Indie Animation Disruptors Drop Industry Tips That Actually Matter — What We Learned at Comic-Con 2025
- The Big Magazine Staff
- Jul 29
- 4 min read
Updated: Jul 30
By The Big Magazine Staff
Creators of MechWest, Lord Spew, and animation industry leader Brooke Keesling (ASIFA and Bento Box) shared unfiltered do’s and don’ts for emerging animators during a standout panel at #SDCC.
While most Comic-Con San Diego attendees were heading to afterparties or winding down from a packed day, I found myself walking into one of the final panels of the day on Saturday (July 26th) a conversation on the future of indie animation titled “How Indie Animation Challenges the Industry.” I wasn’t expecting much, to be honest. Many of the panels earlier had lost my attention, but this one kept me in my seat.
The panel featured a lineup of Indie and non Indie creators: father-son animators Dave and Noah Gallagher (behind the original indie project MechWest), animation executive Brooke Keesling, and the ever talented Lord Spew—aka Sean Glazer—whose wildly popular animated shorts I have followed on Adult Swim and Cartoon Network.
Katcy Stephan (entertainment reporter for Variety) moderated the panel and she didn’t waste any time with fluff. She started the panel with straightforward questions like “What does Indie Animation mean to you?” and “How do you land a distribution deal with a streamer?”
The room was pretty full for an 8 p.m. slot. As I took my seat, a staffer handed me a complimentary MechWest comic book that was made exclusively for SDCC because let’s be honest, free swag is one of the easiest ways to win hearts at Comic-Con. But what really kept me engaged wasn’t the handout ( it was impressive), it was the insight, candor, and humor delivered by the panelists.
The creators behind MechWest spoke passionately about the freedom that comes with building the kind of content you truly want to see in the world and developing original IP that fans are naturally drawn to. With millions of views on the MechWest YouTube channel, Dave Gallagher has used that platform not just to entertain, but to empower. Through AnimSchool, the animation school he owns and operates, he regularly brings in graduate students for their first paid industry gigs offering them a real, tangible step into the business.
The panel dissected the state of indie animation in today’s content-saturated media landscape and, more importantly, where it’s headed. What stood out was the variety of perspectives: emerging creators, a veteran studio exec, and a reputable animator who straddles both indie and mainstream worlds, all contributing their takes. There was real advice shared, too—like how student animators can craft a portfolio that actually gets noticed, and how to submit it the right way.
Brooke Keesling broke down common pitfalls, including the importance of hiring the right entertainment lawyer once your project gets interest. She also unpacked the realities of IP ownership and licensing, sharing what it really means when a streaming platform acquires your work.
One standout moment came when Brooke Keesling, drawing from her experience at Bento Box and ASIFA, offered tangible advice on when creators should start selling merch for their brand (and when they shouldn’t). After the panel had wrapped, Lord Spew pulled out a stack of blank cards and began drawing original art for fans. His long hair flowing with bright neon green streak down the middle.
While I didn’t manage to score one of Lord Spew’s hand-drawn cards, I did track down the artwork he created to promote the panel mentioned at the start of panel by moderator Katcy Stephan. She joked that the illustrations made the panelists look “kind of scary,” but Spew explained it was his way of promoting the event to his fans in a way that felt original and not overly commercial.
For all the spectacle Comic-Con is known for, it’s often these under-the-radar panels that offer the most authentic connections to the industry. While it wasn’t as flashy as the George Lucas panel in Hall H, I walked away not only as a new fan of MechWest and Lord Spew, but with a deeper appreciation for ASIFA Hollywood. Keesling closed the night by sharing that ASIFA doesn’t just honor excellence with the Annie Awards—they actively fund scholarships for emerging animators and work to preserve aging, at-risk animated films that shaped the genre.
Sometimes it pays to skip the hype and listen to creators / animators who are actually challenging the status quo, sharing real advice that reminds you to make shit you love, and trust the audience will follow.
Full panel here:
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