The 3-Year Anniversary of ZNN! (Meet the Current Team)

I honestly cannot believe it has been 3 years since this site began.

To be perfectly honest, there were times I considered stopping ZNN.  It’s true.  I was afraid that the fandom would die completely, and I’d be forced to shut down ZNN due to lack of content to post.

But you’ve all proven me wrong.

Through ups and downs, thick and thin, this community has remained not just alive, but also consistent.  We’re a closer, more tight-knit community than ever before, and those of us who endure the hibernation will wake with Disney to celebrate a sequel, or show, or some continuation of this property.  And even if they do not, we still have a masterpiece of animation to celebrate, every single day.

I would not be writing this post without the dedication and support of my team, though.  They’re the ones who keep ZNN running day by day.  I am incredibly thankful for them, and since it’s been a long time since we did a “Meet the Team” post, I think it’s time they get some recognition for all the amazing work they do for this community.

We did an internal survey to find out a bit more about them, so sit back, relax, and take a quick peek with us behind the curtain to see the incredible people who make ZNN what it is.

In Alphabetical Order:

AgentExeider

Joined: August 2016

Role: Fearless Leader, Webmaster, Project Manager

Favorite story from time working with ZNN / being part of the fandom: ZNN has always been a supportive group of people who are willing to come together in common cause and push a creative project to completion. I’ve always marveled how the members are able to pull off impressive feats to get the job done and blow the expectations off the charts. I’m proud to be working here and to be part of this team.

What the fandom means to me: Zootopia is a wonderful world filled with colorful characters and that extends to the fandom as well. Whether you’re a veteran or just arrived in the fandom. You’ll always find something interesting and friends to make. Zootopia is cohesive, alive and vibrant, and that’s what makes it able to stand the test of time.

 

AJ

Joined: August 2016

Role: ZNN Interviews lead, sound, sound design, music

Favorite story from time working with ZNN / being part of the fandom: Working on the first interviews, and the small fun projects like “Andy Is Dead”.

What the fandom means to me: It gave me the opportunity to find a lot of new friends that share the same interests like me.

Favorite Piece of Fan-made Content: The first ZNN interview w/ Mister Mead

 

Berserker88 (aka Steven Stinkman: the Pun-gent Reporter)

Joined: April 2016. I was picked up from a strange, distant land known as TV Tropes.

Role: Occasionally my job, which is pre-reading and articles on writing

Favorite story from time working with ZNN / being part of the fandom: That time some of us ZNN guys got together and roleplayed about something stupid and silly in the office. That happened a bunch of times, actually.

What the fandom means to me: A community full of like-minded individuals who have a shared appreciation of talking animals, living in a world full of talking animals, and (sometimes) animal-themed puns. It’s been one of the most interesting and friendly fandoms I’ve ever been a part of, and I don’t see myself going anywhere anytime soon. 🙂

Favorite Piece of Fan-made Content: Content made by many fans in this case, but the What If Collaboration Project hosted by Cimar of Turalis/Wildehopps.  I’ve never seen so many people come together in such a creative and exciting way, and it was a great pleasure to be a part of it.

BlueberryCarrots

Joined: Early February 2018

Role: Team Lead for the Content Curators! I make sure that there’s always something being posted every week, and I write articles here and there.

Favorite Story from time working with ZNN / being part of the fandom: Constantly calling Andy a furry, no matter how many times he denies it 😛

What the fandom means to me: The fandom means a lot to me, as it contains people I can really relate to and ultimately helped me through some tough things in my life. So the fandom is really close to my heart.

 

Bummer

Joined: November 2016

Role: I’m a prereader and I also write the occasional article/editorial

Favorite Story from time working with ZNN / being part of the fandom: A fellow fanfic author and friend I made through the fandom had an amazingly unlikely encounter with someone who’d read his story IRL. The idea that you could just stumble into someone on the street who’s not only a fan of Zootopia, but also happened to have read a story you wrote is amazing to me. Just goes to show the incredible appeal of the movie, and the rich fandom around it!

What the fandom means to me: I met some really incredible people through the fandom and made some really good friends that I’m so thankful I have. I’ve been able to explore writing as a creative outlet, and I’ve had a blast seeing all the magnificent things the community has made. I wouldn’t have any of that if not for Zootopia!

