Vivienne Medrano

Vivienne Medrano (born October 28, 1992),[2] also known by her online alias VivziePop, is an American animator, writer, director, illustrator, comic creator and voice actress. She is best known as the creator of the adult animated series Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss. She has also written a webcomic entitled ZooPhobia.[3][4][5]

Vivienne Medrano
Born (1992-10-28) October 28, 1992
Frederick, Maryland, U.S.
Other namesVivziePop
EducationSchool of Visual Arts
Occupations
  • Animator
  • Illustrator
  • Comic creator
  • Voice actress
Years active2011–present
Notable work
YouTube information
ChannelsVivziepop
Genres
Subscribers8.37 million
(September 15, 2023)
Total views1 billion
100,000 subscribers2015[1]
1,000,000 subscribers2018

Career

Early work

Prior to joining YouTube, Medrano did assistant work on a thesis horror comedy film by Zach Bellissimo titled Blanderstein, in 2011.[6][7]

Medrano launched her YouTube channel under the screen name "VivziePop" in 2012, building a dedicated online audience, who enjoyed her fanwork and original creations.[8][9] Also in 2012, she started a webcomic titled ZooPhobia, which ultimately ran until 2016, ending so that she could find more time to develop Hazbin Hotel.[10][11][12] Medrano directed her first short animated film, titled "Son of 666" in 2013.[11] Medrano released her fourth year thesis film entitled "Timber" in 2014, for which she won a Dusty Award in "Outstanding Achievement in Character Animation".[13][14] Medrano named the film after the song by Pitbull and Kesha, and its score had homages to the song as well.[15] In October 2014, she released an animated music video for the song "Die Young" by Kesha, which accumulated over 50 million views by October 2019.[12] As a result, she became "relatively well-known" online for her animation and artwork, some of which she shared on her channel.[16]

Medrano received a Bachelor in Fine Arts and graduated from School of Visual Arts in August 2014.[8][9] She worked as a freelance animator for two years.[8] She continued to work on her webcomic ZooPhobia until 2016, when she ended it in order to focus her attention on Hazbin Hotel. Hazbin Hotel would be crowdfunded through Patreon.[8][17][18]

SpindleHorse Toons

Medrano founded the animation studio SpindleHorse Toons, under which the pilot for Hazbin Hotel, the pilot and first season for Helluva Boss, and several animated shorts would be released.[19] Medrano serves as the director, writer and character designer for SpindleHorse Toons.[20] In an interview with Cartoon Brew, she said that much of the Hazbin Hotel pilot was funded by money from her Patreon, rather than income from YouTube's algorithm.[8] The company Horseless Cowboy assisted Medrano with voice casting during the first season of Helluva Boss, with Richard Steven Horvitz serving as the voice director.[21] Cartoon Brew described her as a "paragon of indie success in animation".[22]

In October 2019, the pilot episode of Hazbin Hotel was released on Medrano's YouTube channel.[23] In November 2019, the pilot of Helluva Boss was released on her YouTube channel as well.[24] In July 2020, Medrano released an animated music video for Hazbin Hotel called "Addict", featuring the Silva Hound song of the same name.[25][26] In August 2020, Hazbin Hotel was picked up for a full series by A24.[27][28] Animation Magazine said that A24 was taking a "bold step" by picking up the series.[29] In 2023, scholar Ben Mitchell described Medrano's Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss as series which were "sensationally popular" and an effective use of Patreon to subsidize the show's art "through monthly tiered payments".[30]

On September 30, 2020, Medrano released an animated short film titled "Bad Luck Jack", based on her webcomic ZooPhobia.[31] The short was nominated and won for a Ursa Major Award in the "Best Dramatic Short Work" category.[32][33] The short was also listed as a "Recommended Anthropomorphic Dramatic Short Work" on the Ursa Major Award website.[34]

Other work

From 2017 to 2019, she worked as an animator on Nico Colaleo's DreamWorksTV series, Too Loud.[11] She called her experience on the series "a delight."[35] She also worked as a character designer on the series.[36] In March 2021, it was reported that she was a partner of Redefine Entertainment, a management company formed by Jairo Alvarado, Tony Gil, and Max Goldfarb.[37][38]

Personal life

Medrano was born in Frederick, Maryland and is a Salvadoran-American.[11] She became interested in animation when she watched the movie Bambi.[9] She began using art programs such as MS Paint in third grade.[9][4] Her early art was heavily influenced by Invader Zim. Medrano moved to New York City and began attending School of Visual Arts in September 2010 and would later graduate in 2014.[9][4]

She is bisexual.[39]

Filmography

Film
Title Year Credited as Notes
Director Writer Producer Animation/Art Other
"Blanderstein" 2011 No No No No Yes Assistant[6][7]
"Son of 666" 2013 Yes Yes No No No Creator[11]
"Timber" 2014 Yes No No No No Creator[4]
"Hand-Dawn: 2D Documentary" 2019 No No No No Yes As herself[17][40]
"That's Entertainment" 2019 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Hazbin Hotel pilot[41]
"Bad Luck Jack" 2020 Yes Yes No Yes No ZooPhobia short[31]

