ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 5.8 - NOVEMBER 2000

The Purpose of That X-Chromosome
(continued from page 2)

Hey Monie's central character Simone, explores the life and longings of a single, African-American professional woman in the big city. © Oxygen Media. All rights reserved.

Using the New In New Media
The folks at Oxygen are also making it clear that they aren't forgetting why they are unique, offering both Websites and a cable channel. While they have been very progressive at crossing programming over from one platform to another, the case of The Ruth Truth is one such example, they are working toward further integration and using this unique advantage to offer their audience more. "We are trying really hard to figure out how to use the Web to promote television and storytelling and creativity in general among women. And it is really, really promising but what it requires is a deep level of tools and we are still building that infrastructure. It takes a long time to build these things, because to really be able to offer people a chance to create, you need to give them some wonderful tools. We are aware of that and we are working on it. The online world is showing us some really important things about connecting to our audience and about how to work really fast. It is also pushing us toward these wonderful new digital tool sets that are really deeply interesting. There is a pot of technology that gets stirred up just because we are working on the web that guys who are in a TV studio don't get exposed to. It really helps us in profound ways, and that is often missed by people." These digital tool sets are also offering the X-Chromosome creators an advantage, as Laybourne explains, "It is very empowering for the creators because they can try something and, the next day, change it, and try something completely new. The cycle of self-learning is so much faster."

Tantillo finishes by saying, "We hope we can get the word out and let people know this is the place to come." I think the content is telling them just that already.

Heather Kenyon is editor-in-chief of Animation World Network. After receiving her B.F.A. in Filmic Writing from USC's School of Cinema-Television, she went to work for Hanna-Barbera Cartoons. Currently, she is an International Board Member of Women In Animation and on the Board of Trustees for Trees for Life.

 

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