We recently had the delight of chatting with Jenna Rose, the imaginative mind behind the upcoming animated short “Antipasto.” This charming preview serves as your introduction to their broader series, “All You Can’t Eat.” Join us as we dive into their creative process and this exciting world!
1. Tell us about Antipasto
“Antipasto” is an animated short that will introduce my larger series called “All You Can’t Eat”. I developed the concept and characters for “All You Can’t Eat” and wrote the show pilot while part of the Women In Animation mentorship program. After the program, I spent some time fleshing out the world and decided to produce an animated short first to give myself some showrunner experience. The Sunflower Club added “Antipasto” to our roster of projects last year, and Pre-Production happened in 2023. Now we’re moving into Production beginning with Background Paint. I’ve been so excited and honored to see people helping bring the short to life!
“Antipasto” is set at a culinary summer where an ambitious (but sometimes too impulsive) young chef named Bridget arrives for her first day and attempts to figure out a good recipe to make friends. “Antipasto” is also set deep in the woods where a young Grim Reaper named Capper does their best to tend to the needs of the forest while avoiding the newly-arrived humans (and maybe some old Reaper friends who are looking for them). During the short, we’ll see Bridget and Capper living in their separate worlds that will soon collide in the series pilot.
Done by Annamarie Jean — @rappi_tappi
2. What inspired your work?
The primary inspiration for “Antipasto” comes from one unusual source — fungi. Mushrooms fascinate me because they’re sort of alive but sort of not alive, and they grow by helping other things decay, and they come in such unpredictable varieties grow in so many challenging places. I like how they’re a bit odd but resilient (kind of like me lol). I wanted to write a story about resilience in the face of change and growth and even death.
Done by Rachel — @kalico_of_doom
Cooking was also an inspiration for the world since I come from an Italian-American background and grew up with a very intense relationship with food. Bridget is Italian-American too (her last name is Alighieri, based on Dante who wrote “The Divine Comedy” — and I’m a nerdy former English Lit major so there’s definitely other references to his work in the series). “Antipasto” was also inspired by my desire to make a story that includes queer experiences not often represented in media. For example, Capper, one of our main characters, is Asexual like me (and they’re also Aromantic and Agender). In addition, there are characters who question and redefine their experiences of gender, and there’s a polyamorous relationship too. It’s been wonderful developing all of the character identities and relationships.
Done by Snow — @xding.art
3. What are some lessons you hope your viewers take after watching your work?
I hope, after watching “Antipasto”, viewers feel seen — as queer people, as nonbinary people, as people who have doubts about the future or the past but want to keep moving forward. I want viewers to remember that there’s always a chance to start a fresh journey in their lives and that they don’t have to do it alone.
4. What advice would you give to other indie creators?
Done by Joy — @arcanagoat
To other indie creators, I would say take your time — let your project develop as slowly as it needs for you to have peace of mind and for your project to have the best chance of being made in the best way possible. Work on script ideas, write character bios, draft a pitch packet and then run all of these things by other creative people so you can get feedback and new ideas. Then, when the time comes to produce your project, remember to start small. It’ll be less stressful, and you can really put your energy into helping your team and yourself have a good experience. Finally, support and value your team as much as possible — your story matters, but the people who help tell it matter too and they deserve so much respect and recognition always.
5. Goals for your project?
Done by Jaclyn — @jackieskribbls
My goal is to lead Production on a part-time basis through the rest of this year and into 2025. I work several jobs, and I’m funding this short entirely out of pocket, so I need to pace myself both for work-life balance reasons and budget reasons. I kind of enjoy going slow though — leading this team has been very rewarding and I like doing it a lot. I’m hoping “Antipasto” can be finished in 2025, and then if there’s interest maybe we could do some crowdfunding to help animate the full 22 minute pilot starting in 2026.
6. Thoughts on All Ages of Geek? Any recomendations?
All Ages of Geek is such a supportive group! They’re always promoting people’s projects and sharing people’s work and shining the spotlight on some very wonderful figures in the creative community. I’m so glad I got to connect with you — you’re an absolutely excellent resource and team 🙂
7. Where can folks support your work?
If you’d like to support “Antipasto” you can follow us on Twitter at @Antipasto_AYCE, you can follow The Sunflower Club at @Sunflowerclub_, and you can follow me on my Ko-fi account at https://ko-fi.com/jrosereads — donations go toward helping me fund “Antipasto”. We should have some fresh art to share soon, and I’m very excited about what this summer is going to bring for the short!
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