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Students at Hamden school get an insider's view from director of Nickelodeon show

March 25th, 2012

Students at Hamden school get an insider's view from director of Nickelodeon show

By Ann DeMatteo, Register Staff
Published: Sunday, March 25, 2012

HAMDEN — Monsters and dragons and Bubble Guppies were the topics of discussion when the director of the No. 1 show on Nickelodeon visited kindergartners at Wintergreen Interdistrict Magnet School recently.

“I like Bubble Guppies. I like Deema and Molly. I like the three girls,” Saria Reid, 5, from New Haven, said after the presentation by Mark Salisbury.

Salisbury’s friends, Jonny Belt and Robert Scull, created the series and as series director, Salisbury oversees all the production and animation. The show has been nominated for an Emmy for outstanding individual achievement in animation for season one. The show is in its second season and has been picked up for a third.

“Every time we saw the Bubble Guppies on the screen we said ‘Bubble Guppies!’” said Olivia Lizasuain, 5, of Hamden.

“It was great to see Mark come back to Wintergreen and give back to the community. It was awesome,” said Cielo Lizasuain, Olivia’s father.

Parent Richard Cho also enjoyed the visit. “It’s great the school exposes students to the inner workings of how a show is created.”

Salisbury grew up in Cheshire and was invited to the school by enrichment teacher Ingrid Ellinger-Doviak.

Ellinger-Doviak said Salisbury’s purpose was to share artistry via technology. “It was to showcase the idea of art across the ages,” she said.

“It’s fun. I enjoy talking to kids,” said Salisbury, who now lives in Carmel, N.Y., with his family.

He first showed kindergartners crude pencil and paper drawings of the characters and an episode working off a laptop and as he was showing that, he was drawing characters that he gave out to the crowd through a document camera that was projected onto a screen behind him. Then he drew characters, dragons and monsters for the children, who were watching with their parents in the school cafeteria.

“So do you guys like to draw? I like monsters and dragons,” Salisbury said, picking up a marker and instantly creating a funny-looking fire-breathing dragon.

Salisbury worked with students in other grades throughout the school day, showing them storyboards and how ideas and story themes for the characters eventually become animated.

Salisbury said he didn’t go to school for art but always had art books. “I really taught myself. All the information is there. I created my own style and adapted it.”

In response to a question from a parent, Salisbury said how his day goes depends on the day. Some days he’s working on scripts and some days he’s working with researchers or editing.

“From the time you get a script until the time you’re on TV, it’s about a year,” he said.

The Bubble Guppies — Molly, Deema, Gil, Oona, Nonny, and Goby — are mermaid-like creatures with colorful tails. They are seen in everyday settings underwater while they explore life and the world around them. The characters learn, play, sing and dance in a variety show style setting.

The show also has online resources.

Salisbury said that two books have just been released and merchandise will soon be on the market.

“I just had to approve Fisher Price toys,” he said.

The Nick Jr. program premiered on Jan. 24, 2011, as part of Nick Play Date. Three weeks prior to the premiere, Salisbury visited Wintergreen and got pupil reaction to the characters as a test audience.