Cartoon Network's vp of longform Ramsey Naito and senior director of development Heather Kenyon unwind from a day at the Con at the WB Animation party.

Ambitious cartoon creators were able to soak up how-tos from the program development execs at the "Pitching Animated Shows" panel. Disney Channel's Jill Stewart and Mike Moon, Nickelodeon's Eric Coleman and Cartoon Network's Heather Kenyon were joined by El Tigre creator Jorge R. Gutierrez.

"Four years isn't a long time" for a project to spend in development, Coleman warned for starters. "You don't get rich from development," he added. "The further along a project goes, the more money is involved and the more executives are involved." Coleman estimated a year's time goes by between production beginning on a series and it actually reaching air.

According to Kenyon, having a show clearing legal hurdles and negotiating a contract between the creator and the network can take anywhere between three months and two years, depending on the issues and personalities involved.

The panelists agreed that a "gimmick or a cool visual" isn't enough to sustain a show; kids have to fall in love with the characters. All agreed they preferred shows with protagonists the same age as their audience Adult heroes like Jackie Chan, Beetlejuice and G.I. Joe are characters whose time has passed. Stewart said that "sustainability" is an important factor in her eyes: can the concept last for 65 episodes? "You should be able to five episodes with just your characters in a room together, without guest stars," advised Kenyon.

Gutierrez (who found the template for his pitch bible on awn.com) described the pilot process as "brutal -- talented people put their DNA into their shows. They [the executives] want to see how much you love your idea."

Coleman said Nickelodeon's on the lookout for "breakout comedies with kid, or kidlike characters," while, according to Kenyon, Cartoon Network is seeking boy-skewing shows for its 6-11 audience, including action/adventure shows like Ben 10 and "crazy-weird stuff" for the Network's nascent primetime, live-action block.

No action/adventure need apply at Disney, said Moon. "Kid relatable, gender-neutral" shows are on his agenda. The panel's takeaway: Ask the execs what they're looking for; regardless of the merits of your show, it simply might not be what they're in the market for.

By Sunday afternoon, Comic-Con's energy level, and the convention center's population dropped to manageable levels. Animation was still on the schedule, with late-day panels focusing on the "Animation Production Process" and 4 Kids' Viva Pinata series. Finally, at 5:00 Comic-Con 2007 closed its doors. In the year until it begins all over again, its tens of thousands of attendees will find out if the films they saw teased live up to their hype -- and start planning their next trip to San Diego.

Joe Strike is a regular contributor to AWN. His animation articles also appear in the NY Daily News and the New York Press.

Bill Desowitz is editor of VFXWorld.