The Business of Animation Podcast

I recently caught up with my animation students who I used to teach back in 2018 and some of them were really bummed that their careers had veered away from animation to adjacent industries and even to completely different industries altogether.

On the one hand I understand the grief of longing to be in the animation industry, but not yet being able to fulfil that desire. On the other hand, I'm just so glad to hear that they are working because the creative industries have been really going through a rough few years.

One of my former students asked me how I was able to still work on projects even when they weren't perfect. Today's mini-episode is my answer.

And I said "ABSOLUTELY NOT! This flip-flopping thing is not going to work for me!"

When I first started engaging with The Animation industry on an international platform. The first time I went overseas and started that journey of pitching my idea I’ll never forget one of my seniors in the industry was talking about what potential buyers want. “They want serialised content, big kids shows. For age groups like 7- 10, or 6-11, depending on who you are talking…”

AND THEN…

I didn’t go to Annecy the next year and this same mentor was talking about, "They want non-serialised stuff". The term is escaping me, but he said something like, "They want sitcoms, boy’s shows. Less epic adventures with long-form stories".

And I said, "ABSOLUTELY NOT. This flip-flopping thing is not going to work for me!"

What I know about business is that we exist to solve problems and fill gaps for underserved markets. If you go by the whims of buyers and executives you will not finish anything!

This mini-episode was inspired by a panel discussion I listened to recently.

The Annecy Aftershow: Take aways from the Annecy Festival was hosted by a collective of black, African and Diaspora animation industry professionals called The Luncheon. You can watch the panel here on YouTube.

I was struck by Raymond Malinga's observation that often times in this industry there seems to be a moving target. If you don't know who Raymond is - he is a Ugandan Animation Director among his accomplishments is episode 1 of Disney+ Kizazi Moto called "The Herder Boy".

His statement remind me of an experience I've had with senior members of the South African animation industry and the insights they would share with us as they mentored us through the pitching processes that happen at festivals and markets.

I'm going back to university! I kid, I kid, but I did spend a full day with third year animation students at Oakfields College in Pretoria, South Africa.

I'm really excited for you to meet the students, see their work, spend time in their classes and introduce Oakfields College to those who haven't heard about it!

Today's episode is sponsored by TVPaint French 2D animation software.

To learn more & download the free trial visit: tvpaint.com

Right off the bat I’ll tell you that production management does not come naturally to me. From learning the pipeline, figuring out how to plan a production and where on earth all those files will be stored and how they'll be share. So today I’m sharing all the useful lessons I'm learning along the way to being a better production manager.

Tell me how you enjoyed the show. Send a DM on Instagram @cabblow.podcast or a voice mail on the Anchor app.

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ALL THE LINKS:

Loving the music & sound on the podcast? Try ArtList for yourself and get extra 2 months free when you sign up using my link:

https://tinyurl.com/CabblowArtlist

It's an affiliate link, proceeds from using the link help keep the podcast going.

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Our animated short films are available to buy on our studio website: cabblowstudios.com/movies

For more from Cabblow Studios follow @cabblow and @cabblowstudios on Instagram

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Season 2 was recorded at new•studios podcast recording studio at The Oval Office Park, Sandton, South Africa.

Have a happy day wherever you are in the world!

- Cabblow

I would say 2022 is the year where I gained the most experience pivoting our sales strategy. I don’t know how many times I pitched, re-pitched, re-packaged and revised our presentations this year. We had to re-adjust to manage some unexpected financial woes or risk falling apart. Since book 2 is all about learning from the set-backs while still making progress today’s lessons fit just right.

Tell me how you enjoyed the show. Send a DM on Instagram @cabblow.podcast or a voice mail on the Anchor app.

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Things mentioned in today's episode:

How cool! Kidscreen featured Rorisang & The Gurlz!

https://kidscreen.com/2022/11/02/anime-rising-adapting-the-genre-for-foreign-market-success/

Facebook art page: @artbycabblow

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ALL THE LINKS:

Loving the music & sound on the podcast? Try ArtList for yourself and get extra 2 months free when you sign up using my link:

https://tinyurl.com/CabblowArtlist

It's an affiliate link, proceeds from using the link help keep the podcast going.

_______

Our animated short films are available to buy on our studio website: cabblowstudios.com/movies

For more from Cabblow Studios follow @cabblow and @cabblowstudios on Instagram

_______

Season 2 was recorded at new•studios podcast recording studio at The Oval Office Park, Sandton, South Africa.

Have a happy day wherever you are in the world!

- Cabblow

Today's episode is sponsored by TVPaint French 2D animation software.

To learn more & download the free trial visit: tvpaint.com

When I started Cabblow Studios I don’t think I fully grasped what I was getting myself into. I just didn’t to want be a statistic of unemployment as a recent university graduate. Running a studio has many moving parts from creative tasks, to managerial tasks as well as marketing and sales. It can feel like you’re being pulled a hundred different ways just trying to get your business off the ground.

