Learn more about the funniest and most talented new YouTube animator out there: OnlyLeigh.
A while back Leigh Lahav (known by her YouTube name OnlyLeigh) sent us
one of her shorts called “Fan Girls” about a group of die-hard fans
dealing with loss and love in fandom. Then I watched her short on FanGirls in school and her take on Peter Capaldi cursing up a storm as the 12th Doctor on Doctor Who.
Since then I’ve watched her other videos and saw the real talent behind
her work. She perfectly articulated the “Five stages of Fangirling,”
what would happen if Joss Whedon and our favorite writers got together
on a project and the controversy over Marvel vs. DC. Her videos have
over two million views combined. Her channel has almost 20,000
subscribers and it’s just getting bigger.
She was kind enough to do an interview with us to find out more about makes “Fan Girls” tick.
Maurice Mitchell: Thanks for doing this interview Leigh! So, for those not familiar, why don’t you us about your videos.
Leigh Lahav: I make videos based on pop culture and fan creations. Sort of a tribute to everything I love about this modern fandom era.
In short- I’m just an obsessive fangirl animating about what I like!
For some magical reason beyond my knowledge- people seem to like it and
relate! I’m so very thankful for that.
It’s like a thousand unicorns in a poppy-field with free ice-cream.
MM: It sounds like a perfect episode of Adventure Time. So, what inspired you to create your videos?
LL: I’m too passionate about so
many things! That’s why I like making these videos- I can animate,
voice act, illustrate, direct, edit and make people laugh (which is the
number one thing I have fun doing).
I adore the idea of fan creation, fans to fans, and it’s not rare to
find me, when I’m not creating myself, checking out fanart, fanfiction,
enjoying and envying the creativity and ideas all at once.
Because I’m so fascinated and overwhelmed by this fan-world- creating short videos regarding it was just a matter of time.
The inspiration is all around me- fandom culture, movies and
television, popular events and fresh news, and oh, Tumblr. Tumblr,
tumblr, tumblr. That wonderful funny social platform!
MM: I’m amazed by the quality and diversity of your videos. Have you had any training, or are you self-taught?
LL: I’ve been drawing since I
know myself and was always attracted to animation. But it became more
of a profession rather than a hobby when I started studying.
I took Animation studies at the “Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design” in Jerusalem.
MM: I could see a lot of
artistic skill in those videos. There are two other names on some of
your videos. Tom Trager does backgrounds and Oren Mendez does scripts.
How did your collaboration with them come about?
LL: Tom Trager is a good friend and an awesome artist (http://tomtrager.tumblr.com)
and we collaborated a few times in the past. We share the same kind of
humor and he understands me very well, so it makes the creative process
very easy and productive.
Oren Mendez is a talented writer (AND my husband!) (http://orenmendez.tumblr.com)
and very helpful when it comes to ideas and scripts. They’re both geeks
and are familiar with the world of fandoms and pop culture obsessions,
so I’m in a very good company.
The only trouble is, when we meet to run over ideas, we tend to get
distracted and talk about TV shows and the latest movies we got to
watch!
MM: That’s awesome. You guys make a great team! What’s next for you and your crew?
LL: More of what I do!
“Fangirls” shorts, pop culture animations, anything new and interested
that might pop up all of a sudden and gives me funny ideas! Stay tuned!
Make sure you check out all the videos on her YouTube channel OnlyLeigh (WARNING: Some videos contain strong language). Follow her on Twitter @leighlahav, Tumblr DoodLeigh, and Facebook LeighLahavStuff. Plus, check out her DeviantArt page at onlyleigh.deviantart.com.
What do you think of her videos? Is she the funniest animator you’ve seen today?
Please use the buttons below to tell your friends about this post. Click on the links to follow us for free by Email, RSS and follow us on Twitter @thegeektwins and like us on Facebook
<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="36891 ">3 Comments
I've seen your videos, Leigh – congratulations. Cool you get to work with your husband on them.
Love all the videos! I subscribed at Youtube so I wouldn't miss the new ones.
The 12th Doctor has to be my favorite. That Dalek is so hilarious!
Great interview and I'll have to give Leigh's work a look. Thanks for showcasing her 🙂