Motion Hatch: Helping Motion Designers Do Better Business
Hayley Akins
All episodes
Best episodes
Seasons
Top 10 Motion Hatch: Helping Motion Designers Do Better Business Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Motion Hatch: Helping Motion Designers Do Better Business episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Motion Hatch: Helping Motion Designers Do Better Business for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Motion Hatch: Helping Motion Designers Do Better Business episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
073 : How to Leverage Personal Projects to Improve Your Motion Design Career w/ Qais Sarhan
Motion Hatch: Helping Motion Designers Do Better Business
10/06/20 • 34 min
Do you ever feel that you have too much client work to focus on personal projects? It can be tough making the time for something that doesn’t bring you any direct income. However, these personal projects are an important part of your craft. They’ll help you sharpen your skills while imparting a sense of satisfaction that other work doesn’t.
About Qais Sarhan
Qais Sarhan is a 2D motion designer based in Reading. He creates simple, succinct animations in order to promote and explain complex marketing messages. When not creating for studios and agencies, Qais creates silly gifs about cats and food.
The Rewards and Challenges of Remote Work
As someone who works on all aspects of a project, Qais is able to work remotely. In this capacity, he seldom needs to come in-house and has the freedom to live outside of the major hubs. Even though you might not be physically in the room with clients, Qais urges you to stay in frequent communication. Regular emails, calls, and messages will put them at ease and let them know that their project is in good hands.
Leveling Up with Personal Projects
When not working for clients, Qais is constantly refining his own skills. Personal projects are a great avenue for this. By investing in yourself, not only will your craft improve, but you will also gain a sense of satisfaction that only comes creating for your own development. It will also help you avoid being too harsh on yourself so you can focus on the joy in what you do.
Links & Resources
Follow Qais on Linkedin | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Vimeo | Behance | Dribble
Additional Resources
Podcast music licensed by Big Waves
Podcast production & marketing support by the team at Counterweight Creative
071: How To Go From Freelancer To Studio Owner w/ Karl Doran
Motion Hatch: Helping Motion Designers Do Better Business
09/08/20 • 70 min
Karl Doran explains what he’s learned by going from freelance motion design to owning his own studio. He describes his process for landing clients without the use of traditional advertising. He also talks about setting clear expectations with clients so that everyone is happy with the results of his work.
Both freelancing and running your own agency have their advantages. There’s a sense of freedom to both, but they come with different responsibilities. My guest on this episode started his own successful agency after years of freelancing. Today, he’s sharing some lessons he learned from this switch.
About Karl Doran
Karl Doran is a creative director and founder of Flow Creative, an animation studio and branding agency in Manchester. His team of eight illustrators, designers, and project managers has created animated explainer films, brand films, and social content for numerous companies and arts and culture organizations.
How can you leverage your network to land the next big job? We would love to hear from you. We are @motionhatch on Twitter and Instagram.
Have you transitioned from freelance to studio work? What’s one lesson you learned from the switch? Let us know on Twitter or Instagram.
Join the Motion Design Client Challenge
Join the waitlist for our brand new course Client Quest.
Follow Karl on Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Linkedin
Thanks for Listening!Podcast music licensed by Big Waves
Podcast production & marketing support by the team at Counterweight Creative
080: How to Become a Feature Film Animator w/ Nikki Braine
Motion Hatch: Helping Motion Designers Do Better Business
01/19/21 • 47 min
Finding work with a major studio making feature films can seem daunting. You may wonder if your work is good enough. But what if it’s not your work that ultimately gets you hired but something else entirely? If you’ve ever wondered how animators get to work on huge films, today’s guest is going to tell you how she did it.
About Nikki Braine
Nikki has been an animator for many years. Her career spans games, VFX, and feature films including ‘Paddington 2’ and 'Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them'. She was recently hired on as the animation supervisor for a new Netflix show.
What it Takes to Land Big Jobs
Nikki takes us on her journey into VFX and feature film work. She describes the interview process and why you shouldn’t be nervous during them. The truth is, once you’ve landed an interview, you’ve already made it past the majority of the hurdles to get hired. Just be yourself and show them that you’re a nice person to work with.
Although she received a formal education as an animator, Nikki doesn’t suggest that for everyone. There are so many great online schools and programs that can teach you what you need to know. Nikki suggests finding a specific aspect of motion design that interests you and exploring the online programs that focus on it.
Attitude is Everything
Nikki credits her eagerness to take initiative as what landed her in the job as lead animator. Getting this type of work takes problem-solving skills, great communication, and being approachable. Animating is just a small part of the job. It’s being able to effectively lead and inspire a team that makes a great lead animator.
What interview tips can you share with us? Leave a comment on the episode page!
How do you approach large studios when looking for work? Leave a comment on the episode page!
