doing it, what’s the problem? Others see the issues that have cropped up in the transition as proof that the model can’t work long term. And many of us land somewhere in the middle.
Kidscreen concludes its WFH series, digging into why that middle ground may the key to the future of offices.
The last several months have shown that a drastic change is possible in the animation industry. While return to office life in some form may be inevitable, animation studio heads can’t ignore the benefits of at least some at-home flexibility.
Office avoidance
Despite having 14 shows in development, Atomic Cartoons isn’t in a rush to get back to the office. And its employees agree: In a survey of 700 staffers, teams in LA, Ottawa and Vancouver weren’t ready to return to the office, says CEO Jennifer McCarron.
Planning a return today has become a balancing act of helping employees feel safe, while solving the problems a lack of face-to-face interaction creates. To address the issue as Atomic ramps up some new shows, the studio is taking advantage of the warmer weather and organizing socially distanced meet-ups at parks.
“Even if we’re all standing in a park in hula hoops, I just don’t see any other way around it,” McCarron says. “If you have to work with a team for six months to a year, [while also working] independently, you’ve got to develop a rhythm and a shorthand [with colleagues].”
But these short-term solutions may offer long-term learnings, because even if there’s a point when the virus is all but eliminated, McCarron doesn’t see things returning to the way things were before when it comes to office usage.
The permanent solution for Atomic, according to McCarron, will be one where employees come in for important creative meetings and kick-offs (albeit likely no longer in a park), but complete the majority of work at home. That being said, the company has no plans to give up its office space.
Of its three offices, Vancouver is the furthest along in its re-opening plan. Some employees are able to come in on a voluntary basis, though less than 5% of the team is opting to return at this time.
“We’re really going to try and cater to the needs of our employees with this new flexibility,” says McCarron. “If we can create a better work-life balance for people without two hours of commuting, why not? Other people are struggling because they miss the community of being in an office. We’ll be listening to the needs of our employees and seeing it as a way we can offer something different for everyone.”
Stagnant footprints
Pre-pandemic, Boat Rocker subsidiary Jam Filled was on the hunt for additional office space in Ottawa. The animation studio behind shows like Nickelodeon’s Loud House, The Casagrandes and Pinky Malinky was looking for more room for its 500-plus employee base, but when COVID-19 started to spread, studio president Kyle MacDougall put the process on hold indefinitely.
That being said, with nine shows in production, Jam Filled has had to onboard 80 new team members since March, stretching the limits of its existing footprint. And with plans to increase its workforce to close to 600 in the fall, the teams won’t be able to return to a physical location even when things are safe.
The earliest Jam Filled will bring people back into the office in any significant way will be in September at a 30% capacity.
MacDougall sees employees returning for a maximum of three days a week, at least for the foreseeable future, and the focus will be on bringing back team members who are struggling in their home offices. While it’s not shopping for new real estate any time soon, MacDougall says Jam Filled plans on keeping its current footprint.
“I think having that home base is still really important for everybody,” he says. “Especially when you want to pull people together, when you’re doing events, or you’re trying to celebrate things that you’ve accomplished.”
###
More Nick: Nickelodeon Upfront 2020 Roundup!
Originally published: Monday, June 08, 2020.
Follow NickALive! on Twitter, Tumblr, Reddit, via RSS, on Instagram, and/or Facebook for the latest Nickelodeon and The Astronauts News and Highlights!
The ViacomCBS CEO just emailed us saying we probably won’t return to our offices this year and I’m still thinking about my cup of tea fermenting on my desk. It’s gonna be tequila.
— April “Pinkie” Davis (@PinkieToons) July 15, 2020
Even as cities begin to reopen, many employees are still wondering when they can return to their desks.
The voice cast of SpongeBob record new at-home special, The Stars of SpongeBob Fan Favorites Special
But for those working in Hollywood’s top offices, the question of the hour is somewhat different.
“For us it’s not so much when can we go back into the office,” a marketing executive at Disney told Anhar Karim, reporting for Forbes. “It’s when can we go back to set.”
While restrictions due to COVID-19 (coronavirus) are steadily lifting, precautions and safety procedures continue to greatly limit major studios’ physical productions. This means highly anticipated live-action films and television shows are not getting the footage they need to be completed. New projects are still being pitched and purchased, but after that there’s just a lot of planning and waiting for things to get better.
But the situation is very different in the world of animation.
“For the most part, animation keeps on trucking,” said Mariah Wilson, a production assistant at Nickelodeon. While her peers in other departments and other studios are spending their time reading, writing, and just planning for the future, she and her co-workers are hard at work getting episodes delivered on schedule. From what she’s seeing, animation remains fine.
To be fair, even animation studios did have their share of issues with the transition to remote work.
