VJC Media and Liberi Consulting launch The Growth Partners

The new television industry offering builds on deep experience and insights of the two consultancies to offer a ‘Get Investment Ready Programme’.

VJC Media, headed by Vanessa Chapman, and Liberi Consulting, headed by Aimée Norman and Janet Balmforth, have announced the launch of The Growth Partners, a compelling new initiative that draws on the deep roots and experience of both businesses to offer access to specialist advice and a bespoke roadmap to seeking potential financing and investment.

Aimed at SMEs working across all genres of TV and film internationally looking to take the next step in business development, The Growth Partners’ ‘Get Investment Ready Programme’ helps companies with plans to grow or diversify, putting in place robust future-facing positioning and structure. It establishes clear, realistic, bespoke objectives while covering key areas of impact including an internal and external financial, structural and USP evaluation, market intelligence, industry positioning, corporate messaging and relevant communications coaching.

For businesses which have completed the ‘Get Investment Ready Programme’, The Growth Partners can also offer further counsel on seeking financing where relevant.  

The collaboration between VJC Media and Liberi Consulting draws on the multi-faceted expertise of both businesses bringing experience and up-to-the-minute insights to the programme.

VJC Media’s Vanessa Chapman is a highly respected media executive with an extensive global network of contacts and proven experience across all platforms in content creation, business strategy, fundraising and investment. As director of VJC Media, she advises IP owners, studios, international media companies, broadcasters and investors on franchise development, financing, and investment.

Liberi Consulting’s Co-Founders Aimée Norman and Janet Balmforth have an illustrious track record that encompasses over 25 years’ experience in corporate communication creating and implementing impactful and strategic campaigns. They are regular contributors to conferences and training events on effective presentation, pitching skills and B2B communication strategy.

The Growth Partners is a joint initiative, but both companies will continue with their individual businesses.

At a changeable time in the market, The Growth Partners came out of recent conversations with colleagues about how to navigate the current commercial challenges in our industry. For those companies looking to diversify, to secure financing, or to grow, the first question is ‘how?’. To be ready to attract finance, it is important to be prepared, to demonstrate a business that is both robust ‘under the bonnet’, but also one that understands its position and worth in the marketplace. Through the combination of VJC Media and Liberi’s experience, industry knowledge and advisory abilities, The Growth Partners will help provide businesses with clarity and a roadmap to those important next steps.

Vanessa Chapman, VJC Media

Working with Vanessa is a joy, and we couldn’t have more respect for her knowledge and experience. Having worked closely with her on a number of clients, collaborating on this initiative was a natural step bringing together our complementary expertise. For businesses looking to navigate market challenges and strengthen their position, The Growth Partners can bring clear guidance and a steady pair of hands.

Aimée Norman and Janet Balmforth, Co-Founders of Liberi Consulting

Milk appoints Roo Knight-Jones as Business Development Director

The award-winning VFX studio has appointed Roo Knight-Jones as Business Development Director.

Milk has announced that Roo Knight-Jones has been appointed as Business Development Director to lead and grow the business development team across the Group’s studios in London and Europe. Roo will be instrumental in securing new business and developing stronger strategic relationships with clients across the industry for the Group’s two distinct and established brands: Milk VFX and Lola Post Production.

Roo’s VFX career spans over a decade and includes serving most recently as Executive Producer, where he oversaw sequences for Amazon’s The Boys and Rings of Power and Warner Brother’s Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning. Before that, he worked as a VFX Development Executive, and spent five years with Milk as a VFX producer overseeing projects including Everybody’s Talking about Jamie (Fox), The Old Guard (Skydance/Netflix) and Four Kids and It (Sky).

I’m thrilled to join the talented team at Milk VFX during such a transformative time for our industry. Milk has a proud tradition of fostering top-tier talent, and its people are the driving force behind its success. I’m excited to contribute to ensuring Milk remains a leading VFX partner of choice.

Roo Knight-Jones, Business Development Director at Milk

We are delighted to have Roo return to our team in this new role to lead our market engagement and support our production partners in all stages of project development and production. With studios in London, Bordeaux, Barcelona, and Dublin, Milk enables our partners to access the recently increased UK, and broader European, incentives. . His enthusiasm, drive, and connections will be key in expanding and strengthening our relationships and helping us realise our vision of building a trusted distinctive independent VFX business of scale, with a boutique mentality.

