At the turn of the millennium, Ron Callari, an American freelance journalist initiated an Internet search to isolate the best cartoonist for a new cartoon panel he dreamt up entitled: kidd millennium. In a mass email query of over a thousand artists, Ron received responses from all over the world, including Finland, Bulgaria, Malaysia; Shanghai, China; Seoul, Korea; Sidney, Australia, Ireland and England. The screening was based on creativity, style and presentation.
Ron Callari is the copy and creative director of this one-panel editorial cartoon. His background includes an advertising and public relations career with Marriott International. He won the Silver Award in Advertising from the Hotel Sales & Marketing Association, and the ‘Mark of Innovation’ Award from Travel & Leisure Magazine. As a freelance journalist, Callari's op-ed has been picked up by Alternet, SCOOP, the Sacramento News & Review, the San Antonio Current, Rocky Mountain Bullhorn, The World and I and others. His first book Uncle Dubya's Jihad Jamboree features kidd millennium and chronicles George W. Bush's first four years in office...graphically... in full-blown color.
On January 1, 2001, kidd emerged as a full-blown character and an ongoing, self-proclaimed spokes-kid for the next generation. Estimated at 3.9 million American children, societal forecasters believe that this new population group (born post 2000) will eclipse the attention of the boomers, the last major bubble to have moved through the population funnel. Based on that premise, kidd millennium comments, with attitude, on his brave new world from a narcissistic and questioning point of view. The weekly cartoons present an editorial perspective of topical issues in today's society, this side of the millennium. Similar to a cartoon character that emerged over a 100 years ago, called the Yellow Kid, kidd millennium satirizes the social and political foibles of the day.
Illustrators:
Jon Donohoe (circa 2004 - present)
In the early Seventies
Jon emigrated to Australia & worked there for about five years in a
studio where he gained invaluable experience. Returning to Ireland he
worked in the advertising Industry and became Joint Creative Director
with a writer from London. In 1984, he set up the first Illustration
Agency in Ireland. They worked together producing award winning
campaigns.
Presently he has been working for the past two years
building up a bank of illustrations of traditional and historical Pubs
in Dublin done in traditional pen & ink.
"The Irish generally do not hold a high regard for George Dubya,"
according to Jon, which makes him an ideal candidate to collaborate
with Ron Callari, and assisting him in the development of kidd millennium's worldview for future generations.
Jack Pittman (circa 2001 - 2004)
Jack was the kidd's first
illustrative creator, post-utero. "His work best identified what I had
perceived to be the unique personality of the title character", noted
Callari. "Jack’s work with National Geographic World and a
short animated spot for PBS made him an excellent choice to assist me
in creating this cartoon in the early years." Jack’s career highlights
include two top awards from the National Cartoonists Society’s Reuben
Award for Best in Advertising & Illustration. He freelances from
his studio in North Carolina and his current client roster includes
Proctor & Gamble, Reader’s Digest, American Express and Coca Cola.
To date, Ron Callari who lives in Jersey City, NJ and Jon Donohoe, of Dublin, Ireland, nor Jack Pittman of Raleigh, NC have ever met face-to-face. Ron has communicated with Jack and now Jon daily by email, and feels he gets more accomplished by their virtual-partnership being only a click away, versus sharing a physical office in the real world.
