Jelly, Ben & Pogo
Jelly, Ben & Pogo is an animated pre-k series streaming on PBS KIDS. It features two Filipino siblings and their sea monster neighbor as they creatively solve everyday kid problems.
Stream it on the PBS KIDS Video App, YouTube, or their website!
Jelly, Ben & Pogo is the first of its kind on US television, featuring not only Filipino leads, but their culture as well. Episodes showcase special food, traditions, clothing, language, and even small mannerisms relatable for Filipino-American households. The cast of voices includes native Filipinos, as well as those in the diaspora (myself included!). My goal was to honor the Fil-Am community and carve a space out for us to feel seen. Representation is not only important — it’s necessary.
I’ve received an amazing amount of positive feedback about Jelly, Ben & Pogo from both children and adults. Kids enjoy the colorful and goofy humor, while adults have shared their emotional reactions as the show has helped heal their inner child. Even the smallest of details like the characters addressing their beautiful noses do not go unnoticed. Jelly, Ben & Pogo is taking strides to not only normalize Filipino-Americans, but tackle the issues within the community itself.
This project was as terrifying as it was exciting, and every day brought new lessons. It would be nothing without the incredible team I had behind it. To this day, I am humbled by the joy we created for ourselves during production, as well as the joy Jelly, Ben & Pogo has brought to our viewers.
Maraming sumbrero…
With Primal Screen being a small studio, there were many new processes to create, understand, and innovate on the go. I ended up wearing a multitude of hats to get us across the finish line. It was admittedly a lot to take on, but I gained a plethora of knowledge from having my hands in almost every part of production. Leadership has long been a passion of mine, so it was exciting to bear the responsibility of not only completing production, but doing so with the team’s health intact.
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The concept was started in 2018 after I furiously doodled ideas at home for a PBS KIDS RFP. I have been with the concept ever since then and worked closely with the writing team to create our stories.
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I oversaw all of production with my immediate support being an Art Director, Animation Director, Producer, and Head Writer. I led most meetings and made sure to do 1 on 1s with every team member. I also implemented ways to stay connected (since production was done entirely remote) like workalongs, playalongs, and weekly entire team meetings where we watched the latest and greatest from each artist.
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Because we hadn’t storyboarded a show before, we did not have the structure in place for a supervisor. I assumed this role by directing a team of three storyboard artists and guiding them on shorthand style, pacing, framing, and cultural elements.
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My roots are in character animation, and since we were figuring out the animation style on the fly, my input was necessary to keep the motion consistent. I did draw-overs and some sketch passes to help guide the artists, as well as the first round of notes for each stage of animation.
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After a long search for an authentic voice for Ben, our team ultimately decided my voice fit his personality best. This was my debut role and we ended up re-recording an entire episode due to how much his voice was refined throughout the season! I was also in attendance for all recording sessions with other talent to ensure the Tagalog was authentic.
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I am the original designer of Jelly, Ben, Pogo, Lola, Hugo, Amy, and Dad. I also supervised the designs of future characters as they were added.
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I animated the show open, as well as a few shots in a handful of episodes.
Teamwork makes the dream work.
Jason Fisher