On a recent trip to Kidscreen I had the opportunity to sit down and discuss distribution with Alison Taylor from Aardman and Ed Galton from Cake. With our industry undergoing so much change, I wanted to hear what it was like on the distribution side of the business, and how these two companies, with very different beginnings and operations were navigating the change.

I also added some thoughts on the conference in general and the vibe I got while on the trip.

Enjoy!

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Host & Producer: Michael Wakelam

Executive Producer: Eric M. Miller

Music by: Rich Dickerson

Audio Engineering: Mike Rocha

Edited by: Jonathan Wakelam

The Creators Society is a professional community uniting all disciplines of the animation industry. Our mission is to foster meaningful connections, encourage collaboration, and deepen the understanding of every role involved in bringing animated stories to life. Through networking, mentorships, education, and industry events, we celebrate the creativity and passion that drive animation forward, supporting the talented creators who make it all possible.

Learn more about the Creators Society, and how to become a member at creatorssociety.net

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This episode is a must-listen for anyone developing an original series and wondering how they'll get it off the ground. A combination of passion, perseverance, and a great partnership of the right people made the special sauce to get Stan & Gran into production. Based on an idea Jon Mason had a whopping 12 years ago, perseverance looms large here. His partnership with Natalie Llewellyn was pivotal as you'll hear in this conversation.
This is the third in a sporadic series looking at the anatomy of a project and rounds out the trio looking at an original series.
I hope you find it as informative as I did. Super interesting.

Enjoy!

Please like, rate, and comment on your favorite podcasting platform and share the episode on social media.

If you have any comments or suggestions please get in touch.

If you'd like to hear about new episodes in your inbox, please subscribe here.

Host & Producer: Michael Wakelam

Executive Producer: Eric M. Miller

Music by: Rich Dickerson

Audio Engineering: Mike Rocha

The Creators Society is a professional community uniting all disciplines of the animation industry. Our mission is to foster meaningful connections, encourage collaboration, and deepen the understanding of every role involved in bringing animated stories to life. Through networking, mentorships, education, and industry events, we celebrate the creativity and passion that drive animation forward, supporting the talented creators who make it all possible.

Learn more about the Creators Society, and how to become a member at creatorssociety.net

Send us a text

The Wild Robot is here - a film I and a lot of the industry have been looking forward to getting their eyes on since we first saw the teaser.

Most of the major animated feature hits of late have been sequels and spin-offs, so when I got a glimpse of The Wild Robot from DreamWorks, I was very excited. First of all, I love robots of course. But there is something about the fish-out-of-water scenario of putting a robot into the wilderness that is immediately striking. Even the name of the film depicts so much and immediately you want answers to some questions that pop into your head.

And no, it's technically not an original because it's based on existing IP, a book - but it feels fresh and new - and Dreamworks seems to do that a lot with book source material. Not only does it feel fresh visually - and stunning - but I was really curious about the process of adapting the source material. So in this chat with Director Chris Sanders, we talk about that in detail, as well as many other things.

Just to let you know, there are some spoilers in this one - nothing devastating, but also because of the breakdown in the story and writing process, this one is best listened to after you've seen the movie. If you're a writer, I'd also recommend reading the book so you can better see the adaptation process.

Chris was super generous with his time, and we got to cover a lot of things, so I hope you enjoy it.

The Creators Society is a professional community uniting all disciplines of the animation industry. Our mission is to foster meaningful connections, encourage collaboration, and deepen the understanding of every role involved in bringing animated stories to life. Through networking, mentorships, education, and industry events, we celebrate the creativity and passion that drive animation forward, supporting the talented creators who make it all possible.

Send us a text