Cool.
Like, it's in the backdrop. Yeah, yeah,
I put the I tried to change some of these up depending on who the guest is. But yeah, I know you guys like Star Wars, obviously. Who doesn't like Star Wars?
Right? Likely. What
was it right? But
yeah, right yeah, no, I don't try
it was a good one. Which one I had that the original Star Wars one thing in high school I had that hanging up. Oh yeah, I know. That's so cool. Yeah, cuz like there's there's a few different original posters for the original movie right like they depend on the tree or I don't know what time it was. Yeah, that's cool. Awesome. Well, welcome everybody, Matthew and oh , well I want to watch you. I got videos. It's okay. I'll watch those. So you prefer John, you prefer to be called Harv? Is that?
Yeah. Yeah. My dad's name is John Harvin and then you begin Matthew, you go by Matthew and not Matt
and I go by whatever. It just looks so formal. When you have Matthew on that. Whatever is fine, Matt. What's that? God is perfect.
I feel like I'm with my my people. Like you guys are kind of nerdy and geeky like me. This is a great compliment. Yes, we are 100% Nerds.
And we're just as awkward. So it's great.
This is gonna be fun. I can already tell ya. So this new project, this is cool. How do you come up with a name? Vaughn dingoes? It sounds like the same question. Well, there's actually two reasons for it. Number one, I like the idea of something fancy and not fancy or something fancy. Not fancy. So Vaughn sounds kind of fancy. And Dingles is the opposite. Also, I grew up in Minnesota. And I don't know if you knew but like the stuff that's behind the wheel when you're driving, it
gets kind of dirty. It's called a van Dingle. So you kind of put those two together finagle van Dingle. Oh, I never heard of that. Van never heard that. It's like the Dingle that holds that hangs behind the tire. You know, like when the snow kicks up and it gets dirty. Yeah, that's a van Dingle. Okay.
I'm assuming you're not from the Midwest?
No, I'm originally from Seattle. And now I live in Phoenix. So I know a little bit, both of those areas. But not only that, I've been to Chicago like twice. I've never been in those. So you didn't grow up in the land of the vending goals then? No, that's interesting, though. The people other people that grew up in the Midwest would get that reference, though. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, not like whole
time. But you know, something that my friends and I would say, Okay, and so what this is about, it's an interesting premise. It's misfit easter eggs, Easter eggs that were never found. But it's funny, because I remember I found an Easter egg once. It was harder than months, if not, maybe years later. Oh, yeah. Like digging in the backyard. So that is a thing that because they're trying to get found, but sometimes they do get found, right?
Yeah. Well, I've never found one that that was my mystery is when you'd lay them out. You know, when they'd be hidden for Easter? I always wondered what happened to them. Like, where did they go? You found that mystery. It sounds like you've found them. So your life is fulfilled. And congratulations. On candy, but it's like a bonus, you know? Because when you find an egg on Easter, it's not as exciting. You're like, Well, I'm
gonna find like 40 more. But when you find one in like, August, you're like, wow, it's like a bonus recap. There you go. I wish I had that life experience. I want to hear your story. It wasn't that exciting. But yeah. No, but so this is cool. Because you can create whatever. I mean, just the short I saw is so creative. But you can make if so many different ideas for this. And it can is this going to keep going on? Is this more like a TV series or like a movie?
Yeah, well, it started as short that we created in between a couple of TV shows that we were working on. We had artists that were at the studio when we put them together and we made this really cute short for Halloween. And after that, we wanted to tell a bigger story. And that's where the graphic novel came in is what we wanted to tell in stop motion would be a really big expensive thing. So we were able to tell her story but in like a smaller format, which is
really exciting. Okay, so it is because it's now it's on Kickstarter. And that's the route you've chosen. Is that just so you have 100% creative control? Yeah, we've it's
twofold. I was gonna say it's that and then also like, it creates a fan base, which I think is great. We've never done something like this before we we thought it'd be an interesting route just to see what it would you know how that how that would play out. Um, yeah. And it's worked out beautifully. We've achieved our goals, we're ready to move on, and we're ready to make this thing.
