# Buzzco Associates

Buzzco Associates, Inc. is an animation studio that was founded in 1985 as an offshoot of Perpetual Motion Pictures and Buzzco Productions (as Perpetual Motion Pictures) by Buzz Potamkin with Emmy Award winner, Candy Kugel and Vincent Cafarelli as co-creative directors and Marilyn Kraemer as executive producer. Buzzco Associates is the longest continually operating animation studio in New York's history.

## History

Buzzco Associates, Inc., traces its lineage to Perpetual Motion Pictures, founded in 1968 by Buzz Potamkin and Hal Silvermintz. Early work of Buzzco included the "I Want My MTV" campaign, and the "Top of the Hour" network ID for Paramount's MTV. The spots mixed live action with rock stars along music and animation. In 1982, Perpetual Motion Pictures split into Perpetual Animation and Buzzco Productions, Inc., and Vincent Cafarelli and Candy Kugel joined Buzzco. Potamkin left New York in 1984 to form Southern Star Productions in Los Angeles. As part of the continuing partners' agreement in forming Buzzco Associates, Cafarelli, Kugel and Kraemer decided it was important for them to make independent films.
Buzzco continued with production of commercials, titles, insert programming, sales films and segments for such clients as Nickelodeon, Sesame Workshop, MTV, HBO Family and ABC, as well as for educational shows such as PBS's Sesame Street, Between the Lions and Square One Television. Commercial clients often come to Buzzco because of its ability to integrate different print styles into motion. They have often worked with humorous illustrator Norm Bendell, a designer of commercials for First Morris Bank and the flea-control program CIBA.
Talking About Sex: A Guide for Families, created and produced for Planned Parenthood, won the Educational Film Award at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in 1997.
It's Still Me: A Guide for People with Aphasia & Their Loved Ones, a 17-minute film from 2009, explains aphasia and offers ways of communicating without words. It was inspired by Kugel's mother, who was aphasic for twelve years after a massive stroke.

## Filmography

| Title | Year(s) | Notes | Client |
| Scratch Harry | 1969 | animation | Cannon Film Distributors |
| Weekend | 1974–1979 | animated sequences | NBC |
| The Berenstain Bears' Christmas Tree | 1979 | TV special | Joseph Cates Company |
| The Dough Nuts | 1980–1981 | interstitial series | Greengrass Productions |
| The Berenstain Bears Meet Bigpaw | 1980 | TV special | Joseph Cates Company |
| Strawberry Shortcake in Big Apple City | 1981 | TV special | Muller Rosen Productions |
| The Berenstain Bears' Easter Surprise | 1981 | TV special | Joseph Cates Company |
| The Berenstain Bears' Comic Valentine | 1982 | TV special | Joseph Cates Company |
| Willie Survive | 1982 | interstitial series | Greengrass/Olin/Lawrence Productions |
| USA Cartoon Express | 1982–1991 | openings and bumpers | USA Network |
| Calliope | 1982–1983 | animation | USA Network |
| The Berenstain Bears Play Ball | 1983 | TV special | Joseph Cates Company |
| Playboy's Hot Rocks | 1983 | graphics | The Playboy Channel |
| Deck the Halls with Wacky Walls | 1983 | TV special | NBC |
| Computer Critters | 1984 | interstitial series | ABC |
| Zack Of All Trades | 1984 | interstitial series | ABC |
| Sunday Showdown | 1984 | opening titles | USA Network |
| Teen Wolf | 1986 | opening and end credits | Southern Star Productions |
| Munchies | 1987 | title sequence | New Concorde |
| ABC Fun Facts | 1988–1989 | interstitial series | ABC |
| Sesame Street | 1988–1991 2005 | animated sequences | Sesame Workshop |
| Playboy Late Night | 1992 | animation | Playboy TV |
| Square One Television | 1992 | "The Further Adventures of Zook & Alison" | Children's Television Workshop |
| Sports Illustrated for Kids: TV Sports Quiz | 1993 | Buzz Beamer animation | HBO |
| Money Made Easy: The ABC Kids' Guide to Dollars and Sense | 1994 | animation | Greengrass Productions |
| Square One TV Math Talk | 1995–1996 | animation | Children's Television Workshop |
| Talking About Sex: A Guide for Families | 1996 | direct-to-video | Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. |
| AGTV | 1998 | opening, closing and bumpers | American Girl |
| Nick Jr. Show and Tell | 1998 | interstitial series | Nick Jr. Channel |
| Elmo's World | 2001 | "Birthdays, Games, & More!" segue sequences | Sesame Workshop |
| Maya & Miguel | 2004–2007 | creative checking | Scholastic |
| Between the Lions | 2006–2010 | animation | WGBH/Sirius Thinking |
| Schoolhouse Rock: Earth | 2009 | "The Rainforest" | ABC |
| TED-Ed | 2012–2013 | seven videos | TED |

