Jay Stephens interview on The Secret Saturdays
Jay Stephens is a Canadian cartoonist, best known as the creator of animated series like Tutenstein and The Secret Saturdays. He has also created many comics projects, including The Land of Nod and Jetcat Clubhouse. When I interviewed him The Secret Saturdays had just launched on TV.
CB: How did you learn to draw?
JS: I think I was born weird or something. I've always been doodling and sketching and making up my own little worlds and characters. I think my parents were a little freaked out.
CB: What was the first art you did for pay?
JS: In grade school, kids would give me a quarter to draw pretty girls or Batman or something. I guess you could say I went “Pro” pretty young! My first official “comic book paycheck” was for a short story in a small comic book anthology ‘way back in 1990.
CB: What is your job in animation?
JS: My titles are “Creator,” “Executive Producer,” and “Art Director,” which means that on The Secret Saturdays show, I'm involved in just about every aspect of production; from scripts to voice casting and recording, to character design and color layout, music and sound effects, promo art, storyboards, marketing, and more. I could really use a nap.
CB: Is making cartoons anything like you imagined?
JS: No way! It's a lot harder... and it takes about a million years to get a show done. But it's been really fun. We were lucky to pull together a really great group of talented people on this production.
CB: Tell me about Secret Saturdays. Will it be shown on Saturdays?
JS: That's a secret. “Saturday” is actually the last name of the family of cryptozoologists that star in the series. Doc Saturday is the science-geek dad with big muscles, Drew Saturday is the impulsive, legend-expert mom, and Zak Saturday is their adventurous son. Oh, and they've adopted some “cryptids,” too...mysterious creatures that remain unproven by the zoological establishment.
CB: How did the Saturdays get into the secret-hunting business?
JS: Doc approaches legendary creatures like the Yeti, Loch Ness Monster, or chupacabras from a purely scientific background, while Drew is more schooled in the mythological and mystical aspects.
CB: What is Zack like?
JS: He's what a typical 11-year-old-kid would be like, if a “normal day” meant running for your life from a Mongolian Death Worm in the Gobi Desert or searching the bottom of Lake Champlain for its legendary serpent. For the Saturdays, every day is like an adventure weekend!
CB: Why do some of the cryptids need protecting?
JS: Many of the world's most mysterious beasts are in danger from humankind's encroachment. But even worse, an insane weirdo called V.V. Argost is on a quest for a legendary cryptid called Kur that is said to grant unlimited power. He doesn't know which cryptid is the right beast, and so the Saturdays must race around the globe in an attempt to stay one step ahead of Argost and protect this ultimate secret from falling into the wrong hands.
CB: How do your research your legends?
JS: I have dozens and dozens of books on cryptozoology, folklore, and legends from all ages and from all over the world. The internet is also great for keeping current on the latest weird sightings. New cryptids are reported every month!
CB: What sort of monsters do you like?
JS: I never met a monster I didn't like.
CB: Why are you writing and drawing comics about the SECRET SATURDAYS too?
JS: Clearly I have a problem! In all honesty, though, I love these guys, and want to continue telling their stories. It's a great opportunity to flesh out the background of the series, and offer some prequel tales.
CB: Do you have a family?
JS: Yup. And we travel as much as possible, too. Haven't found any monsters yet, but our Bengal cat, Tiki, is kind of wild.
CB: How do your kids affect your cartoons?
JS: My two kids are very quick to tell me if something sucks. There's nothing more satisfying then seeing them react with excitement to a Work Print (rough cut of animation), knowing that we're really onto something that kids their age will dig.
