Steve Oedekerk
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Steve Oedekerk is an American filmmaker, comedian, and animator best known for founding Omation Studios and directing the 2006 animated film Barnyard.[1] He conceived the Barnyard concept—a world in which animals stand up and act like people once humans leave the room—years before pitching it, and Nickelodeon executives discovered his early demo while he was producing Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius.[1]
Omation Studios
Oedekerk founded Omation Studios in San Clemente, California, which officially launched in October 2003 with Barnyard as its first animated feature production. The startup assembled animation talent from across the globe, including Brazil, Canada, England, France, Germany, Belgium, Italy, Russia, Bulgaria, India, and Pakistan.[1] As director and producer, Oedekerk pursued feature-level scope on a short production timeline, and incorporated voice actors' physical mannerisms directly into the animation.[1] Following the film's August 2006 theatrical release, he developed a spin-off television series, Back at the Barnyard, for Nickelodeon.[1]
Career
Before founding Omation, Oedekerk produced Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, wrote Bruce Almighty, directed Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls, and created the Thumb Wars parody shorts.[1]