Lou Scheimer
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Lou Scheimer was one of the original founders of Filmation animation company and also an executive producer of many of its cartoons (though only by name due to standardized crediting in most cartoons; Hal Sutherland received similar treatment).
Scheimer was most pro-active in the creation of the cartoon He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. Aside from being the executive producer, he also became a voice actor for the show, going under the pseudonym Erik Gunden. Scheimer's contribution to the cast was in fact most notable as he singlehandedly voiced nearly all supporting characters including Orko (and other characters with a similar Smurfs-voice), Stratos, King Randor and others. This was due to extreme budget-cutting of the show's animating. This animated series also pioneered a type of programming known as first-run syndication. Also a first was the storyline being based on an action figure toy; prior to this time, FCC regulations prohibited any type of children's programming being based on a toy. The first company to approach Lou was Mattel, and their version of a graphically violent Conan the Barbarian. Lou transformed "Conan" into a pro-social He-Man, with each episode teaching a life lesson to impressionable viewers.
Lou's daughter Erika Scheimer also did supporting female voices and occasional voice-acting for young boy characters. She would later star in the follow-up series She-Ra, which Scheimer also produced.
Scheimer is considered a true-believer in the cartoon and attempted to revive it in the mid-1990s. In the late 1990s, Lou entered the animation arena once again. A Dutch investment company, Dreamweavers, NV., approached Lou with a concept based on an off-kilter Dutchman's renderings of characters aimed at young adults. Scheimer went into production on an animated feature film entitled Robin and the Dreamweavers. Robin, the first human ever born in cyberspace, battled the evil siren "Triple XXX" who desired an earthly body and gained power through mankind's baser carnal desires. Unfortunate for Robin, she was aided by the childlike Dreamweavers which destroyed the stylishly mature film and confused market buyers both domestically and overseas. Two years and US$1.5 million later, the film was never distributed and relegated to the "eternal bit-bucket."
Shortly thereafter, tragedy struck the Scheimer family. Lou underwent quadruple bypass surgery and was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease. Scheimer's daughter Erika quickly took control of her father's company and closed its doors forever.
Lou is currently providing consultation work for Gang of Seven (G7) Animation.
