For this episode, I sat down with Rich Staplehurst — actor-turned-creator, storyteller, and the mind behind projects like Rupert Regis & His Magical Bookshop, Chuck Loris, and Flo and Otto.

We talk about:

✨ From Performance to Creation

Rich shares how a childhood shaped by entertainment, theatre, and storytelling eventually led him away from acting and toward writing and creating his own worlds.

📚 The Spark of an Idea

From writing personalised stories during lockdown to building characters out of grief and memory, Rich reflects on how some of his strongest ideas came from very personal places.

🤝 The Power of Collaboration

He explains why the best creative moments often happen at the beginning — when a character, a designer, and a story click into place — and why collaboration is what brings an idea fully to life.

🎢 The High and the Fatigue

We talk about the addictive rush of early development, but also the fatigue that can come from living too long with your own idea and trying to carry it alone.

🧠 Human Stories vs. Algorithm Thinking

Rich opens up about the tension between authentic storytelling and the increasingly data-driven, algorithm-led side of the industry, and why he still believes in the emotional value of stories built with care.

🌱 Building a Slate, Not Just a Show

From Moonbug to his own projects, Rich shares how he’s thinking about original IP, adapted books, and creating work that can stand apart in a crowded market.

🌍 What Comes Next

We also get into the bigger question of where the industry is heading, what kinds of stories will matter, and how both established and emerging talent can find space in what comes next.

This episode is a candid, thoughtful look at the realities of making original work in animation today — the joy, the frustration, the business, and the human heart underneath it all.

🎧 Listen now — and if you want to join these conversations live, with animators and storytellers from around the world, come hang out with us inside The Toon Room:

👉 thetoonroom.com

For this episode, I sat down with Rich Magallanes — animation executive, storyteller, and longtime industry leader with deep experience across production, development, and network leadership. This conversation is as much about the person as it is about the job: how he got into animation, what shaped him, and why his guiding mantra has always been, “When the world’s closing doors on you, don’t say why me — say it’s on me.”

We talk about:

✨ A Life Shaped by Instability

Rich opens up about growing up in a family of five boys, navigating divorce, poverty, constant moves, and the feeling of having to figure things out on his own from a very young age.

🎬 Falling Into Animation

He shares how he didn’t set out to become an animation executive, but gradually found his way into the industry through a mix of writing, production, live-action work, and eventually Nickelodeon.

📺 The Nick Years

Rich reflects on rising through the ranks at Nickelodeon during the early years of SpongeBob, Fairly OddParents, Teenage Robot, and ChalkZone, and how he learned to work with creators, solve problems, and keep productions moving.

🤝 Leading Creatives Without Losing the Creative

We talk about what it means to manage passionate teams, translate network notes across different creative personalities, and keep everyone aligned without losing the fun or the heart of the work.

💥 When the Work Stops Feeling Fun

Rich opens up about reaching a point where the executive side of the job started to feel less creative and more like damage control — and what it meant to walk away when the role no longer felt right.

🛤️ The Power of Staying Open

After leaving Nickelodeon, Rich describes how staying available, meeting people, and saying yes led to new opportunities.

🧠 “It’s On Me”

The episode becomes especially personal as Rich traces how the loss, instability, and constant change of childhood shaped his mindset, his resilience, and his determination to keep moving forward no matter what.

This is a candid, deeply human conversation about leadership, survival, creativity, and the reality of building a career in animation when life doesn’t come with a roadmap.

🎧 Listen now — and if you want to join these conversations live, with animators and storytellers from around the world, come hang out with us inside The Toon Room:

👉 thetoonroom.com

For this episode, I sat down with Cory Williams — the one man powerhouse behind Silly Crocodile, early internet creator and one of the first people to turn YouTube into a full-time path — long before anyone really knew what that meant.

But this conversation isn’t just about platforms or success. It’s about instinct. About believing in yourself and the originality of your own voice.

We talk about:

✨ Creating Your Own Path

Cory was making videos before “content creator” was even a thing — driven more by curiosity and connection than any clear outcome.

🎬 Following the Shift

From MySpace to YouTube, Cory talks about recognizing a change in how people connect — and having the courage to move with it.

🤝 Building Real Connection

At the heart of it all is people. This isn’t about platforms — it’s about creating something honest enough that people resonate with it.

💡 Listening to Your Instincts

Before there were rules or roadmaps, Cory relied on instinct — paying attention to what felt right, even when it didn’t make logical sense, like turning down a 5 million dollar offer.

This episode is about being human, about trusting yourself, staying open, and keeping track of why you do what you do.

🎧 Listen now — and if you want to join these conversations live, with animators and storytellers from around the world, come hang out with us inside The Toon Room:

👉 thetoonroom.com