PROFILE
MICHAEL HIRSH , DESCRIBED as ‘ the Canadian product of mixing Warren Buffett with Walt Disney ’, is a giant in the animated television sector , having co-founded the renowned Nelvana with Patrick Loubert and Clive A . Smith in 1971 , and continuing his career in children ’ s television to the present day . Nelvana has produced some of the most memorable and highest-quality cartoons of all time , including The Care Bears , Babar , and The Adventures of Tintin .
“ When I was a kid , about four or five years old , I made my career choice ,” Hirsh explains . “ I wanted to grow up and either be Mickey Mouse or Superman . I watched a lot of cartoons and read a lot of comic books , and eventually realized that it would be easier to be Mickey , so that helped my decision .”
Hirsh ’ s path was set . He and his partners founded Nelvana on a shoestring – just enough for the business registration fees – and the first seven years were dedicated to learning the business .
“ Every few years we ’ d risk everything in innovation ,” says Hirsh . “ Over 30 years at Nelvana , we had at least five major crises , all of which required different solutions . At any one time it would have been better to declare bankruptcy , but we said ‘ hell no ’ and continued to work through the disruptions to find a solution . We lived on the edge and never stopped being risk-takers .
“ When facing a business crisis , it was a hard lesson to learn how to manage it , how to solve the problems and get to the other side . It was challenging , but I learned how to keep everyone calm , cool , and collected .”
Taking risks paid off . Nelvana , in Hirsh ’ s words , gave birth to Canada ’ s animation industry , and created a global impact .
“ A vast amount of people got their careers started through Nelvana ,” Hirsh says . “ They got trained
8 October 2016