Powerhouse Animation, 
hailing from my new favorite city, Austin, recently produced a Flash-animated multimedia ad campaign for The Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority. Whew!
Now, Brad Graeber and his crew created three 1-minute commercials, a 1-minute movie-theater ad and a 3-minute viral music video and the project website, which is hosted at Getuptospeed.org.
Have a look over at YouTube:
Exxpose Exxon, a collaborative effort by 15 environmental 
and public interest organizations, has just released a new Flash-animated short that, according to the press release, “mocks the company for spending its record profits on backwards energy policies.” The 1-minute short, titled ‘Toast the Earth,’ was animated by Powerhouse Animation, and the song is by The Austin Lounge Lizards, specialists in satirical folk, country and bluegrass music.
R. Don Smith, one of the three artists who contribute to the blog 
known as The Pencil Haus, recently posted a link to ‘Killed to Death!’ It’s a 12-minute Flash animated film starring Webb Jackson, a smooth-talking private eye. It’s the creation of Frank Gabriel, who is one of the founders of Powerhouse Animation in Austin, Texas.
Animation buffs will enjoy the cemetery sequence, where the greats all get a cameo. My personal favorite was Maurice Noble’s tombstone.
I believe this is the second Webb Jackson film, 
the first being ‘Webb Jackson: A Hardboiled Dick Adventure.’ I can’t seem to locate that one, so if anyone has the link, please pass it on.
Again, thanks to R. Don Smith for his post – check out Don’s work, as he’s a pretty damn fine animator himself.
And this is my first double thanks – as Jared Chapman pointed me to The Pencil Haus. Odd are you’ve already been there today, but if not, have a gander at Drawn! - the hugely popular blog Jared contributes to.
And to all those in the US – Happy Thanksgiving!
Brad Graeber, one of the three Founder/Directors of Austin’s Powerhouse Animation, just released the 2nd installment in his ‘Captain Capitalism’ series. 
This Flash-animated episode, titled ‘Piggy Bank Pinko,’ visits a young boy with a vice-grip on his piggy bank. Captain Capitalism, ‘The Cold War’s Hottest Hero,’ intervenes with a hilarious monologue on the joys of spending.
The series is written, drawn and directed by Brad Graeber, and he has a little help from two Flash animators, Jason Williams and Jennifer Borrell Anderson. If you haven’t seen it yet, check out the first episode ‘To Bleep or Not To Bleep,’ and then hang tight for ‘Nightmare of a Red Christmas,’ which is due out in December. Then head on over the Captain Capitalism homepage for series news, Brad’s blog and the store.
I’ve 
recently spotted a few new articles focusing on Flash animation production companies. The first is in the Austin-American Statesman, titled ‘Austin a center of digital animation,’ and it highlights a couple Flash-friendly studios, Powerhouse Animation and Horseback Salad Entertainment. Here’s a quote from that article…
Using Flash software, an off-the-shelf computer animation program, HorseBack Salad keeps its costs down and attracts projects that might have ruled out animation because of budget constraints.
The second article comes from the Ottawa Business Journal, and we learn more about PIP Animation Studios and Funbag Animation, both located up in Ottawa. The article, titled ‘Child’s Play,’ reveals that ‘Carl Squared,’ the new series on Canada’s Teletoon network, is being produced with Flash software. Here’s an interesting quote from Dave Fortier, the director of studio operations at PIP Animation.
The industry itself has changed significantly because in the 80s all of the (animated) material was produced in North America and then it started going overseas,” he says. “By the 90s, virtually all material was done overseas, but things have changed now with the ever-dropping prices, smaller budgets and the flexibility of Flash, which can do just about anything and allows the artist to have complete control.
