In the ever-changing landscape of design and animation, few studios embody agility and creativity quite like CARTEL. Founded in 2021 in the midst of the pandemic, CARTEL is a remote-first creative studio based in Hamburg, with a unique office on a houseboat. What started as a collaboration between two creative directors and a producer has quickly grown into a global storytelling powerhouse, known for its bold motion design, animation campaigns, and collaborative spirit.

CARTEL’s journey reflects the future of the creative industry – fluid, flexible, and borderless. By leaning into remote collaboration, the studio has built a trusted network of freelancers and partners worldwide, delivering everything from brand manifestos and web animations to social media campaigns and explainer videos. With projects like the Shillington Manifesto and GlobalLogic VelocityAI under its belt, CARTEL has positioned itself as more than just a production studio – it’s a creative partner that shapes stories with vision, craft, and purpose.

How was your company born and where are you based?

CARTEL was born in 2021, right in the heart of the pandemic, as a fully remote creative studio. We’re based in Hamburg (we have a nice office in a houseboat, in one of the canals!), but our mindset has always been global. 

The studio started as a collaboration between two creative directors/animators and me, a producer with a background in project management, editing and a love for storytelling. From day one, we embraced a distributed model, leaning into the freedom and flexibility of remote work to build a studio that scales fluidly with each project.

What was the biggest challenge to the growth of your company?

Growing a business in the middle of a global crisis came with its own set of hurdles, uncertainty, limited networking opportunities, and the challenge of establishing trust without in-person meetings. 

But probably the hardest part was wearing all the hats while trying to grow with purpose. As a small core team, we had to build systems, define our voice, attract clients, and deliver high-quality work all at the same time. 

Thankfully, our remote model and freelance network, people who were in the trenches with us, really gave us the flexibility to meet those challenges with agility and resilience.

Which was the first huge success that you can remember?

Without a doubt, our first project: the Shillington Manifesto. It was our debut but also a defining moment. Shillington didn’t just want a manifesto; they wanted something that felt as vibrant and ambitious as their prospective students. We delivered a full-spectrum campaign, from script and art direction to animation and delivery across multiple formats. The film got thousands of views, picked up recognition on Behance and here on Creativepool too! It was a bold first step, and a confirmation that we were onto something.

What’s the biggest opportunity for you and your company in the next year?

We’re looking to partner with bolder brands and agencies that truly value creative collaboration. As a nimble studio with a strong freelance constellation, we can take on a wide variety of projects, brand manifestos, explainers, web animations, social media campaigns and more. 

This year, we’re focusing on growing our creative leadership role in projects, where we’re not just executing but shaping the vision from the very beginning. We’re also exploring more direct-to-brand opportunities where trust and creative freedom are front and center.

Can you explain your team’s creative process? What makes it unique?

We always begin with curiosity. That’s our driving force. Every brief starts with asking the right questions to fully understand the brand, the audience, and the emotion the client would like to convey. Then we tailor a team that’s the best possible fit for the project. Because of our flexible setup, we’re able to bring together talent that’s both specialised and versatile. 

Our process is collaborative and transparent; we invite our clients into it rather than gatekeeping behind decks. We believe the best work happens when trust flows both ways.

How does your team remain inspired and motivated?

We’re driven by stories that move people, visually, emotionally, and intellectually. As a remote team, we make intentional time to share inspiration and talk about what excites us. We try to go to some design and animation conferences, like OFFF. But most importantly, we work with people we admire, freelancers, clients, and collaborators who challenge us to level up. That energy keeps us going!

How has COVID-19 affected your company?

In many ways, CARTEL was born because of COVID-19. It accelerated our belief that great creative work doesn’t need to happen in a single physical location. We built our processes around that. Instead of trying to replicate the traditional studio model online, we created something intentionally flexible and remote-first. It helped us attract amazing talent and move quickly, even under uncertainty.

Which agencies do you gain inspiration from? Do you have any heroes in the industry?

We’re always inspired by studios that blur the line between design and storytelling, like Giant Ant, Ordinary Folk, and BUCK. But we also admire smaller, independent teams doing sharp, concept-driven work with a point of view. Bullpen and Goodsecrets are great examples of this! Creative bravery is something we’re always drawn to, whether it’s from a big name or a two-person studio.

What is one tip that you would give to other agencies looking to grow?

Grow intentionally. Don’t chase scale for the sake of it. Build a strong foundation: your values, your creative point of view, and make sure every person you bring in amplifies that. And don’t underestimate the power of soft skills: kindness, empathy, clarity, and communication go a long way.

How do you go about finding new clients/business? (Pitching, work with retainers, etc.)

