Ed Seeman


Edward Seeman is an American artist whose works have spanned disparate fields, from award-winning animated television commercials for children to films of artistic nudity and hardcore pornography. He is also known for his cinemaphotography and for his work with Frank Zappa in the 1960s.

Career

Seeman was born in New York in 1931, and attended both the High School of Music & Art and the Pratt Institute. He began his animation career at Paramount Pictures, making animation cels for shows such as Popeye the Sailorman and Casper the Friendly Ghost. He won several awards for his work, including Clios and ADDYs.
Seeman's career was interrupted when he was drafted into the U.S. Army. He served in Frankfurt with the 4th Infantry Division from 1952 to 1954. Seeman produced cartoons for Army's internal information program.
After returning from military service, Seeman and his partner Ray Favata began the media company Gryphon Productions, which ran from about 1960 to 1969. They produced commercials using cartoon characters, including the Trix rabbit, Sugar Bear and My Little Pony.
Seeman worked closely with Frank Zappa, producing films for Zappa such as the 14-hour montage Uncle Meat, for which he won a Cine Golden Eagle Award. In 1981 Seeman and Favata won an Emmy Award for their work on the intro to the children's television show The Great Space Coaster.
Seeman also produced and directed a number of pornographic films, such as The Healers, Fongaluli, and Madame Zenobia, which were marketed outside the US.

Films

Film festival

Seeman contributed motion picture photography for Frank Zappa's: