“Station Identification” Documentary Animation

Media producer/director John Ondo began his career at a small upstart independent television station in Lima, Ohio, WTLW Channel 44. To commemorate WTLW’s 40th anniversary, he decided to turn his documentary filmmaking expertise to his roots and tell the uplifting story of how the little Christian TV station was established and then flourished, defying many expectations.

Ondo had a few interviews for which he needed extra imagery to supplement his archival footage, so he asked me to produce seven short animated vignettes to sync with his source tracks. The subject matter for these particular shots was nostalgic, warm-hearted, and somewhat humorous, so he was looking for an animation style to match. I enjoy opportunities like this to explore different styles, so we chose a sketchy line-drawing look, no color, somewhat inspired by Jeff Kinney’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid series but also Tom Yohe’s Schoolhouse Rock cartoons (the latter was particularly fitting because it was the same era as the founding of WTLW).