Fred Seibert

Fred Seibert – Life, Career, and Famous Quotes

Explore the life and accomplishments of Fred Seibert — American media entrepreneur, former MTV creative director and Hanna-Barbera president, founder of Frederator Studios and FredFilms — his philosophy, legacy, and quotes that continue to inspire.

Introduction

Fred Seibert is a name intimately woven into the story of modern media, animation, and digital entertainment. Born on September 15, 1951, this American innovator has built a career that spans jazz recordings, television branding, animation incubators, and internet video networks. His influence touches some of the most beloved cartoons of our era and the platforms that distribute them. Yet beyond his resume lies a philosophy of putting creators first, embracing experimentation, and evolving with the medium. In this article, we take a deep dive into the life, career, thoughts, and legacy of Fred Seibert — and examine some of his most striking quotes and lessons.

Early Life and Family

Fred Seibert was born in Manhattan, New York City, on September 15, 1951. Details about his parents and early family life are relatively private, and Seibert himself has focused more publicly on his creative and professional journey than biography. Over time, he has referred to his life as having passed through multiple “lives”: the world of music, cable television, branding, animation, and online video.

Because he spent so much of his life chasing opportunities rather than dwelling in one domain, Seibert does not often describe his roots in the way many traditional biographers do. His early years laid foundations in music, radio, and experimentation — seeds for what would come later.

Youth and Education

Seibert’s first known public creative outlet was in radio. At Columbia University, he gravitated toward WKCR-FM, the campus radio station, beginning around 1969. Although he attended Columbia, he never completed a degree — much of his time was spent in the radio studio and with music projects.

While still in college, Seibert co-founded Oblivion Records, with partners Tom Pomposello and Dick Pennington. Under Oblivion, he released jazz and blues records by artists like Mississippi Fred McDowell (e.g. Live in New York) and Joe Lee Wilson. He also produced albums for small labels such as Muse Records, JCOA, and others.

During these years he also became involved with the New Music Distribution Service, a non-profit distribution network connected to composer-owned record labels (founded by Carla Bley, Michael Mantler). After working with them, he traveled on the road with Carla Bley’s big band, serving as sound engineer and road manager.

These early years — immersed in sound engineering, label management, and musical networks — cultivated a comfort with risk, multiplicity, and cross-disciplinary thinking that would characterize his later work.

Career and Achievements

Seibert’s career is often described in terms of multiple “lives”: music, cable television, branding, animation, and online video networks. Below is a chronological tour of major phases and accomplishments.

From Music to Cable Television

After his music and production work, Seibert moved into media and television. In the late 1970s, he worked with media promotion pioneer Dale Pon at New York’s WHN Radio, which primed him for television branding.

In 1980, while MTV was being conceptualized, Seibert became MTV’s first creative director (while MTV itself launched officially on August 1, 1981). He led the efforts to create the visual identity, promotional materials, and station “IDs”—short animated or graphical sequences between programs that would establish tone and brand identity. His team embraced a “mutating logo” concept: the MTV visual mark would transform in many forms rather than remain static. This approach to branding and identity was unconventional and at times controversial among network executives, but it became influential.

He also co-founded Fred/Alan Inc. (with Alan Goodman), a branding and promotion company. Through Fred/Alan, Seibert and Goodman overhauled Nickelodeon’s promotional direction (mid-1980s), turning a struggling children’s network into a creative, youth-oriented brand, and launched Nick-at-Nite, which rebranded older television programming as “classic” content.

In 1992, Seibert became president of Hanna-Barbera, the iconic cartoon studio. At Hanna-Barbera he initiated What a Cartoon!, an incubator for short animated films by emerging creators. The concept was to let artists experiment with ideas, and if a cartoon short resonated, it might be spun into a series. Under his leadership, Hanna-Barbera produced some 250 shorts (from 1995 to 2018, across his career) and from them many successful series were born—Dexter’s Laboratory, Johnny Bravo, Courage the Cowardly Dog, The Powerpuff Girls, and others.

When Turner Broadcasting sold Hanna-Barbera into the Time Warner fold (mid-1990s), Seibert left and launched his own companies.

Founding Frederator and Digital Ventures

In 1998, Seibert founded Frederator Studios, headquartered in Burbank, California. Frederator would serve as an independent producer of animated content, collaborating with Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, YouTube, and other platforms.

He continued his short-cartoon incubator model via Oh Yeah! Cartoons (1998), Random! Cartoons, and other animation anthology series, giving birth to new projects with creative autonomy. Many shows born in these incubators became major hits (e.g. My Life as a Teenage Robot, Adventure Time).

Seibert also co-founded Next New Networks (mid-2000s), a pioneer in online video networks, aggregating multiple video creators and distributing digital content widely. Next New Networks was acquired by YouTube in 2011.

He launched Channel Frederator, Cartoon Hangover, and other YouTube-based networks. Channel Frederator is often described as one of the first podcast-style animation networks and became a multi-channel network distributing hundreds of animated channels.

In August 2020, Seibert stepped down as CEO at Frederator, though he remained active as executive producer on projects. In February 2021, he announced a new venture: FredFilms, a production company with first-look deals and development of new animated and hybrid properties. Among projects under development: revivals and reboots of The Fairly OddParents, Adventure Time: Fionna & Cake, Castlevania: Nocturne, Bee & PuppyCat, and others.

Awards, Honors, and Recognition

• Early in his career, Seibert received a Grammy Award nomination for his work in music production.

• He was awarded the AIGA Medal for lifetime achievements in graphic arts and design in 2000.

• He was inducted into the Animation Magazine Hall of Fame in 2017.