“There was a mad dash scramble in the two weeks up to everyone working from home,” said Wilson. In those very hectic days employees ran about to make sure everyone had their emails set up, had access to all the links they’d need, and most of all that creators had the necessary software to keep on creating.
And even after all that prep, problems still arose.
Recently, Wilson was tasked with checking if some new designs were good to go.
“Usually this would be a quick conversation,” she explained. “Like, ‘Hey...do you have the design ready?’”
But in the new work from home setup, what would have normally taken a few minutes now took days as Wilson tried repeatedly to reach the designer, only to have her investigation end with learning that the designer hadn’t even set up his email. Wilson’s messages weren’t even getting read.
However, even with small hiccups like this, the pandemic has still not done much to hinder the animation production process. Across the major animation studios, most projects that were previously planned are still being written, animated, and produced at almost the same speed as expected.
“We’re not as reliant on people having to be together,” said Wilson. As long as everyone’s still communicating online and the artists have access to the assets and tools they need, there really is no impediment to getting the work done.
Given animation’s unexpected resilience in these odd times, it might be the exact thing Hollywood needs to turn to in order to stay afloat.
While demand for things such as restaurants or flights has dropped significantly due to the pandemic, the rise of popular streaming services means that audiences are burning through entertainment very quickly. So, there is a lot of demand, and it appears the most effective way to provide more content to meet that demand is to animate it.
For Wilson, this spells out an exciting future for the medium.
“It would be really cool to see animation take off for adults not only in the comedy space,” she said. While animation certainly isn’t just for children or comedy, much of it is produced only in those spaces. So, this new shift in what is possible for entertainment production could push studios to apply animation more broadly.
Sure enough, some have already decided to go for it. The popular live action drama The Blacklist notably chose to finish off their season with animated segments when they could no longer capture new footage.
In addition to animating new content, streaming platforms are also delving into the archives for content, which has also been a hit with consumers. When Netflix added Nickelodeon's Avatar: The Last Airbender to its library in May, the already 15-year-old series instantly became the number-one property on the service.
Another way networks are providing
Wilson predicts that by this time next year, when so many live action projects will have been significantly delayed, what will be left for viewers to consume is plenty of new animated content. So, from there it’ll be up to audiences to decide whether to reward it with their time.
The coronavirus continues to challenge a lot of assumptions about how Hollywood produces its content, from removing theatrical guidelines to making socially distant shoots work. But despite it all, Wilson chooses to see the positivity in everyone trying their best to keep going.
“Everyone’s just trying to keep on,” she said. “There’s really nothing else we can do.”
From CNBC:
How remote work risks a new digital jobs divide for minorities
Key Points:
- Black and Hispanic students entering the workforce feel significantly less comfortable with remote jobs than White students, according to a recent survey.
- Lack of space and limited access to technology are among the career challenges underrepresented minorities face.
- Young workers of color may permanently be left behind if digital inequality in the labor market is not addressed by employers.
The mass migration to remote work helped companies solve a major coronavirus challenge, but the recent civil unrest has exposed diversity and opportunity gaps across the U.S., which telecommuting is beginning to exacerbate. Low-income students and students of color entering the workforce are struggling to overcome a telecommuting digital divide.
The data is starting to back up the personal experience. A WayUp survey in April 2020 highlighted that Black and Hispanic college students and recent grads are much less comfortable with virtual work than their White peers.
“Now that I’m back home in Illinois living with my mom, I’m in a very tiny apartment where there is no separation between eat, work and sleep. ... If I want privacy, it doesn’t exist,” said Ibrahim Mokhtar, a Black student at the University of Southern California who is spending his summer interning remotely with the nonprofit organization GiveDuet.
Remote work capability as top concern
The WayUp survey indicated that among all students, how capable they are of working remotely is a top concern, but Black and Hispanic students were 145% more likely than White peers to express this issue. Among respondents who indicated that they were most concerned about being able to perform a remote internship, over half were Black or Hispanic.
Respondents also identified a lack of physical space to work as a key issue. Census data shows that Black households have 20% more people and Hispanic households have 80% more people compared to White households, which can result in concerns about background noise, distractions, as well as the basic concern about lack of space.
Zamir Ramirez, who is Mexican American and navigating his first year working full-time at Nickelodeon Animation from home, said space is vital for his working environment but hard to find. “For low-income families like my own, finding a room to work in is difficult. It can be cramped, it’s usually a room that’s used as storage, and there’s no real sense of privacy. That already does a lot in terms of the psyche,” Ramirez said.
“We have a big family of kids, so anywhere I go, I’m pretty much around loud kids going buck wild,” said Destiney Johnson, a junior at Grambling State University who identifies as Black. She relocated to a relative’s house to do her immersive research internship program with Florida International University this summer. “I realized I could get in a better situation living elsewhere,” Johnson said.
