Exclusive: Magical Girl Friendship Squad Interview With Kelsey Stephanides

During the late 90s and early 2000s, magical girl shows took the world by storm. Promulgated by the Japanese property Sailor Moon, they generally centered on an all-female cast of evil-fighting do-gooders who protect the world from a combination of criminals, monsters and aliens by donning cute and colorful outfits that signify the awakening of their—you guessed it—magical powers. These programs meant a lot to girls, who could not identify with the G.I. Joes and Johnny Bravos of television. As popular as they are with younger audiences, however, they don’t have any adult-oriented equivalent. Seeking to change that, Kelsey Stephanides developed Magical Girl Friendship Squad. In this exclusive interview, the up-and-coming producer takes us through her formative years at NYU all the way to her leading roles at Cartuna and Titmouse. 

Tim: You studied media, culture and communications at NYU. A lot of graduates from that program go into marketing and public relations. When and why did you decide you wanted to be a creator, specifically a creator in the animation industry?

Kelsey: I always liked entertainment. That was one of the reasons I wanted to come to New York of all places. During my first or second year I figured out I loved TV and wanted to work in that industry. I didn’t really make the decision to go into animation until later. I took production classes, while animation courses at NYU are mostly skill-based. There were no classes devoted to producing in animation specifically. Most production classes have you develop a kind of pitch a project for the entire semester. I always watched a lot of cartoons. The Simpsons, Futurama – I never thought I could do something similar until I saw someone pitch their own animated series in that class. What helped me out is that I can also draw. A lot of people who pitch ideas do not know how to visualize them, but I can. So that’s how I stumbled upon the path that eventually led me to this show. 

Tim: Is there any woman in the film industry – animation or live-action – that you always looked up and can say inspired you? 

Kelsey: Tina Fey was a big voice in comedy, especially as someone who was both a writer and an actor. But I think a big moment for me was actually seeing Broad City when it first out. Seeing the names of the actors and producers of that show on screen was an ah-ha moment for me, a moment that showed me what TV can be. It led me to believe that I could make something which other people would like while still staying true to myself. 

Tim: You’ve worked at Titmouse, which is a pretty large animation studio, as well as Cartuna, which is a small, up-and-coming company. Are they organized differently? 

Kelsey: They are pretty different. I think it’s kind of the same with every single studio, every single animation studio is different and even within a studio, each show is kind of different. Titmouse, being the bigger company of the two, has offices in California. Cartuna is just in New York. They have their core production team and other artists coming on board for different projects. There, each producer has their own style, not only in terms of how the show should look but also in terms of how it’s being made. If Magical Girl Friendship Squad had been produced by another studio, it would have been totally different. 

Tim: What was your relationship with Diana McCorry, who wrote the scripts for Magical Girl Friendship Squad, and Crystal Downs, who directed them?  

Kelsey: Diana was one of the development producers at Cartuna and the main writer on the original series. Crystal was the animation director. I worked more with Diana for the pilot series. Back then, I was more involved with the writers and producers. This time around, I have been more involved with Crystal and her team. They’re great people, easy to work with, very talented. It’s easy when you work in an environment where you can freely comment on each other’s opinions. We trust each other as artists and know we have the same vision.

Tim: What did your main voice cast bring to the table that none of the other candidates who auditioned for the roles could? 

Kelsey: So, Anna was the original voice of Daisy in the pilot series. I feel like her performance really defined the character moving forward. As such, I assume that stepping back into it must have been pretty easy, although she did have to expand the character in ways she had not done before. We wanted to do a bit more character development. For Quinta, I felt she added a new layer to Alex’s personality. She herself is relatable and incredibly easy to like, but also keep-it-real. The comedy comes from, she’s gonna say it how it is, and we like it because it’s true. 

Read more of our exclusive interview of Kelsey Stephanides here as featured in Bubbleblabber the Magazine which is in stores now!

This interview was edited and condensed for clarity.

The Magical Girl Friendship Squad premieres September 26th @ Midnight ET/PT, only on Syfy, check your local listings.