Jules Feiffer was on hand to sign copies of his new book, I Lost My Bear!

Speaking with attendees after BrainCamp, one of the favored presentations was by Charles Rivkin, president and CEO of The Jim Henson Company. Rivkin, who joined Henson in 1988 (he was previously in investment banking), has seen the company through the tragic death of it's founder and central figure, and the subsequent restructuring of the entire company. He talked about what the company has been through, including the canceled merger with Disney after Jim Henson's death in 1990. The studio now has a deal to produce 3-5 features a year with Disney. Earlier this year, the company made a bold move by hiring former Fox Kids CEO Margaret Loesch as president of its new Television Group, a move which Rivkin said, "has already changed our company dramatically." The company has since made a deal to produce a hybrid puppetry and CGI series, BRATS of the Dark Nebula, for Kids WB! and announced plans to launch a cable network, The Kermit Channel, with Hallmark Entertainment. Rivkin said the company is looking to the future while firmly rooted in concepts instilled by its founder: innovate, act with integrity at all times and "when in doubt, throw penguins."

Another enlightening presentation was given by Kit Laybourne. Titled "Below the Radar: Emerging Voices in Digital Animation," it looked at the development of desktop animation as today's equivalent to the independent animation movement. He noted that as a result of the trend of small, Independent projects "from the margins" taking off as big hits, studios are deliberately creating margins of their own to develop new material. Nickelodeon, where Laybourne currently works as executive producer of an animated TV series and feature in development called Hank the Cowdog, has taken this route with its Creative Lab and Oh Yeah! Cartoons project which is spearheaded by Fred Seibert and modeled after Hanna-Barbera's What a Cartoon! series. This Animation World Magazine editor was so impressed with Laybourne's presentation that he was invited to write an article, which is included in this issue.

Day Two
The second day of BrainCamp was notably less energized, with about half of the attendees and few of the previous day's presenters. Bob Friedman, president of New Line Television spoke mostly about the company's feature film efforts such as Lost In Space, which was screened for BrainCampers the night before, along with the 1961 Oscar-winning animated short, Munro, based on a story by Jules Feiffer. Feiffer himself made a rare appearance as a presenter, with a delightful slide show in which he recalled highlights of his career as a cartoonist, including a stint at the fledgling Terrytoons studio, where he met Gene Deitch, who eventually directed the film Munro from his studio in Prague.

Disappointingly, in place of an ill, London-bound Anna Home, chair of the World Summit on Television for Children, Carole Rosen from HBO and Linda Kahn from Scholastic filled in by giving a hasty encapsulation of the event, including the formation of a new 26-country co-production, Animated Tales of the World.

So, did it work? Is BrainCamp tuition worth the price? Yes, if you can afford it. Group conversations between presentations were lively, often launching into debates. Overall, participants seemed energized by the interaction with their peers, and even with their competitors. At this level of executive, many people know each other and have even worked together in the past.

Party Favors
Did I mention the goodies? If nothing more, go for the party favors. Thanks to corporate sponsors and presenters' companies, each and every participant went home with a full bag of gifts. I counted the following: branded t-shirts, baseball caps and bags; souvenir programs from Feld Entertainment's Barnum & Bailey Circus and Hercules on Ice, Batman comics from DC Comics, a Betty Boop book from Kitchen Sink Press (a publisher recently purchased by Fred Seibert), books from Jules Feiffer, a Blue's Clues note pad, a Big Comfy Couch book , a TVLand board game, a video of animation for babies and one about Christian music, and a few CDs from Rhino. A few weeks after the event, every BrainCamper received a package including pre-printed rolodex cards with the contact information for each participant. All this and a giant chocolate bar!

Next year's BrainCamp will take place March 25 and 26, 1999 in New York City. For information, contact Lina Maini at mainiacinc@aol.com or (516) 593-5494.

Wendy Jackson is associate editor of Animation World Magazine.