Comments on: Not Funny: MyToons Implodes Amidst Serious Drama

By: Orlanda

Orlanda — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 15:49:30 +0000

Yah Yah Yah right so so so boring

By: goomba

goomba — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 21:06:12 +0000

Well, it looks like Paul Ford is far from down and out!

He’s just started a new company!

http://www.digmeco.com/

Reference: http://www.link...om/in/paulbford

By: Nich

Nich — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 13:01:54 +0000

@ abbeyjo – February 26th, 2009 at 7:57 pm PST -
I found this page googling for updates on MyToons.

Looking at this sad tale from the vantage point of several months later we see that the MyToons.com site is still closed and not a whisper that the company is still in business or “restructuring” . Where did you get the info that “the two primary culprits were fired, and some of the team hired back on … with new CEO Scott Greenburg in place and all of the cancer removed, they might actually stand a chance to create and provide the kind of community that animators deserve!” ?

I can find no announcement about “new CEO Scott Greenburg” in connection with MyToons.

It still looks dead , dead, dead. Robin Wauters is totally vindicated for breaking this story on January 29 . Everything in the story posted turned out to be true.

By: gracious

gracious — Mon, 04 May 2009 14:46:44 +0000

@g man
Im not sure if there was ever even a target audience to begin with. One thing that all of us ex-tooners know is that there was not a solid business plan, if there was one at all. Im not the artistic type but its a shame that we could not reach talent like yourself, but looking back on it all, consider yourself lucky that we never reached you! Would have been a waste of your time.
take care man and keep animating!

By: shiralee

shiralee — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 04:48:52 +0000

schadenfreude is such a delicious sensation…

So the ‘communist layabouts’ are vindicated and myToons bites the dust. Strange that should happen if everything is so rosy with the ‘founders’ and they were so good at what they did…

By: MyToons No More | CommercialsPlay.com

MyToons No More | CommercialsPlay.com — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 15:59:01 +0000

[...] networking” site for animators. A quick search reveals that the company had already laid off most of its staff last January and was [...]

By: g man

g man — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 21:00:39 +0000

I am a professional animator and have never even heard of this website until today! That surely says something about their ability to spread the word to their targeted audience.

By: happy TVP user

happy TVP user — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 18:34:49 +0000

I was also a victim of lies and false promises by Paul Ford a couple of years ago at Bauhaus/Mirage.
The description of the Mytoons management that former employees give in the article and in the comments sound very familiar. And actually… so do the anonymous defensive comments! i would not be the least bit surprised if poster’Unfortunate’ was Mr Ford himself.

By: It's a FOOOOORRRRDDD !

It's a FOOOOORRRRDDD ! — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 15:35:16 +0000

This is all eerily reminiscent of when the same people repeatedly assured everyone at the Bauhaus/Mirage user community forum that everything was fine , the future was rosy, they were continuing to develop killer animation apps … then overnight the Bauhaus/Mirage site disappeared without warning, replaced by a link to MyToons.

By: virtual worlds for kids

virtual worlds for kids — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 13:59:07 +0000

How unfortunate…I was an avid user of the website!

By: LONELYPOND PRESENTS » Blog Archive » ECONOMY BITES

LONELYPOND PRESENTS » Blog Archive » ECONOMY BITES — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 03:50:19 +0000

[...] on my bookmark bar and was greeted by MyToons is closed. That BITES. Like a 100 fleas. Apparently, trouble’s been brewing since [...]

By: ECONOMY BITES « Lonelypond Presents

ECONOMY BITES « Lonelypond Presents — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 03:49:23 +0000

[...] the MyToons link on my bookmark bar and was greeted by MyToons is closed. That bites. Apparently, trouble’s been brewing since [...]

By: ex-tooner

ex-tooner — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 01:51:03 +0000

Sha na nah na
Sha na nah na
Hey Hey Hey
GOODBYE!

http://www.mytoons.com

Need I say more!?

By: abbeyjo

abbeyjo — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 03:57:11 +0000

So, it looks like the efforts here worked. The two primary culprits were fired, and some of the team hired back on – sounds like the investigation inspired by this entry turned up some pretty nasty truths…

This is great news for the future of MyToons though! With new CEO Scott Greenburg in place and all of the cancer removed, they might actually stand a chance to create and provide the kind of community that animators deserve!

Best of luck guys!

By: telling

telling — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 19:15:35 +0000

Let’s just say that, when the president of the company doesn’t know how to login to his own site…that’s probably not a good sign.

