FanX 21: LEGO Master Zack Macasaet interview

So there I was, minding my own business, making my way across the vendor floor at FanX Salt Lake Comic Convention 2021, in search of  pop culture LEGOs. I headed back to a booth I'd visited earlier in the day. Then, to my great surprise, just 24 hours after having finished "LEGO Masters" Season 2, I noticed several contestants from the TV show! I immediately recognized Caleb Schilling, and soon thereafter spotted several other familiar faces. This, honestly, was one of the most pleasant surprises of the entire weekend for me. I'm a reality TV junkie, and bumping into some people that I had literally just barely watched on Hulu got me really excited.

I strolled on over and began chatting with Zack Macasaet - a finalist from his season, who made it all the way to the end with his brother, Wayne. Here's some of what we discussed:

Signs of the Times: All right, so… Surprise! The LEGO Masters are here! First of all, tell me about the show. What was it like being on the show?

Zack Macasaet: It was a lot of pressure, trying to build under the clock. Coming in, there was a lot of uncertainty, whether or not were even going to be on the show! And then we didn’t even know if we were going to get knocked out in the first round or not. So me and my brother came out, flying like dragons…

SotT: That’s right!

ZM: And by the end of it, we pulled ourselves through to the finale! I don’t want to spoil it for anybody, but… Gotta watch the finale!

SotT: Did you have a build that was your favorite, out of the whole competition?

ZM: A build that was my favorite? The dragons. My brother’s would be the whale. People liked the hat, the pigs were awesome, the castle build at the end – near the end, where we’re stretching out six feet… a lot of great, awesome stuff.

SotT: That’s good. That’s good. What advice would you give to people who like LEGOs but want to take it, maybe, to the next level?

ZM: Oh, ok… My brother would say, “Build what you want.” That’s what my brother would say. For me, I’d say it’s all about trial and error. You just keep collecting your LEGO bricks, you put it together and come up with new things. And every idea is a good idea.

SotT: Cool. Cool, all right. Have you been to Utah before?

ZM: First time!

SotT: First time? All right! Quick trip for you, though.

ZM: Yeah, quick trip for me. I’m only here for… [I’ve been here] about three days. I was here for the finale, watching it with all the other LEGO Masters over here – we even have another finalist over here: Caleb. So you’ve got to get an interview with him, too.

SotT: Yeah, I’ve got to go talk to him, too!

ZM: Oh, yeah!

Update: I talked to Caleb, too, and a few others, as well, but didn't have time to do any more interviews.

Check out Zack's YouTube channel by clicking here.

FanX 2021: Rob Paulsen on the importance of fun and educational cartoons

 

The following interview took place during the opening press conference for FanX Salt Lake Comic Convention 2021:

Signs of the Times: Hello! Thanks for coming back, first of all. My name’s Aaron. I work with the FanX social media team. A lot of things have happened in the past two years since we had a convention – I got married and had a kid.

Jess Harnell: Good for you!

Jim Cummings and Rob Paulsen, in background: Woo hoo!

SotT: Having a child and working from home, I watch a lot of TV, but my choices in entertainment have changed quite a bit. So, my question for you guys is: what is the importance in making – I guess, producing – content that is both fun and educational? … I remember, growing up, watching “Animaniacs” and other shows. I learned a lot, and I still remember some of your songs, you know?

JH: Oh, great!

SotT: So, what is the importance for you making things that are fun and educational for kids?

JH: Rob, do you want to take that?

RP: Why is it important? I think you’ve already touched on it. The fact is that you’re now willing to share this with your children because it has enough subversive humor to entertain you, and I would submit you probably got jokes down the road from “Animaniacs” that you didn’t get when you first watched when you were a little guy.

JH: You won’t believe what’s coming.

RP: That was, as Mo [LaMarche] and everyone has said [earlier in the press conference], that is utterly by design – and not just on “Animaniacs” and “Pinky and the Brain.” I think that there are other shows that strive to do that, as well. But also, we have a big orchestra, we get to do great music – a lot of them are “earwigs.” I can sing, “Tunisia, Morocco, Uganda, Angola, Zimbabwe, Djibouti, Botswana…” a capella, and it doesn’t matter. It’s such a remarkable tune that Randy Rogel wrote.

JH: And he does it live, too, all the time.

JC: I can feel him stopping himself. [laughter] Must… not… sing… full… song!

RP: Can I give you my own anecdotal evidence? My son is now 37, surprisingly. When my son was little, he lived for "The Muppets." I could watch "Muppets" all day.

JH: Yeah.

RP: I loved it. If my kid wanted to watch “Teletubbies,” I would have had a real problem.

JH: Oh, yeah!

RP: …Not with my child – and I understand why the rudimentary nature of “Teletubbies” and “Barney”… I understand why they work. But if I’m, in some respects, doomed to watch television with my kid, I could watch Big Bird all day. My kid can learn stuff – he can learn how to be kind and generous and count and all of that, without [me] thinking, “There’s not enough wine in the world for me!”

JC: And his youngest is 25, so it’s hard for [Rob] to… still learning stuff.

RP: Still learning!

JC: It’s tough!

RP: So, you’ve kind of answered your question for us because you’re the example, and thank you for that.

SotT: No, thank you!

JH: The one thing I’ll add is: I’ve always said that “Animaniacs,” in particular, is a Trojan horse because it’s an educational social satire masquerading as a kids’ show. That’s what it is.