Lisa Hanawalt is known for creating worlds populated by animal characters that reveal so much about the human condition. Her illustration and design work includes Tuca & Bertie, BoJack Horseman, Coyote Doggirl and Hot Dog Taste Test. She sat down with Paula Szuchman at the 2019 Werk It Festival keynote to talk about creativity, collaborating, and her love of horses. Paula is the Vice President of New Show Development at WNYC Studios, where she has worked on shows such as 2 Dope Queens, Sooo Many White Guys, Nancy, Late Night Whenever, Ten Things That Scare Me, American Fiasco, and many more.

Visual references from this episode:

- Lisa’s custom suit she wore to the 2019 Emmy Awards (link)

- “She Draws Deeply Human Characters. They’re Just Animals.” by Amanda Hess (The New York Times, April 29, 2019)

- Lisa’s Baen Chunch t-shirt design on Threadless

- Music video for “Hang on to the Night” by Tegan and Sara directed and designed by Lisa Hanawalt.

Hosted by Dessa, Werk It: The Podcast is the ICYMI version of the live event. Both the festival and the podcast are produced by WNYC Studios and are made possible by a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting with additional support from the Annenberg Foundation. Event sponsors for Werk It 2019 include Luminary, Spotify, Spreaker, Acast, Himalaya, and the Women’s Foundation of California. You can find more information at werkitfestival.com.

Lisa Hanawalt Makes New Worlds

Werk It: The Podcast