Favorite Piece of Fan-Made Content: (This movie ruined my life and I love it)

 

Cimar of Turalis/Wildehopps

Joined: Early 2018

Role: Write Creative Profiles for artists/authors.

Favorite story from time working with ZNN / being part of the fandom: The absolutely chaotic but fun nature of hosting collabs. You’ve never had a crazy conversation until you’ve had a Discord chat with dozens of people at one time.

What the fandom means to me: It means a place where we can all grow together into better people while working on making the world a better place through the feeling of family and friendship.

Favorite Piece of Fan-made Content:  “The Application” by TheoreticallyEva

 

DarkflameWolf

Joined: July 2016

Role: Fearless Leader over Featured Content

What the fandom means to me: Community; there is a unique brand of people you just can’t find anywhere else.

 

DrummerMax64

Joined: December 2016

Role: Prereader/Team Lead

Favorite story from time working with ZNN / being part of the fandom: Any time we do an initiation for new members, especially for prereaders. They get treated to some grade-A literature, top notch.

What the fandom means to me: The fandom is the first one I ever seriously got involved with, and I’m so incredibly glad it was my first. Awesome movie, awesome content creators, and most importantly, the awesome friends I made along the way.

Favorite Piece of Fan-made Content: Having read countless Zootopia fanfictions over the past three years, it’s impossible for me to name one as my singular favorite! The sheer amount of creativity and variety is staggering. So, I’ll just put forward one of my favorite Zootopia fan art commissions: Perzoona 5 by Ziegelzeig

 

Eng050599

Joined: spring or summer 2018

Role: I’m part of Special Eyes, and I guess I’m the Zootopia Science Guy

Favorite story from time working with ZNN / being part of the fandom: Back in August 2017, I received a message from one of the readers of Lost Causes and Broken Dreams.  They found the story earlier in 2017, and it helped them more than I thought possible, when they were struggling to start a family of their own, and the tribulations in LC&BD resonated with them.  I was in tears reading it.

What the fandom means to me: The seemingly unending array of questions from this community have been a delight…well, mostly, at least.  For me, those questions are the vector to teach some science, which is always a good thing.

Favorite Piece of Fan-made Content:  Sad by Steve Gallacci.

 

Fonzi

Joined: January 2017

Role: Social Butterfly and soon-to-be Team Lead

Favorite story from time working with ZNN / being part of the fandom: Not a specific story, but I’ve always enjoyed suggesting ideas in ZNN and having everyone enjoy them, then seeing how everyone forms together to work on it.

What the fandom means to me:  This fandom lead to me meeting the person I want to spend the rest of my life with, and I gotta say that’s pretty darn special to have that happen.

 

 

Forgotten_Fox

Joined: January 2018

Role: Translation and Photoshop (magic)

Favorite story from time working with ZNN / being part of the fandom: It has to be when I asked Andy for a promotion to do more Photoshop magic but my computer was having a fit and I only had access to the finished product and a concept from Shutterstock to show for my work. It was definitely interesting trying not to sound like I was faking everything I was showing, especially with the Shutterstock logo on one concept piece, but I eventually I was able to show the AI files once my computer came back, much to my relief. (Andy’s Note: the illustrations were so photorealistic I had a hard time believing it wasn’t just a photo!)

What the fandom means to me: This fandom is a great community that has grown to be much more than movie-based fan service. The quality and depth to all the work done both for content, platforms, or just community events is more than I’ve seen elsewhere, and it’s a pleasure to be a part of.

Favorite Piece of Fan-made Content: Zootopia: Partners in Crime, a fic I’m currently co-writing with blehbluhblah

 

Fricsi

Joined: May 2017

Role: I am a Treasure Hunter

Favorite story from time working with ZNN / being part of the fandom: I like to chat with the other members; the atmosphere is pleasant and we all have something in common. In the fandom, reading comics and roleplaying has been always the closest to me.

What the fandom means to me: It means a lot, really. After I saw the movie for the first time, I already knew it was something special. It became my all-time fave, both for the story and the characters. Now I’m also a furry, and I feel nothing but happiness for all what Zootopia gave to me.

