Skip to content
MovieCove

Buzz Potamkin

Producer and director · Died April 22, 2012, aged 66 · New York, New York, United States

Potamkin is known for founding Perpetual Motion Pictures (later called Buzzco Associates) with Candy Kugel and Vincent Cafarelli in 1968, which led to the production of hundreds of television advertisements, including the Hawaiian Punch series, MTV's "Top of the Hour" (the moon man), and MTV's "I Want My MTV" campaign. He also established the companies Visionary Media, Project X, and Southern Star Productions, an Australian/American subsidiary of Hanna-Barbera. Potamkin produced the animated specials The Berenstain Bears' Christmas Tree in 1979 and Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue in 1990, among others. After working at The Walt Disney Company for a short period in 1991, Potamkin was hired by Fred Seibert as Hanna-Barbera Cartoons' Executive Producer & Head of TV, where he oversaw all the studio's output and produced shorts for Cartoon Network's "What a Cartoon!" series through 1996. Potamkin died from pancreatic cancer on April 22, 2012, and was survived by his wife Rosie.

Read more

Biography from TMDB.

Born
November 22, 1945
Died
April 22, 2012 (aged 66)
From
New York, New York, United States
Works as
Producer and director
Titles
10 on MovieCove · 39 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 39 days to Oct 28Up 8% in 30 days

What are Buzz Potamkin's films like?

Across their 9 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Society.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
30%
Society
25%
Survival
24%
Morality
13%
Ideas
8%
Community4 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds2 titles, browse their movies with this themeHope2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 8 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 7 · Serious 1 · Dark 0

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 0 · Stylized 7 · Heightened 1

Gentle: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their gentle movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 5 · Charged 3 · Intense 0

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 7 · Shifting 1 · Whiplash 0

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 2 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 3

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 3 · Even-paced 4 · Relentless 1

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 8 · Engaged 0 · Full focus 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 8 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Joyful
6
Warm
5
Thrilling
4
Hopeful
3
Tense
1
Other
2

How their films linger

Feel-good7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy7
  • Bittersweet1
  • Cyclical1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Buzz Potamkin's films?

As of October 24, 2026, none of Buzz Potamkin's 10 MovieCove titles is streaming on a subscription or free service.

Subscription and free streaming for Buzz Potamkin's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted.

Filmography

39 credits, 10 with a MovieCove page.

  • The Berenstain Bears - Halloween Treats! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    Director · Producer

  • Buster & Chauncey's Silent Night(1998)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • Cow and Chicken (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    Show 156 episodes · Executive Producer

  • Tumbleweed Tex in School Daze (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    Executive Producer

  • Pizza Boy in No Tip (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    Executive Producer

  • Hillbilly Blue (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    Executive Producer

  • Boid 'n' Woim (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    Executive Producer

  • No Smoking (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    Executive Producer

  • Yoink of the Yukon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    Executive Producer

  • George and Junior's Christmas Spectacular (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    Executive Producer

  • O. Ratz: Rat in a Hot Tin Can (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    Executive Producer

  • The Adventures of Captain Buzz Cheeply in "A Clean Getaway" (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    Executive Producer

  • Shake & Flick: Raw Deal in Rome (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    Executive Producer

  • Hard Luck Duck (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    Executive Producer

  • Dino In Stay Out (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    Executive Producer

  • Powerpuff Girls : Meat Fuzzy Lumpkins (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    Executive Producer

  • What a Cartoon! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    Show 1 episode · Executive Producer

  • Daisy-Head Mayzie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    Executive Producer

  • Help? (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    Executive Producer

  • Jonny Quest Versus the Cyber Insects(1995)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • The Real Shlemiel(1995)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • A Flintstones Christmas Carol(1994)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Scooby-Doo in Arabian Nights(1994)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • The Town Santa Forgot(1993)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • The Halloween Tree(1993)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Swat Kats: The Radical Squadron(1993)

    Show 25 episodes · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all shows

  • The Berenstain Bears Learn About Strangers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Director · Producer

  • The Adventures of the Maltese Cat (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    Thanks

  • Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue(1990)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • Marvin: Baby of the Year (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    Director · Producer

  • Mad Scientist (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    Director · Producer

  • The Berenstain Bears (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    Show 52 episodes · Director

  • Deck the Halls with Wacky Walls(1983)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • The Berenstain Bears Play Ball (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

    Producer

  • The Berenstain Bears' Comic Valentine (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Producer

  • The Berenstain Bears' Easter Surprise (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)

    Producer

  • Strawberry Shortcake in Big Apple City (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)

    Producer

  • The Berenstain Bears Meet Bigpaw (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    Producer

  • The Berenstain Bears' Christmas Tree (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    Producer

Career shape

A full career of 36 titles from 1979 to 2009.

Highest rated

Swat Kats: The Radical Squadron (1993)

Midcredits 94th

By role

only this rolewith another role
Directing6 of 36: 2 only directing, 4 with another roleProducing33 of 36: 29 only producing, 4 with another role · typical Midcredits score75thOther crew1 of 36: 1 only other crew, 0 with another role

36 titles, 4 with more than one role — producing and directing overlap on 4 of them.

By decade

1970s1 · crew1980s9 · crew1990s25 · crew2000s1 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Buzz Potamkin's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 54th percentile, the median of all 9; across their 8 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 53rd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

53rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 8

Approval · how many liked their films

47thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 8

Reach · how many have seen their films

55thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 8

Midcredits score across 10 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up3
  • 50th to 74th3
  • 25th to 49th4

Shape of the crowd

3 of their 10 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved2
  • Cult Classic2
  • Crowd Pleaser3
  • Mixed3

Most divisive · producer

Deck the Halls with Wacky Walls (1983)

82nd percentile spread · 36% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · producer

Swat Kats: The Radical Squadron (1993)

Midcredits 94th · 89% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 58/100 and the pacing 47/100 in their films, across 5 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does Buzz Potamkin work with?

People who share at least 2 of Buzz Potamkin's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Frank Welker shares the most, 4.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers and editors

Producers