Drum roll please… OK, as promised, the Odd Todd interview has arrived. I think that you will find his perspective and outlook to be a refreshing change from the constant pessimism of co-workers and others who we deal with on a daily basis. Best of all, he has a brand new cartoon made up just in time for the release of the interview! In what is probably one of the best ‘toons to date done by Todd, “Hollywood Bound” gives us a glimpse of what it was like for Todd to deal with Comedy Central and his take on L.A. in general. (Understand that this is not intended for kids. There are a couple of spots in the cartoon that might be inappropriate for younger viewers.)

As I mentioned last week, Todd has moved his show away from the Comedy Central pastures and instead opted to keep things a little more independent. After seeing his take on how the show might have turned out, I can understand why he would want to move on. At any rate, here is the interview in all of its shining glory! We talk a little bit about what it is like to be unemployed from the IT industry point of view as well as where he is taking his Odd Todd cartoon.

Matt: What was the first thing that was going through your mind when you were laid off from Atom Films? Was it panic button time?

Todd: We knew for months that there [were] going to be layoffs so it was actually not too bad. I had like 2 months of nothing to do while we waited around to get laid off. I knew I was definitely getting fired because my job was ridiculous and made no money for the company even though that was my job.

Matt: Odd Todd is an inspiration to many of us. On your site, you mention that you have a history with the concept of Odd Todd in the form of greeting cards, etc. What inspired you to create Odd Todd in the first place and why use Flash instead of a comic strip?

Todd: I never really did anything with this particular character before. I did a line of greeting cards and some twisted paper cartoons previously so I’ve been looking to do something in cartoons for a while. Here’s an exclusive Lockergnome link to some of those paper ‘toons. How ’bout that? Anyway, originally I wanted to do an audio site with rants from an unemployed guy so I made a bunch of recordings and soon I realized that they really seemed like [they] would work well if they had some pictures too. So I started learning.

Matt: Where do you come up with your ideas for the Odd Todd cartoons and what can we do to get you to create more of them? Also, is the IT industry a part of where you come up with new content ideas from or do you just sort of wing it?

Todd: The ideas kind of come out of me sitting here at my computer and talking to myself until I surprise myself by saying something funny. So I’m not sure where they come from. I guess babbling. In terms of content ideas I haven’t really worked in an office in a few years so I guess I’m winging it.

Matt: Some Lockergnome readers may be wondering why you have decided to stick with the cartoons instead of going for another traditional job. You obviously have Flash skills and a knack for the creative; is working in your current situation really where it is at? If so, why?

Todd: Well I always felt like I would be better at doing cartoons than a corporate job but I had to pay my bills. When I got laid off it gave me some time to focus on stuff and learn a new skill. I always sort of wanted to do animation but I never had the time to learn. My current situation is where it’s at for me because I can avoid going back to a job like the job I had before. And regardless of what I end up doing I am appreciative that I don’t have to ‘cold call’ to make some mon-ay.

Matt: Now instead of selling traditional ad space on your site, you offer a barter type of situation; how come? Is there some top secret “MEP” related motive someplace? What if someone wanted to buy space on it; how would they go about it?

Todd: It’s dumb from a business perspective but I feel sort of responsible for the products I promote. If some guy buys an ad to sell $100 computers and they suck, I’ll feel bad for promoting them to people who visit. So although it keeps me more broke it gives me piece of mind… plus free stuff!

Matt: Why do you think the IT industry as a whole is struggling so much to keep people employed? Are we all doomed to sitting around at home watching Sponge Bob and drinking “coff-ay?”

Todd: The IT industry just seems to be in transition. Unfortunately I think outsourcing is here to stay because regardless of laws or whatever money is money to corporations so they’ll keep doing it. But I think eventually things/projects/communication will get lost in translation which will get costly to a point where the numbers will start to even up again and jobs will start flowing back. I guess the best advice is to keep an eye on which jobs require the least amount of translation because of them being risky I guess. But then again I know nothing about anything.

Matt: Where did you come up with the terms Coff-ay and Mon-ay?

Todd: I kind of didn’t realize I was saying them so different until people started imitating me. So I guess I’m not sure where they’re from, either.

Matt: In your FAQ, you mention that you are unemployed, yet you still make a small living off of the Cafepress stuff, your book, from freelance animation work, etc. Two questions. One, where can we get your book, and two, what are some examples of your freelance work?

Todd: The book should be available in most big bookstores or at Amazon or bn.com and stuff. Here’s a sample of my freelance stuff, too. Click on the Krulwich link.

Matt: Odd Todd has made you famous almost overnight. The Today Show, Wired.com, and even the world famous Lockergnome have made a place for you in the history books. What do you believe is the reason for Odd Todd’s awesome success?

Todd: Awesome success? LoL, thanks. Not sure, really. I’d like to say it’s because people can identify with the character but then I’ll get e-mails from people saying they like my Halloween cartoons the best which are out of reality so not sure what that’s about. I think maybe it’s just because people can imagine some dork sitting at his computer talking into a computer mic and drawing pictures really easily when they look at my stuff.

Matt: As most of your loyal fans already know, you have moved on from Comedy Central to greener pastures. What are your plans for Odd Todd and where would you like to see the cartoon in, say, 2-5 years? Is TV still in the possible future? Perhaps there are Odd Todd DVDs on the horizon?

Todd: The plans for Odd Todd I’m not sure of yet. I really am digging having the freedom to do whatever I want again, which is nice. So even if the cartoon doesn’t end up on TV, I would consider working on maybe doing a children’s show or something new. But regardless of what or where, the site will always be a priority for me.

Matt: If you could go back to when you were first laid off, would you have done things differently? If so, what?

Todd: Nothing, really. I was laid off before the summer and decided to just take time off and figure out what I wanted to do with my life. Luckily because of the planets aligning or whatever, things worked out. I may still be broke but I don’t care. I like sitting here and doing what I do… which is being rich in a way.

Matt: On your Web site, there are a lot of references to having faith, being positive, etc. Are you religious or do you just believe that things will work out regardless of how dark they may seem at the time?

Todd: I’m not really religious but I do believe in God. It’s more fun to believe in God than to not, so why not? Being positive is also more fun.

Matt: For those that have just been laid off in the IT industry, what advice would you like to give to them? (Hands Todd the mic.)

Todd: I think a lot of people sometimes have things they feel they’d like to be doing instead of working a regular job. So I would advise just taking the time off to explore whatever that is. Starting a business, writing a screenplay, cooking, fixing stuff, whatever. It was easier for me to be all whatever about job stuff because I don’t have responsibilities but I’d say regardless of your circumstance, don’t burn the time worrying. Burn some of it working on something… and then lie on the couch. It’s much easier to relax and do nothing after you’ve done something… if you’re not doing anything except keeping busy worrying that you’re doing nothing, that’s not doing nothing, that’s doing something: worrying. And that does nothing.

Conclusion:
Todd Rosenberg has had quite a bit of success with his Odd Todd cartoon. He has a book out called “The Odd Todd Handbook: Hard Times, Soft Couch.” Todd has been featured on the Today Show and is already an Internet celebrity. While his humor is a little dry (then again, so is mine), his determination after being laid off should give us all something to think about. If you enjoy his cartoons as much as I do, then I would encourage you to help support his efforts so that he can continue to entertain us for many years to come.