Meet Monica Violet Joy | Award-winning Showrunner / Writer / Exec / Creator / Director / Producer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Monica Violet Joy and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Monica, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?

After over a decade in the animation industry working for big name networks and studios, and spending years independently creating, writing, directing, and producing my own animated series and children’s books, it became critically important to me to give all of my passion projects and skill sets a credible, inspiring, and consolidated home that I could be proud of and build a brand with. I decided to bet on myself and that became Monica Violet Joy Productions.

I felt that at this stage in my career, after creating, producing and managing dozens of the world’s leading animated series, films, and games, I had proven I was savvy, confident, and ready enough to take some risks. I felt and still feel strongly about the importance of investing in yourself, your passion and giving back to those in our community that aren’t receiving the opportunities they’ve earned.

I have only witnessed a handful of animation studios that are led and owned by women, and even fewer where women are directly helming both the creative and the business sides of their company. Usually, I’ve noticed that we are forced to pick and choose, and generally women are shepherded away from the storytelling component of animation. This is something I refuse and will always reject. My philosophy has always been “why not both?” I opened my business to not only improve the potential of my own creative projects and career, but to focus on building a space where I could hire, mentor, provide work opportunities to, and lift up other women and marginalized groups. I wanted these talented people to also have their own community through the studio, to have consolidated, and consistent work that they’re also proud of, and selfishly, to learn all that I could from these incredibly innovative minds.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
For my own work that I create, I have always been drawn to making animation projects and books that lean very whimsical, witty, soulful and heartfelt. As a child I read a tremendous amount of British children’s tales like Fantastic Mr. Fox, as well as reveled in the slapstick, zaniness of American cartoons of the 90s and 2000s like Spongebob, Courage the Cowardly Dog, and Fosters Home For Imaginary Friends. My work is a fusion of the two backgrounds. All of my characters possess a deep well of kindness and empathy, but are wrapped in a silly, fun, and colourful exterior.

Pegasus Tales is one of my current projects that I’m extremely proud of. We’re two shorts in and hope to develop the project into a full animated series. The hero of that show is a tiny, ingenious, young horse that always marches to the beat of her own drum as she fearlessly explores the world. She speaks with a British accent, has a sea turtle for a best friend, and naturally, never leaves home without her pirate license.

Regarding how I got to where I am today professionally, there’s no easy or clear answer. I graduated from a great university in England, but had zero industry connections. I cold applied to hundreds of internships until I finally got one at a very prominent VFX house in London that let me shadow their Producers, but also had me do absurd tasks such as hold trays of meat for live, hungry jaguars during car commercial shoots, do mountains of the dishes, and make coffee – the later of which I still have not and refuse to master. In all seriousness, after years of assisting, coordinating, managing, producing, creating, consulting, showrunning, writing, and networking, I worked my way up the ladder, rung by rung through submitting job applications the old fashioned way, determination to learn and improve, and for a role, help from a lovely person who referred me. None of these jobs or stages of my career were or have been easy but each provided me with a tremendous opportunity to learn what to do… or in some cases, what not to do.

As for my story, I would want the world to know that you can achieve anything through sheer determination… and a lot of green tea. Although I am still learning and growing every day, I would like to impart that no one needs to give you permission to pursue your goals. You’re in charge of your career, no one else. Within my own brand and my character’s stories, I try to have them provide a similar empowering message: determination + kindness + thoughtfulness + smart decisions = success.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I currently live in a beautiful, historic, leafy little city called Montclair, about thirteen miles away from New York City with great restaurants and lovely parks. However, only twelve miles away is Newark Airport. We’d pop onto the nearest flight to London, grab a couple of National Trust passes, rent a car and go historic home hopping throughout the countryside, being sure to stop at England’s greatest afternoon tea house, Biddy’s in Norwich. I hope to be a part owner of that teahouse someday. Hopefully they’ll read this and consider me.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I have been very fortunate in my career to find support in the animation community from various wonderful mentors, organizations, and employers. However, seven years ago from the day I’m writing this, I had what I now realize was one of the most formative moments of my life, starting employment at Blue Sky Studios. Although the studio no longer operates, I had no idea that I’d meet such a large community of kind and talented people. Many of them are women that support me to this day. I’d like to credit and thank them for their talent, empathy, tenacity, brilliance, friendship and inspiration. To name just a few: Sally Kong, Becca Hallac, Grace Kumagi, Chethna Kabeerdoss, Jessica Gutierrez, Elizabeth Emery, Monique Henry-Hudson, Amy Richards, Mia Lalanne, Annlyn Huang, and Nimisha Kumar. All of these incredible women continue to display that anything is possible and taught me a tremendous amount.

Website: https://www.monicavioletjoyproductions.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pegasus_tales/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monica-violet-joy-97637a5b/