Links and resources
Download the Portfolio Checklist
Follow Nikki Braine on Linkedin
Podcast music licensed by Big Waves
Podcast production & marketing support by the team at Counterweight Creative
000: Introducing Motion Hatch
Motion Hatch: Helping Motion Designers Do Better Business
11/03/17 • 2 min
Motion Hatch is a bi-weekly podcast hosted by veteran motion designer Hayley Akins, discussing the business side of animation and motion design that so many creatives struggle with.
Offering quality practical advice and insight for freelance, full-time or aspiring animators, illustrators and motion designers, hear from a wide range of voices within the industry, including how leading animators started out, tips on managing your business and career advice.
For more info on how to take control of your motion graphics career and to join our community of amazing, talented designers, head over to motionhatch.com.
Season Two Trailer
Motion Hatch: Helping Motion Designers Do Better Business
03/25/24 • 3 min
We're back with a brand new season of the Motion Hatch Podcast featuring some incredible guests! Motion Hatch helps motion designers to start and scale their businesses.We dive deep into the challenges freelancers and studio owners come up against and have conversations with a wide range of business and marketing experts through the lens of motion design, as well as designers, animators, and artists who are just a few steps ahead of you.
Together, we uncover the exact next steps you can take to a thriving and sustainable motion design business. If you're new to Motion Hatch, you might not know that the podcast already has over 100+ episodes in its back catalogue.
This season, we're taking it up a notch, exploring the tough questions freelancers and studio owners face every day.
062: The number one thing that changed my motion design career w/ Hayley Akins
Motion Hatch: Helping Motion Designers Do Better Business
03/17/20 • 12 min
Today I want to talk to you about the number one thing that changed my motion design career. It’s masterminds! In case you don’t know what a mastermind is or you aren’t clear how they work, I’m here to tell you all about it.
A mastermind is a peer support group where you can learn and grow together. I tell the story of how mastermind groups led me to where I am today. It really has made all the difference and I owe the existence of this podcast to it.
So that you can get the most out of a support group, I share my top seven tips for masterminds. This ranges from having a consistent time for your meetings, using a professional facilitator, being honest and open, and asking specific questions. Masterminds also provide many opportunities for networking.
How do you think a mastermind can help move your career forward? Let’s talk in the comments!
If you want to join our Mograph Mastermind you can apply here.
In this episode- How joining a mastermind changed my whole career for the better
- The importance of consistency and commitment
- How a host or facilitator can keep your mastermind on track
- Why openness and vulnerability is a necessary part of any group
- The role of masterminds to create networking connections
“If it wasn’t for mastermind groups, I wouldn’t be speaking to you on this podcast.” [1:06]
“When you’re building a new business or are in a big transition, having a support network is really vital to your success.” [3:59]
“Everybody has imposter syndrome. It’s about being vulnerable in your work and our business and getting feedback from other people and opening up.” [7:17]
LinksJoin the next Mograph mastermind!
Episode 51 with Allison Butler
Episode 46 with Jess & Christopher
Thanks for Listening!To share your thoughts:
To help out the show:
Podcast music licensed by Big Waves
Some of the links above are affiliate links. Basically, this means that if you decide to make a purchase through one of these links, we will earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. You can be sure that we would recommend these products whether or not we made any commission on them. Please don’t spend your money on them if you don’t think that they will truly help you improve your business, although, in our experience, they will.
057: VR in motion design w/ Colin and Rosie
Motion Hatch: Helping Motion Designers Do Better Business
01/07/20 • 46 min
Virtual reality is one of the newest and most promising fields in motion design. There’s huge potential for growth as well as exciting opportunities to create unique art. But, if you’re like me, you may have more questions than answers about just what’s involved in being an animator in this exciting new field. Today’s episode is going to answer those questions for you and hopefully point you in the right direction to discover how to use VR in motion design.
On today’s show, I chat with two great artists, Collin Leix from Gunner Animation and Illustration Studio and Rosie Summers, a VR painter at XR Games. They’re here to share what their role in virtual reality designs is and how we can use it as motion designers.
Collin and Rosie explain how creating in VR is both similar and different from creating other types of motion design pieces. While it may share many of the basic aspects, they are very excited by how much more interactive and performative it can be in practice. There are many programs to use when making VR art and they describe some of these and how they use them as well.
If you’re interested in getting started with VR in motion design, Collin and Rosie chat about avenues that you can take advantage of right away. Both Rosie and Collin recommend that you begin by creating storyboards and moving on to animate them in VR. They also share how they use these creations when pitching potential clients.
If you’ve been making 3D art, then you’re ready to move on to creating in the virtual reality space. Collin and Rosie explain how they use their knowledge of 3D when making VR animations and share what you can do to try your hand in it too.
