Michael Sporn Animation – Splog

My first job in the film business was for Hal Seeger at his company Hal Seeger Studio (also known as Channel Films or Channel Sound). After coming out of the Navy in 1971, I contacted any studio – about 100 – that advertised themselves in the Backstage Listings as doing animation; I offered to do anything including sweeping the floors. A day after the letters went out, Hal Seeger called. “Did you mean it?” “Yes.”

I ended up working as a messenger for $69 a week, $10 less than unemployment was paying at the time. Two weeks later when asked to mop the floors for an additional $10 a week, I was in the money.

They no longer did animation there; predominantly they were a subdivision of ABC and outsourced editing for the News division. I was put in to help out Lenny Bird prepare trailers for the Friday, Sunday, Monday and “Wednesday Night at the Movies”. Lenny was enormously patient and incredibly helpful to an aspiring newcomer.

I learned to edit on an upright moviola. My first day I had to cut commercial spots out of 52 half-hour episodes of the King Kong animated show, so that the prints could be sent to South America. I assisted and worked the mixes with Lee Dichter, the top sound mixer in NYC. I delivered and picked up elements from the lab and delivered the final goods to ABC. Once, when Gil Hodges died, I went to Brooklyn to help PA on baseball interviews with Howard Cossell. I had to drive Jackie Robinson’s Cadillac back into Manhattan so Howard could interview him in a limo.
The key to the job, for me, was that I could ask Hal Seeger questions anytime I wanted, which, of course, I did. There was also the crusty, ex-Paramount animation cameraman, Seymour Mandel on staff. Hal had two cameras. I had lots of thoughts about the camera and got to talk for long stretches with Seymour about it.

Hal once gave me a scene of the Campbell’s kids, animated by Myron Waldman, and let me inbetween it. He then gave me some comments. That’s when Myron walked in. He gave me some quick comments too. Myron came by the studio about once a week, usually to talk with Seymour. In and out, very quick visits. I never got to spend a lot of time with him, but I did say hi and talked with Hal about him. Myron was friendly but quick paced, always with his brown leather briefcase.

Eventually, wanting to get out of film editing and sound effects recording (another part of my job) I quit. It took about two months to end up working for my hero, John Hubley.

Eventually, I got to meet Myron again – this time at length – when I went with Mike Barrier to sit in on an interview with him. Rosalie, Myron’s wife, was pleasant and gracious, Myron was courteous, and the stories flowed. It was a very pleasant afternoon.

NY Times Obituary

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