Bill Schultz is an American animation producer. He was born in New York City and grew up in River Forest, a suburb near Chicago, Illinois, moving to Los Angeles after graduating from the

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United ...

Champaign – Urbana Campus. He has worked on television shows such as ''

Jim Henson's Muppet Babies ''Jim Henson's Muppet Babies'', commonly known by the shortened title ''Muppet Babies'', is an American animated television series produced by Marvel Productions for Jim Henson Productions. The show portrays toddler versions of the Muppets living ...

'', ''

The Transformers ''Transformers'' is a media franchise produced by American toy company Hasbro and Japanese toy company Tomy, Takara Tomy. It primarily follows the heroic Autobots and the villainous Decepticons, two Extraterrestrials in fiction, alien robot fac ...

'', and produced others, notably ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is a Satire (film and television), satirical depiction of American life ...

and'' ''

King of the Hill ''King of the Hill'' is an American animated sitcom created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels that initially aired on Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox from January 12, 1997, to September 13, 2009, with four more episodes airing in First-run syndicati ...

'' and now the founder and CEO of Home Plate Entertainment. Schultz started Home Plate Entertainment in 2010, after stepping down from his 12-year partnership with

Splash Entertainment Splash Entertainment, LLC. (formerly known as Mike Young Productions, Inc. and MoonScoop Entertainment, LLC) is an American animation studio founded in 1990 by Mike Young, Liz Young and Bill Schultz that produces children's TV series. Splash a ...

Career

His first job in LA found him working for

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007), and simply known as Capitol, is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-base ...

, which after 9 months he left to work with an independent film producer, and then to work as a production assistant and production staffer on several low-budget live-action feature films. He eventually got a job at

Columbia Pictures Television Columbia Pictures Television, Inc. (abbreviated as CPT) was launched on May 6, 1974, by Columbia Pictures as an American television production and distribution company. It is the second name of Columbia Pictures' television division Screen Gems ...

, working on primetime TV series such as '' Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer'' and '' TJ Hooker''. In 1986, Schultz moved from

Santa Barbara (TV series) ''Santa Barbara'' is an American television soap opera that aired on NBC from July 30, 1984, to January 15, 1993. The show revolves around the eventful lives of the wealthy Capwell family of Santa Barbara, California. Other prominent families ...

Production Staff to help with the management of

Marvel Productions Marvel Productions Ltd., later known as New World Animation, was an American production company owned by the Fox Entertainment Group subsidiary of News Corporation which was founded in 1981 as the television and film studio subsidiary of the Mar ...

. Schultz worked on titles such as ''

'', ''

'', '' G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero'', and ''

My Little Pony 'n Friends ''My Little Pony'' is an American animated series produced by Sunbow Entertainment, Sunbow Productions and Marvel Productions and animated by Toei Animation and AKOM based on the My Little Pony toys released by Hasbro. The series featured as the ...

'' among others. Introduced to veteran Animation Director Phil Roman in late 1986, Schultz was hired as VP of Production and Development of

Film Roman Film Roman, LLC, is an American animation studio currently based in Woodland Hills, California and formerly in Burbank. It was previously owned by Starz Inc., which is now a division of Lionsgate, and currently by Waterman Entertainment, the p ...

. In 1988, the new management team developed, sold and produced ''

Bobby's World ''Bobby's World'' (originally known as ''The World According to Bobby'') is an American animated comedy children's television series that aired on Fox Kids from September 8, 1990, to February 23, 1998. The show was created by Canadian actor/come ...

'' and '' Zazoo U''. As Executive Vice President at Film Roman for nine years, Schultz managed the growth of the studio, as a producer for 6 seasons on two FOX primetime series, ''

'' and ''

''. He has even worked on almost every Film Roman cartoon including ''

The Critic ''The Critic'' is an American Adult animation, adult animated sitcom revolving around the life of New York film critic Jay Sherman, voiced by Jon Lovitz. It was created by writing partners Al Jean and Mike Reiss, who had previously worked as w ...

'', ''

Garfield and Friends ''Garfield and Friends'' is an American animated television series based on the comic strip '' Garfield'' by Jim Davis. The show aired on CBS as part of its Saturday morning children's lineup from September 17, 1988, to December 10, 1994. Th ...

'',

Garfield ''Garfield'' is an American comic strip created by Jim Davis (cartoonist), Jim Davis. Originally published locally as ''Jon'' in 1976 (later changed to ''Garfield'' in 1977), then in nationwide Print syndication, syndication from 1978, it chro ...

