The sun is shining; birds are chirping and The Whippersnappers are on the way to the GOOD WHEEL thrift store. While fishing for vintage treasure, OG discovers a bargain bin of blackballed infamy. Unbeknownst of its notoriety, The Whippersnapper’s taboo’d apparel offends a merciless mob.
Director Statement: “In 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, I decided to use this period of isolation to teach myself a new craft: hand-drawn animation. Although I’ve been a filmmaker for over 20 years, since the age of 15, and am well-versed in all aspects of film production, at the time, I’d never attempted animation. But, as a huge fan of the art form, I wanted to give animation a try.
I decided to create an animated web series and conceived the idea of “The Whippersnappers,” which was inspired by my deceased grandmother, who spent the final chapter of her life in a nursing home. With so many people, worldwide, feeling isolated, afraid, and alone during the pandemic—including myself—I wanted to create a show that would inspire and uplift people, at a time when it was, so desperately, needed. Over the course of the next 5 months, I produced every aspect of the pilot episode, from writing the script, hand drawing over 7,000 frames, doing all of the computer animation and editing and, even, voicing all the characters!
As an African American filmmaker, extremely proud of my ethnicity and culture, I consider it my responsibility to always be concerned with the positive depiction of black people in film. But I also consider it my mission, to create stories that are, not only, commercially appealing, but also spotlight universal issues that transcend race, such as the subject of ageism, as I have done in “The Whippersnappers.”
I am beyond grateful and humbled by the many accolades and awards that the pilot episode has received since its official release in January 2022. As I complete and release future episodes of “The Whippersnappers,” it is my sincere hope that the series brings as much joy, comfort and, of course, laughter to all those who watch it, as it brings to me in creating it.”
—Ryan Cole
Biography
Filmmaker Ryan A. Cole is on a quest to become one of the greatest filmmakers of his time. With an impressive resume of film credits and awards—from the Student Emmy he won for work on an internship while in college, to receiving the 2022 American Black Film Festival’s Fan Favorite Award—he is well on his way.
Cole, who grew up in New Jersey and Texas, began his filmmaking career in 2002, at age 15, when he attended the prestigious New York Film Academy’s filmmaking camp for high school students in Los Angeles, California. During the six-week intensive camp, students received instruction in all facets of film production. Cole credits his time at the camp as one of the most influential experiences that shaped his work as a filmmaker. After completing the film camp, and while still a student in high school, Cole established his own film and video production company, Point Bird Productions, under whose moniker he would begin to produce his own films.
After high school, Cole attended Howard University, where he received a BA in Film Production in 2009. While at HU, he was involved in more than one hundred film-related projects, including student films, commercials, and public service announcements. In 2008, while a student at Howard University, Cole produced and directed his first full-length feature film, The Rhythm of Struggle, for which he was awarded, a record, three Howard University Paul Robeson Awards for Best Actor, Best Editing, and Best Music Video. In 2009, Cole released a short film, One-Way Ticket, which he wrote, produced, and directed, and which garnered another Paul Robeson Audience Choice Award. Also in 2009, Cole participated in a creative internship program at NBC, where he and the other interns conceived an idea for a web-based, reality show, titled “Interns,” about a group of interns and their plan to create a viral video. Upon completion, the show became the most visited link on the NBC website and, eventually, aired after an episode of Saturday Night Live. For their work, Cole and his fellow interns received an Emmy Award for Best Student Production.
In 2012, Cole relocated to Los Angeles, California, where he has since worked on numerous film productions—both his own projects, as well as on other projects. In 2018, he served as Lead Producer for Bill Duke on his documentary "Never Stop".
Cole is currently developing the first season of an animated web series, “The Whippersnappers” and is also in pre-production on an animated, fantasy short film titled “Rain.”