Nickelodeon’s Intergalactic Shorts Program 2.0 is opening its search for new and diverse creators from across the globe, focusing on new voices and nurturing their vision for original comedy-driven content with an eye toward representation. The announcement was made by Ramsey Naito, President, Nickelodeon Animation and Paramount Animation.
Originally launched in 2019, Rock, Paper, Scissors marks the first finalized short to be greenlit for series from the inaugural program. In the short, the iconic trio of Rock, Paper, and Scissors lovingly compete with one another in this buddy comedy about the joy and messiness of friendship. Six additional projects from 2019 are currently in production at Nickelodeon. Additional information will be available soon.
Nickelodeon will debut Rock, Paper, Scissors during a special Nickelodeon Animation presentation at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival on Thursday, June 16.
“We knew we were onto something special with creators Kyle Stegina and Josh Lehrman and their hilarious characters in Rock, Paper, Scissors, which we are so proud to bring to series,” said Naito. “Finding and growing talent through the process of pitch to hit is what powers our Intergalactic Shorts Program, and we can’t wait to get started finding the next great creator in animation through our program’s just-launched second phase.”
The original Rock, Paper, Scissors short and series are created, written, and executive produced by Kyle Stegina (Robot Chicken) and Josh Lehrman (Robot Chicken), with Conrad Vernon (Sausage Party) and Bob Boyle (The Fairly OddParents) serving as executive producers on the series.
Through the 2022 Program, Nickelodeon will accept ideas from a global pool of storytellers and creative visionaries including artists, writers, and directors. Shorts will run on Nickelodeon’s platforms and are in the process of being developed into long-form animated series.
Shorts should feature one-of-a-kind, character-driven comedy and surprising storytelling, combining humor with action-adventure, mystery, sci-fi, and more. In line with Nickelodeon’s mission to make the best, original humor-driven content for kids, these creator-driven shorts offer content that is appealing to all members of the family, featuring a co-viewing lens of preschool (K 2-5) and big kids (K 6-11).
Nickelodeon’s Intergalactic Shorts Program launched in June 2019 and was overseen by Kari Kim, Vice President, Animation Development, Nickelodeon Animation, with Conrad Vernon serving as the program’s executive producer and Paul Watling (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse) as co-executive producer. Daniel Wineman, Vice President, Animation Development, Nickelodeon Animation and Chris Rose, Vice President, Production & Development, Kids & Family, Global will oversee the 2022 Intergalactic Shorts Program 2.0.