Television
Title Year Credited as Notes
Director Writer Producer Animation/Art Other
Hazbin Hotel 2024–present Yes Yes Yes Yes N/A Creator[41]

Web series
Title Year Credited as Voice role Notes
Writer Executive Producer Director Animation/Art
Too Loud 2017–2019 No No No Yes Sarah Animator[11] and character designer[36]
Helluva Boss 2019, 2020–present Yes Yes Yes Yes Various characters Creator[42]
Ollie & Scoops 2019—present No No No No Poopsie St. Pierre [43]
Eddsworld 2021 No No No No Face Painter Episode: "The Beaster Bunny"

References
  1. Vivienne Medrano (VivziePop) (May 10, 2015). "100K SUBS SPEED DRAW - VivziePop". YouTube. Archived from the original on January 14, 2022. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
  2. Vivienne Medrano [@VivziePop] (October 28, 2021). "THANK YOU MONICA! 💕" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  3. "OIAF 2021 Drops Official Trailer and New Program Highlights". Animation World Network. September 3, 2021. Archived from the original on September 3, 2021. Retrieved September 6, 2021. Join Creator Vivienne Medrano (aka Vivziepop) for an intimate conversation about creating her Youtube hit series, Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss.
  4. Asarch, Steven (February 3, 2021). "A cartoon demon musical drew in 53 million YouTube viewers. The creator of 'Hazbin Hotel' says she couldn't have predicted its success". Insider. Archived from the original on February 3, 2021. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  5. Milligan, Mercedes (May 16, 2022). "LXiA Announces the Return of Animation Day at LALIFF 2022". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on May 17, 2022. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
  6. Zach Bellissimo (May 10, 2018). "Blenderstein! (2011) by Zach Bellissimo". YouTube. Archived from the original on February 7, 2021. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  7. Brewmasters (April 29, 2019). "CBTV Student Fest: "Blenderstein!"". Cartoon Brew. Archived from the original on September 27, 2020. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  8. Vollenbroek, Tunde (April 29, 2019). "7 Tips For Building A Successful Animation Channel On Youtube". Cartoon Brew. Archived from the original on February 5, 2021. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
  9. Medrano, Vivienne (February 25, 2019). ""Animation is Magic": SVA Alumnus VivziePop on Perseverance, Inspiration and 'Hazbin Hotel'". School of Visual Arts (Interview). Interviewed by Danielle Peters. New York. Archived from the original on March 2, 2020. Retrieved April 24, 2021. See YouTube clip of interview here Archived February 1, 2020, at the Wayback Machine.
  10. Cruz, Larry (January 10, 2013). "'Zoophobia': Fear of an animal planet". CBR. Archived from the original on March 27, 2021. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  11. Liberman, Dr Esther (December 9, 2019). "A Salvadoran-American Artist's Conception of Hell". BeLatina. Archived from the original on February 26, 2020. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  12. Short, Dan (November 7, 2019). "Hazbin Hotel [Review]". Animated Views. Archived from the original on November 6, 2020. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  13. McLean, Tom (May 14, 2014). "Top Dusty Toon Honors to 'Moonstruck'". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on September 23, 2020. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
  14. "Dusty Festival: Winners List". SVA BFA Film. School of Visual Arts. Archived from the original on February 2, 2021. Retrieved April 25, 2021. See the list of winners in 2011 which list "Blanderstein" and "Destiny for the Birds", and 2014, which lists "Timber".
  15. Medrano, Vivienne (June 30, 2014). "Alumni Blog: Vivienne Medrano". SVA BVA Film blog. School of Visual Arts. Archived from the original on March 6, 2020. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
  16. Lepri, Miranda (February 3, 2020). ""Hazbin Hotel" May Be Over Before It Begins". The Spectator. Stuyvesant High School. Archived from the original on November 6, 2020. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  17. Sarto, Dan (December 4, 2019). "'Hand Drawn' Feature Documentary in Last Days of Indiegogo Campaign". Animation World Network. Archived from the original on November 6, 2020. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  18. Miller, Caroline (March 20, 2022). "A24 Reveals Character Images for Raunchy Animated Series Hazbin Hotel". MovieWeb. Archived from the original on March 22, 2022.
  19. Amidi, Amid (August 7, 2020). "A24 Picks Up Online Pilot 'Hazbin Hotel' For Series". Cartoon Brew. Archived from the original on March 7, 2021. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
  20. "Making Your Own Cartoon with Special Guest VIVIENNE MEDRANO". Creative Talent Network. September 2, 2020. Archived from the original on April 25, 2021. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  21. "'Hazbin Hotel' creator Vivziepop teams with Horseless Cowboy on devilishly twisted 'Helluva Boss'". Skwigly. October 7, 2020. Archived from the original on October 8, 2020. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
