Farewell !

[Elodie]

This is my very last post on the forum.

Some people may have noticed my silence on TVPaint forums since February. It would be too long to tell you why, but the fact is : former CEO Fabrice Debarge was dismissed by major shareholders after we returned from the Annie Award Ceremony. It's been tough times, my health's got compromised and I haven't been working for TVPaint since.

After 9 years of commitment toward TVPaint Développement, my job in the company is officially over. My contract with the company ended 2 days ago on my 30th birthday, that's something ! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Nevertheless, it's been a great adventure ! I'm quite sad about the way it ends, but I won't regret anything. I'm glad that I shared so many years with a fistfull of amazing colleagues, had to travel all around the world and met so many talented international artists. It's been a true pleasure to be your contact, and I hope we will have other opportunities to see each other and even work together again.

Now, I feel like a foster mom whose the child went back to his family : my job is done, but I'll love that kid forever. So, dear ex-customers, dear friends : if you ever have the time to leave me a recommendation on LinkedIn (hey, I must find a new job now), it would be much appreciated !

Thank you all and keep doing great animations ! ❤

[D.T. Nethery]

Elodie, I'm glad you have spoken . This is very sad for me .

Thanks for all the help you and Fabrice have given me over the years. Please email me to stay in touch .

TVPaint Development, I think you could at least acknowledge this major change instead of just "pretending" it did not happen.

[Hironori Takagi]

When I visited France I have been very memorable what you kindly had from you.
I think there are various reasons for retirement, but I expect the future success.

Hironori Takagi

[Sewie]

Wow, I must admit that I am a little upset..!

I always assumed that the team was too busy after winning that Ubi Iwerks prize in february, but now I read that things have taken a turn for the worse...?! It feels extremely unfair to me since you are both such an important part of TVP's success! And a little worrying, to be honest...

I don't know what happened but I am so sorry to hear you are leaving Elodie, and sorry to hear that Fabrice has left as well. I sincerely hope you both will be alright and that you will stay in touch somehow.

[VGmaster9]

Any reason why Fabrice was dismissed?

[Sewie]

Any reason why Fabrice was dismissed?

I am wondering the same thing...

[Fabrice]

.
Hello everyone,

As I no longer have access to my email box, and not knowing if my tvpaint email address even still exists, I am using this mean of communication.

There hasn't been any post from my on the forum since the Annie Awards ceremony (if you haven't seen it, here it is : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esOs1G7_y4A ). You should also know that this message will probably be the last after no less than 10,000 posts in the company's different message boards.

Here are the latest events I had to deal with:

For the last 4 years (almost), my job was to be TVPaint Développement's co-Executive-Manager and employee in charge of conception and marketing of software.

A few days before the Annie Awards ceremony (February 3rd 2018), where we would be receiving the Ub Iwerks Award for our technological achievements, I discovered that, unbeknownst to me, an extraordinary general assembly of shareholders would be happening two weeks later, in order to dismiss me from my functions of co-Executive-Manager.

Preparing the ceremony was a great honor, but it was also extremely painful because of the directives of the major shareholders, who were opposed to any procedure related to opening offices abroad (USA and Japan). These contradictory directives caused an enormous stress.
There were together … sentences to change into our speech, a teleprompter that wasn't updated in due course, some additionnal stress due to the crowd and cameras, … and all of this in the situation of a probable dismiss… look again at the video, you surely noticed my hesitations when speaking !

On February 16th 2018, after nearly 3 hours of discussions, I was dismissed by the major shareholders despite the company's excellent results, and the accomplishment of my financial and technological goals.
This decision, with everything that led to it and what followed it, have greatly impacted my health, which explains why I haven't been able to work nor to communicate with you since it happened.

I became a normal employee (so without the co-Executive-Manager function) of the company once again, and on August 20th 2018 I was fired from it.

And now ?

It is now up to the new management, in place since February 16th 2018, to decide what the furure of the company will be and how the software will evolve. But, from all my heart, I hope, for all of the community, that what was planned on the technological side will see the light of day.

Even if I wish to do so, thanking every person nominally (with a word for each of you) would be too long and you are so many that I'd risk forgetting someone !

Nevertheless, here is what I can say:

- To students : your progress and talent during your studies were gemstones to discover and polish.

- To animators, and our beta-testers : your movies were our mission, our reward and gave me energy in our most difficult times.

- To my former colleagues : our team was a fantastic one, I wish you to have more moments like the ones we had together.

- Generally speaking, to all users of the software : I wish you all the best in your projects, current and future ! Thanks for your warm welcome everywhere on the planet. Thanks for your kindness, your advice, our passionated debates on the future of technology and 2D animation. I will never forget you. From now on, I will watch your art as a simple spectator, after having studied them as a technician.

- And, lastly, for those wondering if, during the ceremony, it was wise to say, after lots of hesitations and rectifications, that "… this would provide a better opportunity to work hand in hand with people eager to bring back the golden age of 2D Animation »." :
Know that, on a personal note, even if I don't know yet how it will look like, my long-term objective remains unchanged : ensuring that Animation will continue to shine as bright as possible.
And believe me, I have never been more determined.

