Feb 5, 2024

Vivian Medrano, creator of "The Hasbin Hotel," talks about why this is the golden age of independent animation.

Cartoon Brew, in association with exclusive online event partner INBTWN Animation, recently premiered the new show "Hazbin Hotel" on Prime Video on January 18, Indie animation superstar, We caught up with Vivian Medrano, a.k.a. Vizzy Pop.

When we first spoke to Medrano about how to build a Youtube channel, she was already popular with 1.3 million channel subscribers and 163 million views. But those numbers are dwarfed by her followers today, who total more than 9 million channel subscribers and 1.2 billion views

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The numbers alone do not tell the full story. Medrano is part of a new generation of online creators who have bypassed the traditional studio route and built their own brands online. Without the backing of a corporation, she has proven that artists can develop and produce their own series, build virtual studios to produce their work, and independently distribute and commercialize their programming to a wide audience. After years of independent production, major studios and streaming distributors are now taking notice and trying to get into the Vivziepop business.

To bring her project to fruition, Medrano had to juggle numerous roles. She said, "It's like coming right out of school to the Husbin Hotel. I wasn't taught much about teamwork, team management, or anything other than the film I shot for my thesis," she said in a chat with INBTWN. 'I love directing. Directing is something that I never thought would become one of the jobs I would really enjoy as an animator when I was just starting out as a creator." [Between Prime Video's "The Husbin Hotel" and Youtube's "Helluva Boss," directing has become Medrano's full-time job:

In the process of making another series, "Helluva Boss," I sort of stopped making animation. I am no longer the animator of the show, but more often in a supervisory role, such as approving and directing red-lighting. This is because I personally feel that my team is much more talented than I am in the animation world. My attitude is that I like to see what other people bring to my projects, because I know that they will be able to do the same thing I do.

Medrano recognizes the role Youtube played in helping her get where she is today and says that other artists should be bold enough to take advantage of the myriad distribution opportunities available to creators:

I am a big proponent of getting my ideas out there and sharing them with the world . And right now we are in the golden age of independent animation.

For artists considering creating their own independent projects, Medrano says there is no better way to spend your time than perfecting your craft and learning to work as part of a team:

There is no perfect pipeline, no perfect jump There is no perfect platform. So what you really need to do is grow those skills. We need to grow the skills to work with people. We need to grow the skills to build ourselves.

While "The Husbin Hotel" is a musical comedy, the darker side comes to the fore in one episode (I won't spoil it, but those who have seen the show will know which episode it is). Medrano says that this episode, and the show more broadly, allows her to demonstrate the many facets of her own personality:

The themes and things present in that episode were incredibly personal. The themes and things present in that episode were incredibly personal, and I wanted to be as honest as possible about how dark things could get and how hopeless I could feel.

Husbin's personal nature was one of the main factors in creating a dedicated audience willing to wait four years from the pilot to the series. Their patience has finally paid off, with fans showing off fan art, cosplay, and reaction videos on social media. According to Medrano, enthusiastic fans and viewers who identify with the show's characters have always been her target:

I am so honored to see and hear how this work has touched people's hearts, especially those who have had similar experiences. It is not something that everyone has experienced. But for those who have experienced it, it means a lot to them to see this film.