By: MyToons Animation Community: The End

MyToons Animation Community: The End — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 11:21:28 +0000

[...] Robin Wauters, “Not Funny: MyToons Implodes Amidst Serious Drama,” TechCrunch, January 2… Share and [...]

By: DISGRUNTLED

DISGRUNTLED — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 06:03:25 +0000

To Unfortunate – if you are trying in any way to help the situation, you are only coming across as a bitter individual who has, for some reason, allowed this allegedly unrelated article to consume him/her.

The CEO’s name is posted because he is the CEO of the company, and it is his job to make a public statement. Employees are anonymous because they rightfully don’t want to put their necks out more than they already have.

To say that the employees put nothing in is SO far from the truth in this case, as many of us regularly came in early, opened up, made coffee, stayed late, and added new projects to our plates – often even working during weekends in order to best serve the animation community (while our leadership regularly arrived around 10 and checked out around 2-3 – which was fine…up until we really needed them…).

Perhaps it is exactly this dedication that has so destroyed the trust of these ex-employees – especially as they were all willing to stay on a sinking ship, even as the captains lied to their faces about it. So yeah, the way things were handled is going to upset some people…and rightfully so, but since direct communication has proven insufficient, we find ourselves turning to others to ensure that no more misdeeds are committed.

The scenario may seem inflammatory, but if the executives have nothing to worry about, then the employees come off as said “disgruntled employees,” while if there is something shady going on, then justice is served, money is saved, and integrity is upheld.

It’s society’s responsibility to look into these matters and hold each other accountable, and I, for one, would like nothing more than to see these allegations disproved.

By: Ari

Ari — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 10:30:24 +0000

The Dilbert pointy-haired boss speaks.

You know nothing about managing people, sir. Your attitude is that of bad leaders and exploitative bosses everywhere. You think it’s about management vs staff, and that becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

There are 2 kinds of companies- those that treat employees like children, slaves and criminals, and those that treat them like valued partners. In each company, the people policy becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Anything you manage will wilt and be blighted.

By: charles

charles — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 19:32:02 +0000

“Unfortunate” is obviously one of the founders or is close to the exec management team. The constant finger pointing and attacks on the employees and other people participating in the TC comments makes it clear. Only someone close to the story would be so emotional about it.

Advice- Take a deep breath. Create an official blog post to tell your side. Don’t act like a child.

By: Um No

Um No — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 18:31:04 +0000

excuse me, but that site took them 2 years to set up, and it’s still not up to speed. The video player itself is terrible and where is the community?

By: Insider

Insider — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 18:22:21 +0000

I heard some stories about that gang over there.
Wasted $$, bags of coke, a couple of dead hookers buried in the desert. Those clowns ran that great idea into the ground.
Never should have had so many employees just sitting around working.
I am surprised they lasted this long.

By: Doug

Doug — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 17:26:03 +0000

Look up, Peter. Unfortunate is definitely one of them. He gave it away when he said, “They don’t appreciate the paychecks they got the last 8 weeks, all they want to bitch about is the two weeks they didn’t get now.”

To their credit, they decided not to lay everybody off before Christmas. But Unfortunate should shut his mouth, because he’s only digging a deeper hole for himself and the company.

By: Deadpool Getting His Own Movie!!!! | Digg PhotoBlog

Deadpool Getting His Own Movie!!!! | Digg PhotoBlog — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 16:53:29 +0000

[...] Not Funny: MyToons Implodes Amidst Serious Drama TechCrunch ,January 30, 2009 Either way, we’re putting MyToons in the deadpool, and along with the millions of venture capital it raised from investors like The Texas Emerging … [...]

By: extooner

extooner — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 16:48:05 +0000

Unfortunate said above: “10am-4pm, punch-the-clock, 2 hour lunch break and 30 minute session at the water cooler, self-serving check grabbers are not going to help anybody.”

Let me introduce you to our executive staff. That was a perfect description of them, but a little generous on the actual time spent in office. Most of those laid-off would frequently work through lunch and after hours. You don’t know what you’re talking about here.

By: Peter Kazanjy

Sat, 31 Jan 2009 16:29:40 +0000

This certainly seems like it might be a case of employee bitterness. However, it seems equally suspicious for none of the management team to respond to TechCrunch.

It was very stand-up of Scott Rafer to do so, but where are the real stake holders?