Overcome Personal Challenges in Pursuit of Dreams
Monday, March 26th, 2018 at 6 pm ET, Keith Anthony Blanchard of Center of Light Radio invites Simpsons' lead animator Chance Raspberry to share how this battle with Tourette Syndrome is not getting in his way for achieving wonderful successes in the world of professional animation.

BISHOP JOHN SHELBY SPONG

Chance Raspberry is an independent creator and veteran lead animator for The Simpsons. In his spare time, he created the world's first animated series about life with Special Needs based on his own life growing up with Tourette Syndrome. Despite these wonderful successes, the inconsistent and unpredictable world of professional studio art definitely kept him on his toes.
Little Billy
"What's the project? It's my original animated series, Little Billy. Inspired by my own childhood growing up with Tourette Syndrome, Little Billy is the ultimate nostalgia cartoon about life with Special Needs. The classic 2D traditional cartoons of animation's Golden Age and family sitcoms from the 1980s are the creative influence behind it. It's a real cartoon about real people! The project began in 1999 as a series of doodles and ideas. Now, over 15 years later, it has seen the success of two crowdfunding campaigns on Kickstarter and Indiegogo! It has also gained the love and support of many Special Needs communities, most notably TSA (The Tourette Association of America.)
Billy's Condition: Growing up with Tourette Syndrome, my tics always varied. I never came close to the swearing, screaming, stereotyped version of Tourettes (still) portrayed in mainstream media – my greatest attribute was my energy! I was fearless and relentless. I never stopped. My parents would carry me everywhere because the second they put me down, I was gone! Cliffs, swimming pools, and other mortal childhood dangers were no match for my brazen curiosity and wild, untamed spirit.
People hear ‘Special Needs' and immediately think ‘Educational', hence boring, or ‘Niche', hence ‘I don't have Special Needs so this doesn't apply to me…I won't get or enjoy it.' This aspect of Little Billy is just one of the key ingredients that make the series stand out and unique. It's not a show about life with SPECIAL NEEDS; it's a show about LIFE told through the eyes of a family conquering Special Needs. The '80s nostalgia, animation quality, story, adventure, and universal heart of Little Billy all play equally important roles. The Special Needs layer of the series is just the icing on the cake." – Chance Raspberry – http://LittleBilly.com

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Little Billy: New Animated Short!
Help a Simpsons animator with Tourette Syndrome make the world's first cartoon about neurodiversity! – Support the Project Here!

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