- CEO Story: Karen and Bill started as freelancers on art animation projects. They got their first breakthrough when producing for USC and so they formed a team and hit the road to finally decided to make a studio in 2018, with a name they got from their old dog Chubby Beagle. Fit for their brand-friendly, sweet, and adorable.
- Business Service: Animation through movies, shows, music videos, and YouTube content.
- Secret Sauce: Keeping the line open. Not having the vision, to open doors for opportunities.
- CEO Hack: Whiteboard, sticky notes, calendar, planner. True and genuine to yourself. Listen to motivational talks.
- CEO Nugget: Be confident, do your thing. Find your audience. Build your confidence not from other people but from within.
- CEO Defined: You are guiding everything, and you are overhead on what everyone is doing. Prioritize and know where you are going.
Website: www.chubbybeagle.com
Instagram: chubby_beagle
Twitter: ChubbyBeagles
Facebook: ChubbyBeagle
LinkedIn: chubby-beagle-productions
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Transcription
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00:22 – Intro
Do you want to learn effective ways to build relationships, generate sales, and grow your business from successful entrepreneurs, startups, and CEOs without listening to a long, long, long interview? If so, you've come to the right place. Gresham Harkless values your time and is ready to share with you precisely the information you're in search of. This is the I AM CEO Podcast.
00:49 – Gresham Harkless
Hello, hello, hello. This is Gresh from the I AM CEO podcast. I have 2 very special guests on the show today. I have Karen and Bill Drasso of Chubby Beagle Productions. Karen and Bill, super excited to have you on the show.
01:00 – Karen Drastal
Hi, thanks for having us.
01:01 – Bill Drastal
Happy to be here.
01:02 – Gresham Harkless
Yes, excited to have you both on. You're doing so many awesome things. So what I wanted to do is just read a little bit more about some of those awesome things before we jump straight in. Shelby Beagle Productions is an animation studio founded by Karen and Bill in 2018 that specializes in creating fun, engaging, and entertaining animated content. They combine their television game production and animation skills to tell compelling stories in various mediums. Before forming their studio, Karen and Bill worked in animation for Bento Box, Warner Brothers, USC, Google, and more. They have now turned their attention to building their own studio that supports and encourages artists to tell their own unique stories. They are developing a diverse, sustainable animation studio through movies, shows, music videos, YouTube content, and their original IP. Karen and Bill, Excited again to have you on the show. Are you ready to speak to the I AM CEO community?
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01:54 – Karen Drastal
Yeah, I'm excited.
01:55 – Gresham Harkless
Well, let's get it started then. So they kind of kick everything off. I know I said it when I read your bio, but I wanted to rewind the clock here a little bit more on how you guys started what I called your CEO story.
02:06 – Karen Drastal
Sure. Well, it all started very, very organically. Like I was doing a lot of freelance art and animation. And So, you know, for like tax purposes, we'd set up the, you know, the corporation, did all that. And then, is it, was it 2017 or so?
02:27 – Bill Drastal
It was 2017. Yeah, I was, I was approached, by a friend of mine who had another friend who needed animation work done and he contacted us. We got introduced and it was this big project for USC and it was a bigger project than anything we'd ever done before. Like we'd both done a lot of freelance work in the animation, but this was the first time they were like, hey, we need these 6 little small vignettes and we need them all produced completely by you guys.
02:55 – Karen Drastal
Well, it was kind of like, yeah, they were like, sure, we'd love to do the animation. And then they sent us the scripts and they're like, all right, when can we have them? We're like, oh.
03:01 – Bill Drastal
We're producing this thing. Let me make a number out of my head.
03:11 – Karen Drastal
It was such a great project for not only USC, it was working also with Children's Hospital Los Angeles to help out. It's just informative like we say vignettes but they're almost like like cut scenes from a video game you know like informative little things just to just to help inform kids and their parents who are going through like say research studies or research trials you know to kind of answer their questions and we're like this is such a great project This is such a good thing to be part of. We're like, we got to do this. We really want to do this. And it was all told by this really cute, adorable little robot that we designed. And it was like, it was just so friendly and so great for the kids and everything and we're like let's do this so we made the decision and we said we're going to produce this thing so we kind of used every resource you know I had around me I talked to like friends and other producers and directors we'd work with and we're like, hey, so how did you do the voiceover for that 1 project you work on?
