LEADING ANIMATION STUDIO FACTORY CELEBRATES FIFTH BIRTHDAY
Skwigly
Altrincham-based multi genre animation studio Factory is celebrating its fifth birthday, with a period of remarkable growth, in a year that has seen four high profile productions come to air, including Newzoids (ITV), Clangers (CBeebies), Scream Street (CBBC) and two specials for Disney and Club Penguin.
Since the launch in 2010 Factory has grown exponentially seeing its workforce increase from 5 to 149. The BAFTA- nominated studio has also doubled its capacity expanding into two more units on Altrincham Business Park. The company now occupies 35,000 sq feet of bespoke studio and office space where it is producing content with Coolabi Group, ITV and Disney airing on channels CBBC, CBeebies, ITV1 and Disney Channel.
Phil Chalk, MD of Factory comments “We’re extremely excited to be celebrating our fifth birthday after such a fantastic year. It is rare for animation studios to produce and air four television series in one year so we are extremely proud to achieve this whilst maintaining the highest standards from pre production right through to final delivery”.
Factory is further building its own intellectual property and rights management portfolio and has recently co-produced Newzoids with Citrus Television for ITV1. The topical puppet animation sketch-show features new animation techniques pioneered by Factory, in its prime time slot.
Furthermore, Factory is working on three specials for the major international broadcaster Disney. The studio’s comprehensive production facilities have been developed whilst working on the Disney specials, which combine state of the art stop- motion animation with digital animation and visual effects.
In addition, Factory is currently in production with Clangers, a co-production from Cbeebies, Coolabi and Sprout, which successfully launched on CBeebies in June, immediately reaching number 1 in the UK’s Children’s programme charts. The programme received critical acclaim for its stop-frame animation techniques, which maintained the charm of the original series whilst appealing to a new, pre-school audience.
Factory is also co-producing Scream Street with Coolabi, which is launching on CBBC this autumn. Scream Street is based on Tommy Donbavand’s popular children’s book series of the same name, published by Walker Books, and has been brought to life as a fast-paced and stylish stop-motion series with a strong focus on drama and storytelling.
Since inception, Factory has also co-produced the BAFTA and Emmy nominated Strange Hill High, in partnership with CBBC and Freemantle Kids and Family Entertainment. The show has picked up prestigious RTS and Kidscreen Awards, plus received a nomination for an International Kids Emmy in addition to multiple BAFTA and Broadcast Award nominations.
From concept through to final delivery, uniquely Factory has expertise across all animation disciplines including CGI, 2D animation, digital animation and stop motion as well as being a full service studio.
Embracing new talent, technology and delivery platforms the studio has developed a reputation as a world leader in the design and collaborative development of immersive entertainment. As pioneers of new animation techniques and processes, Factory is constantly developing innovative new methods in house to create its groundbreaking content.
You can hear more about the work of Factory from Managing Director Phil Chalk in the latest episode of the Skwigly Animation Podcast: