Meet Michael Cusack: The Aussie Animator Taking Over American Screens

Michael Cusack is an Emmy-nominated animator bridging Australian humor and American audiences.

Told by Paige Turner · 30 August 2026

Michael Cusack is a big deal in America, but in Australia, few outside the avid fandom of adult animation have heard his name. Though that could soon change. Cusack, 35, is a nominee at next weekend’s Emmys for his show 'Smiling Friends,' co-created with American Zach Hadel.

“It feels very surreal because I’ve never won any award, not even at school,” he says from Wollongong, where he grew up, and to which he returned from his base in Melbourne for a short writing burst before heading to LA. “To be nominated for the Emmys before even being nominated for an Australian awards show feels huge, elite, almost too far.”

Cusack is self-taught, creating work that resonates with Adult Swim fans but carries a distinctively Australian edge. “I think it’s a little bit looser,” he notes. “Americans love their really polished, kid-meets-adult kind of thing. Our animation is rough and observational...that’s definitely my kind of thing because Aussies are just kind of like that.”

His journey began with a live-action feature film, 'All Night Gaming,' which he funded by working at Subway. The film was a steep learning curve: “It was the best film school I could ever have because I just learned. Like, it was hell.”

The success of his early works, like 'Damo and Darren,' which about a couple of drug-addled losers squabbling over a lighter, caught fire on YouTube, leading him to pursue animation full-time.

Cusack's work has found homes on major networks like Adult Swim, HBO Max, and Disney+, yet he remains disillusioned with the local industry. “I’ve given up on the Australian market,” he admits, recalling his unsuccessful pitch attempts to local networks. “They all said no; they had no interest.”

Now, with his forthcoming show 'Dad’s House,' he’s pushing the boundaries of what Australian animation can be: “It’s so Aussie. There’s no compromise, no forced American characters.”

Cusack dreams of establishing a production company that focuses on Australian content, hoping to change the landscape for local animation. “I think we can do so many animated shows just based on Australian stuff,” he says. If he’s right, they might even recognize his name one day.