• In November 2023, he was inducted into the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences “Gold Circle”, an honor reserved for individuals with distinguished service and contribution over 50 years.

• Over his career, Seibert’s animation and television work has won multiple Emmy Awards, Annie Awards, and BAFTA honors.

Historical Milestones & Context

To fully appreciate Seibert’s achievements, it is helpful to situate them in the broader media and technological shifts of his time:

• The 1980s and 1990s were transformative years for cable television, branding, and youth culture; MTV’s founding and visual identity redefinition helped shift how networks thought about themselves as “brands.” Seibert played a central role in that era.

• The concept of animation incubators (letting creators pitch shorts, then spinning up series) was relatively novel; Seibert’s What a Cartoon! and later incubators helped invent or popularize this model of creative development.

• As the internet matured, Seibert moved early into online video networks (Next New Networks) and multi-channel networks, anticipating how content creation and distribution would decentralize across platforms.

• The rise of YouTube, streaming services, and creator-driven animation networks aligned well with Seibert’s ethos of empowering creators and bypassing traditional gatekeepers.

In many respects, Seibert has been a bridge — from analog to digital, from broadcast to on-demand, from network gatekeepers to creator-driven ecosystems.

Legacy and Influence

Fred Seibert’s legacy is multifaceted. Some of the most enduring elements:

Empowering Creators

At the heart of Seibert’s approach is a “creators-first” philosophy. Whether through incubators, open calls, or distributing networks, he has consistently sought to lower barriers for new voices in animation and media.

Reinventing Network Identity

His work at MTV, Nickelodeon, and with Fred/Alan redefined how television branding can evolve dynamically. The idea of a mutable, expressive logo and short-form identity interstitials has influenced many networks and streaming services since.

Incubator Model in Animation

The incubator model — producing many shorts, evaluating success, then scaling — is now a recognized pathway (e.g. Cartoon Network’s Cartoonstitute, Netflix’s shorts programs). Seibert’s pioneering efforts in What a Cartoon!, Oh Yeah! Cartoons, and Random! remain reference points.

Early Internet Vision

Seibert’s early embrace of online platforms in video networks and content distribution showed foresight. Next New Networks’ eventual acquisition by YouTube and Channel Frederator’s growth demonstrated how media creators could circumvent traditional networks and reach audiences directly.

Sustained Adaptation

Over decades, Seibert has not remained static. From vinyl records to web series to streaming, his willingness to reinvent, pivot, and reimagine media shows a resilience that is rare in the fast-changing entertainment world.

Personality and Talents

Fred Seibert is often described in terms that emphasize curiosity, experimentation, and humility. He speaks of “lives” rather than a singular career, reflecting a fluidity of identity.

Key traits and talents include:

• Curiosity and risk-taking: Seibert embraced transitions — from music to television, from network branding to digital production — rather than staying confined to a single domain.

• Vision for identity and branding: His sensitivity to visual language, brand voice, and identity allowed him to lead radical changes at MTV, Nickelodeon, and Hanna-Barbera.

• Builder and connector: He often plays the role of facilitator, incubator, connector of creators, and investor in new talent and technologies.

• Mentorship and empowerment: Over decades, he has mentored younger animators, producers, and media entrepreneurs, providing platforms and support.

• Adaptive mindset: Rather than resisting new technologies, he has repeatedly pivoted toward emergent media (Internet, streaming) and retooled his strategies accordingly.

Seibert’s style is not flamboyant dominance; rather, it is an enabling, behind-the-scenes guiding hand — steering brands, projects, and creators without always demanding the spotlight.

Famous Quotes of Fred Seibert

Fred Seibert’s words often reflect his philosophy of creativity, iteration, and learning. Below are several notable quotes:

“Make something better than exists; then take responsibility for making others aware of it.”
— Fred Seibert

“Put creators first — always original.”
— A guiding motto frequently associated with Seibert’s approach (e.g. in FredFilms and Frederator philosophy)

“In a good incubator, the failures are more interesting than the successes.”
— He has spoken in interviews about the value of experimentation, failure, and risk in creative work (paraphrased from his public remarks)

“I believe we are entering a golden age of animation on the Internet.”
— Seibert has used this phrase in commentary on the evolving media landscape.

“Bounce around the pop culture winds like a ping-pong ball.”
— From his personal reflections on how his life trajectory veered across domains.

These quotes capture his belief in iteration, creativity, supporting creators, embracing the experimental, and maintaining humility in pursuit of innovation.

Lessons from Fred Seibert

From Seibert’s life and career we can distill several lessons that apply not only to media creators but to any innovator:

1. Embrace domain shifts. Don’t feel constrained to stay in one field; skills and sensibilities can transfer across media.

2. Support experimentation. Short-form pilots, prototypes, and risk-taking are essential incubators for innovation.

3. Brand identity matters. How you present your work visually and narratively helps your audience connect — and can be transformative.

4. Empower others. Fostering creative ecosystems often yields more impact than single-project control.

5. Adapt to technology. Media, platforms, and distribution evolve — align your strategies accordingly.

6. Learn from failure. Not every idea will succeed; the failures yield lessons and new directions.

7. Iterate, don’t wait. Instead of trying to perfect, ship, test, refine — continuous improvement over delays.

Conclusion

Fred Seibert’s journey—from Columbia’s radio studios to launching animation companies and digital networks—epitomizes the creative entrepreneur who refuses to be boxed in. His influence is embedded not just in the cartoons we watched, but in the structures that allow creators to flourish. His philosophy of empowering creators, embracing experimentation, and evolving with media continues to inspire.

If you want more on Fred Seibert’s projects, his reflections, or analysis of specific shows he’s produced, I’d be glad to dig deeper.