Yeah, it's cool. Like, the thing I love about Kickstarter is all the rewards, and some of them are already sold out. But for 24 boxes, that's like one of the lower ones, you can get the printed graphic novel 45 bucks for the hardcover 250. You gotta sign cover a hardcover and fingers. And then for $1,000 you can you can actually voice a character. That's crazy.
Yeah. Yeah, we're trying to get creative with what it is. And again, even for that voice, the character, it's like taking that original short, and like subbing you out and making you the star of that short that we did. It's gonna be great. So yeah, it'll be nice and fun.
Oh, so you're the star for it. No, not
for not the stars. You're in that thing? Yes. Of that, like a
background thing? Could you even know that it's you or do you actually have like a line? That's clear that
you could? Yes, again, it's taking the short that already exists and making you into that. So like, I see you've already you've already. Yeah, you've already seen what you're going to become. And then you get your own version of that. Oh, okay.
That's cool. That's it? Yeah. You get to be the
star. And then you can do it and post it and tell everybody you are.
Are you guys doing any of the voices because you've done voices before for stuff? I know you don't really like to though. I
am not. Yeah, I hate when I do voices, but they always forced me to. But, but now we have. I mean, you can talk about that
far. Yeah, I didn't do any voices. We had Seth Green. Claire grant and Dee Snider do a voice. They do a much better job than we do. No offense, Matt.
It's okay.
Yeah, I saw that. I've had Dee Snider on the show a couple times. He's a character he's high up, did you think to get him? Um, you know, we're friends with him. And he's a big fan of his music. And he has such a unique voice and personality, that when we were putting this together, he seemed like the perfect person for two of the roles. One was the narrator. He's got such a deep velvety voice that that
fix it perfect. And then there was a like a Sarge character, that's just kind of alpha male ish, no offense D, but that also fit his personality. So he kind of was pegged in a few different spots. And it worked really well. And, you know, recording him was really fun to do. So it was just an exciting thing. Or is there going to be more guest stars as well? Because I know like with Robot Chicken, you have so many things, people on that show? Yeah. Do the same thing, don't you think?
Yeah, I agree with that. I think it comes down to when that next thing is ready to get made. I will go down that path. But for right now it's focusing on the Congo version and or the graphic novel version? and, and doing it that way? And yeah, and then we'll see what this evolves into.
So will it keep going different Kickstarter phases and stuff? That will be the whole thing you think? I
don't know. To be honest, this is this is a new, a new path for us. We're not sure how this will continue yet. Kickstarter worked out beautifully. So there was conversation about us going down that path? Will this evolve? I mean, will people like it enough to want to turn it into a show that might be the next step, a lot of question marks, but we do know that we want it to continue. And we're excited to walk down those paths.
And nobody, because none of the other studios or producers or whoever the people are, that would reach out that no one's reached out and been like, hey, we want to, we want to take this on, we want to give you like six episodes or something on Comedy Central.
That would love streaming services and networks to do that. It won't quite work that way. Because they would want first they'd want a pilot and then want to see how the pilot does. And then they'd have to test it. And it's just such a long process for us. Now we can actually create something and see how people like it. And then based on that, get that fan base, and it's better to license something out than just to sell it where they own it. That's crazy.
So even with with your guys's reputations, and Robot Chicken and crossing swords and all this other stuff, like they you can't just you don't have total freedom where you can do whatever you want. No,
I mean, that's the case with all things. You know, like, if you walk into I'm just trying to think of being named directors still have to go through the process of stuff like that. Yeah, we definitely have sway and we can definitely push things. But yeah, it still will. Everybody needs to check everything out to make sure they're safe, especially in the industry being where it is
today. You know, it's uh, you know, we just got over a couple strikes, you know, companies or, you know, how much money do companies have? We have to wait and see and be cautious as
Robot Chicken. Is that still active? Yep. Oh, you're still gonna be doing that too.
