Lisa Hanawalt

Lisa Hanawalt's graphic novels and illustrations, which often featured animals grappling with deeply personal human issues, made her a critical favorite in the independent comics industry, and led to successful runs as production designer on the animated series "BoJack Horseman" (Netflix, 2015- ) and creator of "Tuca & Bertie" (Netflix, 2018- ). Born Lisa Lenore Hanawalt on June 19, 1983 in Palo Alto, California, she was the daughter of Stanford biologists Philp Hanawalt, who discovered the process by which DNA repairs damage to its genetic material, and his wife, senior research scientist Graciela Spivak. By all accounts, Hanawalt's childhood was marked by anxiety -a trait she shared with many of her characters - and found solace in drawing and school theater productions. The latter helped to introduce her to fellow student Raphael Bob-Waksberg, who would later call on Hanawalt to help produce and design characters for his animated series "BoJack Horseman." After graduating from UCLA in 2006, Hanawalt went on to a critically praised career in independent comics; she became the first woman artist to win an Ignatz Award, which celebrated small press or creator-owned comics, for her 2009 minicomic "Stay Away From Other People" and her 2010 series "I Want You," and contributed illustrations and writing to The New York Times, McSweeney's and other major publications. Hanawalt also dabbled in film animation, most notably as the title artist for "The Exquisite Corpse Project" (2012), an independent sketch comedy project starring the Olde English comedy troupe, which included Bob-Waksberg and comedian Adam Conover, who later became Hanawalt's longtime companion. During this period, Bob-Waksberg also reached out to Hanawalt to provide an illustration for an animated project he was developing about a depressed talking horse. Hanawalt, whose art often featured emotionally complex anthropomorphic characters, gave him the sketch, along with the advice that the horse be less cynical. Her input would not only help to launch "BoJack Horseman," but also lead to work on the series as both production designer and producer. "BoJack" would go on to win widespread critical praise for its irreverent humor and willingness to tackle social issues such as sexual harassment, gun control and sexual identity; it also netted numerous awards, including two Writers Guild of America awards and numerous Annie Awards, while Hanawalt, as producer, shared two Critics Choice Awards for Best Animated Series in 2016 and 2018. While working on "BoJack," she also continued to write and draw comics and illustrations for publications; a drawing for American Illustration Annual 32 won the Society of Illustrators Award's silver medal in 2013, while her graphic novel Hot Dog Taste Test (2016) earned her a third Ignatz. In 2018, Hanawalt created "Tuca & Bertie" (Netflix, 2018- ), an animated series about two birds - one headstrong but reckless, and voiced by comic Tiffany Haddish, the other an anxious, aspiring baker (voiced by comic Ali Wong) - navigating emotional and workplace pitfalls. The series' mix of surreal comedy and complicated personal drama, as well as its status as the rare animated project created by, starring and focused on adult women, earned it widespread critical praise.