If you’re considering a career in animation, lead animator Alex’s words of advice are: “Stick at it and don’t give up!”
Now three years into her role at A Productions, Alex, 32, had wanted to be an animator from the age of eight. “It was always my goal to animate a TV show.
“I’ve always enjoyed art. At one point my parents took me to Disney World and seeing what an idea could become was just inspiring”, remembers Alex.
“I decided I wanted to make my own characters. The idea that you could draw something that ends up on TV was just mind blowing to me.”
Alex did a degree in Animation Production at Arts University Bournemouth before completing a Masters in CG Animation at Bournemouth University.
Initially, it was hard to break into the industry and secure long-term work, explains Alex. “But I kept at it, and I thought if I can’t get directly into animation then I’ll learn as much as I can about the production process.”
She worked in brand management for toys, as a production coordinator and as an animator for a few shows, before landing a role at A Productions, where today she’s busy working on Series 3 of the multi-award-winning JoJo and Gran Gran.
JoJo & Gran Gran is produced by BBC Studios Kids & Family Productions in association with AProductions for CBeebies.
What does the role of a lead animator entail? “Lead animators still animate on the show with the team members, but we also help our animation team through their shots and offer support”, explains Alex. “We are the first people to check the work before the animation director. Then, when we get feedback later in production, lead animators are in charge of making the tweaks happen for final send off.”
“JoJo and Gran Gran is a really wonderful, diverse show that’s been so well received; it’s been a lovely experience”, says Alex.
“I would say A Productions is very good at providing opportunities to grow. They’ve given me the space to speak my mind and put my ideas forward. They give people a chance to shine”, says Alex. “I want to keep growing so one day I can be an animator director.”