A Chubby Cubbies History
By 2006 we wrapped on the second Chubby Cubbies episode, River of Promise. (River of Promise is another great story that I hope to blog about in the future and I am forever indebted to Arul Moorthy. Owner of Digital Magic in Chennai, India.) Things were looking up, so it seemed. We were finally getting some momentum after 2 grueling years. Building a brand is exhausting and the team and I were feeling it. It was the ultimate test of faith. We finally got the contract from UNAMED Entertainment (I do not want to insert name here out of professional courtesy). A successful Canadian based distribution company. I had flown to Vegas for a breakfast meeting and to receive the contracts in person. We talked about what it would like it. Where and how the work would be produced. All positive stuff. Our efforts and lost time seemed to finally pay off. It didn't matter now which doors had been closed on us. We were making a deal. I flew home that evening with a euphoric feeling. All we had to do next was have our lawyer look over the details. This is where it goes bad. A lawyers job is to be the devil's advocate no matter how painful it is. So the contract starts getting picked apart. Revision 1, then 2, then 3 and so forth. Seriously are we making a deal or not? In the end we were advised to walk. That was the gut shot for me. I bled out and couldn't recover. I know my collegues felt the same way. We all disbanded and everyone involved had to begin their own journey.
In hind sight I wished I would've stayed the course and just picked myself up and found the next opportunity for the Cubs. I don't really know why I let the fire dwindle. I owed it to everyone to keep it burning. A lot of sleep has been lost for me since then. I take refuge in the new stories and great characters that were developed during our time at RI Studios, and it wasn't the CG kind. It was the team, my friends and family. Those that I have stayed in touch with and those I've asked about are all doing well. This seems so long overdue but I thank everyone involved in making this project happen. The Cubs also are still doing well. For over 8 years now our 2 episodes have run twice a week on The Smile of a Child Network from TBN. We get no monetary return for allowing the episodes to air but I like to think that there isn't any amount of money in this world you could put on making a difference in a child's life. I know thats what the Chubby Cubbies were meant to do. They surely made a difference in my life.
Stay tuned for the next adventure. We're not finished yet.