We just did a Pop Tarts commercial, which was the thought was, yeah, we again, we just got out of the strike. So this is all conversation now. So yeah, we're in discussion right now. So were you
doing a lot of this during the strike time because you had downtime. Kind of I mean, this was a produce before the strike. And then you're correct in the graphic novel and the Kickstarter was done in between, I guess during the strike, because we had a few minutes to think about it. So the answer is, I guess, yes. It was kind of a little bit of a strike project. Yeah. So you started Harvey, you started with stop motion the GI Joe figures as a kid? How long
did it take us? I remember doing this when I was a kid, my dad bought a video camera in the 80s. And he's like I can, we can do this, like stop motion with your GI Joe guys. I was like, okay, and like, I gave him like a figure. And just to have the guy walk. I mean, it took so long. I was like, I was gone. I had lost interest. I was like, when I watch TV or something like, how much patience did you have to make films as a kid at 11? Or 12? Well, I mean, that's that's
exactly it. You know, the funny thing is, I was a little backwards. I wanted to be like a cartoonist, like a Disney animator, around 11 or 12. And I just couldn't draw my skills kind of sucked. So then I went into stop motion to express stories because I couldn't draw. And it was the same kind of thing is with VHS cameras, Jeju figures and Star Wars. And the other thing is I'm not, I'm not really a patient person. But I've just really wanted to see these things, move and tell the
story. So I don't know somehow it worked out. And I've always I guess I haven't really stopped pushing my toys around in front of the camera, because I'm still doing it. Even after all those years, but I really liked doing it. Then like I said, we're 11 and 12. And it's I've just haven't stopped. Is that the same for you? Matt? Is it was did you start with stop motion? Or did you start I started
in comic books, actually. I was a big comic book nerd back in the day, and
that's right. At Marvel, right. And internship, I had an internship
at Marvel back in like 91 when it was not cool to work at Marvel people made fun of me for it, which is so weird. It really is like, I still remember people in high school, making fun of the fact that I was there. And they're asking me why I was like, it's cool. It's so awesome. I get free comic books.
But they all the people that you worked with a lot of them moved up in Marvel and are like producing movies now and stuff. Yeah.
I mean, like, I look back. Joe Madureira, who's a very talent, he now runs his own video game company. I was an intern at the age 16. We were both high school interns at the time. You know, as I was coming out and just started working at wizard I was friends with Jeff John's and Kevin Feige working at the Donner company. Yeah, it was really a bizarre,
like group of people. And especially when I was working out working at wizard just at that time, so many people were breaking into comics, and just to see like, people like Robert Kirkman, turning to who he is today. And like, you know, watching that whole image crew of like Rob Liefeld and Jim Lee, like explode the way they did. It's really phenomenal. It's a really, it was a really fun time in the industry.
So was it surreal when you got Stan Lee to voice? Her turn Robot Chicken?
I have many good Stanley stories. He's he was really? Yeah, he honestly, it's like he really focused on the person who was with him. And he's definitely taken me into worlds I cannot believe. So. I've had one of the best dinners of my life with him. So yeah, it's, it's one of those. So it's nice to think about. So wait, what's the best story then? You know, it's one of those that I'll tell offline.
It's that naughty. Yeah. What good stories do you have? From all these? I mean, just looking at the robot, you can get stars. I didn't realize like, I knew there was cameos and stuff. But when I was looking, you know, i Oh, my God, you guys have literally had every like,
nine seconds. I really do owe a lot of that to Seth that's been in the industry since he's been like six, seven years old. And he's gotten to work with all these great people. And when we started robot checking, we were talking about guest stars. He was like, Hey, I just worked on Scooby Doo. Let's bring in that cast, like, hey, you know, I did this thing with Charlize Theron, we should bring her and like it just, it was just casual. Like, I know this person. Let's see if
they'll do it for $5. And it was a lot of that for that first season. And, you know, we were surprised by the amount of people that we got. So going into that second third season, once we were established, people wanted to be on the show, and were coming up to us to be on the show, which was really flattering. So yeah, it's it's, it's nice to for me, who didn't know these people, to get to know them and know them, where they remember me, which is beyond
flattering. So like it's not a thing where they will do the voiceover at home and send you a tape or do it. They come into your studio and like I'm assuming there's some that you make sure that you're there that day there
for everyone. Yeah, I make a point of view at every record, same WhatsApp, he's pretty much at every record up until like COVID time. You know, we would be there for the grimoires and it was it's always fun because you don't know what they're gonna provide and what they're gonna what they're gonna do. Yeah, it's, it's really Yeah,
I mean, it was also kind of wild because was at the studio, you'd never know who would be there that day like Matt would know the schedule and who's coming in. But just you could be working at the studio, and then you'd see someone walked by and you're like, Oh, my God was that, you know, so that was always kind of neat. Like any day at work, you can see someone that you'd recognize and it was kind of cool.