Chris Burn, Managing Director at Milk

Digital Orchard celebrate milestone: over 10 million feet of film scanned

The leading specialist in end-to-end film workflow services has announced a remarkable achievement, with their team now hitting over 10 million feet of motion picture film scanned at their location at Kodak in Pinewood Studios.

This milestone underscores the resurgent vitality of film in contemporary filmmaking and highlights the unparalleled expertise the company brings to the industry. Digital Orchard has seen an increase in demand for film services, driven by the ongoing revival of analogue filmmaking. Since joining forces with Kodak Film Lab London back in 2019, both companies have provided seamless film processing and scanning services that combine state-of-the-art technology with meticulous craftsmanship.

This is a proud moment for us, reaching 10 million feet is a testament to the enduring legacy of film as a medium and the trust our clients place in us. We’ve enjoyed every second of collaboration with Kodak and hope to continue to deliver the highest standards of quality to filmmakers.

Dan Redrup, Head of Scanning at Digital Orchard

The Digital Orchard and Kodak partnership has supported a diverse range of projects, from critically acclaimed blockbusters to independent art films, demonstrating a shared commitment to preserving the artistry and authenticity of storytelling on film.

Kodak is thrilled to recognise this milestone for Digital Orchard and look forward to the continued support they provide filmmakers. Kodak continues to drive investment and growth into our labs both in the UK and US and offer photochemical excellence for productions from across the world.

Antonio Rasura, Director of Motion Picture Labs Kodak

As the industry continues to evolve, Digital Orchard remains committed to expanding their offerings and setting new benchmarks in film scanning excellence. Alongside Kodak, they look forward to serving filmmakers who are passionate about the unique impact of celluloid for years to come.

CBeebies unveils new educational animation series Wonderblocks to teach pre-coding skills

BBC Children’s and Education, Alphablocks Ltd and Blue Zoo Animation Studio have announced a new educational series following the success of Numberblocks, Alphablocks and Colourblocks.

Wonderblocks is the new innovative show that is designed to ignite essential thinking skills in young viewers, training their brains through adventure and problem-solving fun. The new animation series will launch on the CBeebies channel and BBC iPlayer from Monday, 20 January.

Co-created by Joe Elliot and Tom Box, the new animated series blends storytelling with foundational concepts to make complex, educational ideas accessible for young minds. Children will meet new Blocks characters, excitable Go and methodical Stop who showcase the balance of action and thought. Their humorous and energetic adventures emphasise core skills like problem-solving, planning, pattern recognition, sequencing, and logic while also modelling the values of teamwork, friendship, curiosity and a love of learning.

At CBeebies we are passionate about making learning an exciting adventure for young audiences. Wonderblocks embodies this perfectly by combining the magic of storytelling with essential skills, giving little ones the tools they need as they learn to think critically and creatively. We know audiences, whether that’s little ones and their grown ups or teachers and young pupils, see Numberblocks, Alphablocks and Colourblocks as invaluable educational resources so we can’t wait for them to join Go, Stop and the Do Blocks on their problem-solving journeys in Wonderblocks!

Kate Morton, Senior Head of Commissioning 0-6 at BBC Children’s and Education

Oli Hyatt, Managing Director of Alphablocks Ltd, expressed his pride in the Blocks brands, highlighting their rapid growth and significant impact on education globally.

We are thrilled to see Blocks shows inspiring and educating children around the world. Our mission has always been to make learning fun and accessible, and seeing the positive effects of our show on young minds is incredibly rewarding. We are committed to continuing this journey with the incredible Wonderblocks, helping to shape a brighter future for the next generation of little learners.

Oli Hyatt, Managing Director of Alphablocks Ltd

Together with the helpful Do Blocks, Go and Stop will explore their world and solve dilemmas for a cast of fun animal characters. Whether it’s helping Cow find her moo with Do Block Moo, or assisting Secret Agent Chicken to crack the hen house code with Do Block Cluck, every episode combines excitement and adventure with learning to teach pre-coding skills. 

Wonderblocks is produced by BBC, Blue Zoo Animation Studio and Alphablocks Ltd., with expert consultation from Emma Goto of Winchester University. Commissioning Executive for CBeebies is Joel Wilenius. Following on from the BAFTA-winning Numberblocks, Wonderblocks is on a mission to nurture generations of inquisitive children who are confident with pre-coding skills. 

Follow Wonderblocks on Instagram and on YouTube.

Magic Light Pictures’ The Velveteen Rabbit nominated for six Children’s & Family Emmy® Awards

Magic Light Pictures’ heart-warming film celebrating the magic of unconditional love, The Velveteen Rabbit, has been nominated in an impressive six categories for the 3rd Annual Children’s & Family Emmy® Awards.

