Animation Producer/Director

Jamie Badminton founded Karrot Animation with fellow ex-Arts University College at Bournemouth student Tim O'Sullivan and businessman Chris White. Karrot Animation is the production house of Karrot Entertainment which specialises in developing animated concepts, primarily for children's and family entertainment. Their most recent project, CBBC's One Minute Wonders for Unique TV, was a huge ratings success.

How would you outline your role?

Being such a fledging company, my job is very diverse and involves producing ideas for shows and then making appointments and pitching these to broadcasters. Although we are concentrating our efforts on developing animated characters, we also produce commercials, training videos, web content, music videos and shorts.

What are your main responsibilities?

We met Karrot Entertainment's Chris White while writing the storybook Hairy Ponies and Friends. The idea of having an entertainment company closely aligned to our production house was so we could produce ideas, sell them to broadcasters and then do the animation work in-house. Tim and I produce a lot of initial concept designs, but we also have a strong team that contributes greatly to the process. Series development can be a lengthy process and we also have to drive our commercial work alongside it. We've currently got eight to ten shows in development.

What hours do you work?

I try to keep my studio working hours to 9.30am to 6.30pm weekdays, but being so involved in the development of a new company makes it hard to switch off. It's my view that our effort now will set us up for the future.

What is your working environment like?

We are based in serviced offices in central Covent Garden, which is convenient for meeting children's broadcasters. Nickelodeon and the voice agency we use to provide voices to our characters are around the corner. The BBC is a short journey across London. Working alongside other businesses within the offices has also given us instant access to other clients.

Who do you work with?

We know a lot of people in London; animators, designers and production people who come in to work on specific projects. We also scale up the team using students from the Arts University College at Bournemouth. It's important for us to look out for fresh, energised animation talent and capture it.

What skills or qualities do you need?

As well as great drawing skills, the ability to tell a story and act it out is crucial. A lot of CGI (Computer Generated Imagery) courses focus on learning the software. Bournemouth does so much more. It teaches communication, timing and how to clearly convey an idea. Once these basics are mastered you have the skills to insert humour, make people laugh and trigger emotions.

Why did you choose this type of work?

I was always a huge fan of cartoons: Disney and Warner Brothers especially. TV animation in the late 1980s became a creative force and I was captivated by the techniques. I collected thousands of hours of videos, saw the Lion King animators at work backstage - and that was it. Animation is a fantastic media to convey messages in an interesting, funny and memorable way.

What training have you done?

Although I did a degree in film and animation, I was glad to have studied a foundation diploma in art & design beforehand. It provided a broader outlook, exposing me to things like early European cinema and how different stories are told. I also spent three months in Paris, just drawing and going to museums.

Do you use any special tools or equipment?

We use a creative, computer software suite that includes Flash, Photoshop and commercial programmes. They generally make life easier and enable us to compete with major players. Virtually all artwork creation and manipulation is created digitally on-screen, using Wacom tablets which allow you to hand-draw images and transfer them directly to the computer, although we occasionally scan in reference sketches.

What do you like about your job?

Seeing people enjoy a character or story we've created is amazing, especially if it also teaches them something.

What are the main challenges?

It's hard to maintain the balance between creating animation and getting the work in from clients. That's my greatest challenge right now - moving the business forward while still formulating ideas and creating new characters.

How do you see your future?

I would like to do story-telling for kids' TV shows on a regular basis and create shows and characters that children can really enjoy, which also remain true to humanity. A second Hairy Ponies book is due in 2010 and we hope to continue developing this concept.

Jamie's route

• GCSEs.
• A levels in art, design and mathematics, and an AS in geography.
• Foundation diploma in art & design.
• BA degree in film and animation.
• Established Karrot Animation and Karrot Entertainment.

Jamie's tips

• Be a fan of the medium you're working in, so it's not only a job.
• Pay attention to press releases and look at how animators package a character brand.
• Push yourself, make contacts and network with people. Festivals held in Annecy, Bradford, Bristol and Exeter are a great way to see independent films and meet the artists behind them.