Adam Katz is an animation producer and director who graduated with a BA in Animation & Digital Arts from USC SCA in 2019. He is best known as the series creator and producer of Inanimate Insanity, a long-running animated series with a dedicated fanbase. Adam began his professional career as a production assistant on Netflix’s CentaurWorld, before becoming a Production Coordinator on Cat Burglar and Exploding Kittens. He later served as the Production Manager for Everybody Still Hates Chris at Titmouse, overseeing the production of the animated revival. Currently, Adam is traveling across the U.S. as part of the BFDI & Inanimate Insanity 2025 Tour, engaging with fans and celebrating the impact of independent animation. His work reflects a passion for storytelling, collaboration, and pushing the boundaries of animated content online.

Q: What sparked your interest in animation as an art?

AK: I’ve been interested in animation since I was a young kid, probably 2 or 3 years old. It’s just been this lifelong obsession for as long as I can remember. When I was about 3 or 4, I would pause the TV, if we were watching SpongeBob or whatever, and I’d just start drawing whatever I saw on the screen, totally fixated on replicating the image. I was always the kid who was constantly drawing, ALL the time! It’s kind of uncommon, or maybe even a little weird, to have such a specific interest at such a young age and never really grow out of it. Especially with something like animation or cartoons, which people often think that you’ll eventually move on from as you get older. But not me; I’ve just always been really drawn to it and loved it. It wasn’t until high school that I started to think, “this interest still hasn’t gone away.” That’s when I began to consider it as a real career path.

Q: Was attending SCA always part of your filmmaking journey?

AK: When I was looking at schools, USC really caught my eye, especially because it’s part of a larger cinematic arts program. I loved that the school promotes so much collaboration between different divisions. That really stood out to me, because no project is ever done by just one person. It always takes teamwork and a lot of hard work from everyone involved. SCA is also just incredible in so many other ways. But what made it unique for me was that it wasn’t solely an art or animation-specific college. It offered a broader range of programs, which I found really appealing. I was drawn to the holistic aspect of it; the idea of being in a smaller animation program within a larger cinematic arts community, all inside a major university. That structure really spoke to me. At first, having access to people outside of animation such as students in different disciplines wasn’t something I considered a high priority. But as I got deeper into the college search process, I realized it was actually something I really valued.

 

Q: Were there any classes, professors, or experiences that were particularly impactful during your time at SCA?

AK: Ironically, the first class I ever took was CNTV 101, Reality Starts Here. The course really emphasized that same idea of cross-disciplinary collaboration. For anyone who’s not familiar, at the time, that class brought together students from every division and discipline within SCA, put them all into one class, and grouped us into teams with one person from each discipline. The goal was to collaborate on a project together. And this was my first semester freshman year! We hadn’t even had the chance to train or develop any real technical skills yet, but right away, it was like: “okay, you all need to work together, figure it out, and make something.” We were encouraged to bring our different perspectives and strengths to the table and just create something fun. And I loved it! I thought it was such a great way to start my story at USC.

Q: You started Inanimate Insanity back in 2011. How’d you bring your idea to life and has it evolved over the last decade and a half? 

AK: I started Inanimate Insanity when I was 13, and it was really my introduction to actually learning how to animate. Before that, I was mostly just sketching things I saw on TV or doodling for fun, never putting anything into motion. Making that show was the first time I really started to understand how animation worked on a technical level. By the time I was applying to schools, my journey looked a little different. I feel like a lot of animation applicants start by building a strong foundation in drawing, really refining their fundamental skills, and then move on to creating animated content. But for me, it was kind of the opposite. I had already developed a lot of the technical animation skills early on through working on the show, but I didn’t yet have super polished fundamentals like drawing the human form, working with different angles, or mastering foreshortening. So my portfolio ended up being a little backward. To combat this, I spent a solid year toward the end of high school really focusing on those areas and trying to build up that side of my skill set. But even then, when I applied, my portfolio still leaned much more heavily toward animated video content than traditional drawing. This isn’t the typical path, but it was the one that worked for me.

I did continue working on Inanimate Insanity throughout my time at USC. It definitely slowed down a bit since I was prioritizing classes and other projects, but the show never stopped. What’s really cool is that because it’s still going, a bunch of USC alumni I met during college now work on it too, which feels so full circle. It’s always been a collaborative effort, and that’s honestly been one of the best parts. A lot of the people from USC who now work on the show weren’t even in the animation program specifically, which just goes back to what I was saying earlier about collaboration. That spirit of working across disciplines really continues to make an impact.

Q: Do you have a favorite role when working on Inanimate Insanity? If so, how does that role influence your creative process?

AK: In terms of a personal favorite part of the process, that’s a really tough one. I enjoy editing, not necessarily because of the editing itself, but more because by that point most of the footage is in and you’re finally seeing everything come together. It’s the moment when the project really starts to take shape. In contrast, pre-production can feel like staring at a blank canvas; you’ve got all these ideas, but nothing’s tangible yet. A great example of collaboration is John Medes, our composer. He’s one of my close friends from USC and was part of the Thornton School of Music. It was a perfect match; he’s now composed hours of original music for the show, which is just amazing.

