Review Fix Exclusive: Rob McCallum Talks ‘Power Of GraySkull’ and More

January 26, 2016 Patrick Hickey Jr. Film 0

Review Fix chats with “Power of GraySkull” co-director Rob McCallum, who discusses the documentary and what the He-Man fanbase can do to make it a reality.

About The Power of Grayskull:

The makers of “Turtle Power” and “Nintendo Quest” have teamed together to bring you the definitive He-Man and the Masters of the Universe Documentary “POWER OF GRAYSKULL: The Definitive History of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe”, with the help of fans. This will be the DEFINITIVE documentary, made for fans, by fans, and through the Kickstarter campaign – with fans, and has MASTERS on board from all eras to be involved. 

For more on the documentary, click here. 

Review Fix: Why does He-Man still matter?

Rob McCallum: Anytime you have a toy line, cartoon show, and comic book like Masters of the Universe that becomes the blueprint for retail merchandising and defines an entire decade of pop culture, let alone the power to influence and mould millions of children, it will always matter. He-Man is as iconic and remembered along the likes of Super-Man and a brand, that despite its dormancy,  fans won’t let fade into the ether. He-Man matters to all of us for different reasons and the documentary will no doubt, illustrate and explore the various reasons that make He-Man immortal.

Review Fix: How has He-Man affected your life?

McCallum: As corny as it sounds, through He-Man’s adventures, I learned the difference between right from wrong and the importance and significance of other cultures. Also, every iteration of the character continued to push the value of teamwork and I’ve done my best to assemble my own “Masters” around me as I go on my own adventures. On this adventure I have Mark Hussey, Master of Post-Production, Isaac Elliot-Fisher, Master of Light, and of course, Randall Lobb, Master of Definitive Films and kick ass filmmaking.

Review Fix: How do you think it stacks up with other popular ’80s cartoons?

McCallum: I think it was THE popular cartoon from the 80s and it allowed other shows to follow in its footsteps. Transformers, GI Joe, TMNT – none of them would’ve graced the screen if it wasn’t for the merchandise and distribution revolution that occurred when Masters of the Universe appeared on the scene.

Review Fix: What do you want to learn about the franchise through this documentary?

McCallum: I want to know about the people that made He-Man a reality. We’ll take you through the history from concept to the current iteration, but I really want to know who was responsible for what and why, and learn about who they were and are which lead to those decisions. This is about finding the human centre of He-Man for me and I know there are going to be some really remarkable tales that we could never imagine.

Review Fix: What did you learn from “Nintendo Quest” and how will it affect this documentary?

McCallum: What didn’t I learn from making “Nintendo Quest”?!? The importance of a team, the power of a known brand, the love for nostalgia – I could go on and on. There are so many things within the final product, the execution of filmmaking, pre-production and crowdfunding… every previous film will always help the next one both consciously and unconsciously. And I’ve made two films since, (Missing Mom, Kittie: Origins/Evolutions) that will help make “Power of Grayskull,” even better! Ultimately I’ve learned that there’s power in fan communities and they have a need to see love represented  in any and all forms – and I’m very much a member of those communities. 

Review Fix: Why is your Kickstarter special?

McCallum: “Power of Grayskull”  represents a special chance for fans because we can take a really in-depth look at the franchise with an overwhelming amount of people that made this thing called Masters of the Universe possible. It’s a rare opportunity to have the number of participants we have, the skills set and track record of our team, and the fans. Within the Kickstarter, there are some really cool rewards that let fans be in the film or a segment in bonus features, and even have their likeness immortalized in a Masters of the Universe custom action figure! Finally, YOU could take on Skeletor alongside He-Man, Man at Arms and your other favorites! Then again, if you’re like me, you’ll put an end to He-Man and his heroics and help Skeletor claim Grayskull once and for all!

Review Fix: What’s next?

McCallum: “Missing Mom” (MissingMomDoc.com) comes out this Spring and Kittie looks to drop later this year. We’re developing an 8-bit game based on “Nintendo Quest” and I continue exploring the video game world with “Box Art – A gaming documentary” which will have its own Kickstarter campaign in April (BoxArtDoc.com). For right now, “Power of Grayskull” is the centre of my life. This is a dream project and I’m working with some very talented folks that are extremely gifted filmmakers. Could you ask for more?

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 14268 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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