Conversations with Monica Joy

Today we’d like to introduce you to Monica Joy.

Hi Monica, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I’m confident my story in animation started at age four, if not earlier. Similar to many of my peers, I lived and breathed the genre even as a kid. I likely spent 70% of my entire childhood glued to the television, marveling at Spongebob and other early animated series of my generation like Courage The Cowardly Dog and Hey Arnold. I knew the animation industry is where I wanted to work, and spent hours dreaming about my favourite shows, hoping I could grow up and work at one of the studios I worshiped where imagination thrived and jobs existed for the sole purpose of bringing joy and playfulness to audiences around the world.

After graduating from a university in England and a myriad of grueling internships and entry-level roles in the VFX industry, I finally got my foot in the door at Blue Sky Studios. After an intense process of thirteen interviews, and despite how competitive those early roles were, I learned a tremendous amount from the studio and it opened quite a few doors for me. After Blue Sky, I was determined to climb, applied for numerous roles, and was fortunate to have received a wonderful opportunity at Nickelodeon. There I spent years working my way up the ladder to manage and work on the iconic series I loved and grew up on, from Blues Clues, Bubbles Guppies, Legend of Korra, to Spongebob (a personal dream come true) to Star Trek, Team Umizoomi, Wallykazam, amongst many others.

After about four years at Viacom, I left to take the helm of an enormous preschool property, CoComelon, that took the world by storm, opening my own and the internet’s eyes to the power of Youtube and social media-based kid’s content. After about two years running and overseeing the CoComelon series, once the property sold to new ownership, I felt it was time to take a leap, open my own studio and embark on my own series of adventures that have involved wonderful and incredible projects such as executive producing, writing, and show running the original Youtube / TikTok animated series, The Laughing Dragon, consulting on development and production for leading Netflix animation hits like Go Dog Go! I’ve also been fortunate to write for independent smash animated hits like Bubbles and Friends, in addition to writing and serving as a creative and development executive to numerous studios around the globe, including Wind Sun and Sky Entertainment, Jesters Animation, Greyscale Animation, and many more.

Alongside these remarkable projects, I’ve also developed my own slate of original, animated IPs that I’m actively pitching and passionate about, many claiming dozens of awards in international film festivals. One of these projects, called Pegasus Tales, is also being transformed into a children’s book, a venture that I’m extremely excited to publish and share with more young audiences – that I hope will love the story as much as I loved crafting it.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Nope! Is any career a smooth road?. To provide the cliff notes version, unfortunately like so many other women in many industries, I have run into rampant sexism, unequal pay, bullying and aggression from numerous colleagues and office peers. In addition, the entertainment industry fluctuates like the economy and unfortunately, like life, does have many ups and downs. For anyone aspiring to get into the industry, it’s important to remain cognisant of these periods and develop a strong sense of fortitude and patience to ride these out. Sometimes shows don’t get renewed and entire crews get let go, occasionally networks themselves get shuttered, and giant streaming services merge rendering major departments irrelevant. It’s critical to stay positive, focused, flexible, and determined throughout your career as the animation industry can be fierce, ruthless, and extremely competitive.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m currently focused on Showrunning, Writing, Directing, and Developing Content in the animation industry. As I mentioned, I’ve also ventured into the children’s book industry which is wonderful, and have even written and developed a few great video game projects, focusing on narrative and story which has been a fantastic and greatly expressive venture.

For my own work that I create personally in animation, I have always been drawn to making projects and books that lean very whimsical, witty, soulful and heartfelt. As a child, I read a tremendous amount of British children’s tales like Fantastic Mr. Fox, as well as revealed in the slapstick, zaniness of American cartoons of the 90s and 2000s like Spongebob, Courage the Cowardly Dog, and Fosters Home For Imaginary Friends. My work is a fusion of the two backgrounds. All of my characters possess a deep well of kindness and empathy but are wrapped in a silly, fun, and colourful exterior.

Pegasus Tales is one of my current personal IP projects that I’m extremely proud of. We’re two shorts in and hope to develop the project into a full animated series. The hero of that show is a tiny, ingenious, young horse that always marches to the beat of her own drum as she fearlessly explores the world. She speaks with a British accent, has a sea turtle for a best friend, and naturally, never leaves home without her pirate license. The book is also on its way.

In addition to my personal work, I also love my recent series, The Laughing Dragon, so please find us on Youtube and TikTok and subscribe!

I do believe what sets me apart is that after 15 years working in animation, there has never been a single day where I have had a regret that I’ve chosen this path and have truly felt that my career, shows, and the majority of my colleagues have changed and shaped the world for the better. I am constantly learning and have loved being a part of this industry.

Mentoring and giving back to the animation industry is also extremely important to me. I’ve spent nearly ten years with Women in Animation working to teach, guide, and support more women and gender-nonconforming animation enthusiasts as they enter and excel in the industry. I hope to pave a path for others and provide assistance to all who need it.

What do you like and dislike about the city?
Likes: As a vegetarian, LA is a haven for plant-based foodies. I also love the city’s creative soul and the fact that you can walk into a coffee shop and immediately bond with someone in the same industry as you.

Dislikes: The traffic, the fires, the earthquakes, the landslides. The terrain itself is rather volatile and climate change puts LA in a tough position, literally!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.monicavioletjoyproductions.com/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monica-violet-joy-97637a5b/