My main role these days is directing and producing, which means overseeing all the different parts of the process, giving feedback, and making sure everything stays aligned with the overall vision. One of the best parts of that role is getting to see everything, from the first rough storyboards to the finished product, come to life. It’s really rewarding. But it also means I have to keep my skills sharp across the board. Even if I’m not doing every task myself, I need to understand how each part works so I can jump in when needed and help get it across the finish line. I usually animate at least a scene or two for every episode, partly to stay sharp and make sure I don’t lose touch with the hands-on part of the craft. I also step in when specific scenes need adjustments or notes just to help polish things up. So I’m still heavily involved in the process, which I’m grateful for. 

Q: What is the most challenging part of producing Inanimate Insanity and how do you handle setbacks or obstacles?

AK: One of the biggest challenges I face producing Inanimate Insanity is that almost everyone on the team is remote. We’re all working from different time zones and some people aren’t even based in the U.S., so a lot of it really comes down to communication. Because of that, I’ve had to become much more intentional and clear with how I communicate. It’s pushed me to focus on what actually needs to be said, instead of just assuming everyone knows what I know. So while the remote setup can be tough, especially when it comes to coordination, I’m actually really thankful for how much it’s helped me grow. 

Q: What has been your favorite project you’ve worked on besides Inanimate Insanity? Did any of that project change or impact your work moving forward?

AK: After I graduated from USC, I jumped pretty quickly into industry roles. I started as a Production Assistant at Netflix in 2019 and worked on a show called Centaurworld. If anyone hasn’t seen it, it’s such a fun show. It’s an animated musical, and most episodes have at least two to three songs, which makes it super unique. It was personally special because it was one of the first professional projects I ever worked on, and the team was just incredible; so talented, kind, and fun to be around! I feel really lucky to have been a part of it. After that, I also worked on Exploding Kittens for Netflix, as well as Everybody Still Hates Chris, which just premiered its first season on Paramount+. I was the Production Manager on that one, and again, it was an amazing team and a great experience all around.

Now, I’m working full-time on Inanimate Insanity on YouTube, which was a big shift. Going fully independent after being in the studio system was a tough decision, but I definitely don’t regret it. It’s been really rewarding to come back to something I started so young and give it my full focus. I think a lot of what I learned in those industry roles came down to building strong teamwork skills. When you're in a studio environment, everything is so segmented; you have your storyboarding department, your animation department, and sometimes you’re collaborating with external studios in different countries or time zones. So there’s a lot of scheduling, organization, and communication involved. That experience helped me a ton. When I first started Inanimate Insanity in 2011 at 13, it was just me doing every part of the production process. Working on larger productions taught me the value of building a strong team and staying organized, and that structure has really helped the show grow into what it is today.

Q: Do you feel there was a specific moment in your career where you felt like you’ve “made it”? Or are you always working  towards improvement in one way or another?

AK: I think it’s something I’m still working on, just being able to take a breath and say, “wow, I can’t believe I hit this milestone” or “I actually achieved that.” I tend to always be thinking about what’s next, constantly moving forward without really pausing to appreciate the moment. So I’ve been trying to challenge myself to do the opposite, to slow down and acknowledge those wins. I don’t think I’ve ever had a moment where I was like, “oh, I’ve made it,” you know? But if I had to pick something close, it would probably be our Inanimate Insanity summer tours. Every year, we travel around the country and premiere brand new episodes of the show, do Q&As, meet-and-greets, and really create this full experience for the fans. We also collaborate with another animated series called Battle for Dream Island, often touring together.

What always sticks with me is seeing the real-life impact the show has on people, particularly the kids, since a big part of our audience is around 8 to 14 years old. They come with their parents or their friends, and they’re just having such a great time. So, while it might not be a “made it” moment in the traditional sense, seeing the joy and connection the show creates is the kind of thing that makes it all feel really worth it.

Q: What advice would you give to aspiring filmmakers or those who have recently graduated film school?

AK: For people who’ve recently graduated from film school, I’d say two main things. First: apply, apply, apply. Put yourself out there, because you never know what opportunity might come your way, or which ones might fall through. If you apply to a hundred things and only one pans out, that’s still one opportunity you wouldn’t have had otherwise. So don’t ever think you’re too big or too small for a particular role. Be open, be willing, and be ready to jump into whatever comes your way, because you never know where it’ll lead. I know people who hesitated to apply for production assistant jobs because they felt it was “too entry-level,” and they wanted to go straight into a higher-up role. But the truth is, you learn so much in those early jobs: how the pipeline works, who’s involved, etc., it really takes to bring a project to life. Then, when you do eventually step into a more senior role, you’ll be so much more equipped and informed than if you’d skipped those earlier steps.

AK: The second thing: don’t be afraid to fail. Inanimate Insanity is the perfect example. If you go back and watch episode one, which is still up on YouTube from 2011, it doesn’t look great. That’s because my 13-year-old self made it almost entirely on his own. But the only reason the show has become what it is today is because I made a lot of bad videos over the course of 15 years and I just kept going. So yeah, don’t be afraid to be Charlie Brown and miss kicking the football. It’s okay. You’ll get up again.

Q: What’s next? Any news projects on the horizon?

Inanimate Insanity kicked off our summer tour this past June with a sold-out show in Houston, where we premiered Episodes 1 and 2 of Season 4! The tour runs all the way through early August, and we’ll be wrapping up with a four-day event at the Saban Media Center in North Hollywood from July 31st to August 3rd.

See More:
http://www.youtube.com/animationepic 
http://www.inanimateinsanity.com/tickets

Story by Emily Tutnick