Mike Lazzo | |
|---|---|
| Born | Michael Allen Lazzo (1958-04-10)April 10, 1958 (age 67) |
| Other names | Mickey LaLamean |
| Occupation(s) | Network executive, television programmer,television producer,TV series creator |
| Years active | 1984–2020 |
| Known for | Space Ghost Coast to Coast Cartoon Planet Adult Swim Perfect Hair Forever |
Michael Allen Lazzo (born April 10, 1958) is a retired Americantelevision producer and the formerexecutivevice president in charge of theAdult Swim programming block ofCartoon Network, and its production arm,Williams Street.
Lazzo was born inLaGrange,Georgia. In his childhood, his family would often relocate, making it difficult for him to make friends. Instead, he grew heavily invested in television, cartoons (mainlyAstro Boy andSpeed Racer),[1] and comic books.[2] He dropped out of high school at 15 and for a time worked at a movie theater.[3] In 1984, he began working in the shipping and receiving department ofTurner Broadcasting System.[4] He gradually worked his way through the programming department of Turner in the intervening years.[3] He went to programTBS's animation block, running daily from 4:30–6PM Eastern time until 1993, when he became the first programmer inCartoon Network's history.[5][6] By 1994, he was the vice president of programming for Cartoon Network.[2]
In 1994, Lazzo helped create the first animatedlate-night talk show,Space Ghost Coast to Coast, for theCartoon Network. His production company,Ghost Planet Industries, created thespin-off ofHanna-Barbera'sSpace Ghost in 1995;Cartoon Planet debuted onTBS but moved toCartoon Network the following year. Lazzo helped createThe Powerpuff Girls before moving to Cartoon Network's adult-oriented blockAdult Swim.[7]
In 1997, Lazzo and GPI began production onToonami, an afternoon block of action cartoons on Cartoon Network. In 1999, Lazzo himself appeared in a rehearsal of theSpace Ghost Coast to Coast episode "Fire Ant" in an episode "Table Read". In 2004, he served as the producer forMiguzi, another afternoon block of action programming, this time aimed at a younger audience.
In 1999, Ghost Planet Industries changed its name to Williams Street, and the following year the studio started developing more non-Space Ghost-related comedy cartoons aimed at adult audiences.The Brak Show,Sealab 2021,Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law, andAqua Teen Hunger Force all premiered on Cartoon Network unannounced in the early mornings of December 2000, almost a year beforeAdult Swim officially premiered in September 2001.Keith Crofford has served as Lazzo's co-executive producer since 1994.
Since 2006, Lazzo appeared inSeth Green'sRobot Chicken nine times, in which he voiced a parody of himself from 2006 to 2007, and laterClark Duke voicing Lazzo from 2008 to 2018.
On December 16, 2019, Lazzo retired from the company.[8] In 2021, he was listed as a recipient of theEmmy Award forOutstanding Animated Program for thePrimal episode "Plague of Madness".[9] In theSmiling Friends season 1 commentary, creatorsZach Hadel andMichael Cusack allege that Lazzo contributed to the show as his "final animation" for Williams Street, though he is not officially credited.
Lazzo has stated that his all-time favorite cartoon short isNasty Quacks, which he has seen hundreds of times, and his favorite TV show isThe Simpsons.[1]
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