Animation legend Butch Hartman joins the podcast to tell his story: growing up drawing cartoons, training at CalArts, working across studios, and creating hits like Fairly OddParents and Danny Phantom. He shares how he became a Christian around 2000 and how his faith reshaped his leadership, storytelling, and daily work in Hollywood.
Butch explains why he left Nickelodeon in 2018 to start Butch Hartman Studios and launch faith-driven projects like The Garden Cartoon and the movie The Greatest Thing Ever. He discusses the need for high-quality, family-friendly content, the changing media landscape, and the business and spiritual principles that guide his studio—balancing profitability, ministry, and creative excellence.
The episode also covers practical leadership and innovation advice: build strong teams, stay humble, pray and journal, be the first in and last out, and focus on making great products. Butch closes with a prayer for entrepreneurs and details on how listeners can connect or support his work (askbutchhartman@gmail.com, ButchHartman on social, and garden-cartoon.com).
