How did you get into the industry?
Hmm, so long ago now… I got into ‘editing stuff on a timeline to manipulate emotions’ from doing music production on an Amiga in my bedroom as a teenager and transferred that idea to video when choosing a uni course (as my lack of actual music skill/knowledge persuaded me out of pursuing that).
After that I started a mini production company with some coursemates in Leeds for a couple of years, before moving to the big smoke and gradually stepping up in TV from runner to edit assistant and then over to graphics. Then abruptly went freelance as my employer went bust… but after the initial shock I was glad for that - I’d been itching to break away for some time.
Where are you based now and who do you work for?
London - freelancing amongst TV production companies, brand agencies and directly with clients. Currently on (another) Ross Kemp-fronted TV project that is still under wraps for now.
I’ll shortly be attempting to move more into the ‘recurring animated characters for all yer socials’ space though, so looking forward to that… finding geeky ways of making nice illustrated characters into regular ‘presenters’ for brands, and from there crafting whole campaigns around them.
If you weren’t in your current industry, what would you be doing?
I like building/fixing stuff with my hands, so maybe some sort of furniture maker, or following up some other kind of oddball startup idea - I’m always burning mental energy in the background mulling over a ‘niche’ digital invention or two, though seldom end up bringing them to life!
Can you explain your creative process? What makes it unique?
I’m a regular on pinterest, heavy on the image searches, mood boards, the usual. Plus story/concept ideas popping up when the mind is supposedly idle, 5 AM or thereabouts.
After Effects is my mother tongue, so I am often guilty of mocking things up there rather than better-suited apps like photoshop or illustrator, but can iterate pretty fast as long as it doesn’t get too layer/effect-heavy.
I’m currently preparing the launch of a new service where we offer an efficient way of creating character-led social media campaigns for brands, so am simultaneously trying to draw up the first few characters with my creative brain while trying to fathom how to make it all work with my technical side - I enjoy both kinds of challenge.
How would you describe your style?
I tend towards pushing for a hand-made, textured look, as I love hand-drawings of all kinds, as well as handwriting and loose doodles, though obviously I can be flexible for the paymasters! It’s always pretty smooth though, coherent, snappy…
3d does come into it, but not with any pretence at realism.
Which individuals do you gain inspiration from? Do you have any heroes in the industry?
Fraser Davidson at Cub Studios always comes to mind - amazing-looking work plus similar sense of humour and outlook - that same studio comes up with very clever workflows too.
I also spend too many minutes watching old school artists’ timelapse videos on Insta. Other favourites from there - RuffMercy, HelloPaul, TheOldMorty, Jamil Lahham… many more.
What tips would you give to aspiring creatives looking for work?
Tutorials plus practise - and make your practise pieces good and original enough that you can package them up and call them showreel! Animation fundamentals are of course vital, but also learning the newer tools - the real ones, not the gimmicks - could get you foot-in-the-door work as you’ll be immediately ahead of the old-timers in that field.
What tips would you give to other professionals to get more clients?
Networking, in a broad sense, plus being well-branded, interesting and regular on LinkedIn should get you somewhere. Just being chatty while hanging out in the right places often works! Which is all easier said than done for some people, I appreciate, including myself.
For the introverts - get comfortable firing out cold emails with small-but-relevant work pieces (similar to what they might need) and making a decent body of work online, which you can link to as and when it’s relevant. Ask peers for itemised, brutally honest reviews of your portfolio like they’re end users, if you can face that!
What kind of tools/kit/software could you not do without?
After Effects with Motion4, iPad with Procreate, nothing too wacky.
What’s your secret to staying inspired and motivated?
Honestly, I struggle! But getting away from the desk and exercising outdoors is vital. As is talking to people who appreciate your skills, and brainstorming possible future moves.
What’s the work achievement you’re most proud of?
I guess that’d be when I first got enlisted as graphics dude for a whole TV series (Massive Engineering Mistakes, 2018), because it was pretty ambitious to take that on single-handedly at that stage in my career - being by some distance my biggest project to date at that point, I had to develop the look from scratch, and had never really worked in 3d before.
The pieces came out clear, fun and had personality - they ordered a second series on the back of it!
What is the one thing that you would change about the industry?
IR35 should be taken out and dropped into a lake.
I could also do without the creeping dread of AI on the horizon, though admittedly I am intrigued and secretly tempted to surrender early - sure we could become ‘masters of prompt-writing’, but that’s not a slight adaptation, that’s a whole other field and skillset, not to mention plundering, exploiting and threatening the existence of the artists....
Any websites, books or resources you would recommend?
Motion Hatch, School of Motion, your local charity shop?
