When we first connected with Joe Cappa back in 2021 his horror comedy short, Ghost Dogs, was just selected into Sundance Film Festival. It was pretty undeniable that he was destined for something big. As big as the Campbell boys in his Adult Swim series Haha, You Clowns, premiering on HBO October 19th. An unconventional riff on the wholesome family sitcom — Haha, You Clowns is a series about three teenage brothers and their gentle, loving Dad navigating life after their mother’s death. Though downright heartfelt, Joe’s signature stamp of absurd humor shines through in the most simple ways, from the slightest facial expression to the pacing of a shot or scene. Few animators can make us laugh, ache and nod in recognition all at once. Yet, Joe has a true gift of tapping into what makes us human and reminding us of what we share together. We caught up with Joe about his journey these past four years from creating Ghost Dogs in a basement, to going social media viral with his fever dream Gabbagooblins and various shorts, to landing in Los Angles to work with the legendary Adult Swim and now HBO. A reminder to not only follow our dreams, but to soak it all up along the way. Because as Dad says, “Sometimes it feels like if I blink, I'm gonna miss everything.” No. 142 Last time we talked, you were following your path as an independent artist and animator when your award-winning short, Ghost Dogs, was just selected into the Sundance Film Festival. Since then, you’ve collaborated with Adult Swim, musician Toro y Moi, director Judd Apatow, Giphy, Meow Wolf, Bento Box Entertainment and most recently HBO, with the network premiere of your animated series Haha, You Clowns on October 19th and HBO Max the next day. How did the success of Ghost Dogs help prepare you for this meteoric rise in your career? Getting into Sundance was truly a dream come true. Before Ghost Dogs, I was just making boring infographic videos for companies with the occasional music video gig from a friend. I typically shied away from making standalone pieces of art. It was either too time consuming, or the ideas would be too expensive to pull off. I also wasn’t that proud of the things I was making. I thought they were okay, but nothing exceptional. Making Ghost Dogs was taking a big leap of faith. It took me two years to animate. In the end it was well received. That gave me the confidence to tell more stories. Over a decade ago, you left Oklahoma and moved to Denver to pursue animation before landing in Los Angeles. What was it about living in Denver that was conducive to your artistic process and growth? And how is it now living in LA? I mean, Denver is where I found my voice. It’s where I decided to setup an LLC and do business on my own terms. I wasn’t very good at it though,
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