Christy Karacas | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Karacas at the Magic City Comic Con in 2015 | |
| Born | Christy C. Karacas (1975-03-08)March 8, 1975 (age 50) New Hampshire, U.S.[1] |
| Alma mater | Rhode Island School of Design (BFA) |
| Occupation(s) | Animator, writer, producer, director, voice actor, musician |
| Years active | 1997–present |
| Known for | Superjail! Robotomy Ballmastrz: 9009 |
Christy C. Karacas (born March 8, 1975) is an American animator, writer, producer, director, voice actor and musician. He is known for creatingSuperjail! andBallmastrz: 9009 forAdult Swim and directing theCartoon Network seriesRobotomy. He is also a guitarist of the rock bandCheeseburger.
As a child, Karacas frequently drew, with inspiration from comic book superheroes andStar Wars characters toFamily Feud scenarios, often with violent themes (though Karacas has explained that he in actuality is "a very non-confrontational person").[1] Karacas went on to study film and animation at theRhode Island School of Design,[1][2] though he wanted to originally get into live action material. For his senior film project, Karacas created the student filmSpace War, which raised his profile via showings at animation festivals.[1] He graduated in 1997 with a BFA.[3]
Karacas began his career in the animation industry atMTV Animation,[4] where he served as a background designer forDaria.[1] He is a founding member and guitar player for the bandCheeseburger,[4] and he also worked with title sequences, animation, and illustration forVBS.tv andVice magazine.[5] While working onDaria, around 2001, Karacas and friend Stephen Warbrick created the short filmBarfight and presented it for showing at numerous film festivals, though it was rejected at all of them. Dispirited, Karacas spent time working on his band.[1] Several years later,Barfight caught the attention ofAdult Swim, who allowed them and Ben Gruber to create a show of their own calledSuperjail!.[4][6][7][8]
Superjail! was originally animated byAugenblick Studios in the pilot episode and first season,[7] but was later animated byTitmouse, Inc. from seasons two to four.[8] However, the series ended its run in 2014. While working onSuperjail!, Karacas worked on several other projects, including directing the short-livedCartoon Network animated seriesRobotomy, which ran from 2010 to 2011,[9] and writing new material with his bandmates of Cheeseburger.[10]
AfterSuperjail!, Karacas moved on to create another show for Adult Swim, titledBallmastrz: 9009, which premiered in 2018.[11] The show was renewed for a second season, which began airing February 23, 2020.[12]
Karacas' influences includeTex Avery,Bob Clampett,John Kricfalusi,Max Fleischer,Chuck Jones,Matt Groening,Jay Ward,Joe Murray,Walt Disney,Robert Crumb,Jim Henson,Mike Judge, andDr. Seuss. He also included references fromPaul Reubens,Monty Python andThe Three Stooges.[6][7][8][1]
Karacas is notable for the following:[1][13]
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