Dani Abram, Moho Ambassador Program Lead

The program grew out of something the team at Lost Marble had been watching for a while: Moho’s user base has been expanding steadily, with studios and animation academies increasingly adopting it as their primary tool. With that growth came a real demand – teams building workflows from scratch, productions needing expert guidance, institutions looking for qualified trainers. The Ambassadors are the answer to that need. Spanning multiple continents, time zones, and languages; they collectively bring experience from feature film, long-form broadcast series, YouTube productions, motion graphics, and commercial work.

Having used Moho for over ten years in film and TV, I’m still as passionate about it as I was the day I first discovered it. I’m so excited to be leading this program and to be able to officially recommend some of my favorite Moho users – many of whom have become colleagues and genuine friends over the years.

Dani Abram, Moho Ambassador Program Lead

Current Ambassadors include Darcy Woodbridge, David Probst, Edo Faravelli, Camila Reis & André Jesus, Dani Abram, McCoy Buck, Mansour Moawad, Sama Sharaf, Nicolás González, and Joel Mayer – each with their own area of expertise, from production rigging and character animation to motion design and game animation. The roster will expand over time as the program continues to evolve.

Moho Animation Software Launches New Ambassador Program

With the new ambassadors, studios and schools around the world can feel confident that expert Moho support is within reach, no matter the project. These are talented, creative artists we admire and support.

Víctor Paredes, Animator and Co-founder at Lost Marble

Full profiles, including skills, portfolio links, and contact details, are available at: mohoanimation.com/ambassadors

For inquiries about the Moho Ambassador Program, contact: dani@mohoanimation.com

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Cloth Cat Academy Announce Production Traineeship in Association with Creative Wales and S4C (Image: Cloth Cat)

Cloth Cat is delighted to announce that the Cloth Cat Academy Production Traineeship is now underway at their new central-Cardiff location. The programme is supported by the Welsh Government via Creative Wales. The Creative Skills Fund is a key part of their mission to grow a stronger, more inclusive creative workforce in Wales.

Cloth Cat Academy provides professional training for animation and games industry creators in Wales, offering classroom space in a working studio, industry standard software and all the benefits of direct, in-person training. With the esteemed support of the Creative Skills Fund, Cloth Cat Academy will provide the knowledge and skills of industry experts and the networking opportunities required to kickstart prosperous animation careers.

Cloth Cat Academy have selected six talented animation trainees to step into the heart of their independent studio in Cardiff, providing each of them with the chance to gain their very first production credit whilst earning a living wage. Successful candidates will spend eight weeks on production, gaining invaluable experience working as Moho animators on a short film project in association with S4C.

Moho trainees will be assisting the Cloth Cat team in various stages of the production process. They’ll be preparing scenes, assets and shot setups, whilst also being given the opportunity to practice animating under the professional supervision and guidance of industry expert Dani Abram.

Our Creative Skills Fund is a vital source of support for Wales’ creative industries and has secured several valuable placements for young people to gain experience and knowledge and build a portfolio to take their career forward. Congratulations to the six trainees working on this short film. We look forward to seeing the final edit. Llongyfarchiadau!

-Jack Sargeant, Culture Minister

Director Jon Rennie says:

We’re delighted that Creative Wales have been so supportive of Cloth Cat’s first paid traineeship opportunity. Providing purposeful, first-rate, hands-on experience for newcomers to the industry is at the heart of Cloth Cat’s mission. It’s a fantastic way to encourage the next generation of Welsh storytellers.

The Cloth Cat Academy Production Traineeship will be taking place in-person at Cloth Cat’s new central-Cardiff studio until 21st November 2025. For further information, please contact comms@clothcat.com.

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(L-R) Kayleigh Gibbons, Phil Brookes, Laura Nasir-Tamara, Dani Abram & Lauren Orme

In episode 3 we hear from attending filmmakers whose films participated in the International Competition programme Animation 3: HerStory:

• Lauren Orme (Director, Creepy Pasta Salad)
• Dani Abram (Technical Director, Creepy Pasta Salad)
• Phil Brookes (Composer, Creepy Pasta Salad and Good Intentions)
• Laura Nasir-Tamara (Director, It Starts With)
• Patricia Wenger (Director, Laugh Lines)
• Kayleigh Gibbons (Director, Featherweight)
• Christian Schlaeffer (Producer, O Hunter Heart)

Direct download here or stream below:

You can also hear more about the making of Creepy Pasta Salad from director Lauren Orme in episode 93 (download) of the Skwigly Animation Podcast:

Produced, presented and edited by Ben Mitchell
Interviews conducted by Ben Mitchell
Thanks to Kieran Argo

The post Skwigly at Encounters – Filmmaker Q&As 3 appeared first on Skwigly Animation Magazine.

