Where did the idea of Mill City’s Finest come from?
Mill City is a nickname for my birthplace Lowell, Massachusetts. The concept for Mill City’s Finest came as a way for me to use my passion of animation and film and pay homage to my city I was raised in and pay respects to my cultural heritage. I wanted to take those two things and tell a dramatic tale about characters and their personal growth. MCF follows the life of teen Aundre Weah and his friends coming together to stop a threat in their city. While doing so they are forced to deal with their personal desires while maintaining their alliance.
Did you always know Mill City’s Finest would be animated or had you considered other mediums like graphic novels?
I always wanted Mill City’s Finest to be animated. I’m incredibly passionate about animation and film. I appreciate motion picture and I couldn’t be more happy seeing this concept animated. A lot of people have mentioned that I should look at graphic novels, but it is not something I’m focused on at the moment.
Is the animation style completely unique or were there other series that influenced the style that was chosen?
After the release of our 1st trailer, I can sit back and realize that at the moment we’re still working on it. We’re still trying to find our identity in regards to animation style. MCF is an action and drama story. It’s extremely important to me that I find a good balance between those genres and have that reflected successfully in the show. I will say that I’m very intrigued with lots of anime action sequences like Full Metal Alchemist.
How big is the team working on the series?We are about 20 people as of now.
How would you describe Mill City?
Mill City is a metropolitan city that was once a historic mill town. What’s special about it is the city’s diverse ethnicities and customs of it’s inhabitants.
There’s a lot of African influence in the clips we’ve seen is that something from your upbringing?
Yes. I was born from Liberian parents. Everything about my upbringing was based on my heritage. It was important to me that some african elements were in the 1st trailer. I’m happy everyone appreciated it.
Aundre is the main character and we’ve seen some evolution of his character design through concept art. Could you walk us through how you landed on the final design?
Absolutely! In the beginning I wasn’t sure of the art style, so I started with what inspired me at the time. One of my inspirations, was Aaron Mcgruder’s The Boondocks but after looking at the finished drawing, it didn’t match the art style, vision, or the idea I had in mind for the character. Also inspired by Young Justice, I went through a slew of more drawings not being able to get it right until I met with one artist who I happened to click just right with. It was critical that the character’s facial features, and physique matched who he is.
Momolu is Aundre’s alter ego, could you tell us a little about where the name came from and its’ meaning to you?
Momolu is a uni-sex Liberian name. When I was trying to come up with his alter-ego name, I wanted it to have something to do with what Aundre was representing. Both his outfit and his persona is someone trying to achieve balance between his culture and himself. He’s trying to be both. Momolu felt right. Also because it’s one of the easiest African names for people to say. :-).
What kind of villains will Aundre be taking on?
Awesome question! In the MCF universe those with special powers are known as the Uncontainable. Aundre is an Uncontainable as well. In addition to facing the Uncontainable who use their powers for selfish gain,(i.e. Flameshot (please see our trailer)) Aundre will have to face himself. In a sense he is his greatest antagonist; he’ll have to overcome his desires. So will all our main characters.
The characters we’ve seen so far feature a wide range of diversity. Was that something done deliberately or did it just pan out that way?
That is just who these characters are and where they come from. Aundre is a Liberian, Hector is Salvadoran, and Rudi is Lebanese who all happen to live in Mill City.
Do you feel as if Mill City benefits from being an independent series?
At the moment I’m enjoying being independent. I’m learning more and more about this industry and just what it takes. However I’m also passionate about collaboration. I’m always ready to discuss how we can make Mill City’s Finest better without compromising the spirit of the show. I understand there’s a fanbase out there who appreciate indy projects. I’m excited to see where this path continues to take me.
Often we see creators of colors struggling to get their stories out to the masses. Is there any advice you can give to others about getting your work out there and discovered?
I would tell these creators to stay true to your idea and keep building. Despite all that I’ve accomplished, I’m still building, I’m still studying, I’m still trying to get better. I don’t feel you ever stop building on your craft. So as long as you continue building you will see progress; and with progress comes success.
Do you ever hope that Mill City’s Finest can be an inspiration for other black creators putting their work out to the masses?
Yes absolutely. Seeing familiar stories told from another perspective is awesome because within that perspective is a brand new story that hasn’t been told yet. I feel if we all just focus on seeing a story through another lens, the color of a character’s skin wouldn’t matter.
If you could give advice to people who want to pursue storytelling whether it be animation, literature, film or anything else what would it be?Draw inspiration from personal experiences, and be true to your passion. Audiences will connect to you if they see how connected you are to your work. Trust yourself.
What are the best ways for people to keep up with the progress of Mill City’s Finest?
Please follow us on our social networks channels where we drop news concept art and other behind the scene work. You can find us on Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, and Twitter @Mcfseries. Also catch our latest playlist “What is Mill City’s Finest?” on our youtube channel Mill City’s Finest: the Series to get more info on characters and what to expect.