  22. Dudok De Wit, Alex (September 23, 2021). "6 Unmissable Events At This Week's Ottawa International Animation Festival". Cartoon Brew. Archived from the original on September 24, 2021. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  23. Brueheim, Jackson (May 13, 2020). "Hazbin Hotel: 10 Astonishing Pieces of Fan Art". CBR. Archived from the original on June 12, 2020. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  24. Short, Dan (December 18, 2020). "Helluva Boss". Animated Views. Archived from the original on January 18, 2021. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  25. Troup, Margaret (November 2, 2020). "'Hazbin Hotel' creator releases new episode of spinoff series 'Helluva Boss'". Iowa State Daily. Archived from the original on November 3, 2020. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  26. James, Tito W. (July 17, 2020). "'Hazbin Hotel' Returns With A New Music Video 'Addict'". Comicon.com. Archived from the original on July 22, 2020. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  27. Dudok de Wit, Alex (September 1, 2020). "Here's The Biggest Animation News You Missed In August". Cartoon Brew. Archived from the original on September 4, 2020. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  28. Alexa, Laurén (September 1, 2020). "Unconventional A24 Picks Up Controversial 'Hazbin Hotel'". Animation World Network. Archived from the original on November 2, 2020. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  29. Milligan, Mercedes (August 7, 2020). "A24 Checks in to VivziePop's Hellish 'Hazbin Hotel'". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on August 14, 2020. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  30. Mitchell, Ben (2023). Independent Animation: Developing, Producing and Distributing Your Animated Films. Boca Raton, Florida: CRC Press. p. 87. ISBN 9781000849189. Archived from the original on July 6, 2023. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  31. Short, Dan (October 5, 2020). "ZooPhobia: Bad Luck Jack". Animated Views. Archived from the original on January 20, 2021. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  32. "Voting". Ursa Major Awards. Archived from the original on March 1, 2021. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
  33. O'Reily, Rod (May 2, 2021). "The Ursa Major Awards for 2020". FurteanTimes.com/Flayrah. Archived from the original on May 3, 2021. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
  34. "Recommended Furry Art and Literature List". Ursa Major Awards. Archived from the original on February 3, 2021. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
  35. Medrano, Vivienne [@VivziePop] (February 6, 2017). "For the fantastic @NicoColaleo SO excited to share the adorable wonder that is "Too Loud" with everyone! Working on it has been a delight" (Tweet). Archived from the original on April 25, 2021. Retrieved February 3, 2022 – via Twitter.
  36. Too Loud [@TooLoudCartoon] (December 15, 2017). "The first entry into our TOO LOUD Crew Spotlight: @VivziePop, TL's character designer and animator! #TooLoudCartoon" (Tweet). Archived from the original on February 4, 2022. Retrieved February 3, 2022 – via Twitter.Colaleo also said that "Vivienne IS Too Loud"
  37. Fleming, Mike Jr. (March 3, 2021). "Jairo Alvarado, Tony Gil & Max Goldfarb Form Lit Mgmt/Production Company Redefine Entertainment". Deadline. Archived from the original on March 13, 2021. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
  38. Cavero, Natalia Puertas (March 4, 2021). "Latinos set to "redefine" the entertainment industry". Al Dia Television. Archived from the original on March 11, 2021. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  39. Medrano, Vivienne [@VivziePop] (June 15, 2020). "Also I am a bisexual woman, and majority of my cast and crew, and characters are LGBT so to think that the show or production is setting out to be anti LGBT is ludicrous and I'm pretty sick of that being what people just -believe- about my projects" (Tweet). Archived from the original on June 16, 2020. Retrieved April 24, 2021 – via Twitter.
  40. Milligan, Mercedes (November 20, 2019). "'Hand Drawn' Documentary Crowdfunds Final Round". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on January 28, 2021. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
  41. Cubilas, Sean (November 26, 2020). "Hazbin Hotel: 10 Funniest Lines In The Show, Ranked". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on November 25, 2020. Retrieved April 24, 2021. From Vivienne Medrano, the talented artist behind the drawings and animations on the YouTube channel, Vivziepop, Hazbin Hotel portrays all of the quirky, ambitious, and dark humor that Vivienne has become synonymous with.
  42. Baron, Reuben (December 2, 2019). "Adult Animation Is Better Than Ever - So Why Does It Draw Ridicule?". CBR. Archived from the original on December 2, 2019. Retrieved April 25, 2021. Independent animator Vivziepop has lit up YouTube with her pilots Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss, which have earned some warranted criticism for their immature, edgy humor but are at least clear labors of love from an animation standpoint.
  43. Colaleo, Nico [@nicocolaleo] (March 11, 2020). "STARRING @VivziePop as Poopsie St. Pierre! @ninjamac as Rudy! @redlettermedia's Mike Stoklasa and Rich Evans as Brunk & Merle! @BrockBaker as Dan Dipple! @NicoColaleo as Mayor Scrumpy! @CrackMcCraigen as The Narrator[.] @ChaseTheVA as Old Crumplecranks" (Tweet). Archived from the original on March 11, 2020. Retrieved May 3, 2021 – via Twitter.
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