MIFA is the International Animation Film Market where companies come from all over the word to sell projects and also to recruit talent. As you know I recruit films and MIFA is a great place to meet animators and acquire films. In these two videos I give you the taste of what MIFA is.

Brian the Nice Guy was walking to the Bonlieu where he spied the ever elusive Spike in his Hotel Room at he Hotel Splendid.

Well, today is when the Animation Festival begins. I will be out there in all my Spikeyness meeting the people and collecting films.
I kind of hinted that I was only staying one night at the L’Imperial Palace and then getting into the heart of things. Well, today I checked into the Hotel Splendid, which is literally steps from the Bonlieu where all the action is. It is a great room facing the canals (which you will see in the future video blog). The L’Imperial is a great hotel but it is a mile from the Bonlieu and even though they have a shuttle it doesn’t run all night. Although the walk along Lake Annecy is one of my favorite walks, when you spend eight hours at the Festival the walk gets a little longer. Hooked up with the French Babe, who is expecting a little French babe or dude in October, things sure change in a year. The Little Italian (that’s her in the picture with me) was there too. Collected a few more films today which are pretty good. I had my canvas out in the Bonlieu lobby which I’ll get into more tomorrow. Tired now.

Second day in Annecy. The festival won’t start until tomorrow but still had plenty to do! Called Brian the nice guy and had him come on over to the L’Imperial Palace, once of the nicest 5 STAR hotels in the World. When I come to Annecy I like to treat myself right. At least for one night, then I like to be where the action is. I like this one room I always get when I go there, it has a Veranda, and an incredible view of Lake Annecy and the French Alps. Brian came over and taped a new video blog which will also be up today.

While in France, I like to learn a new French word: today’s word – sortie. You see this word all over France – it’s so weird, it’s everywhere – every building, every theatre, over every door… it means… EXIT! So cool.

Have I told you about the food, greatest you could have. I had a terrific salad, Brian had some kind of chicken with a fromage (that’s cheese in frenchy) sauce and French fries. Also got my first film to check out – a thing called “News” from Darcy Prendergast, who did a great past Sick and Twisted film, “Ron the Zookeeper.”

 

 

 

Well, I’m on my way to Annecy, France to the International Animation Festival. This year I’m going to Annecy with my friend Brian the Nice Guy. Brian has been helping me with stuff for more than 10 years. This is the third year Brian the Nice Guy has come with me to the Annecy festival. He helps me discover the next best thing when it comes to animated shorts which end up in our show.

Now anyone who knows me will know that I am not the craziest about traveling, planes never seem to leave at a decent time. Example: I had to get up at 4:00 AM to catch a 6:30 AM flight to Dulles, Washington DC - then wait for 4 hours before getting ANOTHER plane for 8 hours and reach Geneva (that’s in Switzerland) at 8:00am local time and then an hour cab ride into Annecy. I am 6’5” and weigh …proportional to my height – so sitting in one place for almost a whole day is not… did I tell you I woke up at 4:00 in the MORNING! I don’t even know if you could call it morning because there was NO SUN! The only way I could even comprehend this whole travel thing is the miracle of Business class – good food, leg space, me sitting there with all the suits. (For those of you keeping score – Brian the Nice Guy took one for the team, sitting with the rest of humanity. What? He gets free… water.)

The Annecy Animation Festival (www.annecy.org) has been taking place for almost 50 years. When Mike and I started the Festival , almost 30 years ago, Mike would always be a presence at the festival obtaining the best of the best like “Tin Toy”, “The Old Man and the Sea,” and “Creature Comforts” which all went on to win Oscars. It was there that we discovered Nick Parks’s “Wallace and Gromit” which we introduced to the United States. After Mike passed away, we still had people there to discover new talent and amazing films but it was never the same. Then in 2000, I brought Sick and Twisted to friggin’ CANNES and they loved it, since I was in France I decided to go to Annecy where my friend John Lasseter was judging films. He introduced me to Serge Bromberg, the festival’s artistic director. Starting the next year we’ve been showing Sick and Twisted ever since. And the Frenchies eat it up – just like sautéed snails.

It’s like old home week for me, I see friends that I just see once a year like French Babe, Julienne, Little Frenchie, The Sheik, The Petite Italian, among others. (I like giving people nicknames but that’s a whole blog of its own.) Well, got to get something to eat – stay tune.

I’m Spike. Believe it or not it is really me – there really IS a Spike.. It has taken me a while but I have arrived kicking and screaming into the 21st Century. Now don’t get me wrong I still don’t get the Your Space or My Tubes or even that iPod thing but I do understand communication. I know the thirst for knowledge even if it is the minutiae of someone’s day to day activity. But I actually have something to say – or at least I think I do. On this blog I intend to tell you what we’re doing here at Spike and Mike’s. What kind of show we’re putting together, where we are showing the show and festivals we are going to. I intend to blog daily from the Annecy Animation Film Festival in France this June; a Spike eye’s view of the parties, conferences, new films, filmmakers and other people I’ll be hanging out with. I’ll tell you what new films we get in and new and old faces to look for. I might even allow you to see the way I’m thinking. We will touch on not only the now but the past of Spike and Mile’s. The rich history of how we began, people we have work with and our own secret origins. I’m pretty sure I will get a new blog up every day, so come on by read the adventure that is Spike and Mike’s, ask questions participate and I will let you into the mind of Spike.