He makes being in this business worthwhile. If everyone would follow his example this business would not have a seedy side,’ says Michael Wahl, president of Gunther-Wahl, a Los Angeles animation studio, of Jerry Sachs.

Wahl, who has worked with Sachs on a variety of projects over the past 10 years, respects him for, among many things, his fairness. ‘I’ve known him from my early days at Hanna-Barbera to every place I’ve stopped along the way, and he was always exceedingly helpful whether I was a lowly director or a president of a company. . . . He probably is the friendliest, easiest guy to present projects to. He’s always enthusiastic and there’s no B.S. If he d’esn’t like it he tells you so right away, and if he likes it he moves quickly. You always know where you stand with him and if he’s behind you, he’s there 110 percent.’

As for his business acumen Wahl notes, ‘He’s always trying to figure out ways to succeed. He always wants to put a different spin on the business, to be one step ahead on how to make things work.’ But, he adds, only if it benefits everyone involved. ‘If it d’esn’t work for everyone, it d’esn’t work for Jerry.’