Favorite Piece of Fan-made Content: Catch the Wind by Miles-DF

 

Gabriel (TheNightManager)

Joined: May 2018

Role: I draw the poses for the ZNN interviews

Favorite story from time working with ZNN / being part of the fandom: How many new friends I’ve met thanks to it; I really didn’t expect that, since it was the first time I was ever active in a fandom.

What the fandom means to me: Probably the same thing the movie taught us: friendship, respect, and diversity.

Favorite Piece of Fan-made Content: The comic “Beyond the Veil”

 

Here’s one of the more… original zoosonas:

Good, glad we see eye-to-eye on that.

Gabriel LaVedier

Joined: February 2019

Role: Content curator. I coalesce the content. You get the idea

Favorite Story from time working with ZNN / being part of the fandom: The openness to all sorts of relationships. And The Initiation.

What the fandom means to me: It means a wonderfully structured method of expressing anthropomophic tendencies. It means world-building, expanding and creating. A matrix of ideas forms the core and then becomes so much more with effort.

Favorite Piece of Fan-made Content: A Study in Gold by WANMWAD

 

Gfcwfzkm (Pazzy)

Joined: In May or June 2016

Role: First I did Content Hunting and Comics Translation, followed by CodeMonkey; I programmed the ZNN Otto Tool. Nowadays I’m a CodeMonkey only. (Andy’s Note: he’s our Swiss Army Knife!)

Favorite story from time working with ZNN / being part of the fandom: Oof, there are so many funny and nice moments, I can’t come up with one, to be honest. X.x

What the fandom means to me: A lot. I gained many new friends, discovered many new fandoms and joined Discord through it. Also it not only introduced me into the Zootopia world, but also later to the furry world.

 

Gorgancoffee

Joined: About a year ago

Role: Prereader

Favorite story from time working with ZNN / being part of the fandom: Probably watching as everyone support each other and the creativity that comes with it. The stories and artwork that people create are just amazing.

What the fandom means to me: It’s a safe place where we can speculate and discuss how to create change in our world, and how we can be inspired to be better people.

Favorite Piece of Fan-made Content: Water Under the Bridge by WriteAnon

 

Kevin (KeyToTruth12)

Joined: May 2018

Role: I edit translations for foreign comics, so basically an editor and a typesetter.

Favorite story from time working with ZNN / being part of the fandom: I guess it would be where I got to meet the various members of ZNN, haha. Introductions are always nice.

What the fandom means to me: The fandom means a lot to me. It changed my views on how I see things in life, and it ultimately made me found a suitable partner for me. I’d even say it’s a blessing, haha.

Favorite Piece of Fan-made Content: Underwater Chase

 

Lana (Skootakip)

Joined: About a year or so ago

Role: Video editing

Favorite story from time working with ZNN / being part of the fandom: Everyone clowning on that one kid who claimed Judy and Nick were real and were living with him. (Andy’s Note: I have no idea what she’s referring to tbh)

What the fandom means to me: It’s pretty neat; I’ve met some cool people.

 

Lucario389

Joined: December 2016

Role:  I direct the special posts and projects within ZNN and annoy Andy with my shenanigans.

Favorite story from time working with ZNN / being part of the fandom: My favorite moment is when someone makes a joke and about our Glorious Leader and it gets drawn; oh, the art you should see in our hidden vaults XD. Nothing better than to see a clearly flustered Andy.  (Editor’s note: you will NOT see that, it will remain in our vaults for a REASON! ~Andy)

What the fandom means to me:  The fandom means a lot to me, as I’ve made so many friends and read so many wonderful comics and stories. The thought of people getting together to share content for the people for free (ZNN) really inspired me. Seeing people working together to make mega-collabs for both stories and comics was amazing.

Favorite Piece of Fan-made Content: MisterMead’s Judy Is Dead AU has to be my favorite by a very slim margin (Zistopia by NicolasWildes is a very very close second)

 

Merc Marten

Joined: March 2018

Role: Team Leader – Treasure Hunters

Favorite story from time working with ZNN / being part of the fandom: That would have to be when my Zootopia fanfic, The Fire Triangle, finally began to come together. It took me several false starts before I got it right; the breakthrough chapter, Judy’s younger sister’s performance at the Carrot Days talent show, turned out to be the one where I took the biggest risk as a writer.

