The creators of Barbie: A Touch of Magic, Octonauts: Above and Beyond, and The Guava Juice Show, Josh Saltzman and Evan Thaler Hickey, have partnered with Vancouver-based Mainframe Studios to develop and produce Ghost Town, an animated horror-comedy series aimed at older children, tweens, and anyone else who enjoys a little scary in their humor.
In Ghost Town, 15-year-old Alberta Townsend—daughter and right-hand to the world’s most famous ghost hunter—does the unimaginable by befriending a teenage ghost and discovering a means to assist the haunted rather than destroy them.
Early on in Saltzman and Thaler Hickey’s friendship, the project came about when, while staffing another production, they went out to lunch and talked exclusively about ghosts and creating a show that is both humorous and spooky.
“With a twist, it’s the ideal premise for a procedural horror-comedy. Thaler Hickey observes, “Instead of solving crimes, our heroes discover the reason a ghost haunts in the first place so it can rest in peace.” “It’s a letter of love to everything that haunts us.”
Phantoms intrigue both the friends and the collaborators. At an overnight camp, Saltzman was the resident ghost storyteller. Former campers still claim that the stories they heard from Saltzman scared them. Since spending his childhood vacations in a rumored haunted mansion, Thaler Hickey has been enthralled with ghosts.
“There is mystery in every ghost story. Saltzman asks, “What is the ghost’s unresolved matter and why haven’t they transcended over? “Every ghost manifestation we’ve ever seen or heard of—poltergeists, full-body apparitions, and ectoplasmic phantasms, to name a few—will be present in Ghost Town.”
The Canadian Comedy Award-winning writer, director, and producer Saltzman is located in Toronto and Los Angeles. He has written for Fangbone! (Disney XD), Pete the Cat (Prime Video), the Peanuts holiday special It’s the Small Things, Charlie Brown (Apple TV+), and Inspector Gadget (Netflix). In addition, Saltzman is the writer of the Young Adult horror anthology Strange Yarns, which has received over 500,000 downloads on Wattpad.
Writer, producer, and WGC Award winner Thaler Hickey has authored and created over a hundred television episodes. His animation credits include Go Away, Unicorn! (YTV/Disney Channel) and Inspector Gadget (Netflix). He has also worked as head writer on several other shows and as a consulting producer/writer on The Magic School Bus Rides Again (Netflix). In addition, he is the creator, EP, and writer for Nickelodeon International’s live-action sitcom Goldie’s Oldies.
Mainframe’s SVP Content Gregory Little oversaw the series development of Ghost Town and will executive produce alongside Mainframe President & CCO Michael Hefferon and Saltzman & Thaler Hickey.
Mainframe is investigating a look for the show that draws inspiration from hand-drawn animation and old horror comics.
According to Little, “Mainframe expands the studio into new creative directions using our original content.” We all agree that this is an older style that really captures the tone of what Josh and Evan aim to accomplish with the program.
Potential partners will be contacted about the initiative starting this month.