And then they say, oh, we did this and this. And I'm like, so they're taking notes, like, okay, all right, yeah, sounds good, tell me more. We just kind of built a team and just kind of built it as we went and kind of just like learned as the process went on. And we just had so much fun with that. That when we were done, we were like, this was great. We had a great time. Like we could do this. Like this could really be a thing. This is something we could build. And that really launched us into thinking like, we could build our own studio. We can do this, you know. And so it was 2018, we actually made the studio Chubby Beagle based after our old dog who was a very chubby beagle. And we thought she kind of like, the name kind of encapsulated like what we want to do with our animation. Like we wanted it she was very friendly, she was very approachable, she was very likable.
05:07 – Bill Drastal
Yeah, just a big dumb friendly sweet dog. And that's kind of like the stuff that we like and we wanted to make. So that kind of worked as our brand sense for the studio. It's like, hey, if you have something that's silly, fun, dumb, you want to make it, come talk to us. Let's see what we can do. And it kind of worked too, because it worked very well with what we did with USC because it was such a fun, silly, like it was a helpful thing for Children's Hospital because it was to help alleviate doctors so they'd give them this program. And then it was interactive so we could answer other questions. We made these little vignettes. And so yeah, we just kind of search for projects that kind of fit like, is this something that we feel like it's Sally?
05:52 – Karen Drastal
That was a name, yeah.
05:52 – Bill Drastal
Does it fit within these parameters? Like, all right, this is something we wanna do, so we'll go for it.
05:59 – Gresham Harkless
I love that, especially like the organic nature of kind of everything. And I listened to, I read this quote, you know, a lot of times we're always looking for resources, we need more things. But it sounds like you guys were able to tap into your resourcefulness in a lot of ways. And once you started to do that, and talking with friends and being able to kind of realize that you had your muse, for lack of a better term, and then the Shelby Beagle that was always around you, you had everything in your place to be able to kind of hit the ground running. So I know we touched a little bit upon the projects that you work with, especially the USC project, but I wanted to drill down a little bit more, hear a little bit more on how you work with your clients, how that process goes, and how you serve them.
06:35 – Karen Drastal
Communication is key. Like we're all about lots of communication, but back and forth, you know. We like working with our clients. Like we don't feel like we're working, you know, like directly under them and say yes to everything. We like more of a partnership, more of a back and-forth because we know the best projects we've ever had is when both sides are happy.
06:56 – Bill Drastal
Yeah, it's, it's, and communication is like, it's easier said than done because there are a lot of things that can come up there. There could be things you don't foresee, problems you've never even encountered before, and those can come up. And it's easy to say, oh, we just got to make sure for me to communicate. But it's a hard thing to do because a lot of times you feel like, oh, I can't say this, or I don't want to say this. But it's, it's important to communicate what's going on to let, you know, if you're working with a client, they need to know what's happening. You need to know what's happening to them.
And so a lot of times it's, yeah, you're trying to try and build like more like we're collaborating. It's not just, okay, you're handing us your project, we're just doing it. It's like, no, let's collaborate because you have an idea, you have a vision, you have a project, a goal, and we're coming along with skills that we know how to do it, but it's like in the end, it's not, it's, we can't just take it and then be like, hey, they're going to do it our way. Let's, let's collaborate. Let's work together because you might, have ideas that we might not be thinking about. So it's better to kind of, yeah, kind of treat it more like a teamwork.
08:03 – Gresham Harkless
Awesome, awesome, awesome. So I wanted to ask you for what I call your secret sauce. This could be for yourself, the business, or a combination of both, but what do you feel kind of sets you apart and makes you unique?
