Interview with Tom Fulp

Newgrounds, the more I explored, the more I realized—this place isn’t just a site, it’s a living ecosystem, shaped by decades of creative chaos, community spirit, and care.

Curious about how it all came to be, I reached out to the man behind the magic: Tom Fulp.

He kindly answered a few questions I put together, and his responses were full of insight, history, and heart.

Whether you're a longtime NG user or just wandered in from a Google search for... you know what, this interview will remind you why Newgrounds still matters.

Here are Tom Fulp's answers!

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1. You created a world where artists don’t just share work, they Collaborate. Was that always the vision, or did it evolve naturally?

For the first few years I was just goofing off and making things to share with people online. The larger vision for NG came about in two particular ways.

In 1999 I began showcasing Flash by other artists in The Portal, which at the time was a minor feature of the site but quickly grew to be the most interesting feature. This lead to The Portal becoming automated the following year, setting everything in motion for the NG of today.

The second way NG evolved is that I would often team up with musicians I met on the site and as the Flash Portal grew, I knew we had to do something about people using radio music in their Flash movies. This inspired the Audio Portal in 2003, as a place to not only showcase music but to create an ecosystem where musicians could meet and work with animators and game developers.

Besides being the first website to allow instant publishing of movies and games, we were also the first website to introduce a multi-author system, which really encouraged the collaborative aspect and lead to all sorts of unexpected collab projects.

2. Looking back, was there a moment when you felt Newgrounds had grown into something beyond your control, for better or worse?

We opened Pandora's box when the Flash Portal allowed everyone to publish things instantly. There was a feeling that we should give people as much creative freedom as possible, which meant not exercising too much control over what was posted on the site. The results of that were both positive and negative but never boring.

3. Are there parts of the site today that still surprise you, or feel mysterious, even to you?

I don't know if any parts of the site feel particularly mysterious to me but the Internet is still mysterious to me, in terms of how people move about and what they choose to consume. I feel like I went from being very dialed in to the Internet to being completely out of step with it, however I believe NG represents what the Internet was supposed to be, so I'm stubborn and bullish about it long-term.

4. What’s something about Newgrounds you wish more people outside the community understood?

I think most people only know surface-level things about NG, like "I found it in a google search for hentai." I wish more of them understood the breadth and depth of the site.

5. If Newgrounds disappeared tomorrow, what would you hope people remember, not just about the site, but about you?

I hope people would remember Newgrounds as a fun and magical place, what the Internet was supposed to be. It would give me some comfort if people expressed confusion over how they collectively let a site like NG die. I hope people remember me fondly!

6. Do you feel your role here is more like a creator, a curator, a guardian, or something else entirely?

Nowadays I see myself as a gardener, watering the flowers and pulling the weeds.

7. What kind of artist do you think would survive the end of the internet?

Someone who has built a unique body of work with skill and passion would hopefully have the tools to survive beyond the Internet. Someone who works well with others would also have a larger network for support and opportunities.

8. What’s something about your early days on Newgrounds that you still carry with you today, as a habit, a mindset, or a memory?

The joy of making and sharing something on the Internet! It's a magical feeling and I want NG to keep giving people that feeling.