Should you niche down as a designer? We’ve all heard this advice! So, does niching down help you to win more clients or empower you to be seen as an expert? In this podcast, Hayley speaks with one of our Accelerator students, Giuseppe about how he niched down his animation studio Motion Aptitude to work on projects he loves. About Giuseppe Forestieri Giuseppe Forestieri is the Animation Director of his own studio, Motion Aptitude and has a background in visual communication, specialising in animation and Illustration. Motion Aptitude is the fusion of two of Giuseppe’s biggest passions in life ..read more

When Motion Hatch first started it was a side hustle, now it's a company! Have you considered starting your own motion design project to help you grow your career? Our founder Hayley Akins explains how and why she started this motion design podcast and what she’s learnt along the way. About Hayley Akins Hayley started Motion Hatch with the aim of helping freelance motion designers with the business side of motion design – but she wasn’t sure how to achieve this. At the time, Hayley felt she had three choices for a motion design project: a podcast, blog or YouTube channel (she now has all three ..read more

Looking to pursue motion design side projects but unsure how to find balance with your day job? In today’s episode Charli Marie explains how side projects can help motion designers to improve their craft and process. About Charli Marie Charli Marie is a Youtuber, podcast host and Creative Director at email marketing company ConvertKit.  Throughout her working career, Charli has always pursued some side projects outside of her 9-5 role. Currently she creates weekly content on her YouTube channel and podcast, Design Life, sharing insights into life as a professional designer alongside tutor ..read more

Ever wondered how motion design studios become known worldwide for their work? In today’s episode Jay Grandin explains how he built Giant Ant from the ground up and why he feels the studio has been so successful. About Jay Grandin Jay is Co-Founder of Giant Ant, an animation studio in Vancouver. As Creative Director, Jay oversees nearly every project in the studio—leading the concept development and script writing processes, as well as being actively involved in design and animation. In 2006, after unexpectedly creating a series of viral videos with his wife Leah, the married couple found them ..read more

Looking to make six figures as a motion designer, but not sure where to start? Motion designer John Filipkowski discusses how he hit this financial goal and how other freelance motion designers can achieve six figures too. About John Filipkowski John Filipkowski is a freelance motion designer based in Chicagoland, USA. He specialises in both 2D and 3D motion design and has worked with some amazing clients - from Sony, to Paypal and Samsung! After already achieving a six-figure salary through full-time employment, John wanted to make the move to freelancing and gain more working freedom, but he ..read more

Do you ever feel like you’ve hit the ceiling in your motion design freelance business in terms of how much money you can make? Web designer, online educator and digital marketing consultant, Brad Hussey, presents a whole new way of thinking about how motion designers can do business and productize their services.  About Brad Hussey  Brad Hussey started his career as a freelance web designer and spent time working at an agency, where he worked as a front-end developer collaborating with motion designers and other creatives to develop everything from apps through to mini games. Disench ..read more

Many motion designers dream of making passive income. But how do you actually go about doing it? Justin Archer is a freelance motion designer who also makes passive income selling templates for final cut pro editors. He has almost 22k sales from Envato alone! In this episode, we explore how he started making money through After Effects templates and how you can still be successful even if a market is saturated.  About Justin Archer Justin Archer has been a professional motion designer for the past nine years. For half of this time he worked for companies and for the other half, he’s been ..read more

For some people, the idea of working with an agent who helps you to find work seems like a dream come true. But how do you even go about getting signed by a motion graphic design agent?  Join Hayley and Drew Melton, Founder of artist representation agency Closer and Closer as he shares his tips on how to find the perfect agent and foster an amazing partnership with them. About Drew Melton Drew Melton started out his career as a graphic designer. He dropped out of college and started freelancing full-time. He started a blog called The Phraseology Project. People could submit their work and ..read more

Ryan Koral has spent the past 13 years telling brand stories through video storytelling. In that time, he’s learned a thing or two about working with all different kinds of clients. Join us as he shares his top takeaways on how to build a great working relationship, no matter the brief or project. About Ryan Koral Ryan Koral has always loved shooting video. He started his business 17 years ago and what started as a $300 one-off shoot for his first client quickly lead to him and his team flying all around the world shooting beautiful weddings. But as time went on and he started a family, he wan ..read more

When you price your motion design projects, do you think about the value that you’ll bring to your client? How about asking them what success would look like? These two things in combination will allow you to create your best work and get paid well for it. Join Brand Strategist Melinda Livsey as she teaches you how. About Melinda Livsey Melinda Livsey started her career as a graphic designer before turning to brand strategy and education. She teaches other designers how to make the switch from designing to becoming a brand strategist.  She really wanted to work on bigger projects so she m ..read more