Ian Jones-Quartey (born June 18, 1984) is an American animator, storyboard artist, writer, director, producer, and voice actor. He is the creator of the animated series OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes, based on his
Cartoon Network pilot Lakewood Plaza Turbo, which ran on the network from 2017 to 2019.[3] He is also known for his webcomic RPG World and his work on Steven Universe, Adventure Time, and Bravest Warriors.
Jones-Quartey created the webcomic RPG World,[8] which won
Web Cartoonists' Choice Awards in 2001 and 2002.[9][10] In 2007, he co-created the web animation series and
comedy hip-hop duo nockFORCE, rapping under the stage name "effnocka" along with audio specialist and
YouTuber Jim Gisriel.[11]
In 2013, Jones-Quartey's short Lakewood Plaza Turbo aired on Cartoon Network as a
television pilot.[5][16] He had pitched the series two years prior when he had been a storyboard supervisor on Adventure Time.[8] The short was retooled as a mobile game entitled OK K.O.! Lakewood Plaza Turbo, which was released on Cartoon Network's Anything app in February 2016. Lakewood Plaza Turbo ran as a network series beginning March 2017, and OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes premiered on Cartoon Network on August 1.[5][8]
In 2018, he appeared in the first season of a podcast entitled Drawn: The Story of Animation, from Cartoon Network and HowStuffWorks, which provided listeners with a behind-the-scenes perspective on animation from voice actors, historians, and creators of animated series.[17][18]
Between October 2020 and April 2021, the anti-racism
PSAs "Don't Deny It, Defy It", "Tell the Whole Story", "See Color" and "Be an Ally", that he worked on with
Rebecca Sugar, featuring characters from Steven Universe, were released on the Cartoon Network YouTube channel.[21][22]
On September 2, 2019, the film Steven Universe: The Movie was released. Jones-Quartey was one of the co-executive producers of the film, which was executive produced by Rebecca Sugar.[23]
Personal life
Jones-Quartey is a grandson of
Theodosia Okoh, the designer of the
flag of Ghana; he based the Steven Universe character Nanefua Pizza on her.[24] By 2017, he was living in Los Angeles.[5]
He married Steven Universe creator
Rebecca Sugar on December 4, 2019, having been together for twelve years.[25]
Influences
Jones-Quartey cites
Akira Toriyama's series Dragon Ball and Dr. Slump as inspiration for vehicle designs of his own. He stated, "We're all big Toriyama fans on [Steven Universe], which kind of shows a bit."[26]
Filmography
Animation
The Venture Bros. (2006–2010) (inking, art director, animation director)
^Jones-Quartey, Ian. (2004) RPG World – The Comic That's in a Video Game, Volume 1: Unlikely Hero Out for Adventure. Publisher:
Keenspot Entertainment.
ISBN0-9722350-4-3