Ian Jones-Quartey facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ian Jones-Quartey
Jones-Quartey in 2013
Born	(1984-06-18) June 18, 1984 (age 41) Hatfield, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Alma mater	School of Visual Arts
Occupation	Animator, storyboard artist, writer, director, producer, voice actor
Years active	2004–present
Known for	OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes
Spouse(s)	Rebecca Sugar ​ (m. 2019)​
Relatives	Theodosia Okoh (maternal grandmother)

Ian Jones-Quartey, born on June 18, 1984, is a talented American artist. He is an animator, a storyboard artist, a writer, a director, a producer, and a voice actor. He is best known for creating the animated TV show OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes. This show was based on his earlier Cartoon Network pilot called Lakewood Plaza Turbo. It aired from 2017 to 2019. Ian Jones-Quartey also worked on popular shows like Steven Universe, Adventure Time, and Bravest Warriors. He is the grandson of the famous Ghanaian artist Theodosia Okoh.

Early Life and Education

Ian Jones-Quartey was born in Hatfield, Pennsylvania, on June 18, 1984. He grew up in Columbia, Maryland. Around 1993, his family moved to Oakland Mills, Columbia, Maryland. His father was an engineer who worked with medicines. His mother was a librarian for a chemical company. Ian Jones-Quartey went to Long Reach High School in Columbia. Later, he studied at the School of Visual Arts in New York City.

Creative Career Highlights

Ian Jones-Quartey started his career by creating a webcomic called RPG World. This comic won awards in 2001 and 2002. In 2007, he teamed up with Jim Gisriel to make a web animation series. It was also a comedy hip-hop duo called nockFORCE. Ian Jones-Quartey rapped under the name "effnocka" and voiced his character.

Working in Television Animation

His first job in TV animation was on the show The Venture Bros.. After that, he became a storyboard supervisor for Adventure Time. He also worked as a storyboard artist for Secret Mountain Fort Awesome. He provides the voice for the character Wallow in Bravest Warriors. He was also a supervising director and helped develop the Cartoon Network series Steven Universe.

Creating OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes

In 2013, Ian Jones-Quartey's short film Lakewood Plaza Turbo was shown on Cartoon Network. It was a pilot episode for a possible new series. He had first suggested the idea two years earlier while working on Adventure Time. The short film was later turned into a mobile game. The game was called OK K.O.! Lakewood Plaza Turbo. It came out in February 2016 on Cartoon Network's app. The TV series OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes then started airing in March 2017. The show officially premiered on August 1, 2017.

Recent Projects and Collaborations

In 2018, Ian Jones-Quartey was featured on a podcast called Drawn: The Story of Animation. This podcast gave listeners a look at how animation is made. He shared his experiences along with other voice actors and creators.

In June 2019, he was a speaker at the Annecy Animation Festival. He joined Rebecca Sugar to talk about "The Making of Steven Universe." In July 2019, he also spoke at the RTX Animation Festival.

On September 2, 2019, the movie Steven Universe: The Movie was released. Ian Jones-Quartey was one of the co-executive producers for this film. Rebecca Sugar was the main executive producer.

Between October 2020 and April 2021, he worked with Rebecca Sugar on anti-racism public service announcements (PSAs). These PSAs featured characters from Steven Universe. They were released on the Cartoon Network YouTube channel.

In January 2025, Ian Jones-Quartey had a meeting with The Walt Disney Company. This suggests he might be working on new projects with them.

On June 11, 2025, at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, a new series was announced. It is a sequel to Steven Universe called Steven Universe: Lars of the Stars. It is being developed for Prime Video. Cartoon Network Studios is producing it. Both Rebecca Sugar and Ian Jones-Quartey are executive producers. Rebecca Sugar shared how much she missed the world and characters of Steven Universe. She was excited to share the new series. She also told The Wrap that she was "thrilled" to work on it. She said the biggest part was "co-creating it with Ian Jones-Quartey."

On June 12, 2025, Adult Swim announced another project. Ian Jones-Quartey, Patrick McHale, Rebecca Sugar, and Pendleton Ward are developing an animated special. It is called "The Elephant" and is planned for release in 2026.

Personal Life

Ian Jones-Quartey is the grandson of Theodosia Okoh. She designed the flag of Ghana. He even based the Steven Universe character Nanefua Pizza on her. By 2017, he was living in Los Angeles.

He married Rebecca Sugar, the creator of Steven Universe, on December 4, 2019. They had been together for twelve years before getting married.

Artistic Influences

Ian Jones-Quartey has said that Akira Toriyama's series Dragon Ball and Dr. Slump inspired his vehicle designs. He mentioned that many people working on Steven Universe are big fans of Toriyama's work.

Filmography

Animation Work

Voice Acting Roles

Television Roles

Video Game Roles

Comics

• RPG World

See also

In Spanish: Ian Jones-Quartey para niños