Catch up with some of America’s best-known and most-loved cartoonists during this online event! This Saturday (12th September 2020) sees NCSFest return, organised by the US-based National Cartoonists Society – which this year will be broadcast across the web for free from NCFest.com.

Offering a full day of free virtual sessions from a cavalcade of talented cartoonists, mark your calendars and stay tuned to your inboxes, social media and the NCS web site for further information about the event and its sessions. The event has a fantastic guest list, so don’t miss out!

“We thank all of our sponsors and supporters of NCSFest 2020, and especially all of our loyal and talented membership,” say the organising team led by cartoonist and Festival Directors Steve McGarry and Julie Tait of the Lakes International Comic Art Festival in the UK, after what’s been a difficult year for all comic creators as a result of the ongoing Coronavirus Pandemic. “We wouldn’t be able to do any of this without you. Thank you for your ongoing support during this time.”

Here’s the full schedule, although do note it may be subject to change, so it’s worth signing up for the event’s newsletter over at NCSFest.com for the latest announcements.

10.00AM SATURDAY 12TH SEPTEMBER 12 AT NCSFEST.COM

Official Welcome to NCSFest 2020 from the NCS President – and Thank You messages

FROM PANELS TO PUBLISHING (90 MINS)
Guests: Mark Tatulli, Terri Libenson, Maria Scrivan, And Rob Harrell
Hosted By: Jason Chatfield

NCSFest kicks into high gear with a Quadruple-barrelled dose of cartooning talent featuring 2019 Reuben Nominees MARK TATULLI and TERRI LIBENSON along with MARIA SCRIVAN, and ROB HARRELL discussing their evolution from comic strips and panels to book publishing. These four multi-award-winning cartoonists will share their distinct experiences with moving from traditional syndicated newspaper strips to multiple successful publication properties.

74TH ANNUAL REUBEN AWARDS

Join NCS for the announcement of the first round of Divisional Awards:
• Editorial Cartoons
• Magazine/Newspaper Illustration
• Newspaper Panels
• Gag Cartoons

THE ART OF FUNNY (50 MINS)
Guest: Jim Davis

Join Garfield and US Acres creator, JIM DAVIS, as he pulls back the curtain on Paws Inc. with an NCS exclusive presentation deconstructing The Art of Funny. Jim shares his journey from making his mom laugh, his influences, as well as his origins in Indiana attempting stand-up comedy around the time his Ball State dorm-mate, was giving it a try… and went on to become one of the most legendary Late Night Hosts in America.

Jim explores his theory on how humour can heal and get us through tough times, as well as how he believes it won a Presidential election.

This session then takes a further deep dive into the power of humour, the mechanics of gags used in cartoons and comic strips, character-construction, personalities and relationships, the importance of the reader in the writing process, which days of the week to run your strongest and weakest gags, his team’s writing process, the importance of what you don’t see, the art of pantomime, using real-world names and events in a comic strip, transitioning comic strips into film and television and most importantly, what he thinks is funny. This is one very special presentation not-to-be-missed!

THE SUPERSTAR CARTOONISTS OF INSTAGRAM (50 MINS)
Guests: Liniers, Gemma Correll, Nick Seluk, Luke McGarry, Maritsa Patrinos
Hosted By: Tea Fougner

In this exclusive NCSFest session, Editorial Director for Comics at King Features, TEA FOUGNER, interviews some of the most popular cartoonists on Instagram, including GEMMA CORRELL, LINIERS, LUKE McGARRY, MARITSA PATRINOS and creator of The Awkward Yeti, NICK SELUK.

The session delves into the different journey of each creator in cultivating an audience on an ever-evolving visual social media platform, as well as their daily process of creating for an audience who very readily reply to their work. From people getting offended by their work, to figuring out a creative process that stays unique to the artist, this is a one-of-a-kind discussion for anyone interested in the future of making a living as a cartoonist in the digital age.

74TH ANNUAL REUBEN AWARDS

Join NCS for the announcement of the second round of Divisional Awards:
• Online Comics – Short Form
• Online Comics – Long Form
• Online Animation
• Advertising/Product Illustration

CREATOR SPOTLIGHT: CREATING A SUCCESSFUL ONLINE CARTOONING BUSINESS (60 MINS)
Guest: Tom Fishburne
Hosted By: Jason Chatfield

Cartoonist TOM FISHBURNE started doodling on the backs of business cases as a Harvard Business School student. From an emailed cartoon to coworkers in 2002, Tom’s Marketoonist series has grown by word of mouth to reach more than 200,000 readers every week and his cartoons have been featured by the Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, and The New York Times. His cartoons have appeared on a billboard in Times Square and helped win a Guinness World Record.