What the fandom means to me: This is where I come to express my creative side, whether it’s putting together picture collections for ZNN’s Art of the Day or working on Zootopia fanfiction. I like to think that I may have gotten in on the ground floor of the next big movie franchise.

Favorite Piece of Fan-made Content: The works of iPoke, hands down, my favorite Zootopia fan artist.

Nate (Briam516)

Joined: Late July/Early August 2016. Right before we broke a million page views

Role: Social Butterfly (Now Team Lead). Up until recently I was the man behind the ZNN Tumblr

Favorite story from time working with ZNN / being part of the fandom: Honestly, I think my favorite moment of working at ZNN has got to be the time we killed Andy. We used to RP a lot when I started, and after the 1 million views a few of the members RP’d a wild office party that we got the whole server into, either during the party or in the aftermath, resulting in the death of Andy, an investigation, running from the law, and eventually facing off against his evil twin in court. It was just such an incredible experience to hang out for hours on a couple Saturdays with these new friends just goofing around and solving a mystery. If I recall, I was the prosecuting attorney, and we were very close to solving it before we just forgot to finish it. It will be forever a cliffhanger, which I think is rather fitting for a group that expands and shrinks all the time. I was brand new when this happened, and it was such a great bonding experience.

What the fandom means to me: I’ve always been someone who fell into one obsession after another. When I was a kid it was pirates or knights, in middle school it was Harry Potter and worlds of fantasy, high school brought Magic: the Gathering, and in 2016 it became Zootopia. A vibrant creation of wonderful characters and fantastic world-building. While I’ve jumped from thing to thing, Zootopia was the first fandom I’d really say I actually had a community. There was a select group of people who got my interest, who shared my passion, who looked at “that furry movie” and saw art, found meaning and community. In this fandom I’ve found the best and worst of people, but more importantly I’ve found good, lasting friends and grown as a person. I found a group of good friends and good people at ZNN and had fun working with them to produce content, to give back to our wonderful community. I’ve been involved in dubs, I’ve run blogs, I’ve moderated forums, I’ve done things I never thought I’d do and helped others enjoy the fandom I loved so much. I’m not terribly active anymore, but this fandom will always bring me back to the summer of 2016 when it was all so vibrant, with new things to discover, new art or writing or other content to appreciate, and around every corner and a friend to talk to. To me, this fandom means a family, a group of people who understand me and my interests, and with whom I can accomplish things I never thought possible, and I will forever be grateful.

Favorite Piece of Fan-made Content: “Impossible” by the Aviators. It’s an oldie but a goodie and I still love this song. (Andy’s Note: The song that convinced me to make ZNN!  Our first article! Yes, good choice!) Though Zistopia is a close runner-up

PinkStar

Joined: December 2018

Role: Main job is type fonting, but I also help as treasure hunter.

Favorite story from time working with ZNN / being part of the fandom: It’s a simple story, but once I went through the initiation ritual in the VC on Discord, and somehow Fonzi and I ended up talking about photography, which we both are passionate about. May not be related to Zootopia, but it was nice to talk about another subject we both enjoy.

What the fandom means to me: I’m not very active, but I can definitely see how united the fandom is, and I truly admire them for still going strong 3 years after the film’s release. I’ve made cool friends both in social media and in ZNN.

Favorite Piece of Fan-made Content: Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps Fanart by Itzel-Nahomy

Quirky-Middle-Child

Joined: May or April 2016

Role: I organize the paperclips alphabetically. (Artist)

Favorite story from time working with ZNN / being part of the fandom: My favorite time with being in the fandom was when I got to see first hand how helpful and caring the community can be. I organized a commission run to help my sister, and the amount of support I got was amazing. It showed me just what good the fandom and any community can do.

 

Rapha Luck (Christopher Guara)

Joined: I believe in the end of April or beginning of May 2016

Role: I search for artwork and videos related to Zootopia

Favorite story from time working with ZNN / being part of the fandom: The time we made a RP all together about Andy Lagopus’ supposed death.

What the fandom means to me: It means a lot to me. I met so many friends and get to see so many things people do: artworks, stories, character designs, and comics with all our favorite characters from Zootopia.

Favorite Piece of Fan-made Content: Zootopia in Rio Carnival

 

SmashGenesis

Joined: Fall 2018

Role: I’m a Content Curator!

