NTER.08 // MEDILL ALUMNI
5
WHAT’S YOUR STORY?
The Idea Man
At Northwestern Andre L. Gaines
(BSJ01) had a hard time fitting all his
interests into one field of study. “I was
always one of these people who could do a
lot of things. It was hard trying to focus,”
says the Toledo, Ohio, native. While
juggling a journalism and pre-med course
load, he maintained a passion for the arts,
writing, directing and performing in Out
‘da Box, a comedy revue staged by the
African American Theater Ensemble.
Post graduation he was accepted into
several medical schools, but instead
chose to pursue film and TV writing and
directing in Los Angeles. Ultimately
he received a coveted full scholarship to
study film at New York University’s Tisch
School of the Arts—that was Gaines’
ticket to the animation fast track. Later
he met Carl Jones, producer of top-rated
animated series “The Boondocks,” and
kindled an ongoing partnership with him.
“We were approached by the Ray Charles
estate to develop an animated music video
featuring Ray as a kid. Instead I came up
with an idea for a whole show, and they
loved it,” he says. The now sought-after
duo is currently shopping that concept
around to networks.
As a television writer and animation
producer, Gaines collaborates with
illustrators to build premises, develop
plots and write scripts—a job that
requires both strong writing skills
and serious creative chops.
A sample premise: “A hyperactive,
overambitious dust bunny named
Milo and his self-absorbed sister
Francesca are accidentally sucked into
the central vacuum system of a 200-
year-old mansion and encounter some
wonderfully weird new friends in
a thriving civilization of debris called
‘The Toolies.’” (Gaines is looking for
a buyer for the show.)
Though he hasn’t followed a traditional
journalism path, Gaines credits much
of his success in his writing-heavy job to
Medill. “I always said that if you want
to learn how to write, study journalism,”
he says. What’s next? A stop-motion
animated cartoon based on Jones’
designer toy series the “Hoodiez.” “Carl
showed me the toys, and I immediately
wrote up a show,” Gaines says. “It’s like
a hip, hyper-realized ‘Fat Albert.’ It’s
something that hasn’t been on TV in a
while, and it’s long overdue,” Gaines says.
Strong network interest has put Gaines and
Jones in a prime position to find
a home for their new series.
—Katie Nugent
