The animation and illustration studio dedicated to creating positive change
Motion Manor is an animation and illustration studio based in the heart of Cardiff. The B-Corp-certified business helps organisations create a meaningful difference in the world through visually stunning storytelling pieces. They create everything from animated videos showcasing and celebrating academic research to children’s storybooks that educate on conservation.
Creating positive change is at the heart of everything Motion Manor does, from the way it operates to who it works with. Some of their past and present clients include the Department of Health & Social Care, the NHS, Cardiff University, Foster Wales, and more.
Establishing a business for good
Speaking on establishing Motion Manor, Anthony Green, Managing Director, shares: “When I graduated from Bournemouth University 13 years ago, I was very excited to enter the field of animation, but I quickly learned how easily people could be exploited within the industry. People were working in dreadful conditions just so they could say they got to work on Hollywood feature films. This is what inspired me to set up a studio with two friends.”
“We built the studio over five years, but it was broadly focused on animation. We were creating sales tools, video explainers, and much more, so it was a very broad spectrum. However, there was a conflict in myself, and one of the other business partners felt the same desire as me to work in a purpose-led way. We wanted to work on projects that would make a difference.”
Anthony and his business partners decided it was the right time to part ways as they outgrew the business model. Being burned out as a result of building a startup, Anthony and his partner Sayaka decided to travel and go to Southeast Asia. It was here that really opened his eyes to some of the challenges we are facing globally.
He explains: “When you hear about the coral reefs dying versus when you go snorkelling and see it for yourself, it is a different story. You would witness firsthand these beautiful remote beaches in the middle of nowhere completely covered in trash. When COVID-19 hit, I set up a book club and fell into a bit of a psychology rabbit hole with some friends. We really started exploring behavioural change: what makes people tick and influences decision making.”
“My findings came down to the fact that I am a product of every story I’ve ever told, and the same goes for humanity. Within this, I had an epiphany moment where I realised animation wasn’t the issue in my previous business; I was just working on the wrong projects. At its core, it was an incredibly powerful tool to help tell positive stories, and this is what inspired Motion Manor, a drive to tell stories that would create a positive impact rather than a negative one.”
Finding a values fit and nailing positioning
Motion Manor is committed to collaborating with like-minded clients and has had numerous projects they have had to step away from or point in a different direction due to there not being a values fit. For instance, the brand won’t work with organisations or companies that are not helping to create a better world. This includes fossil fuels, tobacco, and alcohol companies, to give a few examples.
In the early days, the biggest challenge Motion Manor faced was within their positioning and because of this, they pivoted several times. Anthony explains: “We started out by saying we were an ethical animation studio, but then it became a matter of how do we define ethics. We had to learn not to lean on purpose and instead focus on delivering an exceptional service that is valuable to a specific market. Our purpose and ethics then supported this.”
“The same goes with sustainability. There could be an organisation that is really passionate about sustainability, but this passion varies on an individual level within a team. Some employees are more into it than others, so it was a massive challenge for us from a positioning perspective.”
Making sustainability a key success indicator
Motion Manor is on a mission to become the industry leader in positive sustainability practice amongst animation and illustration studios worldwide without compromising on delivering awe-inspiring creative work. Anthony shares: “Despite being a small business, we can make a big impact on the world as we grow. We’re a 100 percent digital and fully renewable powered studio, our hardware is entirely refurbished reducing our footprint, plus no one drives to the office.”
Motion Manor is committed to creating and maintaining a sustainable production process. Often an overlooked aspect of creative studios, they are taking several steps to ensure their creative process has a minimal environmental impact. Recently, they celebrated their B-Corp Certification too. Moreover, the Motion Manor team are Carbon Literacy Certified and ALBERT Trained in Sustainable Production (BAFTA). The team also offset their individual footprints with Ecologi, to further reduce their impact on the environment.
Not overlooking social sustainability
From a social perspective, Anthony and the team know that while the animation industry looks super fun to work in, the industry has been rife with unfavourable working conditions for some time. This is why Our People, Partners & Suppliers is one of their top four pillars. Under this, they ensure that all freelancers and suppliers they work with are paid promptly.
They also prioritise working with those freelancers and artists who share their values and the values of the specific projects Motion Manor is working on at the time. Motion Manor also has plans to do a number of volunteer days in the future, including beach cleanups. Another initiative they run is two evenings: People Planet Pint and People Planet Pastry. These networking events allow people in the community to meet and discuss sustainability.
One occurs in the morning and the other in the evening and enables people to come together, share local stories and ideas, and accelerate local climate action. Motion Manor is also excited to be launching a newsletter soon for the South East Wales sustainability community which will contain details of these events and other resources.
Anthony gives some guidance to businesses who are about to start their sustainability journey: “Start somewhere and be open-minded. Through this, you’ll learn and grow. When you have acquired a base level of knowledge, it is important to not judge others for their lack of speed or growth in this space. This only hurts the movement. We’ve already seen the damage this has done to the vegan movement in the last few years.”
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