By Gabrielle Moore, Editor-in-Chief
Drawing by Jordan Jenkins, a representation of “The gang’s all here.”
Sophomore Jordan Jenkins, at eight years old, not only watched cartoon shows, he started creating his own. Inspired by different childhood cartoon favorites such as Ed, Edd, n’ Eddy, Kids Next Door and Camp Lazlo (and, as he got older, cartoons like Family Guy and Aqua Teen Hunger Force), Jenkins is in the midst of developing his first major cartoon animation, Boys.co Gang. So far, he has drawn up comics, shorts and “finished frames” for one of his first shorts, and explaining the cartoon fully to his team.
Sophomore Jordan Jenkins, the creator of the developing cartoon Boys.co Gang.
Originating as just drawings and later becoming a comic strip, this young-adult cartoon revolves around an all-guys group referred to as the Boys.co Gang, led by Jenkins’ character named JD Jenkins, who go on misadventures and encounter strange mysteries. This group of guys, however, are not alone–they often encounter their all-girls group rival, the Girls.Inc Squad. Jenkins said that much of the story idea “came from growing up.”
The story takes place in 2008 Humble, Texas, which Jenkins sees as “a clean slate” from his hometown of Cleveland, Texas. Jenkins has drawn over 70 different characters for the series, 20 of which are voiced and will make more frequent appearances than the unvoiced characters.
A Boys.co Gang comic strip created by Jordan Jenkins titled “1, 2, 3, 4, I declare Thumb War Rebellion.”
Boys.co Gang is just one of five cartoon projects that Jenkins has become fully invested in which he would like to see appear on television.
“I wanted to be on TV at first, but eventually I decided [on], you know, ‘Let’s try to make it go [on] the internet, make it like an online series,” Jenkins said.
Even though Jenkins has created much of the art and written several of the shorts for the show, , he has opened up his project for others to join in helping him bring his story and characters to life.
During the Fall 2016 semester, he had his first calling for voice actors, successfully adding a good number of new members to his team.
Sophomore Cadence Johnston said in regards to being on the project, “We all love cartoons pretty much on the same level.”
Just recently, Jenkins has reopened his call for voice actors for this semester up until March 27. Auditions are held in the food court, Student Activities Center (currently closed due to construction), and/or the Student Life boardroom labeled SCC 237 in the Student Conference Center, Tuesdays from 12:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. and Wednesdays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
“You can just come in from the woodwork and we’ll find a character for you,” Jenkins said. According to Jenkins’ flier, the requirements for voice actors include:
- Good reading skills
- Passion
- Willingness to practice scripts
- Flexible schedule
- Ability to not take things personally
- Must be 18+ years old
The current cast members of Boys.co Gang with the characters that they voice: (left, right) Anne-Marie Dickey, Caleb Jeferson, Cadence Johnson, Deion “Eli” Hill, Emily Beaman, Lizzie Noxon, Morgan Montgomery, Noel Muller, Preston Cale. Photos by Jordan Jenkins.
Voice actors “usually spend around 2 to 3 hours” practicing the script “just to get a feel for the work we’re doing or if we have questions about certain things,” Jenkins said. He is also seeking out new members that embody the skills for story writing, animation, organization and planning.
As for a premiere date, Jenkins sees that appearing just a couple months away.
If you would like more information about joining, please contact Jordan Jenkins at boyscogang0@yahoo.com.