In this episode- The performative nature of VR art
- Useful tools for creating VR animations
- Tips for using a headset to explore the VR world of your creation
- How working in 3D is the natural place to start before creating in VR
- Simple ways to make VR animations right away
- What the job landscape is in VR right now
- Hopes and predictions for the future of virtual reality
- How we can use VR in motion design
“One of the things I realized really fast about making VR art is how your body makes the artwork. Instantly I saw a performative aspect to this.” [2:30]
“People who are making things in 3D are in the first most natural step towards trying to make something in VR because you’re truly working in 3D space.” [15:42]
“I really hope that reality isn’t ditched for the virtual. I hope it compliments it. I hope we use these virtual tools to enhance our experience in the real world rather than replace it.” [28:39]
“Trust yourself and your creative instincts. It’s early enough in VR that people who jump in still have time to shape it. What you bring to it might be different from anybody else.” [43:18]
LinksFollow Rosie on Twitter | YouTube | Instagram
Rosie doing her performative VR painting
Follow Collin on Instagram
Join the Motion Hatch community
Thanks for Listening!To share your thoughts:
To help out the show...
045: Why you don’t need a formal education to be a successful motion designer w/ EJ Hassenfratz
Motion Hatch: Helping Motion Designers Do Better Business
07/16/19 • 65 min
We were all likely told at some point in our lives that we need a formal education to succeed professionally. But much has changed. Nowadays, there are many highly successful motion designers never went to animation school.
Today I’m joined by EJ Hassenfratz, also known as Eyedesyn. EJ is well known for his 3D tutorials, something he started doing to get over his fear of public speaking. He’s been in motion design for over a decade. Even without formal training, EJ has become a fully self-taught expert in this field, teaching others, speaking at conferences, and making some really fun animations.
In this episode, EJ and I talk about how people like you and me can find the majority of their work, the real value of education, and the limits of watching tutorials. EJ explains how to use your experience and promote your skills to find work even when you don’t have an educational background in your field. To that end, we discuss the skills that you need to hone to become a successful freelancer.
In this episode- The value and limitations of having an education and how to promote yourself without one
- The best skills you can have for becoming a successful freelancer
- Finding work through word-of-mouth and email inquiries and how social media plays a role in this
- How to properly use Instagram Stories to interact with your followers and other motion animators
- Finding inspiration and appreciation from exploring topics not directly related to motion design
- What you need to know to negotiate from a position of strength, not weakness
- Why watching tutorials doesn’t mean that you’re becoming a better artist
“It’s such a rewarding feeling having someone discover something because of one of my videos, or feeling inspired enough to even get into 3D. That really is huge and way better than getting an email with a bunch of client revisions.” [4:43] “You can be amazingly talented, but if you don’t have the confidence to charge what you’re worth and even recognize your own worth, then it doesn’t matter... it doesn’t matter what school you went to.” [9:29] “If you have a client who’s trying to lowball you, put in that little extra effort to educate them on why your rate is what it is and why the value is there.” [41:21] “I think it’s okay to realize that you’ve been doing things the wrong way for most of your career.” [58:12]
Related linksFollow EJ on YouTube | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Vimeo | Behance | Dribbble
Motion Hatch Episode 42 with Andrew and Pete
The Freelance Manifesto by Joey Korenman
Hidden Brain - Close Enough: The Lure of Living Through Others
Get the Freelance Contract Bundle here!
Keep up with everything Motion Hatch
Follow Motion Hatch on Twitter | Instagram
If you haven't already, would you mind leaving us a rating and review? It really helps!
038: Getting started as a freelance motion designer w/ Donna McAvoy
Motion Hatch: Helping Motion Designers Do Better Business
04/16/19 • 30 min
As freelancers we often feel like we’re all on our own, that we have to come up with everything ourselves. But there are communities of us, both online and offline, that we can lean on and use to learn from each other. Whether you’re just starting out or have been running your own freelance business for years, the power of community and networking can be a major benefit. Few know this better than today’s guest.
Donna McAvoy is an amazing freelance animator and a member of our recent Mograph Mastermind Program. She studied computer arts at Abertay University and worked on mobile games before moving into animation for television. Now she’s freelancing as a 2D animator based in Glasgow where she creates some truly awesome work.
In this bonus episode, Donna shares the story of her journey into freelance motion design. She has found a way to make a career in her home in Scotland where it may not seem like there are as many opportunities as elsewhere. Donna talks about the realities of looking for and finding jobs as a freelance animator and how she makes it work.
Donna credits much of her success to proper networking. It’s helped her discover how others in her situation are making a living and has connected her to some of her best jobs. By connecting with other freelancers, Donna has been able to learn valuable tips from others like her, including that she could significantly raise the rates she was charging her clients.
