Professor comes to life alongside the wise and inquisitive owl Phil, in an initiative that seeks to explore new audiences.
Thinking and talking about ethics and other philosophical topics can be easier and more fun. This is the proposal of the professor and philosopher Mario Sergio Cortella in his new project, which is to transform into cartoons his impactful phrases, lessons and tips, which have always reached society in the most varied formats: books, television, radio, newspapers, magazines, lectures, videos and posts, always with a lot of reflection and inspiration.
Now these messages will reach new audiences and different social classes and ages with a current and poetic language, illustrated in comics with the characters Professor Cortella and Phil the Owl. In light and happy features, the philosopher, with his smile in his eyes, Roman nose and iconic beard, will be complemented by Phil: wise, inquisitive and sagacious. With its striking look, the owl helps the teacher to provoke reflections in his readers.
Messages and ideas in drawings have reached people of any age group in a playful way since prehistoric times: they transmit ideas, knowledge and thoughts in an expressive way to this day. Hence the idea of creating the strips to combine Cortella’s extensive academic history, with his innate characteristics and developed over time, to make him the first Brazilian philosopher in cartoons: tone and timbre of voice always distinct and unique, didactic , author of famous phrases, current, popular, reflective and with vast content to inspire comics.
Andr Cortella, general director of the project, an advertiser with more than 25 years of experience in Digital Marketing and Communication, decided to create this new aspect to expand the content of Mário Sergio Cortella, his father, when he attended a lecture by the professor alongside his son, in 2018.
The proposal is that this unprecedented format for academics is added to his lectures, books, courses and social media to take his reflections and philosophical provocations with drawings to an audience of multiple ages, cultures and social classes, he highlights.
After work to propose the final features of the work, which involved the participation of 5 studios and more than 10 illustrators, the Studio 58 was chosen to carry out the project.
We have admired and followed Professor Cortella’s work for a long time, we were already happy to participate in this selection, but knowing that we were chosen among so many talents left us very honored, says Zana Costa, the studio’s Production Director. The lines will be in charge of Ednei Marx, a graduate in Visual Arts, caricaturist and animator, owner of Studio 58. Even with just a few works, I can already see the lines settling in. I imagine, after some time, how the characters will be more comfortable in the arts, smiling, stretching and moving free from an initial template, he highlights.
The script was written by Paulo Jebaili, journalist and writer, partner of Professor Cortella since 2007 as editor of more than 20 of the philosopher’s books. Two weekly strips will be produced (8 per month) to be posted on Cortella’s official networks, which have more than 20 million active subscriptions across all of its networks.
The project is marked by the novelty of bringing philosophical reflection to the HQ language, which, in itself, facilitates the reach of different audiences. Professor Cortella’s content allows for a variety of themes: philosophical reflection, education, citizenship, affections and coexistence, among others. Participating in this project is challenging in its proposal, stimulating in the process and rewarding in the result, emphasizes Jebaili.
In addition to the accessible philosophical content that the cartoons will bring to more people on social media, the team’s plans for the comic strips and cartoons include their commercial expansion in the entertainment and education market. This is possible because the strips can be adaptable to product lines for licensing (t-shirts, booklets, mugs, dolls, etc.) and can be replicated in offline media (newspapers, magazines, books and the like) or online (blogs and social networks, which have a very extensive power of replication and viralization).
The creators’ plans also include the use of the characters for institutional campaigns and expansion into the international market to promote the professor’s literary works and lectures to other borders.
Transforming part of my work into comic strips is a moment of celebration of life and the opportunity to extend philosophical knowledge to different audiences. We know how much play can stimulate critical thinking from an early age and transform lives. The project developed by Andr, in partnership with Ednei and Paulo, also complements the dialogue I established with the public, now through illustrations that are quick to read, but no less profound. Comics are a mode of expression capable of taking us through philosophical journeys and paths of thought in a light and curious way, emphasizes Mrio Sergio Cortella.
PhD in Education and retired full professor at PUC-SP (where he worked for 35 years), Cortella is a reference when it comes to motivation, changes, education, ethics, social responsibility, personal development and commitment. author of several works such as Philosophy: what about us?, Why do we do what we do? and Being human being together.
Technical Sheet
Cortella and Phil
Idealization and Executive Production: Andr Cortella
Script and writing: Paulo Jebaili
Illustration and Finalization: Ednei Marx
Made by: OWLGA Boutique Agency
Support: MS Cortella Consultoria
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