Technology barriers
Access to technology has made remote work particularly difficult for members of low-income families. The 82% of White adults in the U.S. who report owning a desktop or laptop computer compares to 58% of Blacks and 57% of Hispanics who indicated the same in a 2019 Pew Research Center survey. Black (66%) and Hispanic (61%) respondents in the Pew survey reported having broadband internet, versus 79% of White adults.
“Financially, having good internet where you can keep your camera and audio on for Zoom and other things is difficult, especially when everyone is on their devices at the same time.” Mokhtar said.
The financial stress caused by the pandemic has made these work-related expenditures an ever greater challenge.
“The hidden costs that people never talk about, like internet or even a desk, are huge,” he said.
To compensate for the financial burden of setting up a work-from-home space, Mokhtar was able to receive a CARES Act emergency grant through USC. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act’s Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund was distributed to universities across the U.S. for students facing hardships as a result of the pandemic. USC students who have filed or can file for Federal Student Aid also qualify for this grant and are eligible to receive up to $3,000 each in aid.
“Thankfully, I had savings from my past internships and on-campus jobs, but getting funding from the school was a very big help,” Mokhtar said.
Career development and ‘code-switching’
For Ramirez, one of the biggest hurdles of being a new full-time employee remotely is having opportunities to connect with co-workers and managers. “Young professionals need to network and develop relationships with their bosses — that’s what the first year is used for,” he said. “At home that disconnected is felt. It’s much more difficult to reach out to people without feeling like I’m encroaching on their time.”
As there is more talk of “living at work” overwhelming a more balanced “work from home” environment, there are specific difficulties that young workers from underrepresented minorities face when their worlds of work and home are the same.
Christine Cruzvergara, vice president at jobs platform Handshake — which connects students and university career offices to employers, a “LinkedIn for college” — said every student deals with uncertainty when starting a new job, but additional barriers for students of color in a virtual workplace will need to be addressed.
Corporate culture can be harder to learn remotely, she said, giving as an example the concept of code-switching — changing languages or language styles in different settings — can be particularly prevalent for students of diverse backgrounds, who feel the need to switch from their own vernacular to a workplace standard.
“Some might have to code-switch in the workplace and determine how to do that when they’re mostly on email and phone calls with limited body language to read,” Cruzvergara said. “They’re going to have to find other cues to give them a sense of what the culture is like and how to navigate it in terms of their conversations and their relationships.”
For Jephtha Prempeh, a Black student from USC who recently started a remote internship with Bloomberg Associates, the government-focused consulting arm of Michael Bloomberg’s Bloomberg Philanthropies, being home with family and working from a bedroom makes code-switching even more complicated. “I do feel self-conscious about if I sound intelligent, but speaking differently and approaching things differently does change my home space, and I can’t shake it off when the day is done. I don’t have that fresh space to come back and be myself,” Prempeh said.
"Students are often afraid to ask and jeopardize their internship. Help your employer understand your situation. Don’t try to cover it up." Everette Fortner, ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA’S CAREER CENTER
Despite socioeconomic gaps making remote work challenging, many students feel supported in their roles, both with material resources and emotional support. “I would be absolutely unable to take care of myself mentally and get the work done if it wasn’t for the fact that I have a very understanding and reasonable boss and team,” Mokhtar said. “I’m able to communicate with everyone on the team pretty easily, so they know what I’m dealing with.”
Everette Fortner, associate vice president at the University of Virginia’s career center encourages students to speak up to their managers about their concerns with remote work. “Students are often afraid to ask and jeopardize their internship. Help your employer understand your situation. Don’t try to cover it up. ... It’s a matter of continually communicating with your manager about how to best get your work done in the living situation you’re in,” Fortner said.
Johnson said her program spoke to each intern prior to their start date to ensure they had all of the resources they needed for work, and were even provided a stipend to cover for any additional supplies. “I was worried if I was going to be prepared and have everything I needed to do a good job, so I’m really happy they took that into consideration,” she said.
The diversity and inclusion push in the workplace needs to start from the hiring process taking into account the digital divide. “If you want to recruit and manage a diverse group of people, you need to ensure you’re not only sourcing those candidates, but that you’re also interviewing them in a way that removes as much bias as possible,” said Liz Wessel, co-founder and CEO of WayUp. She said the remote environment can be used to help diversity efforts, as hiring managers can use technology to access a wider range of diverse candidates without the physical and financial barriers of travel.
While companies figure out the best way to accommodate these transitions, Johnson advised her student peers to use university resources and social networks to find opportunities and get connected with employers. “Check in with school advisors and counselors; they have more resources and are ready to help,” she said.
University career services connect students directly with employers, and can also provide additional funding to support students in unpaid internships. UVA is among the numerous universities which, in addition to providing federal emergency relief funding, offer parent-sponsored and provost-sponsored grants and scholarships of up to $5,000 based on the needs of the student and the industry they are working in.
