Q: You have been the key technical director of South Park in 48 episodes and also in the movie (IMDB says). After all these seasons do it supose any "technical" challenge to you? There was many differences between the episodes and the movie? What can you tell us about the technique used? South Park is characterized by its simple cartoons... it is as easy as the people can think?

A: Ok, first off, IMDB info is a bit spotty… I am proud to say that I actually worked on over 120 episodes of Southpark! And the challenge of doing Southpark, was often not a technical challenge but more of a time challenge. At Southpark we would begin working on an episode on a Thursday and it would be due to air on TV the following Wednesday night. That means we would work our butts off until early Wednesday morning to finish the show in time only to start again the next day. That is cutting it really close by any standards. As the years went by, the show became more and more complicated, with new locations and characters every episode. That meant that each week we would not only be animating our regular cast but also designing and building new locations, characters, and effects. Only thing is that the deadline never changed! So each week we would have to get more and more work done in the same amount of time! It was fun, and exhausting. Most importantly I learned a lot about getting things done, sticking to deadlines and really enjoyed working under pressure. It was a rewarding experience and I had the chance to work with Trey Parker and Matt Stone who are probably some of the most creative and talented people around.

Q: Together with the screening of "GoodSam and Max", you also made an exposition called "End Times and other drawings". What kind of art do you make? With this is title, is also as "apocalyptic" as the film is?

A: The “End Times and Other Drawings” Exhibit was my first solo art show. I basically did three series of post apocalyptic drawings that were mainly pen and ink drawings. I enjoy exploring the Post-Apocalyptic theme because I feel that as a society, human beings are always teetering on the edge of destroying ourselves. We all have the will to survive and we do the same in groups as we do as individuals, that is, avoid destruction. Nevertheless, that precarious edge, whether by a nuclear catastrophe, or biological agent, or now global warming, is always present. It’s like when you drive near a steep hill and all of a sudden you get that little voice inside your head that wonders what it would be like to simply turn the wheel and go over the edge. The drawings give me a chance to explore the “what ifs?” I also like to explore the difference between human and natural forms and in the End Times series I was exploring how natural, organic forms would interpret human concepts. The four drawings showed entwined vines creating the forms of a nuclear mushroom cloud, an M-16, a cross, and the Virgin Mary…

Q: We have not many information about "GoodSam and Max", so.... When it was filmed? How long is it?

A: The girl(Sam) and the teddy bear(Max) were characters I had been drawing for a while, and I had always wanted to do a comic book with them. The idea was that the girl was an innocent sweet person who always tried to help people, and that the bear was a tough, uncaring, asshole mercenary who didn’t give a shit about anyone and just wanted to get drunk. The two basically would travel the wastelands together as partners, helping the good guys and killing the bad guys. Kind of like the A-Team. At one point a friend of mine suggested I make a film out of them and next thing I knew I was doing it. The film was shot in August of 2007 and January of 2008, in between seasons of Southpark and it runs about 18 minutes.

Q: The film is off to festivals... any news yet? Also you say that once you do the festival circuit a bit, the film will become available online and on DVD. Any idea of when will it be aproximately? A: We submitted to our first festival last week and I am submitting to two more this week. We probably won’t have any word until a few months from now. Once we get into a festival we will decide how to make the film available. I want everyone to get a chance to see it because I think it is pretty unique. Q: At www.goodsamandmax.com is written that "is the first episode in a series". How many episodes have you planned?

A: We have an outline of the GoodSam and Max world so the ideas for new episodes are pretty much unlimited. I think the next episode will be animated, unless someone decides to hand me a bunch of money. In the next episode I would love to explore the city of Lost Vega that gets introduced at the end of the film. It would be the remains of a Las Vegas type place that has become the capital city of the Wastelands... that would be awesome with mutants and puppets running around the place…

Q: Please, tell us, as much as you can, the story line of the film. What do you want to communicate with it?

A: The story is pretty simple. Sam and Max lose their car on their journey south where Max is taking Sam. Max wants to get rid of her because he thinks she is a naïve little girl who can’t handle the harsh wastelands. But when they meet Cowboy, a small time smuggler, their path changes and now Sam gets a chance to prove to Max that she can handle herself and that in fact she is an asset to him and not a burden… it’s sort of a coming of age story for Sam. To be honest, I don’t want to communicate anything really grand with GoodSam and Max. I want it to be entertaining, I want people to enjoy the strange characters and the visuals. The GoodSam and Max world is full of beautiful landscapes, weird mutant rats, talking cacti, bad-ass vehicles… I guess it’s just about exploring a different world where you don’t know what to expect and at every turn there is something new and exciting and different from what you usually see.

Q: I have been seeing your drawings on your website, and they are very comic-like. Also, the plot and how the short film looks, the concept art... seems to be extracted from a comic book.... Is it everything related?

A: Yes. Everything is related. All my work comes from what I spend my time dreaming of… mostly world destruction and talking teddy bears, oh and beautiful women….

Q: How was Max made? Animatronics, CGI, mix of both?

A: Max was and still is a straight up hand puppet. Most of the time it was me, and Puppet Master Scott Schutzki laying on the desert floor with our arms up Max’s butt working his mouth… It was no picnic. Besides, as an actor, Max was very hard to work with. All he wanted to do all day was sit back, smoke his cigar and drink frappaccinos! Maybe in the next episode he can be a CG character, which would be cool so he can do a lot more and maybe get his own Frapps! And this is Tania's part.... :)

Q: How did you meet Tania? How was the cast for her?

A: My costume designer Dee Dee had worked with Tania and suggested her to me. I sent her a copy of the script and some drawings of the characters and she agreed to come in and read. Obviously, Tania is gorgeous and incredibly sweet and I could tell that she really liked the project. It turned out Tania was a big fan of anime and comic books and so it was a perfect fit.

Q: Tania has played a lot of roles where she is "a sweet and beatiful girl". Now you put her with these chain guns, this look.... and this plot! It's a decisive bid, no? How did you know for sure if she could support this character?

A: I guess I really knew we had made the right choice with Tania was when we did the first rehearsal with the Max puppet. When she spoke to Max, it really felt like he was real. In a way, it was her reactions to him that would ultimately breath life into Max and it was just incredible! She then came out to the desert for three full weekends, in between shooting episodes of Lost, gave everything she had, spent a lot of time in the dirt, took punches, falls, climbed rocks… I am really thankful that she chose to work with us, if I could I would shoot the next episode tomorrow!

Q: Some directors have warned us about Tania's talent drawing. Well, I think you are the best one to tell us about it! Have you seem them?

A: Yes! They are awesome. During one of our rehearsals Tania was sketching on her copy of the script and when she put it down I noticed it. I picked it up and there was this perfect drawing of Sam and Max hanging out! I was blown away. We should see if she kept it and put it up somewhere…

Q: And the question for the headline. In your opinion, what we can expect of Tania?

A: I think we can expect a lot from her. I went to a screening of her film Cell Division which she wrote, directed and edited herself and was blown away. I bet she could do whatever she wants whether it’s acting, writing, producing… who knows, maybe she’ll even pick up some mercenary work on the side, or become a hit-woman for hire… Thank you very much Gil! As I said, everything you want to say in our website.... you have our doors open!