TV specials, '' The Mask'', ''

The Twisted Tales of Felix the Cat ''The Twisted Tales of Felix the Cat'' is an American animated television series produced by Film Roman. The series first aired on September 16, 1995 on CBS Saturday mornings lasting for two seasons with the final episode airing on April 12, 19 ...

'', '' C-Bear and Jamal'', ''

Bruno the Kid ''Bruno the Kid'' is a syndicated animated series created by Bruce Willis and produced by Film Roman In association with Flying Heart Films, Taurus Film GmbH and Co. and Nickelodeon UK. The series consists of 36 half-hour episodes, and ran from Se ...

'', ''

Mortal Kombat ''Mortal Kombat'' is an American media franchise centered on a series of fighting game, fighting video games originally developed by Midway Games in 1992. The original ''Mortal Kombat (1992 video game), Mortal Kombat'' arcade game spawned Lis ...

'', '' Richie Rich'', '' Klutter!'', '' Cro'', '' Mighty Max'', ''

Mother Goose and Grimm ''Mother Goose and Grimm'' (a.k.a. ''Mother Goose & Grimm'') is an internationally syndicated comic strip by cartoonist Mike Peters of the '' Dayton Daily News''. It was first syndicated starting October 1, 1984, and is distributed by King Fea ...

'', ''Nick and Noel'', ''The Bears Who Saved Christmas'', ''Animated Classic Showcase'' and '' Tom and Jerry: The Movie''. After nine years of running the company and 18 months after taking the company public (in 1995) Schultz left to find new opportunities. He started work with Los Angeles–based independent animator Mike Young, producing '' Voltron: The Third Dimension'' and forming an ongoing partnership which exists today. In addition, he was contacted by Cartoon Network's

Linda Simensky Linda Simensky is an American executive. She served as a creative executive for Nickelodeon Furniss, Maureen. (February 5, 2008)240 ''Art in Motion: Animation Aesthetics'' ''Indiana University Press''. Archived at Google Books. Retrieved October 1 ...

and asked to come to Atlanta to meet with the Network's management team, including head

Betty Cohen Betty Susan Cohen (born July 27, 1956) is an American businesswoman and media executive. She is best known as the founder and original president of The Cartoon Network, Inc. from 1992 to 2001, the CEO of Lifetime Entertainment Services from 2005 t ...

, GM

Rob Sorcher Robert Sorcher (born December 22, 1961) is an American television executive producer for Warner Bros. Television Group. Sorcher was formerly executive vice president, executive producer, and global chief content officer at Cartoon Network from ...

Mike Lazzo Michael Allen Lazzo (born April 10, 1958) is a retired American television producer and the former executive vice president in charge of the Adult Swim programming block of Cartoon Network, and its production arm, Williams Street. Life and caree ...

, and Simensky. Schultz was hired to help the network set up its own

Cartoon Network Studios Cartoon Network Studios Inc. (abbreviated as CNS or CN Studios) is an American animation studio owned by the Warner Bros. Television Group division of Warner Bros. Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. The studio is the producti ...

located in Burbank, California, as well as act as the Supervising Producer for the network on its non-Hanna Barbera series, including ''

Ed, Edd n Eddy '' Ed, Edd n Eddy'' is an animated television series created by Danny Antonucci for Cartoon Network. The series revolves around three friends named Ed, Edd (nicknamed "Double D" to avoid confusion with Ed), and Eddy—collectively known as "th ...

'', ''

Courage the Cowardly Dog ''Courage the Cowardly Dog'' is an American animated comedy horror television series created by John R. Dilworth for Cartoon Network. It was produced by Dilworth's animation studio, Stretch Films. The eponymous character is an anxious dog who li ...

'', and others. Schultz continued his relationship with the network up until 2002. In 2005, Schultz and his partners at MYP merged the Los Angeles–based company with French entertainment company and animation studio

MoonScoop MoonScoop S.A. also known as the MoonScoop Group was a French television production company and animation company that created and published animated series, animated television series. Its corporate headquarters were located in Paris, France, a ...

. While working at Taffy Entertainment, Schultz launched Kabillion, a new multi-platform kids entertainment service, in January 2017. The Platform was developed in conjunction with New Jersey–based REMIX Entertainment Ventures and

Comcast Comcast Corporation, formerly known as Comcast Holdings,Before the AT&T Broadband, AT&T merger in 2001, the parent company was Comcast Holdings Corporation. Comcast Holdings Corporation now refers to a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation, not th ...

