EXCLUSIVE: Smiling Friends creators Michael Cusack and Zach Hadel and producer Aron Fromm have teamed to launch Zam Studios, a new Los Angeles-based independent animation studio.
Zam will focus on high quality animation, VFX, production and post-production of all types, according to Cusack, Hadel and Fromm. The studio will also offer client services for television, feature film and commercial projects, as well as creating original content.
“Zam will focus on what matters most in animation – high-quality work made by people who understand the process, are obsessed with craft and have a knack for producing cartoons that recapture the magic of years past,” Cusack, Hadel and Fromm said in a joint statement.
The studio is handling all specialty and mixed media animation, live action, compositing and VFX for the third season of Smiling Friends, which premieres Sunday, October 5 on Adult Swim and Monday, October 6 on HBO Max. The quarter-hour series follows the employees of a small company dedicated to bringing happiness to a bizarre yet colorful world. The new season features a mix of Claymation, high-end 2D animation, CG animation, stop motion and live action elements.
Cusack (Yolo: Crystal Fantasy) and Hadel (OneyPlays, Hellbenders) are co-creators and Fromm (Sessions with Stan, Mike Judge Presents: Tales from the Tour Bus) serves as a producer/director on Smiling Friends.
Zam Studios’ additional credits include the Smiling Friends shorts, Smiling Symphonies, Billy Idol Should Be Dead documentary, and bumpers for Rick & Morty and Adult Swim.
Zam Studios is represented by Fourth Wall Management.
You can check out the website here.
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