Favorite story from time working with ZNN / being part of the fandom: I liked the time Andy made me read a fanfic where Nick and Judy read fanfic in the middle of the street with an OC. It’s just as weird as it sounds.

What the fandom means to me: It’s a great place to talk about my favorite movie! Plus, I’m making some really nice friends here, too.

Favorite Piece of Fan-made Content: “I  got soul, but i’m not a soldier,” but it unfortunately seems to be a deadfic. It’s worth reading nonetheless, but keep that in mind.

 

Steampoweredfox

Joined: March 2016

Role: Art – Graphic Design

Favorite story from time working with ZNN / being part of the fandom: Collaborating with other ZNN artists on the 3 million pageviews poster

What the fandom means to me: I’ve been a part of Zootopia for a long time, since before the official artwork was shown. I created a fan page early on knowing it would be successful, and I loved every minute of the movie. I truly believe there will be a second movie some time in the future, because it definitely deserves it.

Favorite Piece of Fan-made Content: “Skye Dancing” by Fuel

 

Translation Bear

Joined: June 2018

Role: Translate Japanese manga into English

Favorite story from time working with ZNN / being part of the fandom: I guess seeing Japanese and English authors and artists bounce ideas and concepts off of one another.

What the fandom means to me: It’s a meeting place for some of the most creative authors, artists, and experts in all sorts of fields all creating content based on a very rich and wondrous world.

Favorite Piece of Fan-made Content: ウサギの歩幅 (Rabbit’s Stride) by Ahiru

Upplet
Joined: March 2019

Role: Content Curator

Favorite story from time working with ZNN / being part of the fandom: Probably how a set of very rough sketches drawn by an intoxicated artist on tumblr become an overnight meme in the fandom.

What the fandom means to me: I fell in love with the movie when it came out in early 2016 and simply couldn’t resist writing for it. It led me to make the most ambitious creative endeavor I’ve ever taken: A fanfic called When Instinct Falls. I have learned so much and have grown as a writer and person because of it. I adore exploring the rich world of Zootopia through my writing, further developing the characters introduced in the movie. It didn’t take long for me to connect more with the fandom’s community and meet all kinds of diverse personalities, many of which I will never forget. I have made some great friends and associates in these years since, and it’s all thanks to the Zootopia fandom and the movie that started it all.

Favorite Piece of Fan-made Content: “Born to be Wilde”, by Berserker88

 

WildeCard

Joined: November 2017

Role: Occasionally, I write articles dealing with moral issues that arise in the film.

Favorite story from time working with ZNN / being part of the fandom: It would have to be the article “Study Zootopia at the University of Tennessee.” I wasn’t part of the staff at the time but thought the way I was using Zootopia in my applied ethics class might be of interest. It certainly was, since I got a steady stream of email responses about the work I shared for weeks after the article was published.

What the fandom means to me: I think I perceive the fandom as a good example of the potential of human creativity. Zootopia is just one standalone film. There are no comic books, TV series, or previous films in which we get a glimpse of this universe, and so I am consistently surprised at how much content people can squeeze from a film that has a runtime under two hours. It speaks in part to the film’s thematic depth and memorable characters, but it’s also in large part because community members try to take the narrative in new directions. I read Mistermead’s “Judy Is Dead” almost entirely for that reason — because it was such a different direction to take the characters and explores thematic territory that is radically different from what’s contained in the film itself. I’m hopeful that — even three years after its release — people will still find new avenues they can use to explore the depths of the Zootopia universe.

Favorite Piece of Fan-made Content:  “Hey, Just Try” by Boneitis:

 

YFWE

Joined: July 2017

Role: Pre-reading team lead/site copy editor

Favorite story from time working with ZNN / being part of the fandom: Being part of our official fandom meetup at the drive-in in Connecticut in 2016 was a rad ol’ time.

What the fandom means to me: As with most of the fandoms I’ve ever been a part of, it provides an escape from everyday life, something I can use to de-stress. The older I get, the more important I realize having something like that can be. The fact that even one person has paid attention to anything fanmade I’ve created is a helluva added bonus.

Favorite Piece of Fan-made Content: “Born to Be Wilde” by Berserker88, always and 5ever.