08:12 – Bill Drastal
I feel like what maybe sets us apart in the secret sauce is that we don't have a clear vision of what that looks like. And we're being flexible, we're being flexible, but it's because we have like a vague idea of like, okay, we want to make we want to try and make something where it's like this is something that can keep going. Because a lot of times, in animation, it's very project to project. So you'll jump from project to project. You might not have projects. A project might last a year and then you're done. And then you got to go find a new 1 to work on.
08:44 – Karen Drastal
The project might not actually get finished.
08:46 – Bill Drastal
It might not get finished. It might not get finished. It might not get a lot of luck. So we're trying to figure out how we can get that to where it's like, okay, even if the project doesn't end, your time with the studio continues, the studio still needs you for this, or the studio can utilize you for this. So it's like, we're trying to figure out how to make, and I don't know how that's gonna work. I don't know how that's gonna actually work, like the mechanics of it all, but that's kind of the goal we're going for. And I see that's why we talk about a lot of growth and stuff is because it's like, let's see what we grow into. Let's kind of like, let's because we have that idea. We're it's like a seed of an idea. We're just going to grow and see what kind of sprouts from it. And we're kind of approaching it very organically in a way because I don't even know how to figure that out.
09:29 – Karen Drastal
Well, We're not being very like we have our goals. Yeah, like we've definitely done that a lot. We've had a lot of I was part of a goals group for a little while. We like that's how we did our business meeting. Like what are our goals? And we'd go like short term, medium term, and then long term. And then like the ultimate goal of like if everything went perfectly, where do we see ourselves down the line in the years in the future sort of thing? So we definitely have our goals, but then again, because of how our industry is so unpredictable, we're definitely being flexible in the details.
Like, we're not saying we'll have this many projects and this many productions going and we're only gonna work in this medium and this place where like now the medium changes constantly. You know, the details are always changing. What exactly we're working on will always be changing. But our ultimate goal is like, there's our guiding, you know, star sort of thing. Like that's where we want to get to. The details, that's just the fun part. That's when we get to navigate and kind of like, we'll solve those problems when we get to them.
10:28 – Bill Drastal
It's sort of like our mantra. It's like, well, we don't know what they are. We'll solve them when we get, we'll cross that bridge when we get to the bridge.
10:36 – Gresham Harkless
Awesome, awesome, awesome. So I wanted to switch gears a little bit and I wanted to ask you for what I call a CEO hack. You might've already touched on this, but it could be like an Apple book or a habit that you have, what's something that makes you more effective and efficient?
10:49 – Karen Drastal
I live out of planners and calendars and sticky notes to be like, if I get, even if I get something starting to like, you know, take up my time and energy while I'm trying to focus on something else, I just write it down and be like, okay, now it's gone. It'll be addressed later. And then when, you know, as all times throughout the day, like at that coffee slump and like 3 pm when you're like, what do I do now? I have something to look at. I'm like, that's right. So it just, it really helps manage my energy throughout the day and really, you know, some days are better than others to like not be completely wrecked by the end of the day and by managing and handling everything. So that's my biggest thing just keep writing it down, get it out of my head. That's what I say to myself.
11:31 – Bill Drastal
I think for me, what helps me kind of get through, especially when times get hard, is that I try to let myself know that it's okay when I don't know what I'm supposed to do. Because a lot of times I don't, and that's okay. And it's okay to be honest about that. Kind of having that mantra in my head play out has helped me. So the times I'm getting better at it and it's something I've been working on, but that's really helped.
11:59 – Karen Drastal
And, whenever I'm feeling, like I need inspiration or I need to push forward with any business or CEO stuff, I watch anything RuPaul. Any of his talks. He gave a great talk at the LA County Library. There's the masterclass. There are no interviews. Oh man, any of that. I'm always striving for that level of confidence and that level of believing in yourself and being just true to yourself and genuine to yourself is just like something I'm just constantly working towards because I know that can get you so far.
12:36 – Gresham Harkless
Hey, I love those hacks. You might have already touched on this as well, but what would you consider to be a CEO nugget? So this is a little bit more word of wisdom or a piece of advice. I like to say it's something you would tell your younger business self if you were to hop into a time machine or you might tell your favorite client.
