Despite a report in the HOLLYWOOD REPORTER that the company is bankrupt, Internet animation producer and distributor Dotcomix is in discussions to be bought. AWN spoke with founder and chief creative officer Brad DeGraf and he said the company "just couldn't keep producing as it had in the past." DeGraf said the production staff has been laid off until the transition period is finished. However, president and CEO Damon Danielson has left the company to become the CEO of Video4I, a multi-platform video streaming company. DeGraf has "100% confidence" that the company will be up and running again in the near future. Ed Burke, Dotcomix VP of business affairs and general counsel, said once the acquisition deal is completed the company would have more funds to expand the content it has already been creating. Due to the current discussions both Burke and DeGraf could not comment on who or how many suitors the company is talking to, but Burke said an announcement could come as early as next week. The Dotcomix site hasn't been updated since Monday, November 13, 2000. A noted industry leader, in July, Dotcomix raised US$8.5 million from Media Tech Ventures, Rogers Communication, Freedom Communications and others. Dotcomix has signed an exclusive production deal with DOONESBURY cartoonist Gary Trudeau, which saw the creation of the Webtoon DUKE 2000. Other Dotcomix highlights include their TV licensing of SISTER RANDY to BBC America and Internet productions for Warner Bros.' Entertaindom.
Read Animation World Magazine's profile of Dotcomix.
Read Brad DeGraf's Animation world Magazine article Puppetology: Science or Cult? on performance animation.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
