JewishRobot at Limmud NY

On the weekend of January 15-18, 2010, I attended the Limmud NY 2010 conference, where I had the honor of presenting my Jewish heroes video to an audience of 700, sung backup for my "20 Things To Do With Matzah" song onstage with Michelle Citrin, and presented a beginners' workshop in Flash animation.

Read "700 Jews Can't Be Wrong", my blog post about the event for ROI, the organization that helped me travel to Limmud NY with a Speakers Bureau grant.

You can see more photos from the event on my Facebook photo album.

92YTribeca Havdalah Heroes

On a cold and snowy December 19, 2009, I presented a rough cut of "What Makes a Hero", a short promotional video I produced for the UJC's Jewish Community Heroes award, for the Havdalah with PresenTense event at 92YTribeca.

After we sink into the relaxing spirit of Havdalah, 92YTribeca rabbinic intern Hayley Siegel and PresenTense contributors Chari Pere and Will Levin will share a wide range of perspectives on Jewish heroism. Then, the floor will be open for the group to have an informal, laid back discussion about the issues and ideas at hand.

You can now watch my video, "What Makes a Hero" online at Vimeo:

Bike PSA at Biking Rules Film Festival

A 30-second version of my Bike Safety PSA #01 cartoon was part of the BAMcinématek Biking Rules PSA Festival hosted by Transportation Alternative in Brooklyn, New York, on November 17, 2009. While I did not win the grand prize, my cartoon certainly won the audience choice award, based on the volume of applause.

JewishRobot on The Jewish Channel

Friend and The Jewish Channel correspondent, Steven I. Weiss, reports on Ahmadinejad's alleged Jewish roots, includes a clip from my "Iran to Israel" promo cartoon for Taglit-Birthright Israel.

Kanye cartoon mentioned in MTV Newsroom

My quickie cartoon, "Kanye Interrupts the U.S. Open", was mentioned in the MTV Newsroom article, "'Kanye West Interrupts': The Internet Keeps On Giving" by Kyle Anderson on September 17, 2009:

There are even mad geniuses out there plying fancier forms of craft, like the folks who mashed together Serena Williams' U.S. Open meltdown with the VMA incident.

Read the article here.

In the Tehran Bureau

My cartoon "Iran to Israel" was the topic of an article, "From Madman to Ad Man" by Marsha B. Cohen in PBS FRONTLINE's Tehran Bureau, September 6, 2009:

The star of the latest registration campaign, which opens Sept. 8, is none other than Iran's president. Unlike the usual depictions of him in the Israeli and pro-Israel press, Ahmadinejad isn't threatening to wipe Israel off the map in this video clip. On the contrary, what he really wants is a chance to go on a Birthright Israel trip.

Read the article here.

Bike PSA in BuBiFeszt Budapest Bicycle Film Festival

My short cartoon Bike Safety PSA #01 was shown in BuBiFeszt, the Budapest Bicycle Film Festival, on September 5, 2009.

From the website, in Hungarian:

3. FILMBLOKK :: Bringás biztonság
Kezdés: 2009-09-05 16:00
Egyperces figyelemfelkeltő rajzfilm a biztonságról, rímekbe szedve. Készítette: William Levin.

5. szombat 16:00 :: kisterem

Shabot ShaBOOM!

Support Seda' Club in the FOX-Aniboom Holiday Animation Challenge!

Share the video with your friends, and if you think it deserves a chance, vote for it in September. I'll post a reminder then, too.

Thanks!

Jailbreak Interview

Quincy Moore of The Jailbreak, a blog about pop, politics, and counterculture, interviewed me on July 15, 2009.  Here is the intro:

Like all great artists and creative folk, cartoonist William Levin finds his inspiration from a series of ex-girlfriends who spark innovation and then eventually drift away in favor of a more suitable muse.

With each turn of the perpetual partner wheel, Levin learns more about his artistic process and churns out funny, irreverent, and often educational cartoons about Jewish Robots and oft-injured bike riders.

While his target demographic started out as a microcosm of the larger population (mostly Jews), his adaptability and chameleon-like penchant for recognizing trends have promised him a bright future in an animation industry that is still relatively new to the Brooklyn resident.

Levin was gracious enough to sit down with the Jailbreak for a hilarious interview in which he ponders a future in anime, reveals the actual location of Sesame Street, and explains why Futurama was an anomaly.

-Quincy

Read the complete interview here. 

Can you tell me how to get to Washington, D.C.?

“Sesame Street” writers Judy Freudberg and William Levin stand with Bert & Ernie in support of public broadcasting

From the WGAE blog:

WGAE Continues Advocacy Efforts For Increased Funding For Public Media

Writers from “ Sesame Street ” and WGAE staff held meetings in Washington D.C. to advocate for increased funding for public broadcasting.

“Sesame Street” Writers Advocate in Washington D.C. for Increased Funding for Public Media

On Thursday, July 23, “ Sesame Street ” writers Judy Freudberg and William Levin, along with “West Wing” and “Without a Trace” writer Allison Abner, accompanied WGA East staff to advocate for increased funding in public media. The members of Congress we met with, including Congressman Steve Israel (D-NY) and Congresswoman Nita Lowey (D-NY) both from the House Appropriations Committee, have already allocated a 10% increase in funding the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which is great news for our members. Furthermore, they both expressed interest in potentially getting involved in our current contract negotiations with PBS. Overall, this was a very productive endeavor. The Guild looks forward to taking similar trips to D.C. in the near future.

Congresswoman Nita Lowey happens to be a big fan of Sesame Street!