Get ready! The final Bristol Animation Meetup (BAM) for 2023 is nearly here! Hosted by Skwigly, Sun & Moon, Rumpus, you can join the local animation community at King Street Brew House this Thursday (Dec 14) from 7pm to start spreading the holiday cheer!

We’re thrilled to announce that BAM, this year, is backed by the dynamite teams at Toon Boom and Animation Associates! Plus, we’re introducing our maiden BAM raffle, where attendees have the chance to win some fantastic prizes from Toon Boom and Aardman Animations.

We’ll have more fun seasonal surprises for those who turn up early!

Come, let’s meet on the 14th!

MEET INDUSTRY EXPERTS

Heads up: All professional one-to-one slots are now fully booked. Still, you can email us at bristol.animation.meetup@gmail.com to be on our waitlist. These sessions are 15 minutes long, offered on a first-come, first-serve basis, starting from 7pm – 8:30pm.

Harry Slinger-Thompson
Creative Director, Scribble Room Animation

Harry is an industry veteran, with a decade’s experience in animation. He’s spent his career oscillating between London and Bristol, being a freelance animator. With animation gigs at high-profile studios like Aardman, Passion Pictures, Nexus, Moth, Tiger Aspect, Blinkink, and many more, Harry has shown his talent on various commercials and TV series.

In his career, Harry has risen through the ranks from a junior animator to the animation director on series such as: Mr Bean, Simon’s Cat, Peppa Pig, Counterfeit Cat, and Battleworld. It was in 2017 when he took a leap of faith and joined the Funko Animation Studios in Bath as the head of 2D animation. This enriched him with the essential skills to inaugurate his own studio. As a creative director at a small Bristol studio, Harry closely collaborates with animators, designers, and board artists to put together the creative vision for different projects.

Key areas for discussion:

• Provides insights into initial steps in the industry.
• Offers guidance on the different career paths and the type of portfolio/showreel needed.
• Provides showreels’ feedback and suggestions.

Erinn Lucas
Designer and Director, Sun & Moon

Erinn Lucas has been effectuating magic in the animation industry for four years. Stepping into the professional world as an animator for BBC’s Jojo & Gran Gran, Erinn transitioned to freelancing on Games Workshop’s anthology series, Hammer and Bolter at Farside Features before joining Sun & Moon. Currently, Erinn assumes a multi-disciplinary role, creatively contributing to various projects as an animator, storyboarder, and designer.

Key areas for discussion:

• Offers portfolio and showreel reviews.

Suzy Fagan Parr
Director, Aardman Animations

Suzy Fagan Parr, a stalwart of stop-motion animation, has spent nearly 27 years bringing magic to life. Since graduating from UWE Bristol in 1996, and earning a sponsored seat at Aardman Animation’s first-ever ‘Bristol Model Animation’ course, Suzy has been an active contributor to successful projects like Chicken Run, Curse of the Were Rabbit, Pirates, and Robin Robin. Also working with organizations like the BBC, Aargh Animations, and on Laika’s feature film Kubo and the Two Strings in Portland, Oregon, she has accumulated rich experience.

Suzy ventured into directing with the 3rd series of Shaun the Sheep and then led children’s CG series Chuggington for the BBC. She later became an episode director for the Netflix series Adventures from Mossy Bottom. Presently, Suzy alternates between animating and directing and was most recently credited as Additional Sequence Director and Lead Character Animator on Aardman’s latest feature film Chicken Run- Dawn of the Nugget.

Key areas for discussion:

• Offers advice on animation- performance, timing, style and showreel feedback.
• Discusses working with directors, leadership roles, and how to transition into directing.

Joe Wood
Creative Director, Rumpus Animation

Joe started his creative journey as a freelancer working on myriad animation projects in Bristol and beyond. He was often a part of the commercial and broadcast 2D animation team at Aardman.

In 2011, Joe co-founded Rumpus Animation, a studio known for its distinctive and vibrant creations, including music videos, short films, and educational content across various sectors. As a director, animator, storyboarder, and an all-around creative, Joe plays a significant role in all Rumpus projects.

Joe’s directed shorts have been showcased at global festivals, including the New York International Children’s Film Festival, Pictoplasma, and Annecy. He also mentors students at the University of the West of England and Falmouth University.

Key areas for discussion:

• Available for discussions on showreels, portfolios, job hunting, running a studio, or anything about the animation industry!

Jess Brazier
Production Coordinator, A Productions

Jess joined the TV industry nearly five years ago as a Post Production Runner at Films@59. Later, she transitioned to A Productions as a Production Assistant and then advanced to become a Production Coordinator.

Jess has been involved in various acclaimed projects, including the HBO and Sesame Workshop special Sesame Street’s The Nutcracker: starring Elmo & Tango, which won Best Animation at the Royal Television Society Awards 2023. She was also part of the team for three animated series for Sesame Street and Series 1 of Bea’s Block (now airing on Sky Kids).

As Production Coordinator, Jess plays an instrumental role in managing teams across departments, mitigating issues, and ensuring project schedules are maintained.

Key areas for discussion:

• Provides guidance for entering the industry.
• Answer questions about TV/animation Production or chat about roles within animation.