I have some news about artists who contribute to NG!
Rob Feldman, creator of the Dr. Shroud series, will be releasing a DVD for sale via the web on July 12th. You can pre-order a copy via his on-line store! Keep an eye on his website for more info!
Brook Burgess, producer of the Broken Saints series, has won the Producer of the Year award at the Canadian New Media Awards! He won for the Broken Saints DVD!
I received an email recently that I found inspiring, so I thought I would share it:
My name is Walter Baumann. I am a student at the University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh, and Newgrounds member "Kyrren". I have been patronizing your site since the summer of 2003. I became a member in February of this year. I always thought of Newgrounds as a nice fun "underground" website where people throw ideas at one another; with really sort of a small-town-ish sort of atmosphere. I knew there must be many thousands of members, but it always had a comfortable "we can all do it if we try" vibe to the flash and audio portals. If anyone tried hard enough, they could become good at Flash or making music.
As I sat, rating new portal entries, I decided to watch one of the Top 50 of all time that I hadn't yet seen. I generally keep up with them, but not always every single one. I was watching "Stop Crying Your Heart Out," it gave me pause. A "big picture" sort of concept hit me. And I realized it.
Newgrounds is changing the face of modern animation.
Wow.
I had always thought that this site was just a hangout for whoever wanted to make cartoons, but the truth of the matter is, there are world-renown artist (like Adam Phillips, for example). This whole site is full of not internet slackers, but creative and dedicated artists who willingly submit their creations to be consumed for free by the public.
All I wanted to say in this letter, is thank you for giving all these artists a place to express their ideas and emotions, and to get feedback from thousands of other like-minded contributors. People like you and the members of Newgrounds change the face of our entertainment industry, and ultimately, our culture and society.
Most Sincerely,
Walter Baumann