Yeah. And it's fun walking them around after the fact. Like, they want to see the stages, they want to see how things are built. And I think it was great for our crew to be able to interact with them in such a wonderful way. Because it felt safe. It was a safe environment, they'd walk in with like pajamas on to do these records. And, you know, it was yeah, it was very casual experience with them. So which
ones stand out like, which, like, who came in and just blow you guys away, like ad libbing or just being funny?
Wow. Um, got, it always differentiates. Um, I would say the one that comes to mind right now is Chris Pine. And I'm not sure why I always think of Chris Pine as the like, the the cool kid. And then you have them in there. And he's doing voices that you didn't expect. I'm like, Oh, you're good at everything. It's, you know, Don Knotts and Phyllis Diller. For me, it made a difference. Yeah, it's, it's, it's wild to have like these different type of actors in that
booth. And now it's ones that like, my daughter would be amazed by like Zac Efron. Who could not be nicer. And yeah, I every time he was in, and he's been in multiple times now. You just would sit around and chat about life and the universe. And it was yeah, really, really grounded individual. And like a guy like David
Lynch. I mean, that guy's a genius. How do you direct him? Like, how do you use
a bizarre one? Yeah. David Lynch, we were trying to figure out who that scientist would be. Because he's never talked in like, however many years. And we're like, We need someone unique to stand out. And as one of our writers, this was like, What about like a David Lynch and all of us looked at each other like, All right, let's try that. Yeah, I ended up recording him at his house of all places.
It was. Well, and then you so Dee Snider, he's obviously a character. But and I'm a fan of that music as well. You had Sebastian Bach on for a couple episodes. In high school, what was Was he a character? I feel like everyone that ever meets him has a story.
You know, we we had a photo booth in our studio, and we have a wonderful photo with him. Because he got really silly in that photo booth. And yeah, went all out. And tongues out all out.
Is it weird too, because like you said, you said you were a nerd. You know, you're made fun up for working at Marvel. But now I mean, the other part of the guest stars that's cool is like you have some of the most beautiful women in the world coming into your studio like Sydney Sweeney and Scarlett Johansson all these like real like, you know,
my Barbie, she's my Barbie always. Yeah, she's fantastic. Um, yeah, look, and I love that Barbie movie. It was even better than I could have imagined that movie. I'll praise that till the day I die. But still, Sidney Sweeney will always play Barbie now for me.
Yeah, she Yeah. You're a fan of euphoria that she? Yeah,
I watch that with my wife.
That's a crazy show. Like I grew up on like the save by the belt you had like, a cast of Saved by the bell on this unrebutted stuff is so cool as well. Yeah.
Again, as you sit around, you try to figure out who you want for these voices. And half the time. It's like, Who have I always admired and adored and wanted to meet and the other half is who do you think is talented and can be this character and is trying to put the two pieces together. And that's,
that's really how you do it. You've had almost everyone on your wish list except maybe one or two.
Yeah. Harrison Ford and
Tom Cruise. Are those the two? Was that? Then you say Harrison Ford and Tom Cruise?
Yes. Those are the two I need. Yeah. Job.
