Fred Seibert
A jazz record producer turned animation mogul, he championed creator-driven cartoons and reinvented Hanna-Barbera with shows like 'Dexter's Laboratory'.
Born 1951 (age 75)·American television producer and media proprietor·Birthday: September 15·Baby Boomers
Biography
Fred Seibert's career is a masterclass in creative reinvention. He started in the gritty world of 1970s New York, producing jazz and blues records, a pursuit that earned him a Grammy nomination. That musical ear and producer's instinct led him to an unlikely second act: television. At MTV, he was the creative force behind the network's iconic, ever-changing logo idents. His true legacy, however, was forged at Hanna-Barbera in the 1990s. Taking over a struggling animation giant, Seibert bet on artists instead of formulas. He launched 'What a Cartoon!', a shorts program that functioned as a developer's playground. This radical, creator-first approach directly birthed Cartoon Network's defining hits, including 'The Powerpuff Girls' and 'Dexter's Laboratory', reshaping the landscape of American animation for a new generation.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Fred was born in 1951, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Fred Was Born
The biggest hits of 1951
#1 Movie
Quo Vadis
Best Picture
An American in Paris
#1 TV Show
Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts
Fred's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1951Born
First color TV broadcast in the US
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Too Young" — Nat King ColeBest Picture: An American in Paris
1956Started school
Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $10,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Heartbreak Hotel" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: Around the World in 80 Days
1964Became a teenager
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1967Could drive
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1969Could vote
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1972Turned 21
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1981Turned 30
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1991Turned 40
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
2001Turned 50
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
2011Turned 60
Osama bin Laden killed; Arab Spring sweeps the Middle East
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $138,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Rolling in the Deep" — AdeleBest Picture: The Artist
2021Turned 70
January 6 Capitol breach; COVID vaccines roll out globally
Gas: $3.01/galHome: $298,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Levitating" — Dua LipaBest Picture: CODA
2026Age 75 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Co-founded the independent jazz and blues label Oblivion Records in the early 1970s.
- Received a Grammy Award nomination for his work as a record producer.
- Created and produced the famous MTV station identification bumpers throughout the 1980s.
- As president of Hanna-Barbera, initiated the 'What a Cartoon!' project which launched multiple hit series.
- Founded Frederator Studios, a production company behind successful cartoons like 'Adventure Time' and 'Fairly OddParents'.
Did You Know?
He designed the famous 'bullseye' logo for the MTV channel.
His first job in television was as a promotion manager for NBC.
He is a vocal advocate for independent creators and has given TED talks on the subject.
The 'What a Cartoon!' project was inspired by the shorts programs of the classic Hollywood animation studios.
“The only way to do something is to do it.”
