Animator and CalArts alum Alex Hirsch (Film/Video BFA 07), creator of the Annie and BAFTA award-winning series “Gravity Falls,” signed an exclusive deal Tuesday to develop new animated TV series and features with Netflix.

Cindy Holland, vice president of original content for Netflix said in a press release, “Alex is an imaginative storyteller with new ideas who’s quickly developed a reputation as a fresh new voice in animation. We couldn’t be more excited to work with him as we continue expanding our adult animated slate.”

Shortly after graduating from CalArts, Hirsch pitched and sold “Gravity Falls” to Disney, based on the 11-minute pilot he made during school.

The inspiration for the show came from Hirsch’s childhood experiences with his twin sister during their summer vacations.

The quirky mystery series received critical acclaim and ran for two seasons from 2012-2016 (40 episodes in total) on Disney and Disney XD. The series continued as a graphic novel, which was released earlier this summer (July 24), and became a New York Times bestseller.

“I couldn’t be more excited to join the amazing roster of talent coming to Netflix,” Hirsch said in Netflix’s press release. “Plus it couldn’t hurt to be on The Algorithm’s good side before The Singularity hits. Awesome things are coming!”

— By Elizabeth Liang