Yeah. Yeah, I think I mean, it's crazy. When you go through the A it really is like you had
so close to Harrison Ford to to I will say to John fabros credit they were working on what was it? Cowboys and Aliens? Yeah. And he he called and he's like if you can get here in the next like few hours you didn't do it? Well, I didn't get the voicemail till much later which was regretful and then we looked at flights and there's no direct flight you had to fly through like Phoenix to get there we wouldn't have made it
well maybe for this new one then maybe you can get I always get like how many egg puns will there'll be in this i cuz I can think of so many just off some my head but is there gonna be a lot of that stuff. We try to keep that stuff limited because it's it's an Unless, right so a couple of well placed ones, you know?
Yeah, I was gonna say and also when you do comedy like that those egg puns don't they won't land like you're expecting those it's like it's almost like Smurfs in a way where if the Murph too much you get a little tired of it you know it needs to it needs to fit in properly.
Yeah and try to find a way to make it creative like clever way to draw one of those out there people maybe haven't thought of a lot like Eggcellent and cracked up that's done too much but there's something else that you guys are smarter than me you probably
read something that harvest doing it says that I put a circle around it and go nope hard you can talk about this. And I just you know, we
got limited right? You just do it in a small dose for that real home run, but it makes it special. Yeah, what's funny too, because you guys with with Robot Chicken. I feel like you look at that show. And you go, and the new stuff too with the egg stuff. The Vaughn Dingles I feel like both of these shows. And probably everything you guys have done all the stop motion. I feel like it's meant for people that do drugs. Right. Probably are good audience right? For drunk I
make me too nerdy. I've never done drugs.
That's so crazy. I never even tried it never tried an edible or anything.
I know. It's scary. People have tried to get me to to
think of your audience. How much do you think the people that watch the show are star stoners who each
have their own To each their own? You know, their, their
bread and butter. Right? Because you meet the fans or you go to these comic cons. I
love the fans. Yeah, it's and I always like asking them what their favorite is and their favorites. Always something different. You never get the same answer of like, this fans favorite sketch is gonna be something completely different from your favorite sketch of Robot Chicken. It's yeah, it's hard to they all like a type. But that's what I like is it's yeah, you know, the popular ones. But the first that number one favorite is going to be something weird.
There. So I mean, the great thing about this shows, it's just so random. You could turn it on in the middle of it. That's what's so cool. Like, I remember watching it back in the day on Comedy Central. You didn't need to like start.
Yeah, I have to. That's Cartoon Network.
Whatever it was, yeah, whenever we turned it on, it would be like, and you could just be in the middle of it. And it didn't matter. Because it was like, it was all these short sketches. There wasn't not a lot of like, is there linear? References? Maybe? Maybe I miss him. Yeah,
I mean, occasionally we'll do like a three beat or something like our specials have some linear stuff for them. Like our Star Wars specials and things like that. But yeah, again, it's what we it's add TV. That's that's what we want.
That's perfect for this generate. We're like, you know, the younger generations. Generation. It's ahead of its time. Yeah, no, sir. We know how well you promote the von Dingles with like, tick tock with clips and things like that. Man, I wish I knew a little bit more about that tick tock. I mean, I guess at some point, we probably should. But when we
when we start having more animated stuff, we will go as it is right now, the only things that exist is this Kickstarter, and we started up an Instagram account. And it's basically posting one crazy image of these eggs a day. And it's starting to get a little bit of traction. Like it had zero followings, like a couple of weeks ago. And now, again, we never told anyone about I think is that like 500. So it's like slowly starting to build some house. It's getting out there. Yeah,
it's a good peek of the world of the funding goes outside of their little hidden valley. Yeah, that's cool. Do you guys know Do you worry, like in 20 years is 2023 Do you worry about like the PC stuff? And I mean, you look at Robot Chicken. I just feel like that was what made that show so great. It was just it was unhinged, I would just totally chaotic and it made fun of everything. Do you ever have complaints like organizations religious or PC?
organizations get mad at you? Or do you care about that stuff at all?
Yeah, I mean, we do but we offend everyone equally. So I don't think that's too much of a problem
to do with love also,
and we do it with love. I think that's also the key it's like we're not making we're not let me rephrase that we're not trying to make fun of things because they're good or bad. It's more taking the worlds that they built and turning them 90 degrees on their side it's you know, what's the conversation that happens right after a moment you know, it's it's what's the conversation that happened before the crazy scene that you remember that's that's what we really like to tap into.
