My First Radio Interview
I was interviewed on Humboldt Hot Air Radio
As I’m gearing up to be a guest judge for Humboldt Film Festival, I got an opportunity to do my first ever radio interview! Wendy Butler, host of ‘Art Attitude’ on Humboldt Hot Air, emailed me asking if I would be interested. And, though I was nervous, I answered resoundingly YES.
The interview is up for two weeks online. It starts on the 10:30 mark.
Art Attitude | Wendy Butler | April 19, 2026
Screenshot to show you can click in on the time to 10:30 to go to the interview.
Below is a written excerpt of some of the questions from the interview. I wanted to show an idea of what was said in case you’re reading this after the interview goes offline.
Who inspired you? Could be an artist, doesn’t have to be.
I was inspired by so many things around me, but a particular one I recall is my childhood dentist. Her office was filled with toys, she genuinely loved collecting Beanie Babies and stuffed animals. It made me realize you can still love kids’ things as an adult. Something about discovering people like her, and family friends who would collect comics and toys, incentivized me to want to pursue art, because it could look like things I already love.
Let’s talk about what sort of themes recur in your art. I watched a couple of your shorts -- ranging from the 3D to the 2D -- as well as your paintings/drawings. I feel like you do have cute things, like that puppy in a mailbox, but also a lot of your stuff is ominous, bordering on a bit of horror.
I grew up drawing and loving cute animals, and I still do. Video games and film were a huge influence on how I think about art outside of just “cute things”. I do enjoy subverting expectations.
Is animation a priority for you (as opposed to drawing/painting)? Why or why not?
I wouldn’t say it’s a priority but it has become more prevalent since it relates to stuff I do for my day job and also it just takes a lot of time to make. I go through phases though, some months I will set my focus on painting, others drawing and comics, and then mostly animated shorts.
Glurfberf Commercial. What is this? When did you create it? It was for Hellavision Television, yes? What inspired this fake infomercial?
This was the quickest thing I’ve ever made, and it’s so funny to me how much people react/respond to it. I had two weeks left to make something for the next Hellavsion show and I quickly wrote in my notebook a random thought and said “I’m not editing this, I’m going straight forward”. My friend who does the commercial voice works with health companies, so I think she also must’ve influenced me subconsciously. I just wanted to try making a fake commercial. The character in it is someone I call The Dark Lord, and I am planning to bring him back for future projects.
OK, the word “independent” comes up often in language put out by the Humboldt International Film Festival. I asked the co-directors about that word when I interviewed them last week. When you think of that word, what does it mean regarding filmmaking?
To me, independent is a person creating by their own rules. They aren’t making things for a giant company, they are making for a smaller audience and usually don’t have a large budget. A lot of people are going “independent” because the film industry is collapsing. People are realizing they don’t need a major studio to make their idea, they can just download a software program or use their phone and make it themselves and put it on YouTube.
You are giving a Character Design Workshop at 8 a.m. on Monday, April 27 in Art B 204 Martin Wong Studio. What do you plan for this?
I want to use this to think about how we come up with characters for films or art and their backstories. I am hoping to evoke new ways of discovering who your characters are via personal anecdotes in your own life. It’s not about making a character directly based on your cousin or something, it’s about using personal moments/observations of people to see how you can turn that into a unique character with depth. A new way of seeing is what I’m hoping for with this.
LA Upcoming Events
We’re about to have Hellavision/Cuntavision 2 in LA, Sunday, May 17th at Zebulon - Tickets Here
I’m announcing the next Loose Frames Open Call in a bit, keep your calendars cleared for June 6th!
Please tell me if you’re doing something I literally won’t remember unless someone specifically sends it to me and I write it down.
Popcorn Picks
She helped me make this plush toy the other day.
Sniff of the Week: Three-cornered Garlic (I can’t eat it of course) ;)
Loving: Getting zoomies from seeing someone I love :))
Unforgivable: My friend chewed on my stick >:(
Till next time!