I'm Michael Young, a New York-based cartoonist, illustrator, writer, educator, and creator of original animated properties.
I've been creating characters, comics, children's stories, and television concepts for much of my life. My work has included a weekly newspaper comic strip, humor publishing, children's-book illustration, an illustrated travel blog created while living in Spain, original animated TV projects, and a Marvel Comics editorial internship.
My current slate includes ¡No Way, José!, a character-driven animated adventure-comedy about two best friends entrusted with a limitless virtual universe, along with Robot Teacher and additional concepts spanning children's, preschool, and adult animation.
For more than a decade, I've also worked as an educator and visual arts teacher. Spending my career around children and young people has given me an unusual window into how kids interact with one another, how they talk, play, imagine, create, and make each other laugh. That experience strongly informs my children's entertainment work.
I was also a Fulbright Scholar in Spain, an experience that expanded both my creative perspective and my interest in cross-cultural storytelling.
Across all of these projects, the common thread is character-driven visual comedy. I love creating distinctive characters, building worlds around them, and finding the funny, strange, and surprisingly human moments within everyday life.
I'm currently developing and pitching original animated properties and looking to build relationships with producers, studios, collaborators, and representation.
Explore my TV concepts, published work, illustration, comics, and other creative projects throughout this portfolio.