Independent Animation Studio Martian Blueberry Is Combining Emerging Technology With Hand-Drawn Animation To Build An Empire For Black Creatives – AfroTech
Black-owned independent animation studio Martian Blueberry is finding ways to push the culture forward, whether through technology or opportunity.
The award-winning studio was created by married couple Carl and Love Jones. Carl, a Peabody Award-winning producer, is known for projects including “The Boondocks,” “Black Dynamite,” and HBO Max’s “Young Love,” while Love’s career began with Much Love Productions, a casting agency she launched at 17 focused on production, business development, and entrepreneurship, according to information shared with AFROTECH™. Together, their expertise powers Martian Blueberry, which launched in 2022.
“I was tired of having to knock on doors and beg for permission to be authentic,” Carl, CEO, said during a panel titled “From The Boondocks to Martian Blueberry” at Dream Con 2026 held July 10. “So we took it upon ourselves to get it out the mud, bring some people together, and do something more independent. And allow ourselves to be who we wanna be and tell the type of stories that we wanna tell, unapologetically.”
Since its founding, Martian Blueberry has worked with Megan Thee Stallion, Tyler, the Creator, Vince Staples, and brands including Major League Baseball, the Los Angeles Lakers, Sony Music, and Walmart, according to a press release shared with AFROTECH™.
New Projects Announced At Dream Con
At Dream Con 2026, the studio unveiled several upcoming projects, including “Intellectual Power,” a sci-fi horror animated short that is set in South Central Los Angeles. According to a press release, the film follows Rizza (Rizza Islam), an activist and social media influencer described as “the Black Neo” of today and “an adult Huey.” After residents in his community begin disappearing as part of a government campaign targeting people who use either the soft or hard N-word, Rizza confronts shapeshifting agents, weaponized drones, and monsters while using “god-like powers” to protect his community.
Attendees of the conference had an exclusive sneak preview.
The Role Of Technology
Stunned by the animation’s stunning visuals, AFROTECH™ asked Carl during a July 12 press conference which new or groundbreaking technological advancements had been used in its production.
“We’re all for technology advancement and doing things that are innovative with technology and finding ways to use it as a tool to enhance everything that we’re doing creatively. But we’re also big fans of hand-drawn traditional 2D animation,” Carl told AFROTECH™.
Love, COO, added:
“Most of the technology is behind the scenes while they’re doing all the hard work with their hands.”
Carl also noted that the industry is moving at a “rapid pace,” with technology being a key factor. As a result, adaptability is now the name of the game.
“We like to think of ourselves as an organism versus an organization, because right now technology is moving at such a rapid pace, and the industry’s shifting at such a rapid pace,” Carl explained. “We’re finding that even a lot of large Fortune 500 companies are starting to handle themselves a little bit more like a startup because they have to position themselves to pivot any second because you just don’t know what is gonna come your way tomorrow, much less five years down the road.”
Voice Talent Competition
At Dream Con, Martian Blueberry also launched the Voice Acting Talent Search, where contestants auditioned in front of Carl, Cree Summer, and Phil LaMarr. Winners will appear in an upcoming Martian Blueberry project.
“We feel like it’s important to start here at Dream Con and places like this because we wanna start within the community for people that don’t know how to get in [the industry or] wanna get in,” Love expressed.
Beyond uplifting the next generation of Black animation artists, Carl hopes to build a collaborative network of Black creators and animation studios to shape the industry’s future.
“What if Jordan Peele and Issa Rae and Kenya Barris and all of them came together and started their own company under one umbrella? How powerful would that be?” Carl mentioned. “We have an opportunity to carve out a very unique space in the culture and own it. That’s the goal.”