Here we go then, after my colleagues Tiphaine, Nicolas, Ahmed, Claudine, Eric Scholl, Thomas and Elodie, that have all said farewell their way (emails, forum, skype, etc.), it is now my turn to say that….

" What's done is done ! "

Thank you again for everything !

Fabrice.

PS : for anyone that wishes to keep in contact with me, and wishes to know how I am doing, you can use LinkedIn's message system, any recommendation is welcome.
https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/ur ... 7678898177

[Sewie]

Thank you, Fabrice, for taking the time to inform us about these developments.

It saddens me to read that such a large part of the team has left after doing such great work for so long a time. The software has progressed so much over the last years and I was really looking forward to where it was going to go next with such a competent team at the helm. Alas, I am so sorry!

But, if I understand you correctly, you were dismissed because of the following...?:

...
...the directives of the major shareholders, who were opposed to any procedure related to opening offices abroad (USA and Japan).
....

Shareholders (I never knew TVPaint even had those) who don't want to expand??
USA and Japan are the logical next step for TVPaint's expansion because of their huge animation industries and your shareholders DO NOT want that...? Are they Russians by any chance...???

[Eric Scholl]

Hey everybody !

It seems this is the place for farewells, so I'm joining the party... yeah...
Like Elodie and Fabrice, this will be my last post on the forum.

For those who don't know me, I was a developper at TVPaint for 7 years, developping the Linux version of TVPaint and huge well-know functionnalities in the software, like the CTG Layer, the V11 new deformation tool, the Texturizer, the Brush Spreading and Inlay texture FXs, or the Share Manager for example.
Sadly, I had to leave TVPaint about 2 months ago. I made my decision because of Fabrice dismissal, as it also affected my health.

These 7 years were really intense and I have no regrets.
Meeting everyone at Annecy, discussing and sharing with you on the forum, giving workshops with Elodie, Fabrice, Claudine and Tiphaine all around the world, contributing to the world-wide animation industry from my small desk at Metz... I take all of these as gifts. It was litteraly a Journey through Creativity .

You all made me live in a dream for 7 years, so my last words for you here will be an enormous : THANK YOU !

Like Elodie and Fabrice, if you wish to stay in contact with me, you can connect to my LinkedIn(https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-scholl-52abb63a/), I will accept without hesitation.
Keep sharing dreams through your animations and farewell.

[Sewie]

...

For those who don't know me, I was a developper at TVPaint for 7 years, developping the Linux version of TVPaint and huge well-know functionnalities in the software, like the CTG Layer, the V11 new deformation tool, the Texturizer, the Brush Spreading and Inlay texture FXs, or the Share Manager for example.
Sadly, I had to leave TVPaint about 2 months ago. I made my decision because of Fabrice dismissal, as it also affected my health.

...

Sounds like you guys were put under lot of stress you did not deserve. I hope you are all recovering now.
Thank you, Eric. I have often made use of your inventions, they've helped me solve a lot of problems. I wish you all the luck with your future efforts!

[CartoonMonkey]

Thank you Elodie, Fabrice and all. I have had a very heavy heart surrounding this situation. I hope you will stay in contact and say hello from time to time.
Please take care and stay in touch.
Your friend
C

[Robobob]

I was unaware of all this until this morning.
Quite shocking and upsetting news.

A huge thanks to everybody, Elodie, Fabrice and the rest.
I can only imagine how you must feel.
I've experienced working on a film and being laid off all of a sudden due to financial problems so I know to some extent unfortunately.

I wish you all the best for the future, you deserve to continue what you did in one way or another.
I do hope that the software will continue to develop and thrive but I'm quite worried since you guys were such a huge part of it.
It also just pains me to see the people responsable for enabling all of us to create all sorts of different projects in the medium we love no longer being a part of it.

Very strange reasoning if indeed the decision to open offices abroad was the reason behind this.
It seemed like such a logical step with Japan having such a huge traditional animation industry and the US also has plenty of opportunities for 2d animation to be implemented and perhaps to revive.

All the best yet again to you all.
Take care of yourself and your health.
Thats most important at the moment.

Bob

[matstegner]

Farewell Elodie, Eric and Fabrice. I am also looking for a new job after the producer left the short film me and my colleague Jens were working on in TVPaint. I also lost my office in May. Good luck with your job searches.

[Jet]

This news hasn't gone down well at my office, Elodie and Fabrice were a big part of the reason we adopted TVPaint.

Seemed like TVPaint, Wit Studio, Tatsunoko Pro, Signal MD, Studio Colorido, etc. were successfully managing a digital revolution and education programme in Japan, undoubtedly Elodie and Fabrice seem to be a big part of that, things were shifting as far back as 2010. What a shame, fired over what seems to me to be a logical expansion.

Thanks and all the best, I hope you move on to greater things, or that the shareholders come their senses...

[Cardin]

-Why has no one from the current TVPaint team made a statement assuring the community that, despite the unfortunate loss of such talented people, TVPaint Développement is committed to advancing the software and will continue to innovate, update, and refine the software through version 12 and beyond?