(upbeat music)
- Nickelodeon. If you want to know about it,
it's a kid owned environment.
- It didn't feel like the version
of what an adult was telling a kid to watch.
It felt like really what kids were into.
- Reee
- Nickelodeon was actually born in Columbus Ohio
- It's called QUBE.
And they had these buttons at home and you can interact.
- Gerry Laybourne came in.
She was the one to sort of ask that question.
What would it mean to be a network for kids?
- Kids can smell from a thousand miles away
when they're being sold a bunch of crap.
- If it was a tiny bit naughty kids would
really appreciate that, and feel that it was real
and it was really for them.
- You can't do that on TV.
- No one really knew
if it was going to end up being successful.
- So she gets on the train to go back to New York going,
"Okay, I'll probably be fired in a week."
And then it became what it became.
- [Speaker] We were the anti Disney.
We were the anti Saturday morning.
- We wanted less acting.
We wanted more normal kids.
- How come everybody draws babies as these beautiful ones?
When they first come out,
heads are kind of weird looking.
It's kind of funny looking,
and that's why the Rug Rats were drawn like they were.
- The inmates were very much running the asylum back then.
It was way easier to slip stuff in.
- They trusted us.
I mean, the stuff we got away with was insane.
- There's something
about just making a show that is just about laughing.
It's about having fun, and it's about just being silly.
- We couldn't afford cable.
So I was literally working
on the Nickelodeon show and not being able to watch it.
- When we all got together
we knew there was something magical.
- To have that diversity in a show.
It gave a lot of hope to a lot of kids coming
from different walks of life saying like,
whoa I can do this too.
- The energy was such that we thought we
were going to change the world.
- We could fail and do a crummy show,
but we couldn't not take a risk.
- So there's all those crazy things that happen that
you know, nobody knows about it.
- Yeah. Here we go.
This is probably better.
Here's the poster.
(carefree music)
- I'm Justin Harder.
A creative director, illustrator, and designer
at Cloud Studios in Santa Monica, California.
A couple of years ago in 2016
worked on a little indie film called "Deadpool".
I know just didn't make any money.
"Deadpool" was the biggest one I've worked on.
Drew the end title sequence for "Thor: the Dark World",
and "Book of Life" from Fox.
I mean, this all came about because basically,
you asked me to do something for the film
and it was like, uh, yes please.
All right.
Here's the poster for "The Orange Years".
So when we initially came up the concept
we wanted to have about 9 to 10 shows.
We wanted to get an, an object
the most iconic actual element
from each one pinpointed in here.
And hopefully not be too like, I don't know, mysterious.
They're all pretty much have one exact precise image
for everybody.
Let's go through it right now.
We got, of course the belt around Doug's head.
We have the log from "Ren & Stimpy",
We've got the hat from "Pete and Pete".
Anyone know this one?
Please tell me you know this, from my favorite show ever,
"Hey Dude".
Okay. "Salute Your Shorts",
"Are You Afraid Of The Dark",
"Kenan and Kel",
and to finish it off "Legends Of The Hidden Temple".
I had a ball doing it, and I hope you guys like it.
(Reveille plays)
- If you're a kid growing up in the eighties or nineties
there's a good chance that
the Nickelodeon channel played a significant role
in your childhood.
- In just a few short years,
Nickelodeon went from a small local channel, to
an international phenomenon that helped shape a generation.
That's why we want to make a documentary film
chronicling those early golden years
of Nickelodeon.
(T.V static)
- Submitted for the approval of the crowdfunding society.
We would like to tell you a story
about the first network for kids.
- We want to give fans the whole story, straight
from the mouths of those who brought them to us as children.
Our documentary film will include interviews
from the actors, writers, and directors
from all your favorite golden age Nick shows.
It'll also bring new information and new perspective
on Nickelodeon.
From the channels humble origins,
deep into the SNICK years.
- We also want to highlight the work of Geraldine Laybourne,
the visionary, who is largely responsible
for making Nickelodeon the trendsetter that it was.
We call our story,
"The Orange Years".
(TV static)
- Nickelodeon didn't tell kids what they should like.
They said, Hey, your opinion matters.
Asked them what kind of shows they wanted to see
and then answered the call
by giving them the kind of programming that they demanded.
Nickelodeon wasn't afraid to tackle the big issues going
on in the world at the time.
But they also weren't afraid to tackle the more
intimate issues of a child's life.
Things like having a friend move away,
your parents getting divorced,
or even just the bittersweet nature of growing up.
We want our film to be more than just a history lesson or a,
where are they now special?
There's a reason why these shows have stayed
in the hearts of so many people,
and you want to explore why.
(TV static)
- With Adam's strong background in journalism,
my experience behind the camera,
and our mutual experience as screenwriters,
we have the ability and resources to do the majority
of the work on this film ourselves.
We also have most of the equipment that we'll need to
make a really sharp looking film.
However,
there are still a few things that we do need money for,
and that's why we're coming to you.
One of the biggest expenses we'll have is travel.
Now with these Nick stars and creators living
all over America and some in Canada,
we're going to be on the road a lot.
We're going to run with a skeleton crew
and operate on a shoestring budget,
but there are still many interviews to get
and many miles to cover.
Another big expense for the film comes
in the way of copyright and legal fees.
We want to make sure we do this the right way from the start
and that means making sure that all footage,
and images used from those classic Nickelodeon shows
is done legally and respectfully.
The rest of our budget will go towards
marketing for the film,
craft services, because our crew
and interviewees can't work on an empty stomach.
And then miscellaneous items
like location costs and the distribution
and fulfillment of perks for you our awesome supporters.
Hey, how many miles is it from here to Canada anyway?
- I don't know.
(TV static)
- Thank you so much for taking time to look at our campaign.
Any contribution you can make
will go miles towards making "The Orange Years"
the documentary film that Nick fans deserve.
And we're really excited to share it
with you along the way.
You guys are awesome.
- Seriously, what would we do without them?
- I don't know.
Ugh!
Let's go make a film!