Tom spoke at the TED headquarters in New York on “The Power of Laughing at Ourselves”. He was Cartoonist-in-Residence and Lecturer for the Stanford GSB course on humour in business.

In this one-hour session, hosted by NCS President JASON CHATFIELD, Tom shares how he came to build a successful online cartooning business from the ground up, along with the importance of finding your niche, and more importantly your ‘enough’.

This talk explores the challenges of freelancing, working remotely, the importance of email marketing for all cartoonists as well as developing the correct technical skills to use social media to your advantage.

CREATOR SPOTLIGHT: GEORGIA DUNN ON BREAKING CAT NEWS (60 MINS)
Guest: Georgia Dunn
Hosted By: Shena Wolf

Join Director of Comics and Acquisitions at Andrews McMeel, SHENA WOLF as she interviews the talented young creator of Breaking Cat News, GEORGIA DUNN about her journey from creating a webcomic to getting syndicated. Georgia outlines her process of writing, as well as her technical process of creating a comic strip in watercolour and more.

25 YEARS OF MUTTS (50 MINS)
Guests: Patrick Mcdonnell
Hosted By: Lynn Johnston

Keep your seats, because you won’t want to miss the next session: Join host and For Better Or For Worse creator LYNN JOHNSTON in celebrating PATRICK McDONNELL’S journey over the past 25 years with his iconic comic strip, MUTTS and everything along the way. Patrick is this year’s Elzie Segar Award-winner for his unique and outstanding contribution to the profession of cartooning.

Lynn and Patrick talk about everything from early influences like their friend, the late Charles Schulz, to the fantastic Lynda Barry, and working with Abrams Comic Arts Editor Charlie Kochman on Patrick’s new Book, The Art of Nothing. (Which is really something.)

74TH ANNUAL REUBEN AWARDS
Join NCS for the announcement of the third round of Divisional Awards:
• Comic Books
• Graphic Novels
• Feature Animation
• Television Animation

THE SIX CHIX 20TH ANNIVERSARY (50 MINS)
Guests: Stephanie Piro, Isabella Bannerman, Maritsa Patrinos, Mary Lawton, Susan Camilleri Konar
Hosted By: Tea Fougner

Join the current slate of SIX CHIX cartoonists in celebrating their 20th Anniversary, with Editorial Director for Comics at King Features, TEA FOUGNER. Enjoy the journey of a multi-cartoonist feature from its early years with encouragement from Jay Kennedy, to today’s iteration of the Six Chix feature and all its recent controversy. This talk is not just a reflection on the past 20 years but gives insight into what the future holds for making a living as a cartoonist in the 21st century, as well as what other projects each of the contributors are working on right now.

REVEILLE: BEETLE BAILEY SHORT DOCUMENTARY (15 MINS)
Guests/Featuring: Brian Walker, Mort Walker, Jerry Dumas, Neal Walker

Since its launch in 1950, “Beetle Bailey” has appeared every day in newspapers all over the world. After 65 years and 25,089 unique comic strips, new ideas are hard to come by for creator Mort Walker and his three sons, who make up the creative team. Fortunately, like any good military outfit, they have a regimented system and a sense of duty to get the job done. “Reveille – A Family Legacy in Comics” lifts the curtain up on the family business that produces this iconic piece of Americana.

74TH ANNUAL REUBEN AWARDS
Join NCS for the announcement of the fourth and final round of Divisional Awards:
• Greeting Cards
• Book Illustration
• Variety Entertainment
• Newspaper Strips

Big congratulations to John Glynn on his silver T-square for his outstanding contribution to the cartooning industry!

Big congratulations to Garry Trudeau on his gold T-square for 50 years in the industry!

IN MEMORIAM

NCS pay tribute to the cartoonists and industry colleagues who we’ve lost in the past year.

THE MAIN EVENT! THE 2019 REUBEN AWARD FOR CARTOONIST OF THE YEAR

Join NCS in celebrating the talented nominees for 2019: Hilary B. Price, Lynda Barry, Terri Libenson, Mark Tatulli and Raina Telgemeier

Please note this schedule is subject to change without notice. Subscribe to the mailing list for updates and announcements

John Freeman

The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.

He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.

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Tags: downthetubes News, National Cartoonists Society, NCSFest