Nominations were announced on 12 December for the standalone competition, and the awards ceremony is scheduled to take place in Los Angeles on 15 March 2025.  

The nominations for The Velveteen Rabbit are:

• Best Fiction Special
• Phoenix Laroche for Best Young Performer in a Preschool, Children’s or Young Teen Program
• Best Music Composition and Direction for a Live Action Program
• Best Editing for a Single Camera Live Action Program
• Best Sound mixing and sound editing for a Live Action Program
• Best Costume Design/Styling

The nominations continue Magic Light Pictures’ remarkable track record of success at the Emmy awards, following its recent triumph at the International Emmys in November where Tabby McTat won the award for Best Kids Animation. Previously Magic Light enjoyed wins in this category with Room on the Broom, Revolting Rhymes, Zog and The Smeds and the Smoos.

Based on the treasured, classic book by Margery Williams, The Velveteen Rabbit tells the story of shy William who, when he receives a new favourite toy for Christmas, discovers a lifelong friend and enters a world of imagination, love and friendship. Expertly mixing live-action and stunning animation to perfectly capture the imagination of a child, the 40-minute special leans into the timeless classic in a way never seen before. The film first launched on Apple TV+ in November 2023.

We are proud to be nominated in so many categories for the wonderful film The Velveteen Rabbit. It’s a tribute to the outstanding qualities and brilliant creativity of the whole team, and to the great support of Apple TV. Making high-quality films for children and families around the world is what we love to do and it is humbling to find that so many other people love our work too.

Martin Pope, Co-Founder and Joint CEO of Magic Light Pictures

Directed by Jennifer Perrott and Rick Thiele with a screenplay by BAFTA-winning Tom Bidwell, the all-star cast also features the voices of Alex Lawther, Helena Bonham Carter, Nicola Coughlan, Bethany Antonia, Lois Chimimba, Paterson Joseph, Clive Rowe, Nathaniel Parker and Tilly Vosburgh.

Now in its third year, the standalone Annual Children’s & Family Emmy® Awards competition, created by The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS), spotlights the pinnacle of creativity and innovation in children’s entertainment.

CAKE partners with Headspace and Lilly Singh on animated mindfulness series

The leading kids’ entertainment specialist has announced a partnership with LA based mental health app, Headspace, and Unicorn Island Productions on The Mindful Adventures of Unicorn Island.

The 10 x 11 minute kids and family animated series is aimed at 5-8 year olds and a co-viewing audience. It is produced by Headspace and actor, television host and New York Times bestselling author Lilly Singh, and Lilly’s production company, Unicorn Island. The series is written and executive produced by Kara Lee Burk.

Incorporating mindfulness principles and science-backed methods, The Mindful Adventures of Unicorn Island was created so children everywhere could manage stressful situations and gain emotional regulation skills to make sense of challenges in their lives. A critical part of their mission is to reach underserved communities and make mental health support more accessible to all.

When 10-year-old Lilly (voiced by Lilly Singh) faces adversity in the real world, she is transported to Unicorn Island, her ‘happy place,’ a colourful wonderland where she transforms into a unicorn named “LillyCorn,” learns about growing up, and navigates challenges, from her parents’ divorce to conflicts in her friendships. With the help of her imaginary friends – Velvet the cupcake, Pep the pizza, Poppy the dog, Frank the dinosaur, and Dora, the omnipresent voice who guides the friends through their journey – Lilly learns new mindfulness activities to overcome her troubles and brings those skills back to the real world. Through Lilly’s adventures, kids are encouraged to take time and space for themselves, improving their own well-being with new behaviours that build their confidence and nurture the best parts of themselves.

The Mindful Adventures of Unicorn Island was awarded a Collision Award, a Telly Award and was a Webby Award Honoree in 2024.

This project is so special to me and I’m grateful that we can broaden the audience of this series globally. The problems our characters tackle in this series are universal and I’m hopeful we can continue to reach young people.

Lilly Singh

We’re thrilled to partner with CAKE to extend the reach of The Mindful Adventures of Unicorn Island through their global distribution network. This collaboration brings the transformative power of mindfulness to children and families around the world, helping to address youth mental health on a broader scale. By integrating science-backed techniques with engaging storytelling, our goal is to empower the next generation with tools for emotional resilience throughout their lives.

