What’s the most relevant business and/or creative lesson you learned in 2020 and how will you apply it to 2021?
The most relevant lesson we learned was the nuances of making a remote workflow as productive as possible. While remote work has been part of the animation modus operandi for a long time, there was usually an option for in-person collaboration. We had to get used to a lack of immediate internal feedback from key leaders on projects. The head of a department couldn’t walk to the desks of artists to deliver a response to work, no matter how tight a deadline.
To remedy this for clients throughout 2020 and into 2021, we made animation how-to decks. The decks explain the animation timeline for 2D, 3D, mixed media projects and more, and set client delivery and communication expectations right out the gate. All companies were adjusting to new WFH workflows, and setting standards for 2020 projects helped make each job run smoothly and efficiently.
How will the events of 2020–from the pandemic to the call for social and racial justice–impact the content you create and/or the way you work?
Over time, we began to receive briefs from companies we had never received briefs from before, but were proud to collaborate with. Animation–with its tendency to evoke empathy in its viewers–became a powerful tool to use to communicate messages on sensitive and timely topics like racial equity and social justice. We have since collaborated on a variety of campaigns for nonprofit Women Moving Millions, the Joyce Foundation and Google for Small Business, contributing animated campaigns addressing topics such as women’s equality, Black-owned small businesses, and gun control initiatives.
Additionally, to do our part in spurring community outreach, we created original animations on vital COVID-19 topics for our company IGTV, breaking down the struggles different groups face and pointing users toward organizations that could use donations and help.
Gazing into your crystal ball, what do you envision for the industry–creatively speaking or from a business standpoint–in 2021?
I hope we receive more social justice-oriented projects that help move the needle for women, the LGBTQ+ community, communities of color, and more. Brands have to walk the walk and talk the talk, as an introspective year like 2020 has demonstrated.
What are your goals, creatively speaking and/or from a business standpoint, for your company, division, studio or network in 2021?
As trite as it may sound, it still rings true: our strongest priority is to do great work. And in 2021, we want to do great work with more social initiatives. We loved collaborating with nonprofits and other organizations, and hope to bring more awareness to imperative causes and movements with animation in 2021.
Like many other businesses, we also will be facing a reckoning of what the future of in-person office life will look like in 2021. Now that a majority of our workforce works from home, we are examining our own office space needs into the future as an international company, and how best to serve our client needs with only as many resources as required. 2020 has certainly shifted how global economies view remote work and that will certainly impact the future of the office across all industries.
Tell us about one current project you are working on for early 2021.
We’re kicking off 2021 with two exciting game projects. More to come!
How did your company, agency, network, service or studio adjust/adapt to the marketplace in 2020 (new strategies, resources, technology, health/safety expertise) and what of all that bodes well for 2021?
We had technology and communication workflow efficiencies in place already, required for collaboration between our Sao Paulo and NYC offices, that we implemented on a wider scale across our entire workflow in 2020. The nature of animation and our remote-work friendly processes meant we could translate our technological resources, communications and more for company-wide use.
In 2021, now that our clients are more used to the communications tools we implemented in 2020, we feel we can jump into the new year without the learning curve. Basecamp, Slack, and other services have helped both our offices globally, and with client interaction and feedback.