In this episode:
- Finding work as a freelancer while living in a place without many big studios
- The power of motion design communities for helping you find direction as a freelancer
- The importance of networking for finding jobs when it may seem like none are available
- Why you should think about significantly raising your rates and the challenges and payoffs of doing so
- Why freelancers should be charging more than employees of a company
- How a mastermind can help build confidence, keep you accountable, and come up with great ideas for your business
Quotes:
“Networking is just the biggest thing to be doing. And it’s also good to just get out from your desk. I guess a lot of people are working from home and you get a bit crazy there.” [10:43]
“Although what you can charge varies from media to media, I think if you’re working remotely, it shouldn’t have such a big impact where you are based.” [12:23]
“The networking part is probably most important I feel. Basically just getting your work out as soon as you can because maybe if you do feel like it’s not good enough, it’s good to get someone to give you perspective and feedback on what you could be doing to make it better.” [24:35]
Links:
Follow Donna on Instagram | Twitter | Vimeo | Linkedin
Sign up for the Mograph Mastermind
Keep up with everything Motion Hatch
Follow Motion Hatch on Twitter | Instagram
If you haven't already, would you mind leaving us a rating and review? It really helps!
061: How to get into the tech industry as a motion designer w/ Sharon Harris
Motion Hatch: Helping Motion Designers Do Better Business
03/03/20 • 29 min
Tech companies are creating more and more opportunities for motion designers to work in UX design. Instead of the traditional studio work, this means working with one company on a specific product. But what does it mean to do this work and how is it different from other types of motion design?
Sharon Harris is a senior motion designer at Google. As part of the Google design team, Sharon works with the editorial design platform, conducts interviews and podcasts, and arranges the annual design conference, SPAN.
Today, Sharon and I speak about how to get into UX motion design and what it’s like working in the tech industry as a motion designer. As tech industries are utilizing motion design as part of the branding, the opportunities for motion designers are growing. As a result, it has become possible to work entirely within the tech industry creating UX/UI products.
Sharon has found that working in tech is incredibly exciting. She is able to come up with many of the ideas for products and be more involved throughout the whole creative process. If this is something that you’d like to be a part of, Sharon provides some actionable tips on how to get involved.
In this episode
- Why Sharon moved from a career in advertising to tech
- How motion designers can take advantage of the growing use of animations as branding elements
- What it’s like working with one specific brand or product
- Tips for finding work creating UX designs
- Predictions for the future of UX/UI
- How UX/UI design differs from advertising
Quotes
“Everything is interconnected. We don’t just think about what a button looks like, but how it moves, what is the spatial and hierarchical relationship, how it transforms. It’s about understanding the logic behind why we make those decisions.” [8:46]
“There’s just so many things you can do. It’s a very exciting field. There’s never a dull moment” [11:14]
“Stories move people. That’s what I see motion growing into more within tech.” [23:13]
“It’s work that is touching millions of people. You don’t focus on something that is seen for a few seconds and then disappears in a month or two. This is stuff that is implemented and people use it every day.” [31:47]
Links
Follow Sharon Harris on Dribbble | Instagram
Episode 57: VR in Motion Design
Thanks for Listening!To share your thoughts:
To help out the show:
Podcast music licensed by Big Waves
Some of the links above are affiliate links. Basically, this means that if you decide to make a purchase through one of these links, we will earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. You can be sure that we would recommend these products whether or not we made any commission on them. Please don’t spend your money on them if you don’t think that they will truly help you improve your business, although, in our experience, they will.
Accessibility - Material Design
Show more best episodes
Show more best episodes
FAQ
How many episodes does Motion Hatch: Helping Motion Designers Do Better Business have?
Motion Hatch: Helping Motion Designers Do Better Business currently has 118 episodes available.
What topics does Motion Hatch: Helping Motion Designers Do Better Business cover?
The podcast is about Graphic, Success, Artist, Film, Illustration, Career, Visual Arts, Design, Creative, Work, Growth, Freelance, Podcasts, Jobs, Arts, Business and Animation.
What is the most popular episode on Motion Hatch: Helping Motion Designers Do Better Business?
The episode title '068: How to charge for motion design with Kyle Hamrick and Hayley Akins' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on Motion Hatch: Helping Motion Designers Do Better Business?
The average episode length on Motion Hatch: Helping Motion Designers Do Better Business is 42 minutes.
How often are episodes of Motion Hatch: Helping Motion Designers Do Better Business released?
Episodes of Motion Hatch: Helping Motion Designers Do Better Business are typically released every 14 days.
When was the first episode of Motion Hatch: Helping Motion Designers Do Better Business?
The first episode of Motion Hatch: Helping Motion Designers Do Better Business was released on Nov 3, 2017.
Show more FAQ
Show more FAQ