Author Info

ARLENE KLASKY (Creator) Arlene Klasky is one of the television industry's leading advocates for quality animated programming that entertains children. In 1999, she was named one of the "Top 25 Women in Animation" by the industry's leading publication, Animation Magazine.

Klasky and her partner, Gabor Csupo, formed Klasky Csupo, Inc. in 1981. Combining their respective talents in graphic design and character animation proved to be a long-lasting successful formula. Today, she continues to work on new project development for television and features. She oversees the studio's projects in broadstrokes on a daily basis along with Csupo. Klasky was the creative force behind the box-office hits "The Rugrats Movie" and "Rugrats in Paris: The Movie."

Klasky played a major role as co-creator and executive producer on the two-time Emmy Award-winning "Rugrats" and designed several of the series' major characters. Her vision has inspired other distinctive productions including, "Rugrats," "AAHHH!!! Real Monsters," "Santo Bugito," "Rocket Power" and "The Wild Thornberrys."
 

GABOR CSUPO (Creator) World-renowned animation artist Gabor Csupo is the chairman and co-founder of Klasky Csupo, Inc., the entertainment industry's leading independent animation company. A fiercely independent artist, Csupo is a Renaissance man, who, in addition to his film, TV and commercial animation career, is an acclaimed musician, the founder of two record labels, a noted restaurateur, a devoted father and an engaged member of the arts community in Los Angeles.

Continuing to break new ground, Csupo co-developed, produced and animated the phenomenally successful "Rugrats" series, the most popular children's show in the United States. Enlarging Klasky Csupo's roster of programming, Csupo produced and animated such distinguished series as "Duckman," "Aaahhh!!! Real Monsters," "Santo Bugito," "Rocket Power," "The Wild Thornberrys" and the latest Nickelodeon hit "As Told By Ginger."

Tireless and inventive, Csupo has expanded Klasky Csupo's product offerings to all areas of entertainment media. He launched Klasky Csupo Publishing and KACHEW! COMMERCIALS. In 1998, Csupo co-produced the company's first venture into feature filmmaking, the enormously successful "The Rugrats Movie," (the first non-Disney animated film to gross over $100million) as well as it's hit sequel, "Rugrats in Paris: The Movie."
 

PAUL GERMAIN (Creator) Germain attended graduate film school at the University of California at Los Angeles from 1980-1983, but left the program to work for James L. Brooks at Gracie Films. There, he rose from the rank of production assistant on Terms of Endearment (1983) to become associate producer of the film Say Anything... (1989)

In 1986 Brooks asked Germain to help a young artist named Matt Groening develop animated bumpers for Brooks' new series, "The Tracey Ullman Show" (1987). Germain helped Groening, along with Ullman-show associate producer Jeffrey Townsend, develop and cast these one-minute animated interstitials, which marked the debut of "The Simpsons" (1989).

For the "Simpsons" shorts, Germain directed the voice actors, brought in Klasky-Csupo Studio to create the animation, and produced the original two-minute cartoons. He became an associate producer on the Ullman show in 1988, and when "The Simpsons" went to series in 1989, Germain co-produced the first three episodes, before moving to Klasky-Csupo to head up development.

At Klasky Csupo, Germain created the animated series, "Rugrats" (1991) with Gabor Csupo and Arlene Klasky in 1989-1990, when his first child, Tommy, was a one-year-old. Not only did Germain create the characters and write and produce the pilot, he also cast and directed the voice actors, oversaw all scripts and storyboards, and served as head creative producer and show runner during the series' first 65 half-hour episodes. "Rugrats" still airs on Nickelodeon and remains one of the most popular kids' shows of all time.