### Short films

* Woman: Who Is Me? (1976)
* Inbetweening America (1977)
* Confessions of a Starmaker (technical assistance, 1978)
* So What If It Rains? (1979) (animation; produced by Manno Productions and Alternate Choice)
* Audition (1980)
* My Film, My Film, My Film (1983)
* A Warm Reception in L.A. (1987)
* Animated Self-Portrait (1988)
* Snowie and the Seven Dorps (1990)
* Fast Food Matador (1991)
* We Love It (1992)
* The Ballad of Archie Foley (1995)
* KnitWits (1997)
* KnitWits Revisited (1999)
* Life: A New York Ani-Jam (animated contribution, 1999)
* (it was . . .) Nothing At All (2000)
* Piscis (2001)
* Juan Bobo's Birthday Party (2002)
* Command-Z (2005)
* What I Want (music video, 2005)
* Right (2007)
* dEVOLUTION (2008)
* It's Still Me! A Guide For People With Aphasia & Their Loved Ones (2009)
* The Last Time (2012)
* iHeed: Two Simple Ways To Treat Water (2012)
* iHeed: Access to Family Planning is a Human Right (2013)
* Blessings of the Season (2013)
* My Depression (The Up and Down and Up of It) (2014) (animation)
* Vashti (2018)
* I, Candy (2018)

### Commercials

* 3M (1970s)
* American Academy of Pediatrics (1984, 1988)
* American Eagle (1986)
* AnMed Health Medical Center (2003)
* Beau Rivage Casino (2014)
* Bell South (2005)
* Big Bear Supermarkets
* Budget Gourmet (1988)
* Burger King
* CBS (1970s)
* CD 101.9 (1990)
* Cheerios
* Chef Boyardee (1991)
* Chex
* CIBA
* Clearblue Easy (1991)
* The Comedy Channel (1990)
* Connecticut Academy for Education (1993)
* Cosequin (2017)
* Dan-E (2011)
* Diaperene
* Dr. Scholl's (1989)
* FirstBank (1980)
* First Morris Banks
* Fritos (1970s)
* GCI (2000)
* Hawaiian Punch
* HBO (1985)
* HBO Family (2001)
* K-Lite (1989)
* King Features (1982)
* KPPL (1982)
* McGraw-Hill
* MONY (1984)
* The Movie Channel (1987)
* MTV (1981–1984)
* National Science Foundation (1988)
* Nickelodeon (1985, 1998)
* Nick Jr. Channel (2001)
* Ohio Bell (1970s)
* Pinnacle (2000)
* Prell (1981)
* Safelite (2013)
* Salem (1981)
* See 'n Say (2001)
* Skittles (1981)
* Southwestern Bell (1993)
* Sunkist (1990)
* Underalls (1982)
* USA Network (1988)
* Tyco Toys (1999)
* VH-1 (1984–1985)
* Visa (2005)
* The Wall Street Journal
* WESC (1982)
* WPIX (1984)
* Xerox
* Zoombezi Bay (2014)
Commissioned short films
* ActMedia
* Balloon Museum
* CIBA
* Hewitt Associates, Inc.
* MacMillan Cancer Care
* NexView
* Xerox