/Interview/ The brains behind: Ask A Ninja
19/09/2007 | Filed under Discover > Interview
It’s one of the most popular comedy series on the web and was recently honoured with a Webby Award for best actor. Here, the ninja’s creators, Kent Nichols and Douglas Sarine, explain how they did it
.net: How did you come up with the idea for Ask A Ninja?
KN: We had been writing a complicated animated script, which was very funny, but problematic since neither of us could draw or animate. But we had created this rich ninja world, so we came up with Ask A Ninja as a cheap way to access all of that fun without worrying about budget and doing things we didn’t know how to do.
.net: Why has the ninja got so much wisdom?
KN: Well, he’s a ninja. He’s been training in the shadowy arts since he was six weeks old.
.net: What’s your favourite episode so far?
KN: I love the ones where we take a big left turn at the beginning, so I would say Ninjas Colds is up there because it creates a huge alternate world in just a few minutes.
.net: How successful is Ask A Ninja, and what kind of feedback do you get from people?
KN: It’s crazy successful, not only in terms of money and exposure, but in the response we get from fans. They love the ninja! It’s so amazing to be embraced like that. We’re very lucky and we don’t ever forget that.
.net: How did you manage to get such a dedicated audience?
KN: Through word of mouth. We’ve never spent a dime advertising – it’s always been fans telling the uninitiated about the ninja. When you have that, you have tremendous buy-in and loyalty.
.net: Why did you decide to go with sponsors such as Ask.com, and how much money are you making from Ask A Ninja?
KN: We decided to go with advertising in the middle of 2006. Basically, we had been floating along without much thought about how we’d make money, figuring that we eventually would, but not taking any real steps in that direction. But we saw other leaders in the space start to sputter because they weren’t making money. So we decided that, instead of becoming a footnote in this new medium, we should blaze ahead and show others how to do it. In January, we signed a seven-figure deal with Federated Media. They were the ones who booked Ask.com.
.net: How has your life changed since you started Ask A Ninja?
KN: Everything has changed and nothing has changed. We’re known now, we can get meetings in Hollywood, we’re making money. Yet, at the same time, we’re both living in our same apartments, driving the same cars, and working together. It’s nice to do it with a friend – you can keep each other in a reality check.
.net: How do you film and edit the clips, and what kind of tools and techniques do you use?
KN: We film the clips in my apartment, in front of my blue wall. The writing, filming and postproduction take about 25 man-hours for each episode. We use Final Cut Pro, Mac computers and Sony camcorders.
.net: What are the challenges of dealing with video clips on the web?
KN: They need to be really funny and faster than you think.
.net: Why have you left Revver and signed up with Castfire?
KN: Castfire is a subcontract through Federated Media. Revver is great – really helped us pay the bills – but we’re making a lot more money with Castfire/FM.
.net: What’s planned next?
KN: We’re working on the book that’s due out next summer, and a lot of fun film and internet properties.
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