Nicole Dubuc Q&A

[NicoleDubuc 211]

8 minutes ago, Bas said:

Welcome to the herd, even if only temporary!

When was MLP the most popular? Do you have got any statistics in general to share with us?

Thanks for the welcome!  I don't really have any stats on MLP popularity, they try to keep us writers away from spreadsheets and figures.   It's a great Hasbro marketing question!

 

[TheAnimationFanatic 3,606]

What shows/movies have the biggest influence on your writing. Not just for Friendship is Magic, but for your work as a whole?

[ChB 18,574]

Hi Mrs. Dubuc!  

Thank you for taking the time to speak with us!  

Were there any specific episodes that helped you decide to become a part of Friendship is Magic?

Also, considering that you graduated Pre-Med, what made you decide to pursue writing, rather than medicine?

[NicoleDubuc 211]

9 minutes ago, Will Guide said:

What’s the most important part of being an executive producer?

Hmmm... Well, on Pony, I think the most important part was collaborating with all sides of the team - Hasbro, marketing, legal/standards & practices, the creative force at DHX, Josh, and the writers -- to make sure we were all on the same page (so to speak) about the stories we wanted to tell. 

13 minutes ago, TwilySparky said:

I'll ask too!

What do you think of Starlight Glimmer?

I answered this but it looks like it disappeared.  I said something like:  "Haha, getting straight to the loaded questions!  I'm hard-pressed to think of any characters I don't like in MLP.  So I like Starlight."

[Castle Bleck 19,602]

Another question: What's the most-hilarious outtake you've ever heard during a recording-session?

[NicoleDubuc 211]

13 minutes ago, Sherbert MGS said:

What a pleasure it is to speak with a producer of MLP

Do you have a favorite NON MANE 6 charactor

Thank you!  It's great speaking with you as well!  I have TONS of faves on this show. I love Discord.  I love Silverstream.  The CMCs!!! And I will always have a soft spot for Cozy.  She's my evil child, LOL.

[TheAnimationFanatic 3,606]

Just now, NicoleDubuc said:

Thank you!  It's great speaking with you as well!  I have TONS of faves on this show. I love Discord.  I love Silverstream.  The CMCs!!! And I will always have a soft spot for Cozy.  She's my evil child, LOL.

Your sweet evil child. LOL!

[Jeric 46,890]

5 minutes ago, NicoleDubuc said:

Thank you very much!  I didn't speak directly with Mr. Zahn, but I did reread his wonderful books before I started writing, and when I spoke to him after the episodes had aired, he was so gracious and kind about the result!

Heya. Not really a question, but I first connected who you were from your earlier works after watching your Rebels episode because the writing felt so spot on that I was sure it him. Goes to show how much you nailed him, Hera, and company. 

[Twilight Luna 31,504]

Have you ever written a character based on someone that you know? If so, who was that character?

Edited December 15, 2018 by Twilight Luna

[NicoleDubuc 211]

20 minutes ago, Batbrony said:

 

I'll start us off to get the ball rolling: Ms. Dubuc, by this point in MLP G4's run, we've already seen quite a few episodes set in or centered around Hearth's Warming Eve.  With this in mind, what compelled you and the rest of the creative team behind "Best Gift Ever" to come up with a 45-minute Hearth's Warming Eve special in the same vein as some of the all-time holiday classic film and TV specials?

Hi Batbrony!  Thanks for helping set this all up!  The special actually wasn't anything I planned. Hasbro requested us to come up with a long-form story featuring Hearth's Warming, and Vogel and I put our heads together to get the ball rolling. I was working with him on the CMC Mysteries books already, and he's such a collaborative, creative writer to work with. He wrote a fabulous script, and I'm really grateful we got to work on the project together.  As always, there's a creative process with lots of notes and story changes - it takes more time the longer the format you're writing for. For a while, Vogel was calling this "Friendship, Actually," since we didn't have a set-in-stone title yet.

[Lord Valtasar 12,714]

with the Kirin being in the fan-made content for so long,did it influence the decision on adding them, or was it an idea of its own?

[Them's Seeing Ponies 282]

"Friendship, Actually" may very well be one of the best titles in the history of anything.

[Batbrony 16,088]

Got another "Best Gift Ever" question for ya.  What holiday specials and films, if any, particularly influenced you and the creative team?  It seems that one of the biggest aspects of "Best Gift Ever" that sets it apart from previous Hearth's Warming Eve episodes is how well the ensemble cast is utilized, truly painting a very true-to-life picture of how hectic the holiday season can get for people and all of the varying, individual narratives that go into making these celebrations happen and as special as they are.  I can think of a number of holiday classics that similarly capture these elements of the season, but I'm curious to hear from you if any in particular inspired the creative team.

[NicoleDubuc 211]

21 minutes ago, Theanimationfanatic said:

Good afternoon, Mrs. Dubuc. Thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to answer our questions. Here's mine:

Did your husband, Mr. Brian Hohlfield influence your decision to join Friendship is Magic or vice versa?

