Smart Nonsense

Episode #295 with Henry and Dylan

Episode #294 with Henry and Dylan (00:00) Intro & NYC 9/11 Tribute Lights(01:36) The Challenge of Creating a Viral Short(04:58) Coraline’s 3D Reboot Disappointment(10:11) Stink Bug, 4D Experiences & Bob’s Furniture Memories(14:44) Reinventing SAT Prep: Vision & Challenges Recorded September 12, 2024

Episode #293 with Henry and Dylan (00:00) Intro & 9/11 Reflection(01:46) CEO Challenges & Creative Ads(04:12) Loneliness, Shorts, and Fun Comparisons(08:07) Move Fast and Make Things Philosophy(14:07) Fashion Changes and Style Inspirations

Episode #292 with Henry and Dylan (00:00) Intro & Recording Mishap(02:39) The Time Capsule Reflection(08:58) Tennis, Ambition, and Life Lessons(14:34) The Shorts-to-Wife Pipeline(19:16) Sports Injuries & Work Challenges

Episode #290 with Henry and Dylan (00:00) Intro (01:31) Inventing a Cartoon (03:21) The YouTuber Identity Crisis (06:30) The Elevator Story (10:08) Dad’s Fitness Journey (13:01) Cartoon Character Chaos

Episode #288 with Henry and Dylan (0:00) Intro (2:24) Reflecting on cartoon inspirations: South Park, Family Guy, and SpongeBob (6:30) The first concept: Bureaucracity (11:53) Problems with human characters and the need for unique silhouettes (14:08) IP is king: The brilliance of SpongeBob's world (20:10) Pivotal characters from history as Derd’s friends (27:30) Exploring the Pangea concept and rethinking the show's world (33:04) How history and curiosity interact on Derd’s island (39:19) Concept evolution: Mixing historical accuracy with creative freedom

Episode #287 with Henry and Dylan (0:00) Intro (1:28) Podcast dynamics and business perception (6:34) Figuring out cartoon pilot (9:31) "SpongeBob" inspiration: humor and storyboarding (14:01) World-building challenges and character creation (22:17) Overcoming creative block and finding vision (29:11) Developing the cartoon's main character (38:21) Planning physical comedy and visual storytelling (44:43) Next steps

Episode #286 with Henry and Dylan (00:00) Intro (02:59) Brainstorming cartoon ideas from scratch (05:18) Learning from SpongeBob, South Park, and animation greats (09:31) The inspiration behind SpongeBob and parallels to Smart Nonsense (12:38) Developing the cartoon world and its teaching potential (19:14) The premise: Derd’s motivation and learning adventures (22:43) Building Derd’s universe and unique characters

Episode #285 with Henry and Dylan (00:00) Intro(02:26) Pickleball mornings(03:35) Revisiting Shaan's pitch: SAT prep or cartoons(05:13) The SAT struggle: why it didn’t work(07:44) Cartooning as the next direction(09:31) Discovering animation: lessons from SpongeBob(11:16) South Park vs. big studio cartoons(12:29) Pitching Shaan: conviction in the cartoon vision(14:00) A unique concept: Hardcore History meets Rick and Morty(15:52) The power of educational cartoons(16:47) Thinking big with Shaan’s support(17:53) Moving from base hits to home runs(18:59) Embracing the cartoon dream: fun over SAT prep

Episode #284 with Henry and Dylan (00:00) Intro(03:07) We blew up the deal(05:32) Shaan’s big mission: undervalued talent with potential(07:17) Searching for direction: mission struggles exposed(10:15) Jack saves the call: introducing Sketchy(12:26) Starting with SAT: the SpaceX satellite analogy(14:11) Teaching to the test: a new perspective on prep(17:12) Getting pwned(20:12) The challenge of teaching SAT hacks(22:36) Breaking the fourth wall: making it fun(24:59) Bigger vision: instilling curiosity in learning