Al Bohl’s fascination with film animation goes all the way back to the late 1970s. He was riding in a taxi in Bombay, India, when they came upon a line of poor, hungry-looking people that went for blocks. “I asked the interpreter, ‘Are those people waiting to get a meal?’ He said, ‘No they’re waiting to see a movie.’ They have the money to buy something to eat, but they’ll be hungry in a couple hours. They want something that will last.’ “
That’s when Bohl, a native of Bossier City, decided to be a “change agent” for good—through film and television. Today he’s a homegrown success story, having made a development deal with Toronto-based 9 Story Entertainment to produce and distribute his original animated television series Way Out There, the story of an adolescent Earth boy who becomes the first foreign-exchange student to another planet. 9 Story’s shows are broadcast on children’s-oriented channels in more than 50 countries.
Bohl, who’s also art director at Shreveport’s Sci-Port science center, credits one-on-one workshop experiences with industry professionals at previous Red Stick International Animation Festivals for teaching him how to pitch series ideas. Now he’s lecturing on the same theme as someone who’s been there. Bohl spoke on Wednesday, Red Stick 2009’s first day, on how to deliver a successful pitch. The festival runs downtown through Saturday.
Bohl won second place at the 2008 Red Stick festival with Way Out There and first place at the Ottawa International Animation Festival with the idea. He brings another pitch to this year’s festival—an animated series called The Crystal Forest.—Steve Clark