So let’s talk about all the lessons I’m learning about improving the day-to-day operations of a studio.

Tell me how you enjoyed the show. Send a DM on Instagram @cabblow.podcast or a voice mail on the Anchor app.

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Things mentioned in this episode:

Strategyzer Intro To The Business model Canvas: https://youtu.be/wwShFsSFb-Y

How cool! Kidscreen featured Rorisang & The Gurlz!

https://kidscreen.com/2022/11/02/anime-rising-adapting-the-genre-for-foreign-market-success/

_______

ALL THE LINKS:

Loving the music & sound on the podcast? Try ArtList for yourself and get extra 2 months free when you sign up using my link:

https://tinyurl.com/CabblowArtlist

It's an affiliate link, proceeds from using the link help keep the podcast going.

_______

Our animated short films are available to buy on our studio website: cabblowstudios.com/movies

For more from Cabblow Studios follow @cabblow and @cabblowstudios on Instagram

_______

Season 2 was recorded at new•studios podcast recording studio at The Oval Office Park, Sandton, South Africa.

Have a happy day wherever you are in the world!

- Cabblow

It's always exciting when a new potential customer approaches. It could be through a DM on Instagram or Facebook. Filling in the contact form on our website or a referral by email. Sometimes it doesn't workout and clients decide to take their business elsewhere. Other times it's a match and you've clinched the deal...

Now what!? How do you make sure you do right by your client and give them the best possible experience. Let's talk about it...

Tell me how you enjoyed the show. Send a DM on Instagram @cabblow.podcast or a voice mail on the Anchor app.

_______

ALL THE LINKS:

Loving the music & sound on the podcast? Try ArtList for yourself and get extra 2 months free when you sign up using my link:

https://tinyurl.com/CabblowArtlist

It's an affiliate link, proceeds from using the link help keep the podcast going.

_______

Our animated short films are available to buy on our studio website: cabblowstudios.com/movies

For more from Cabblow Studios follow @cabblow and @cabblowstudios on Instagram

_______

Season 2 was recorded at new•studios podcast recording studio at The Oval Office Park, Sandton, South Africa.

Have a happy day wherever you are in the world!

- Cabblow

Today's episode is all about how hiring yourself and bootstrapping can pay off and we have friends! I’ve asked my friends and mentors in the industry to share some of their opinions about competitions & incubators and the impact they’ve had on their careers or on the industry. You’ll hear the voice notes sprinkled in the episode!

Today's guests are:

Brian Wilson - Story Writer & Founder of Zero Gravity Studios, Nigeria 

Brian's Ciclic Experience: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/persistence-vision-brian-ola-wilson

Paula Boffo - Animation Director & Illustrator, Argentina (We met through the Stories x Women Competition)

Paula's project "La Sombra Del Altiplano" & instagram @sukermercado

Vanessa Sinden - Animation Producer, Triggerfish Animation, South Africa

Triggerfish website: www.triggerfish.com

If you’d like your opinion shared on the podcast send me a DM on the podcast Instagram @cabblow.podcast or send a voice message on the anchor app and we might add your voice note to the show.

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ALL THE LINKS:

Loving the music & sound on the podcast? Try ArtList for yourself and get extra 2 months free when you sign up using my link:

https://tinyurl.com/CabblowArtlist

It's an affiliate link, proceeds from using the link help keep the podcast going.

_______

Our animated short films are available to buy on our studio website: cabblowstudios.com/movies

For more from Cabblow Studios follow @cabblow and @cabblowstudios on Instagram

_______

Season 2 was recorded at new•studios podcast recording studio at The Oval Office Park, Sandton, South Africa.

Have a happy day wherever you are in the world!

- Cabblow

Competitions! Love them or hate them they can be a really useful tool to motivate you to make progress in your business. I’ve done a few competitions both in business and in animation and in this episode I share some of the lessons I’ve learnt from those experiences. If you’re thinking about entering that business contest or animation pitching event this episode could be the tool that helps you make a decision.

Tell me how you enjoyed the show. Send a DM on Instagram @cabblow.podcast or a voice mail on the Anchor app.

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Information about the competitions:

Stories x Women: https://variety.com/2022/film/global/stories-x-women-in-animation-annecy-1235294769/ 

Road to Annecy Competition: https://youtu.be/FuSzhuQlS9s

_______

ALL THE LINKS:

Loving the music & sound on the podcast? Try ArtList for yourself and get extra 2 months free when you sign up using my link:

https://tinyurl.com/CabblowArtlist

It's an affiliate link, proceeds from using the link help keep the podcast going.

_______

Our animated short films are available to buy on our studio website: cabblowstudios.com/movies

For more from Cabblow Studios follow @cabblow and @cabblowstudios on Instagram

_______

Season 2 was recorded at new•studios podcast recording studio at The Oval Office Park, Sandton, South Africa.

Have a happy day wherever you are in the world!

- Cabblow