Sara Cohen, Vice President of Content Creation at Headspace

Working with the team at Headspace and Lilly Singh on The Mindful Adventures of Unicorn Island aligns perfectly with our mission to deliver meaningful and entertaining content. We hope this series inspires kids and families to embrace mindfulness and prioritise emotional well-being.

Ed Galton, CEO at CAKE

Pokémon and Aardman team up for exciting collaboration coming 2027

The Pokémon Company International and multi-award-winning independent studio Aardman have announced a special project coming to audiences in 2027.

The collaboration will see Aardman bringing their unique style of storytelling to the Pokémon universe in brand-new adventures. More information on the collaboration is planned to be shared in the future.

This is a dream partnership for Pokémon. Aardman are masters of their craft, and we have been blown away by their talent and creativity. What we have been working on together ensures our global Pokémon fans are in for a treat!

Taito Okiura, VP of Marketing and Media at The Pokémon Company International

It’s a huge honour to be working with The Pokémon Company International — we feel sincerely privileged to be trusted with bringing their characters and world to life in a brand-new way. Bringing together Pokémon, the world’s biggest entertainment brand, together with our love of craft, character and comedic storytelling feels incredibly exciting. Aardman and TPCi share an emphasis on heritage and attention to detail as well as putting our fans and audiences at the heart of what we do, which we know will steer us right as we together create charming, original and new stories for audiences around the world.

Sean Clarke, Managing Director of Aardman

Absolute welcomes Executive Producer Kayleigh Dugdale to team

Absolute has announced the addition of Executive Producer Kayleigh Dugdale to its burgeoning team.

The latest in a line of impressive recent hires, Kayleigh joins the team from a previous EP role. Dugdale will work across all of Absolute’s departments, including Sound, Edit, CG, VFX and Colour, in addition to developing the production team in a period of growth for the business.

Starting her career in 2006, Kayleigh is a tour-de-force with over 18 years of industry experience. With heavyweight names on her CV, she spent her early years working across all aspects of post, from bookings to TV and commercial production. Kayleigh has gone on to become one of the most respected EPs in the business, working on many award-winning projects. Her reels boast a wide range of iconic brands, including Nike, Adidas, Samsung, Lancôme, and DHL, as well as collaborations with esteemed directors such as Adam Berg, Dom & Nic, David LaChapelle, and Traktor.

I am so thrilled to be joining Absolute Post as Executive Producer. It’s been somewhere that I’ve admired for a long time, not just for the creativity of their work, but also for their amazing company culture. There’s a real sense that we’re building something special here, and we are all striving for Absolute to become the place that talent goes to thrive and clients to come for the best work.

I’m delighted to be embarking on this new chapter with some exceptionally talented artists and producers, whose experience will be critical in shaping a fresh direction for the business. I can’t wait to get some amazing projects through the door and collaborate with more incredible teams.

Kayleigh Dugdale, Executive Producer at Absolute

Having been lucky enough to work with Kayleigh before, it was a no-brainer to bring her into our team here when the opportunity arose. Kayleigh’s reputation precedes her, and her versatility, knowledge and commitment to redefining post-production standards were a vital component in the success of [other] studios in both London and Amsterdam.

We know she is going to bring that same brand of innovation to her role here, and it’s going to be so exciting to see her continue to raise the bar. The recent additions to our team speak volumes about the ambition we have for Absolute and Kayleigh is a big part of bringing us realising those ambitions.

Chris Batten, MD of Absolute

Union adds grandeur to The Regime

Led by VFX Supervisor and Co-Founder Adam Gascoyne, Union’s newly established Montréal facility delivered the majority of the 700 VFX shots on the show, collaborating with a smaller team at Union HQ in London.

HBO’s The Regime is a darkly comedic six-episode series directed by Stephen Frears and Jess Hobbs that tells the story of life within the walls of a modern authoritarian regime as it begins to unravel. Chancellor Elena Vernham (Kate Winslet) has grown increasingly paranoid and unstable, having not left the Palace for some time, and turns to a volatile soldier, Herbert Zubak (Matthias Schoenaerts), as an unlikely confidant. As Zubak’s influence over the chancellor continues to grow, Elena’s attempts to expand her power eventually result in both the palace and the country fracturing around her.

Led by VFX Supervisor and Union co-founder Adam Gascoyne, Union’s newly established Montréal facility delivered the majority of the 700 VFX shots on the show collaborating with a smaller team at Union HQ in London.

Environments

The main task was to expand and enhance the Chancellor’s palace and surrounding landscape to increase its grandeur. The team scanned the real Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna, then redesigned it into a fictional, contemporary palace with grounds that were consistently featured in the series. This also included extending the landscape and creating a bespoke, breath-taking mountain backdrop in the distance.

