Alex Hirsch

Alex Hirsch is a American, animator, writer and voice actor, Hirsch received his education at the California Institute of the Arts, where he created a variety of projects and short films including his senior film, "Off the wall," which combined animation and live action. Hirsch is best known as the creator of the animated television series 'Gravity Falls', on which he earned a BAFTA children's award and Annie Award in 2016, as well as this Hirsch has worked on other animated shows such as: 'The marvellous misadventures of flapjack' and 'Fish hooks'.

Career 

Hirsch's first job post university was as a writer and storyboard artist for 'The marvellous misadventures of flapjack' at Cartoon Network, on this project he worked alongside other successful animators such as: J. G. Quintel (Regular Show), Pendleton Ward (Adventure time), and Patrick McHale (Over the garden wall). whilst doing this he would go on to develop the pilot for the Disney Channel series, 'Fish hooks' with Maxwell Atoms (The grim adventures of Billy & Mandy), and Justin Roiland (Rick and Morty).

In 2012, Hirsch created the series Gravity Falls for the Disney Channel, 'Gravity Falls' was inspired by Hirsch's own childhood experiences with his twin sister during their summer vacations. Hirsch recreates many of his real-life experiences in the show, like living in Piedmont and trick-or-treating with his sister as children, Mabel Pines, one of the lead characters of Gravity Falls, was inspired by his twin sister.

The show, set in the fictional town of Gravity Falls, Oregon, premiered in June 2012, with a voice cast including Jason Ritter, Kristen Schaal, and Hirsch himself, It would go on to win a BAFTA Children's Award, and an Annie Award in 2015, Hirsch ended Gravity Falls in February 2016 to pursue other projects.

Hirsch is credited for making Gravity falls a show that both children and adults can enjoy, placing in easter eggs and puzzles throughout the shows span and in other tv shows aswell, in an interview with time magazine on how he does this Hirsch states:

" There’s one way to do that and that’s to not think about anybody when you make the show. The best way to make a show that’s going to resonate is to make a show that you’d love. It’s to trust yourself, because there’s really no way to test a hypothetical. Do I think this is funny? Do I like it? And if you like it and you think it’s funny, then you just need to trust that others will. I am maybe blessed with the fact that I am a very immature adult. I am sort of a man-child, so if I like something, chances are it’ll appeal to men and children both because I am somewhere in-between"