It’s a mix, some projects come through word of mouth, others through platforms like Behance or CreativePool. We also invest time in building real relationships. A lot of our best work came from clients who trusted us fully and let us lead creatively. That trust usually starts with honest conversations and showing we care about the project as much as they do.

What’s your one big hope for the future of the industry?

That we move away from over-commodifying creative work. There’s incredible value in thoughtful storytelling and purposeful design, but it takes time, craft, and trust. I hope we see more brands leaning into longer-term creative partnerships rather than quick-turnaround transactional work. 

Can you share a defining moment in your company's journey that shaped its identity or direction?

Working this year on the GlobalLogic VelocityAI project was a defining moment for us.  
It was more than just a production job, we collaborated closely with the agency team and client to shape the visual strategy from the ground up. This wasn’t about executing a pre-baked concept; we were embedded from the earliest stages, helping define how the brand would communicate through motion. That level of trust and collaboration allowed us to lead creatively, not just produce. It pushed our thinking, refined our process, and solidified the kind of studio we want to be. Being featured on Creativepool for it was a bonus, but the real win was realizing how powerful creative partnerships can be!     

How do you foster a culture of innovation and experimentation within your team?

We stay open. Open to new formats, new voices, new collaborators. Our network model allows us to experiment without being locked into rigid structures. We also love giving ourselves time for R&D, testing visual ideas, writing speculative scripts, playing with new tools. As millennials we’re tech-savvy, so yes, we’ve been messing with some AI tools lately… 

What measures do you take to ensure diversity and inclusion are prioritised within your company?

All of us being born in different places, we value working with people from different cultural, geographic, and creative backgrounds. Diversity is not a checkbox for us, it’s at the core of how we think and work. 

We actively seek out collaborators with varied perspectives, and we make space for their voices to shape the work, not just execute it.

Can you describe a project that challenged your team creatively and how you overcame any obstacles?

The Milka “Tender Moments” campaign, created with Hogarth Hamburg, was built around unscripted conversations between two generations. That unpredictability was our biggest creative challenge as we had to animate around real stories with no set script, adapting in real time as the edit evolved.

To reflect each perspective, we designed two styles: a nostalgic collage for the older voices and a looser, illustrative look for the younger. Balancing these with Milka’s soft, emotional tone required subtlety and restraint. The project reminded us that sometimes the most powerful storytelling comes from holding back and letting the real human moments shine through.

How do you balance maintaining your company's unique creative voice while meeting the diverse needs of clients?

We listen deeply. Understanding the client’s needs doesn’t mean sacrificing your voice, it means finding the right angle where both can coexist. We’re always looking for that sweet spot where the client’s message meets our love for story, motion, and craft. 

What strategies do you employ to adapt to changes and trends in the industry while staying true to your company's values?

We don’t chase trends blindly, but we stay aware of the landscape, especially in motion design, animation tools, and storytelling formats. We focus on adaptability over predictability. Our core values, curiosity, collaboration, and care, are what keep us grounded, even as the industry shifts.

Can you share a memorable client success story that exemplifies your company's approach and impact?

The Shillington Manifesto again stands out, it was a true collaboration built on mutual trust. The client gave us space to explore creatively, and in return we gave them a whole campaign that extended across multiple platforms and delivered lasting impact. It was the kind of project that proves how powerful creative freedom can be.

In what ways do you invest in the professional development and growth of your team members?

We encourage everyone, freelancers included, to bring their whole creative selves to the table. We often design projects around people’s strengths, not just their roles. I personally try to stay active in creative communities, share resources, and champion the talents of our collaborators whenever I can.

How do you approach sustainability and ethical practices within your company's operations and projects?

As a remote studio, our carbon footprint is naturally lower. But beyond that, we make conscious choices, working with clients and partners who share our values, avoiding wasteful production cycles, and staying mindful of the kind of work we put into the world. Storytelling is powerful, and we want to use it responsibly. We love to do projects about sustainability efforts such as our BBC Storyworks film for Samsung Biologics. We also initiated a small proactive project focused on reducing the water temperature in your laundry cycle.

Can you discuss a time when your company had to pivot or innovate in response to unforeseen challenges, and what lessons did you learn from that experience?

Launching in the middle of a pandemic was the ultimate pivot. We had to build trust entirely online, form a network of freelancers without ever meeting in person, and deliver high-stakes projects under new pressures. The biggest lesson? Agility is everything. The ability to scale, adapt, and communicate clearly is what carried us through and continues to be our strength.

Do you have any websites, books or resources that you would recommend?

On the web: Stash, It’s Nice That, Motionographer, and CreativeMornings talks. For business-minded creatives, Blair Enns’ content is always sharp and useful. Personally, I love listening to Radiolab, and the guys love the 99% Invisible podcast for interesting design stories and Das Sortiment for some beautiful references.