The palace itself required a significant amount of initial groundwork, including technical location recces and evaluations during pre-production, the enhancement of the Palace design, development of a CG model, lighting and rendering of the Palace extension across different scenes, times of day, and various degrees of destruction in later episodes.

In one of the most memorable shots, the camera transitions from the palace interior through a window and into a turbulent warzone. This was achieved, using a blend of CG, DMP, and 2D elements to enhance the scene. With only balcony footage at their disposal, the team had to come up with an effective strategy to complete this seemingly simple shot. Upon review of some 2D solutions and ideas, it was evident that replacing the courtyard with a CG version was essential to uphold the parallax effect and realism. A digital matte painting was also used to merge the CG courtyard with the palace surroundings.

Environmental work also needed to create barren and exhausted beet fields and a Beet Factory on the outskirts of the Palace grounds. This included adding mud to enhance the rugged terrain, along with pillows of CG beets.

Gore

Some of the more absurd moments required enhancement of the Chancellor’s deceased father’s body, gradually making the prosthetics and actor look more decayed as the show went on.

At one point, the outlandish storyline featured a complex talking corpse sequence that involved a lot of different 2D techniques. Union collaborated closely with the clients to achieve the desired appearance and gradually adjust the level of decay. Ensuring that the enhancements matched perfectly with the actor’s facial expressions and muscle movements was a significant technical challenge in making the sequence believable.

Crowds and other work

The wide and expansive crowd shots featured Elena interacting with the audience and a dynamic sequence of a rioting mob; these scenes involved seamlessly merging CG crowd, plate, and 2D elements.

Other work included some atmospheric enhancements such as adding cold breath and movement to an extreme close-up. The team also delivered graphic design and screen replacements which included the creation of various news channel graphics to be composited onto televisions throughout the episodes.

The Regime is now available to stream on HBO Max, Now TV and Crave.

Lux Aeterna delivers insights on GenAI and ethics in VFX for World VFX Day

Lux Aeterna, in collaboration with UK Screen Alliance, has explored the ethical and intellectual property challenges of generative AI in visual effects (VFX).

To mark World VFX Day on 6th and 8th December, a panel featuring Lux Aeterna‘s Creative Technologist James Pollock, UK Screen Alliance CEO Neil Hatton, and Dr Cobus Jooste, Senior Lecturer in IP Law at the University of the West of England, shared insights into the current state of the industry.

The panel, moderated by Hatton, primarily examined the research and development undertaken by Lux Aeterna as part of the MyWorld programme – a UKRI-funded creative technology research initiative based in the West of England. Through MyWorld, Lux Aeterna has focused on machine learning advancements and innovative toolsets in VFX. Coinciding with the rise of emerging GenAI technologies, the programme has enabled Lux Aeterna to experiment with the production of its own science-fiction short film, RENO.

Pollock highlighted the importance of projects like RENO in demystifying AI’s potential, allowing Lux Aeterna to experiment in a controlled, research-driven environment. Jooste offered insights into the evolving legal landscape, discussing the complexities of intellectual property (IP) laws concerning AI-generated content. He emphasised the need for clear documentation, ethical transparency, and industry-specific adaptations to existing legal frameworks to safeguard creators and their work.

Both Pollock and Jooste agreed that while GenAI presents exciting possibilities, it requires cautious integration to ensure compliance, accuracy, and ethical standards. By fostering partnerships between technologists and legal experts, Lux Aeterna aims to guide the VFX community in navigating the rapidly changing AI landscape while prioritising creativity and accountability. The panel underscored the industry’s collective responsibility to approach GenAI as a tool to enhance, rather than disrupt, the artistry and integrity of VFX.

Hatton, CEO of the UK Screen Alliance and a champion of policy in the UK visual effects industry, successfully campaigned for new VFX expenditure credit, which starts on 1^st January 2025 and will include GenAI as eligible expenditure.

The debate over the use of GenAI in VFX will be absolutely crucial now and in the coming months. We campaigned for GenAI costs to be included in the new UK VFX incentive uplift, as we think the UK, as the foremost global hub for VFX, needs to be in the vanguard of not just the technological R&D, but also showing a lead on GenAI adoption in a sustainable and ethical way which respects and rewards creators IP.

Neil Hatton, CEO of UK Screen Alliance

The panel aired through World VFX Day on 6 December and is available to watch online here.