An Interview with Emily Brundige, Creator of ‘Goldie’

Goldie (voiced by Jessica McKenna), Petey (voiced by Vedanten Naidoo) and Teeny (voiced by Amari McCoy) in "Goldie," now streaming on Apple TV+.

Emily Brundige is a talented writer that has worked on some iconic shows, such as The Powerpuff Girls, and Teen Titans Go! Her current project, Goldie, recently debuted on Apple TV+, and we had the honor of sitting down with Emily to discuss her new show. One based on the short of the same name that Emily brought to the silver screen in 2019.
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John Betancourt: I do want to start kind of at the beginning. I am very curious what inspired the creation of Goldie to begin with.
 
Emily Brundige: Well, I created the character in 2016, and I was feeling like I wanted to create a character who was a girl who took up space, simply put. And I felt like by creating a giant girl character, just by her existing, you know, she was kind of undeniable. And so that's kind of where it came from. And then also this feeling of, “Wow, this, this is a really good idea,” you know, this, she could be her own version of Clifford, the Big Red Dog, like this iconic giant friend, you know. And kind of being able to show such a diverse town where, you know, her family is a bird, and her best friend is the tiniest girl in her grade. And kind of how showing that everyone's kind of learning to accept themselves for being different sizes or different kinds of creatures and people.
 
John Betancourt: Now, Goldie’s been through quite the journey. As you said, you made it happen in 2016, came out as a short film in 2019. What brought about a television series for Goldie?
 
Emily Brundige: Well, honestly, I had always wanted to, or I always had the intent of pitching it down the line as a series. So that was in my thoughts from the beginning. But I also wanted to create a short that could have its own life, because I had been, so many times, in development on a project that never saw the light of day, and it was an opportunity to create something that I could call my own. And it was nice having it be seen all over the world and festivals. And then, kind of, when it felt time, I got serious about pitching it as a show. And it's, it's one of those things that never happens, where things just work out. Like, I intended to make it a short that plays in festivals and then sell it as a show, make it into a show, and it's just, like, can't believe it actually worked.
 
John Betancourt: So textbook and so storybook in its own right. Wow. Now, since it's something you always kind of envisioned, and it sounds like there's just so much thought that went into this Goldie in general, were there any challenges that you ran into then, when you got the green light for the series and in expanding her story?
 
Emily Brundige: Um, I think that her size, just from a visual perspective, yeah, was a fun challenge, I think for everyone to kind of figure out how to show her interacting with all her tiny friends and whatnot, kind of just dealing with scale in that way, I think was the biggest challenge.
 
John Betancourt: Obviously, there's that core message that's there, about diversity and accepting oneself and all those pieces, but I couldn't help but notice, as I'm watching each episode, there's multiple messages in each episode as well, which I absolutely love. I'm all about messaging. But what kind of challenge went into creating such layered episodes that have so much to say about just us?
 
Emily Brundige: Yeah, I mean, I think that they were episodes were written by very human people, very, you know, caring, feeling writers, and that we were trying to be authentic in where the stories were coming from and telling the right kinds of emotional stories that we felt were relatable to us and would be relatable to other people and kids.
 
John Betancourt: One of the best parts about Apple TV+ and their family entertainment lineup, is that it really is designed to spark discussion in the. What are you most excited for families to discuss when everybody in the house has had a chance to watch this first season?
 
Emily Brundige: Yeah, I think that if it helps kids to be able to discuss their emotions, because the show so clearly demonstrates, you know, especially in Goldie, you know, when she's sad, she might like flood the town, you know? Like, it's just so oversized that, I hope it's comforting to kids who feel like, you know, maybe it's they shouldn't be showing these kinds of emotions.
 
John Betancourt: I love that. We don’t talk enough about how emotions are present in younger children and how hard those are to navigate as they continue to grow. So, I think that's a great place to go with that. And obviously this is a product that is so personal to you, has gone on this amazing journey, this storybook journey in its own right. What does it mean to you now to have this debuting on one of the biggest platforms out there?
 
Emily Brundige: It means a great deal. I think this… for in my career, was really my baby and dream project, and for the world to be able to experience it… just… I could never have imagined that. And I think it's coming at a really good time when we're living in time where I when I think people really need a happy escape, and so I'm hoping that it will really provide that for people, that they'll like to escape to Boysenberg and kind of feel the warmness of it.
 
John Betancourt: It’s also coming at a time that it's almost like… there's a revolution in family programming right now where we are seeing these elevated, much more in-depth programs, and well, the last question I have for you today, what does it mean to you personally, to now be part of that revolution?
 
Emily Brundige: It means that in my career, that I'm doing something good with my work, which is really important to feel like you're living a fulfilling and meaningful existence. Well, that's what it means, it means like, I feel like I'm putting good out into the world, which makes me really happy.
 
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.