My Life Me

Did You Know?

• The school system in the series requires Birch and her classmates to work together in groups called 'Pods.'
• My Life Me was nominated for a Kidscreen Award in 2010.
• The MyLifeME.com website was nominated for Best Kids Interactive at the Canada New Media Awards in 2010.

Production

CarpeDiem Film & TV received a development deal from Teletoon to create My Life Me in 2006, and the series was greenlit for production in June 2008. TV-Loonland AG joined as international distributor, with France 2 and Canal J as co-commissioning broadcast partners. The series was a co-production between Canadian and French companies, intended to be the first project from CarpeDiem's new Montreal studio named Animation Station. Episodes were animated using ToonBoom Harmony, with animation split between Toutenkartoon in Montreal and Caribara in Angoulême, France.

Backgrounds were created in Maya, then cel-shaded, rendered, and imported into Harmony. Animators used a hybrid of digital and hand-drawn techniques to improve fluidity. The series was planned as a lifestyle brand with licensing and merchandising covering publishing, accessories, gifts, stationery, apparel, and a fully interactive website. Delivery of the series, shorts, and website was scheduled for fall 2009.

TV-Loonland AG filed for bankruptcy in early 2010, and My Life Me, still in production, was among its assets sold off. Classic Media acquired the series in February 2010, taking control of all media iterations including the planned website. The series is now owned by DreamWorks Animation following their buyout of Classic Media in 2012.

Characters

Birch Small (voiced by Sarah Camacho in English, Claudia-Laurie Corbeil in French) is a 13-year-old cartoonist and otaku deeply familiar with art history and Japanese manga. She has a crush on Raffi and often does absurd things to impress him, such as becoming vegetarian because he was conflicted about her love of fast food. Liam Coll (voiced by Mark Hauser in English, Nicolas Charbonneaux-Collombet in French) is Birch's 14-year-old cousin who is close to her and often at her house.

His silly and ignorant personality causes problems, but his personal skills help his pod in tight situations. Liam struggles to find a single identity, frequently adopting new hobbies. He contributes plot and writing to Birch's illustrations. Sandra le Blanc (voiced by Stéfanie Buxton in English, Émilie Bibeau in French) is a 14-year-old skateboarder who is rude and tomboyish.

She enjoys causing discomfort and embarrassment for others, and often tries to provoke her pod members into anger for her own entertainment. She denies her past geek phase and mocks her pod's geeky moments.