Produced by Jelena Popović and executive produced by Michael Fukushima for the NFB Animation Studio, the film, whose story is predicated on centuries-old Slavic folklore, takes place in the deep forests of 15th-century Eastern Europe and sees the foolhardy Prince Vladislav attempt to best Baba Yaga – the Bone Mother herself – in an arrogant bid for immortality.

The production of the film makes use of contemporary 3D-printing technologies and thousands of painstakingly hand-painted models to create a deeply unsettling yet tremendously watchable modern-day folk tale interpretation.

(Photo: NFB)

Working together as See Creature Animation, Dale and Sylvie’s combined industry experience includes Mark Osborne’s The Little Prince, Cordell Barker’s If I Was God alongside a range of commercial commissions, with Sylvie having directed the prior NFB short films Orange and Reflection.

Also in this episode we discuss the legacies of two dearly-missed animation stalwarts Roger Mainwood (Ethel & Ernest) and Claymation pioneer Will Vinton, whose work has and will doubtless continue to leave a lasting impression on animation history. We also chat about recent spooky short film highlights from BFI London Film Festival, Cardiff Animation Nights and the Encounters Late Lounge, cautious optimism toward The Addams Family‘s animated future and events to pencil in at the upcoming Manchester Animation Festival.

Direct download or listen below:

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Animated Grand Prix

Analysis Paralysis (Dir. Anete Melece, Latvia/Switzerland)
Have a listen to our interview with Anete Melece below:

Animated European New Talent Award

Don’t Lose Your Head – (Dir. Karolina Specht, Poland)

YellowDog Best of British Animation Award

Stems – (Dir. Ainslie Henderson, UK)

Children’s Award

Cats & Dogs (Dir. Jesús Pérez/Gerd Gockell, Switzerland/Germany)

Main DepicT! Award + Random Acts Special Mention Award

Impacts (Dir. Petra Balekic, Croatia)

DepicT! British Special Mention Award

Pig Dream (Dir. Lee Charlish, UK)

DepicT! Shooting People Audience Award

Run Boy (Dir. Meg Bagadion, Philippines)

Encounters/Show Me The Animation Anijam Award

Tiny Encounters (Dani Abram/Lauren Orme/Michael Ostrolenk/Chris Wright, UK)

Cartoon d’Or Nominee 2016

Balcony (Dir. David Dell’Edera, Hungary)

Congrats to all filmmakers involved in this year’s edition and keep your eyes on Skwigly this coming week for more filmmaker Q&As and festival coverage!

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Animation Grill is a gathering of animation professionals, students and hobbyists, who all have one thing in common; a passion for constantly improving their animation skills through constructive criticism.

The inaugural Animation Super Grill features presentations from the following industry talent:

• Ben Halliwell – Stop Motion Animator & Director, (Calon, Dinamo, Animortal Studios),
• Stephen Enticott – Head of Animation at Double Negative (London), (Framestore, Sony Pictures Imageworks),
• Jane E. Davies – Freelance Animator & Director, (Aardman, A Productions, Rumpus Animation),
• Ben Mitchell – Freelance Animator, Film-maker & Author. (Rumpus Animations, Plymptoons, Slurpy Studios, Channel 4.)

There will also be an industry-focused roundtable discussion with the presenters, chaired by Animator and Film-maker, Dani Abram (Aardman, A Productions, Animortal Studios), as well as the opportunity for attendees to network and have their personal animation work “grilled” by their peers in a friendly, creative environment.

Tickets for the event are currently on sale at a special early bird rate, enabling keen grillers to snap them up with a third taken off the normal price, after then tickets retail at £15.82. You can purchase tickets at www.picatic.com/animationsupergrill

Animation Grill Founder and Event organiser, Gareth Cavanagh said:

It’s not often that you get the opportunity to learn from experienced animators and quiz them on their personal workflows and creative processes. My intention with Super Grill, is to regularly gather together a bunch of funky animators from various disciplines and place them in a cool, creative environment with a bunch of their peers who are eager to learn from them.
The animation scene in South Wales is getting stronger every year and events like Animation Super Grill and Cardiff Animation Nights are a vitally important means of bringing the community together and celebrating their diverse range of skills and talents.”

For further information on speakers and to keep up to date with event news, you can:

• Visit the Animation Grill blog at animationgrill.wordpress.com
• Join the Facebook group
• Follow us on Twitter @animgrill
• Purchase your tickets at picatic.com/animationsupergrill

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