What background in animation did the Adult Swim creators have?
Willis: Zero. We’re not animators. Crofford: No one really has an animation background. Dave was hired as a [production assistant] on Cartoon Planet back in the day. [“Aqua Teen Hunger Force” co-creator] Matt Maiellaro was in program operations for a while. Matt [Thompson] and Adam worked in our on-air promotion department; Michael heads up that whole division. [“Harvey Birdman” co-creator] Eric Richter came up through on-air promotions. Willis: If we had pitched “Aqua Teen” as an unknown entity, or even as a known entity, anywhere else it would’ve been difficult. We got the opportunity to make it because they knew us. Crofford: We know these guys pretty well because we’ve worked with them for so long. We try to keep our hands off the creative process as much as possible. Two guys pretty much handle most shows: Michael and Eric do “Birdman,” Matt [Thompson] and Adam do “Sealab,” Matt [Maiellaro] and Dave do “Aqua Teen.” Ouweleen: One of the things that makes Adult Swim different from a