Thanks for having me here!  I pulled Brian onto MLP:FiM.  Since he was already watching episodes with me as I got up to speed on the job, it wasn't a very hard sell.  And he's a fantastic writer, so I was very glad I got him onboard.

22 minutes ago, Lord Valtasar said:

Welcome and thank you for making time for this,

Did you seek to work on the MLP franchise or did they seek you?

Hi there!  Thank you!  Meghan asked me to join FiM - I was down the hall working on Rescue Bots.

[TheAnimationFanatic 3,606]

Just now, NicoleDubuc said:

Thanks for having me here!  I pulled Brian onto MLP:FiM.  Since he was already watching episodes with me as I got up to speed on the job, it wasn't a very hard sell.  And he's a fantastic writer, so I was very glad I got him onboard.

2

That he is. His episodes were nothing short of fantastic! As were yours. I hope to see him return for Season 9.

Edited December 15, 2018 by Theanimationfanatic

[Arc Flash 7,884]

Thanks for taking your time to be here, and welcome

[NicoleDubuc 211]

22 minutes ago, SaburoDaimando said:

Nicole.  It's been awhile since San Diego.  I was the guy who gave youbthe drawings (Including the Starlight vs Tirek seEing)

 

Anyway, my questions are....

 

1) Have your team ever consider doing some MLP youtube shorts like the Equestria Girls youtube series?

 

2) Has Hasbro ever consider a Live Action Celestia movie(Maybe with Nicole Oliver as Celestia)?

I remember you!  I have those drawings in my office.   
1) and 2) All those decisions are up to the marketing team at Hasbro, sorry!  
 

[Mesme Rize 15,692]

Good evening Mrs. Dubuc,

First off all, thank you for joining us here for this Q&A, as i know that you most likely have a busy schedule.

To my question now. As we have discovered over the course of now 9 seasons of My Little Pony, that there are a wide variety of Pony creatures and not just the traditional earth, Pegasus and Unicorn ponies.
We also have species like Batponies, Breezies (which kinda are ponies) hippogriffponies and seaponies (or both like silverstream and Terramar).

My question is, What do you think of other pony hybrids that the fandom has created? Hybrids really fascinate me and concepts like Snakeponies or Deerponies really are interesting for me.

Thank you.

[NicoleDubuc 211]

24 minutes ago, Woohoo said:

Greetings Ms. Dubuc. Thanks for taking the time to join us here on MLP Forums.

Now for my question: What made you get into television?

Hi there!  Thanks for the warm welcome!  

I got into TV as an actress when I was three.  What's kept me here is the tremendous satisfaction in being able to collaborate with talented artists, actors, and other creatives to build a world and engaging characters to share with others.  

[MangoFoalix 25,063]

I have a good question I just came up with.

Will bat ponies ever have a bigger prescense in the show? They are very popular fanmade creation but also have some appearenace in the show.

[ggg-2 3,557]

It's so great to meet you, Nicole!  Do you have a favorite pop culture reference the show has done?

[Woohoo 36,407]

I think this might be our most popular AMA ever.

Are we asking too many questions? 

[Quinch 1,180]

Since you were involved with the creation of the Student Six {is it Young six officially?}, I have to ask... what would happen if Silverstream encountered an escalator?

[Twilight Luna 31,504]

The Best Gift Ever is full of cultural references to Charlie Brown and GI Joe. Were these put in at the request of Hasbro or did the writers decide to put them in? If it was your own decision, what was your favorite one? Mine was the reference to the Charlie Brown Christmas.

Edited December 15, 2018 by Twilight Luna

[NicoleDubuc 211]

26 minutes ago, Them's Seeing Ponies said:

Well... I have a fair number of questions I'm curious on, but I'll start with some of the more notable ones:

When you first joined the show, what was the type of storytelling/tone you tried to establish?

What led to the creative decision to give Spike wings in Molt Down and (as far as you know) was this a planned part of his character arc before you came on board FiM?

Which of FiM's main cast members do you find the most difficult to write for and why?

Were the Young/Student Six as a concept based on Hasbro's demands or were they the outcome of the show's creative staff? If so, were there any plans or concepts for the Six that were dropped during the production stage, or did their on-screen forms remain largely unchanged from their conception?

On a side note, it's a real honour being able to speak with a member of the show's creative staff, particularly coming from a longtime fan of the series. Thanks for doing this.

Okay!  Diving in here!

1. I tried to follow the set storytelling and tone of the show.
2. From what I recall, Josh pitched Spike getting wings in one of our story meetings with DHX.  We all thought it was a good story; a way to further explore his character and dig into the theme of growing up.
3. Probably Zecora because you really have to take time with those rhymes!
4. The young six were our creation for season 8; Josh, Vogel, and I spent several days in a room developing their characters and figuring out who they were.  And once we had them locked and presented them to the Hasbro team, they pretty much stayed the same - DHX worked with Hasbro on the character designs.  

And thank you for the great questions!  I appreciate you all inviting me here.