Right because making fun of things that that you love, like Star Wars like you're making, but you guys obviously love Star Wars.
Oh beyond like there's nothing I love more than Star Wars. Yeah, it's The fact that I've gotten to work with George Lucas and meet him like that. There's the person who did a voice on the show that could not have been better. And he came in. I thought he was gonna be this super serious like straight face guy. He has a sense of humor than most people who've been on our show, you know? Yeah. Oh my god. Yeah, he's fantastic. And you get it like, he's, he's a grounded,
man. Um, yeah. And his improv thing was perfect.
Yeah, that first special where that's so interesting, where he's like, getting mobbed by fans. I'm like, that must be realistic. That would be
I don't know how people who are that famous, you know, can survive being chased by fans the way they are sometimes.
I mean, that's a little bit like you at Comic Con, but you think, no, I
put a hat on. It's fine.
You get a little mob to come. I would think that's your that's your fan base. Like, yeah, that's
the mob. It's I like, I like the fan base. I think they they come up to you after. It's just when they get you at a certain place within like the bathroom. That's where it gets a little awkward. Otherwise. But otherwise, it's for me. It's not like sad. Like Seth gets mobbed. I can hide into the backdrop. And it's I like that. So funny.
Yeah, I was I was on a studio tour. I think it was Warner Brothers or something years ago. And we're like looking for celebrities. And my girlfriend's like, that's Seth Green. And I have a picture of him. It's the funniest picture because he's like, Oh, look at me, like, What the fuck? And I'm like, yeah, it was really cool. But he he kind of gave me like a look like. Like, sounds great. Oh, my God. I was like, yeah, all the time.
Right? Yeah, no, he and he's great with fans. He's so good. And it's, it's, it's just when it becomes a little overwhelming that I don't know how people are supposed to react, like if you're mobbed by, you know, 50 people at the same time, who all want the same thing, and you have to be somewhere else. How do you manage a situation like that? I have no idea. Like I and I've watched celebrities have to manage that. And it's it's a skill for sure. I feel stressed for them. Exactly.
I saw this video online. It was Harrison Ford. And these guys were coming in and he was walking through his hotel or something. There was a line of people, and they're all wanting to sign stuff. And they were so rude. And he was just I felt bad for him. Oh, there's worse things, worse people off than him. But I just felt so awkward and uncomfortable for him. And then you know, these people are taking all that sign stuff and selling it on eBay or whatever. Yeah.
Which is what I like about some celebrities. He's like, what's your name? And they'll make sure to put their name on it.
Ah, that's smart. Good hacks on that. Yeah, absolutely. Well, cool. So this the Vonda angles that people can, they can still donate even though you said you reach the goals, people can still donate on Kickstarter, and get some of these prizes. Some of the prizes are sold out. So
yeah, some of those are and then there are a bit we keep putting new ones on. So keep checking. There are some fun ones. And if we hit a later that beard of harvest that he's showing off right now can get showing
around like
so if we hit a certain number that can get shaved. We'll see how
that works. Really. That's one of the prizes.
Yeah, it's to a certain new hire. I don't think it's a lot of money that we have to actually real right under that goal. I'm
cool. Leaving it Thank you. I'll be totally shaved or would you leave like a mustache or something? Oh, it's
gotta go completely gone. There's no beating me. I would not allow that hair
on the head to know we're just talking beard here. Let's not get too crazy. All right, cool, guys. Well, I'm excited to see more of this Vonda angles, the short is brilliant. And of course, all the Robot Chicken stuff. Anything else you want to promote? Um,
no, just anything with bond angles that you guys want to devote to this. It's gonna be a great project. I can't say say much more beyond. I'm very excited for a harvest and a great job.
Yeah, thank you. It's I loved what I saw. It was very short, obviously. But I'm excited for more. So very cool.
Awesome. All right. Thanks, guys. Well, very nice to speak with you. Yeah.
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