. Together the partners raised three million dollars to launch the network. Kabillion is available both as a free video on-demand (VOD) channel and a free online broadband site. Kabillion is owned in part by Taffy Entertainment, East Coast–based REMIX Entertainment Ventures and Germany's EM.Entertainment. While as the CEO of Kabillion, Schultz launched a new cross promotion with uWink, Inc.. UWink, a new interactive restaurant that allowed customers to order food, drinks, games, and other digital media at their table through proprietary touch screen terminals was founded by

Nolan Bushnell Nolan Kay Bushnell (born February 5, 1943) is an American businessman and electrical engineer. He established Atari, Inc. and the Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre chain. He has been inducted into the Video Game Hall of Fame and the Consu ...

, former founder and CEO of

Atari Atari () is a brand name that has been owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by French holding company Atari SA (formerly Infogrames) and its focus is on "video games, consumer hardware, licensing and bl ...

and

Chuck E. Cheese's Chuck E. Cheese (formerly known as Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre, Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza, and simply Chuck E. Cheese's) is an American entertainment restaurant chain founded in May 1977.Hero:108'', which is a co-production with

Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (CN) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the Cartoon Network, Inc., a sub-division of the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks division of Warner Bros. Discovery. It launched on ...

, '' Growing Up Creepie'' for

Discovery Kids Discovery Kids, stylized as discovery k!ds, is a brand name owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Starting as a television block within Discovery Channel, the brand expanded as a separate television channel in October 1996. Discovery Kids on NBC was ...

Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (nicknamed Nick) is an American pay television channel and the flagship property of the Nickelodeon Group, a sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on April 1, 1979, as the first ca ...

, '' I Got a Rocket!'', and the pre-school CGI series ''Dive Olly Dive!'', as well as returning series ''

Pet Alien ''Pet Alien'' (French: ''Alien Bazar'') is an animated television series created by Jeff Muncy of ''Pajanimals'' fame, with episodes written by Dan Danko and directed by Andrew Young. The series is a co-production of Mike Young Productions of t ...

'' and '' ToddWorld''. In addition, Schultz was nominated for a

Daytime Emmy Award The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NA ...

in 2007 as a songwriter, along with co-writers, Mike Himmelstein and

Al Jarreau Alwin Lopez Jarreau (March 12, 1940 – February 12, 2017) was an American singer and songwriter. His 1981 album '' Breakin' Away'' spent two years on the ''Billboard'' 200 and is considered one of the finest examples of the Los Angeles pop and ...

, for their song, "Take a Look Inside," which is featured in the ToddWorld series. In late September 2010, he launched his own animation studio: Home Plate Entertainment. Since then, Schultz has continued to build Home Plate Entertainment by exploring new directions for the company. Some of his most recent ventures include a

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

original series entitled ''

True and the Rainbow Kingdom ''True and the Rainbow Kingdom'' is an animated children's television series produced by Home Plate Entertainment and Guru Studio in collaboration with American artist duo FriendsWithYou and Pharrell Williams' I Am Other. Based on the artwor ...

'', a Chinese feature film based on the classic novel, ''Romance of The Three Kingdoms'', entitled ''The 12 Guardians'', and a stop motion feature produced in conjunction with

China Film Group China Film Group Corporation (CFGC) is the largest, most influential film enterprise in the People's Republic of China, owned by the Central Propaganda Department of the Chinese Communist Party. According to ''Forbes'', it is a state monopoly ...

entitled, ''Codename Housewife''. Schultz has won two

Daytime Emmy Awards The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NA ...

(for '' I Got a Rocket!'' and '' Jakers'') and two

Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...

s (for ''

''). His other awards include the

Humanitas (from the Latin , "human") is a Latin noun meaning human nature, civilization, and kindness. It has uses in the Enlightenment, which are discussed below. Classical origins of term The Latin word corresponded to the Greek concepts of (loving ...

Prize (for ''Toddworld''), a BAFTA (for ''

Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks ''Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks'', or ''Jakers'' in Europe, is an animated children's television series created and developed by Mike Young, Liz Young, Sindy McKay-Swerdlove and John Over based on an original idea by Denise Fitzpatric ...

''), the Pulcinella (for '' Growing Up Creepie''), and the

Hugo Award The Hugo Award is an annual literary award for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year, given at the World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon) and chosen by its members. The award is administered by th ...

(for ''Toddworld'').

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schultz, Bill 1960 births Living people University of Illinois alumni American television producers