12:52 – Karen Drastal
Just be confident in yourself and your true self. Like, do your thing. You know, stop worrying about doing stuff for other people. Stop worrying about what other people are going to think. It took me a long time, you know, because in the art world, you're always, you can really easily fall into that trap of wanting to please everybody else. Art is better when you're more genuine and you dive in and you're just 100% you. And then you find your audience or your audience finds you. It's nice for someone to tell you, hey, good job, but if that's all you're looking for, those are just hollow.
13:20 – Bill Drastal
It's just like eating candy. It's like, yeah, they're sweet, they're wonderful, but they don't fill you up, They don't sustain you. Anything that you wanna do, like animation, is hard, but anything you wanna do that's like, that's something you're passionate about, is gonna be hard. The reason why it's hard is because it's hard. It's not gonna be easy. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it and it wouldn't be worth anything.
13:51 – Gresham Harkless
Absolutely appreciate all of those nuggets. And now I want to ask you my absolute favorite question, which is the definition of what it means to be a CEO. We're hoping to have different quote-unquote CEOs on this show. So Karen and Bill, what does being a CEO mean to both of you?
14:03 – Karen Drastal
You're guiding everything and you're kind of overseeing everything rather than, I know I had to do a lot of like letting go, like I don't have to do all this. I'm just kind of guiding everyone, like letting everyone do the best in their little section, but I like someone's got to have an overhead view of the whole thing to make sure we're all going in the same direction. Prioritize and course correct and know where you're going and know where you want to go.
14:29 – Bill Drastal
For me it's being I guess in a sense like a nurturing force. It's not just us growing with this project, it's also people who are working with us who are also joining us in this endeavor. It's getting to that point where you're helping everything grow. Everyone's going to grow and flourish in this shared endeavor that we're all doing. And that's to me what a CEO kind of means.
14:58 – Gresham Harkless
Truly appreciate you for all the awesome mission you guys are doing and all the positive vibes we have had there in this interview. So what I wanted to do now is patch the mic so to speak just to see if there's anything additional that you can let our readers and listeners know and of course how best people can get on view find about all the awesome things that you both are working on.
15:14 – Karen Drastal
The best way to get a hold of us you can always go on our website. It's chevybeagle.com and that has links to our social media. And then you can also check out maxi.com, and M-A-X-X-I-E.com to find out everything about the movie we're currently working on.
15:29 – Bill Drastal
Yeah, We're on Twitter as well.
15:30 – Karen Drastal
And LinkedIn.
15:31 – Bill Drastal
And LinkedIn. We're on all those.
15:33 – Karen Drastal
We are wrapping up design and we're currently moving into animation and we're really excited to start this new chapter of the production. And we can't wait to, you know, tell everybody about the movie.
15:45 – Bill Drastal
It's been a wonderful mix of excitement and terror. Because every time we start a new thing, it's like excitement. It's like, oh, look at all the cool stuff they got made. Oh my god, look at all the cool stuff we need to make. Oh crap.
15:58 – Gresham Harkless
Nice. No, I absolutely love that. And of course, to make it even easier, build, of course, to make it easier on YouTube. We're going to have the links and information and show notes. You don't have to worry about it. You'll be able to go to all the social media channels and all of that. Thank you so much for all the awesome work that you both are doing. The time you took today and I hope you have a great rest of the day.
16:13 – Bill Drastal
Oh, thank you for having us on. This has been so much fun. We love it.
16:16 – Karen Drastal
We've had a great time.
16:17 – Outro
Thank you for listening to the I AM CEO Podcast powered by Blue 16 Media. Tune in next time and visit us at iamceo.co I AM CEO is not just a phrase, it's a community. Be sure to follow us on social media and subscribe to our podcast on iTunes Google Play and everywhere you listen to podcasts, SUBSCRIBE, and leave us a five-star rating grab CEO gear at www.ceogear.co. This has been the I AM CEO Podcast with Gresham Harkless. Thank you for listening.
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