“Our absolute priority is making sure students, particularly first-generation and low-income students, can financially afford to get the same experiences as everyone else, especially during these times,” said UVA’s Fortner. The school’s career center had an extended grant application deadline this year to accommodate the number of students whose internship plans had changed or became unpaid. “We strongly encourage students to sit with a career counselor and turn over every stone we have for financing their internship,” he said.
With many large employers laying the foundation for a permanent shift to a remote working environment, diversity and inclusion planning needs to be a component of the shift.
For Johnson and other students who had initial concerns about working remotely, communicating with hiring managers and tapping into university resources has allowed them to overcome initial challenges and excel in their endeavors. “Everyone has been so helpful and motivating, always encouraging us that we could do it despite what’s going on around us,” she said.
###
From Kidscreen:
Is the future of WFH a hybrid model?
As employees shift to remote work, studios like Atomic Cartoons and Jam Filled see offices as a "home base" in the future—a place for key meetings and celebrations.
Thousands of animation employees started working from home in March when physical distancing measures went into effect around the world. Thanks to huge leaps in technology, animating an entire show away from a studio is more than doable. In lockdown, many studios have finished productions, met deadlines and even started new development projects from the comfort of their homes.
However, while this remote work has been lauded, many are asking how much longer can it last? Some believe questions about the effectiveness of WFH have been laid to rest forever—we’ve done it, we can keep doing it, what’s the problem? Others see the issues that have cropped up in the transition as proof that the model can’t work long term. And many of us land somewhere in the middle.
Kidscreen concludes its WFH series, digging into why that middle ground may the key to the future of offices.
The last several months have shown that a drastic change is possible in the animation industry. While return to office life in some form may be inevitable, animation studio heads can’t ignore the benefits of at least some at-home flexibility.
Office avoidance
Despite having 14 shows in development, Atomic Cartoons isn’t in a rush to get back to the office. And its employees agree: In a survey of 700 staffers, teams in LA, Ottawa and Vancouver weren’t ready to return to the office, says CEO Jennifer McCarron.
Planning a return today has become a balancing act of helping employees feel safe, while solving the problems a lack of face-to-face interaction creates. To address the issue as Atomic ramps up some new shows, the studio is taking advantage of the warmer weather and organizing socially distanced meet-ups at parks.
“Even if we’re all standing in a park in hula hoops, I just don’t see any other way around it,” McCarron says. “If you have to work with a team for six months to a year, [while also working] independently, you’ve got to develop a rhythm and a shorthand [with colleagues].”
But these short-term solutions may offer long-term learnings, because even if there’s a point when the virus is all but eliminated, McCarron doesn’t see things returning to the way things were before when it comes to office usage.
The permanent solution for Atomic, according to McCarron, will be one where employees come in for important creative meetings and kick-offs (albeit likely no longer in a park), but complete the majority of work at home. That being said, the company has no plans to give up its office space.
Of its three offices, Vancouver is the furthest along in its re-opening plan. Some employees are able to come in on a voluntary basis, though less than 5% of the team is opting to return at this time.
“We’re really going to try and cater to the needs of our employees with this new flexibility,” says McCarron. “If we can create a better work-life balance for people without two hours of commuting, why not? Other people are struggling because they miss the community of being in an office. We’ll be listening to the needs of our employees and seeing it as a way we can offer something different for everyone.”
Stagnant footprints
Pre-pandemic, Boat Rocker subsidiary Jam Filled was on the hunt for additional office space in Ottawa. The animation studio behind shows like Nickelodeon’s Loud House, The Casagrandes and Pinky Malinky was looking for more room for its 500-plus employee base, but when COVID-19 started to spread, studio president Kyle MacDougall put the process on hold indefinitely.
That being said, with nine shows in production, Jam Filled has had to onboard 80 new team members since March, stretching the limits of its existing footprint. And with plans to increase its workforce to close to 600 in the fall, the teams won’t be able to return to a physical location even when things are safe.
The earliest Jam Filled will bring people back into the office in any significant way will be in September at a 30% capacity.
MacDougall sees employees returning for a maximum of three days a week, at least for the foreseeable future, and the focus will be on bringing back team members who are struggling in their home offices. While it’s not shopping for new real estate any time soon, MacDougall says Jam Filled plans on keeping its current footprint.
“I think having that home base is still really important for everybody,” he says. “Especially when you want to pull people together, when you’re doing events, or you’re trying to celebrate things that you’ve accomplished.”
###
More Nick: Nickelodeon Upfront 2020 Roundup!
Originally published: Monday, June 08, 2020.
Follow NickALive! on Twitter, Tumblr, Reddit, via RSS, on Instagram, and/or Facebook for the latest Nickelodeon and The Astronauts News and Highlights!
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