‘Helluva Boss’: How Vivienne Medrano’s Devilishly Enjoyable Comedy Discovered a New Dwelling on Prime Video

This article was written for the September-October ’25 situation of Animation Magazine (No. 352).

One of indie animation’s most beloved exhibits of the previous few years, Helluva Boss constructed a loyal fandom on YouTube with its surrealist model and macabre humor. The musical sequence, which premiered in October 2020, focuses on an organization in hell that provides hit males for rent to the dwelling. The staff of Immediate Murder Professionals (I.M.P.) full their assignments with the assistance of an historical textual content created by a demon in Hell.

Known for taking dangers in theme and character, and for bringing a way of sheer daring to the world of grownup animation, sequence creator and government producer Vivienne Medrano had embraced a manufacturing pipeline with a smallish crew for her present.

Then, the proverbial telephone rang with Prime Video on the opposite line. Thanks to a cope with the corporate, the primary two seasons of Helluva Boss, which had already been launched on YouTube, will probably be out there on the streamer starting September 10 together with a brand new particular episode; Seasons 3 and 4 have additionally been ordered.

Nurturing Talent

The significance of the deal and what it means for her sequence, in addition to for different indie animators/creators, will not be misplaced on Medrano, whose different well-liked present, Hazbin Hotel, additionally discovered a pleasant dwelling on Prime Video final 12 months.

“I think the biggest genuine joy I have is that this success hopefully really opens the door for other really cool indie projects,” says Medrano. “And even though indie animation has existed for a very long time and we didn’t invent it, getting picked up like this and having so much ownership in this situation is important. I hope we’ll see studios supporting more indie projects that still get to maintain themselves in the way they were created.”

Medrano says she’s thrilled that she has been in a position to carve a path for indie animators and “kind of break some of these walls down that will help new creators succeed with their projects and put them out there.” She provides, “I hope this shows that you can do something like this if you are an independent animator and creator. I think seeing it succeed gives everyone else the push to do it themselves. I truly believe a rising tide lifts all ships. The tides are only going to continue to rise, because I know studios are looking to indie animation to find a lot more animated shows, which I think will lead to better deals and better setups for those creators.”

She says the sequence will protect the manufacturing pipeline they’ve already arrange because it strikes to Prime Video as a result of that pipeline lends itself to the intricate strategy of hand-drawn animation. The workforce may also proceed to make use of instruments just like the Adobe suite, from Photoshop to Premiere, in addition to 2D animation software program like Toon Boom Harmony. Partnering with the corporate may also permit her to present extra full-time and constant work to the animators who’ve already been engaged on the YouTube present.

“Sometimes being an animator in this industry is very difficult at times … I’m a big advocate of putting more of the ownership in the hands of the animators and creators. If you put something out on your own and you own the show, then if a studio comes to you, you have a lot more ability to get a deal that you’re comfortable with.”

— Series creator Vivienne Medrano

Before Prime Video teamed up with Medrano, the sequence was funded by merchandise gross sales, which meant they needed to promote fairly a bit to make their funds work. The creator says working with the streamer means the present’s funds has roughly doubled, so they are going to now have the ability to elevate salaries to a extra industry-standard fee.

Medrano believes the streamer is a perfect collaborator as a result of it got here to her with a variety of respect for what she had already created.

“[Prime Video has] been really awesome,” says Medrano. “Sometimes being an animator in this industry is very difficult. You can run dry of original ideas. But I think the most exciting thing is that indie animation is becoming more of a feasible thing and that people can express their ideas in their work, and they can put out their original ideas. I’m a big advocate of putting more of the ownership in the hands of the animators and creators. If you put something out on your own and you own the show, then if a studio comes to you, you have a lot more ability to have a conversation and really get a deal that you’re comfortable with.”

Medrano has additionally labored steadily with longtime collaborator and animator Brandon Rogers on creating the appear and feel of the present. Their shared sensibilities helped outline the distinctive perspective that permeates Helluva Boss.

“I think we share a sense of humor, which I think is very important in something like this,” says Medrano. “Because when I first wanted to reach out to Brandon, I had been watching his work, and from that I really liked what he was doing. It was not only the humor, but also I felt it’s got a lot of heart, and there were layers of things in there that were interesting. And that’s what kind of made me push to try to meet with him, because I saw his work and it contained everything I like. I feel like our ideas about storytelling are aligned and we never really butt heads. It’s a very casual process when we work. We just jump in.”

Rogers agrees: “When we first started working together, it felt like two kids that just naturally gravitate to each other for an after-school assignment,” he says. “Or it’s like kids who work on a group project together in school. We also have the same kind of energy inside of us, kind of like Dr. Frankenstein or Walter White. We were very much tinkering on something that we were excited to get out and be seen by the world. We have that same sense of playing with ideas.”

For Medrano, who counts director Tim Burton and the traditional Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoons amongst her largest influences, having this artistic reference to Rogers has been particularly necessary as they produce new episodes of Helluva Boss. They’re wanting ahead to honoring the expectations of the present’s die-hard followers whereas additionally pushing past that into new, surprising tales as nicely.

YouTube as Career Launcher

“I think that we also just have a lot in common in the sense that we [both] come from the world of YouTube,” says Rogers. “I feel like we’ve very much helped each other climb up this ladder together, and I feel very proud of what we’ve done because we’ve had to resurrect everything ourselves. I hope it inspires other people, whether they’re actors, writers, animators, directors. I feel like there’s a lot to be said about Helluva Boss.”

He provides, “I think it can rival the hottest animations on TV right now, and yet these episodes were made of passion and love and were sustained by the fan base itself. And we are the fan base, because we’re making the art we want to see. And it’s great to be a show made by fans, for fans. The corporate entities that we’ve worked with have been very gracious in letting us maintain that kind of energy [on] our project, which isn’t very common, but I think that’s what makes what we’re doing unique. I hope it shows that anyone can do it, if they focus on what they believe in and what they make. If you’re persistent and you push yourself, then you can get there and create the show you want to make.”

Helluva Boss Seasons 1 and a pair of premiere September 10 on Prime Video, together with a brand new brief titled Mission: Zero (watch the age-restricted date announcement video on YouTube). The second season of Hazbin Hotel will debut October 29 on Prime Video.