Check Out The Hilarious Youtube Animated-Web Series “Pass The Meerkat” Every Wednesday at 8pm.

How did Pass The Meerkat begin?

Pass The Meerkat is a phrase we say in our group. You would know if you’ve come to one of our gatherings. We’ve taken advantage of the fact that nobody can straight away understand what it means and decided to not actually reveal where it comes from… We might reveal it in Season 35. We actually give an elaborate fake answer every time we’re asked. Once we said the name came from a time we drove past a Meerkat on the roadside in Novalja lol.

I love the merge of podcast and animation! What inspired the idea?

One day Deji was watching the Ricky Gervais show and thought – “wouldn’t it be sick if our group chat did something like this, we tell our regular funny stories but instead of just a podcast we animate it too, include skits, etc” He pitched the idea in the Whatsapp Group chat and it was immediately embraced by the nine of us! We came up with the plan and we found the greatest animator in the UK, Calvin Thomas, and here we are!

Is the cast genuinely friends or did you meet through the creation of the show?

We all met at different times, oldest friendships are about 18 years old and the newer friendships are like 4 years old. We all came together officially as a group in about 2017 when we were planning a holiday in Croatia in 2018. The banter on that holiday was untouchable and we didn’t realise we had stumbled upon something that could turn into this.

How has Covid:19 affected your work?

Like everyone else around the world Covid-19 has impacted us all in different ways, but what it has allowed us to be is more creative in the way we work and get together virtually to still achieve our goals. We initially had a guest appearance scheduled but this has now been postponed until the next season. The bonus of having more time at home has meant we’ve been able to put more effort into marketing, editing and polishing the product.

What are some of the highlights/successes you’ve had most recently?

When we create these episodes we laugh for ages so we always knew that the more people who get to see this the bigger it will get. Our fan retention is amazing so to see loads of magazines and organisations release features on us has been a change from Season 1.. We’re just waiting on Netflix to wake up! We also grew by 7K followers on Instagram in 3 weeks so we can finally do swipe ups lol!

What’s next for you on your journey?

We will get to work on Season 3, get involved in a few collaborations with other content creators who have reached out and just go with the flow. We have our overall plan and aspirations so it’s all about enjoying the journey. We’re all friends so we don’t put unnecessary pressure on ourselves but trust me our ambitions would surprise you!

What would your advice to other young creatives, struggling to maintain creativity and motivation in isolation?

Make sure it’s something you love – I think that’s the best way of maintaining the motivation. The hours don’t matter, the process doesn’t bother you if you really love what you’re doing. Also, connecting with your friends who have talents they could use to help you is highly recommended. Maybe also take your mind off what others are doing, create a good plan, and go at it step by step!

You guys are hilarious! Will there be a stand-up show in the near future…post Covid:19?

We’d love to do a live show, best way to see how Dej gets onto someone, or how Tim is always laughing, or how Eman will shut you down, or how Fabbz is always shining his eyes, or how Pedro is cheeky, or how Vish is sneakily rude, or how Manny makes everyone laugh, or how Sheikh is always trying to keep the peace or how Gbengz talks for ages! It’s in the plan for sure – it would be amazing to connect with our supporters and get some real face to face feedback and their opinions on some of the things we talk about.

What’s up next at Pass The Meerkat?

The sky’s the limit honestly, don’t be surprised if you see us doing other things. As a collective we are 9ine Degrees, the production company, and Pass The Meerkat is our first entry into the creative market. We want to bring so much more to your screens. Just wait and see!

Check out the GUAP Arts & Culture section, to discover new art, film, and creative individuals.