Jerry Beck | |
|---|---|
 Beck at the 2023WonderCon | |
| Born | (1955-02-09)February 9, 1955 (age 70) New York City, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Animation historian, author,blogger, video producer |
| Years active | 1980–present |
| Board member of | ASIFA-Hollywood |
| Spouse | [1] |
| Awards | June Foray Award, 2008 Independent Publisher Book Award, 2014 Inkpot Award, 2015 |
Jerry Beck (born February 9, 1955) is an Americananimation historian, author,blogger, and video producer.
Beck wrote or edited several books on classic American animation and classic characters, includingLooney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons (withWill Friedwald, 1989),The 50 Greatest Cartoons (1994),The Animated Movie Guide (2005),Pink Panther: The Ultimate Guide to the Coolest Cat in Town! (2005),Not Just Cartoons: Nicktoons! (2007),The Hanna-Barbera Treasury: Rare Art Mementos from Your Favorite Cartoon Classics (2007), The 100 Greatest Looney Tunes Cartoons (2010),The Flintstones: The Official Guide to the Cartoon Classic (2011), andThe SpongeBob SquarePants Experience: A Deep Dive into the World of Bikini Bottom (2013). He is also an authority on the making of modern films, with his books detailing the art ofMr. Peabody and Sherman, DreamWorks'Madagascar, andBee Movie. Beck is also an entertainment industry consultant for television and homeentertainment productions and releases related to classic cartoons and operates the blog "Cartoon Research". He appears frequently as adocumentary subject and audio commentator on releases of A&E'sCartoons Go to War as well as DVD/Blu-ray collections ofLooney Tunes,Popeye the Sailor, andWoody Woodpecker cartoons, on which he serves as consultant and curator.[2]
Early in his career, Beck collaborated with film historianLeonard Maltin on his bookOf Mice and Magic: A History of American Animated Cartoons, Revised and Updated Edition (1980).
In 1987, Beck was instrumental in the creation ofAnimation Magazine. He went on to write for other magazines including:Variety,The Hollywood Reporter,The Whole Toon Catalog,Animation Blast,Animator,Wild Cartoon Kingdom andAnimation World Network.
Beck wrote or edited several books on classic American animation and classic characters, includingThe 50 Greatest Cartoons (1994),The Animated Movie Guide (2005),Not Just Cartoons: Nicktoons! (2007),The Flintstones: The Official Guide to the Cartoon Classic (2011),The Hanna-Barbera Treasury: Rare Art Mementos from Your Favorite Cartoon Classics (2007),The SpongeBob SquarePants Experience: A Deep Dive into the World of Bikini Bottom (2013),Pink Panther: The Ultimate Guide (2005), andLooney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons (withWill Friedwald, 1989) alongsideThe 100 Greatest Looney Tunes Cartoons (2010). He is also an authority on the making of modern films, with his books detailing the art ofMr. Peabody and Sherman, DreamWorks'Madagascar, andBee Movie.
In 2004, Beck and fellow animation historian and writerAmid Amidi co-founded the blogCartoon Brew,[3] which focused primarily on current animation productions and news. Beck sold his co-ownership in Cartoon Brew in February 2013 and started anIndieWire blog,Animation Scoop, for reports on current animation while continuing to write about classic animation at Cartoon Research.[4][5]
In the 1990s, Beck taught courses on the art of animation atUCLA,NYU, andThe School of Visual Arts. Through 2018 he also taught animation history atWoodbury University inBurbank, California. As of 2020, Beck teaches in the Character Animation department ofCalArts School of Film/Video andANIM 3000 - History of Animation at MTSU.[6]
Jerry Beck co-produced or was a consultant on many home entertainment compilations ofLooney Tunes,MGM Cartoons,Disney Home Video,Betty Boop, and others.
In 1989, he co-foundedStreamline Pictures and brought anime films,Akira,Vampire Hunter D, andHayao Miyazaki'sCastle in the Sky to the United States. He also compiled collections of cartoons fromWarner Bros.,Woody Woodpecker, and theFleischer Studios.
As vice president ofNickelodeon Movies, he helped developThe Rugrats Movie (1998) andMighty Mouse.
In 2006, Beck created and produced an animated pilot forFrederator Studios atNickelodeon. That cartoon,Hornswiggle, aired onNicktoons Network in 2008 as part of theRandom! Cartoons series.
In 1993, Jerry Beck became a founding member of theCartoon Network advisory board and he currently serves as Vice President of theASIFA-Hollywood board.
On a regular basis Beck moderates panels at various venues (festivals, conventions, premieres, museums, screenings, etc.) along with hosting programs/retrospectives of classic cartoons at same. In the past this included shows at the now shutteredCinefamily andCartoon Dump monthly live Hollywood performance.
His presentations include:
Beck attendedJohn Bowne High School inFlushing, Queens, New York City.[9] On June 25, 2021, he married voice actressCheryl Chase, his girlfriend of 33 years.[1]
In 2008, Beck was the recipient of theJune Foray Award.[10] In 2014, Beck received theIndependent Publisher Book Award for Popular Culture.[11] In 2015, Beck was the recipient of theComic-Con InternationalInkpot Award.[12] Beck was the 2019 honoree of the Los Angeles Animation Festival.[13][14]
One ofCartoon Research editor Jerry Beck's teenage friends (they met in class at John Bowne High School in Flushing, NY) was Murad Gumen, son ofCracked 'Mazagine' artist Sururi Gumen.
