As a motion designer, it’s likely you have a lot of different skills. But knowing which projects to invest your time and energy in can be overwhelming. This week’s guest has a successful YouTube channel and Patreon account. But he wants to spend more of his time creating games as that’s what he really enjoys. Join Hayley as she helps Ross Plaskow to find his direction and focus as a designer.

Many motion designers dream of starting an animation studio one day - but how do you know if it’s really the right decision for you? Are you willing to give up the creativity of actually doing motion design work to become a strategist, manager and entrepreneur? Our latest guest will help you to decide if aspiring to own a studio is right for you and how to make it a success.

Finding work with a major studio making feature films can seem daunting. You may wonder if your work is good enough. But what if it’s not your work that ultimately gets you hired but something else entirely? If you’ve ever wondered how animators get to work on huge films, today’s guest is going to tell you how she did it.

How you brand yourself may be one of the most important parts of being a profitable motion designer. There are so many ways to go about it though. Do you brand yourself as a studio? Should you show more of your personality on social media? What about a logo? How do you stand out from the crowd? Today’s guest is going to help us answer all these questions.

Sometimes we create outstanding work that doesn’t mean that much to us personally. Should you include it on your site anyway? Today’s guest suggests that we cut that out and only include the type of work that we really truly want to make. That will get you to the heart of using your unique voice to drive your business.

It’s nice to get paid for your work. But for many of us, that’s not the ultimate reason we’re in this business. We need to find a purpose in what we do and understand how we can positively impact the world with our creations.

Clients can come from many different places. In this line of work, we motion designers can take advantage of numerous resources for this. Today’s guest explains how he does it using Behance and how you can too.

All of us have something unique to offer, something that sets us apart. Yet, many motion designers ignore that and become generalists instead. Today’s guest finds that it’s her unique niche that lands her more work while allowing her to develop a style all her own.

For those of us who start a studio, we think it will lead to a new level of freedom. Before too long, we realize that it’s a business and that creativity is just one part of it. Today’s guest helps creative business owners improve the business side of what they do so that they can focus on the parts that they love.

Do you ever feel that you have too much client work to focus on personal projects? It can be tough making the time for something that doesn’t bring you any direct income. However, these personal projects are an important part of your craft. They’ll help you sharpen your skills while imparting a sense of satisfaction that other work doesn’t.

Ryan Summers shares his thoughts and predictions about the future of the motion design industry. With changing times, it is important that we remain flexible to deal with the changes thrown at us. At the same time, it requires remembering why we chose this work in the first place.

Karl Doran explains what he’s learned by going from freelance motion design to owning his own studio. He describes his process for landing clients without the use of traditional advertising. He also talks about setting clear expectations with clients so that everyone is happy with the results of his work.

In this podcast episode, Hayley talks about a few techniques for finding consistent Motion Design clients. In this solo episode, I want to talk to you about what it takes to land clients that keep coming back to you. To be successful in Motion Design you should regularly be engaging in client outreach. It may not be your favorite part of the job, but it’s critical to your long-term success and sanity. 

Erica Gorochow runs PepRally an animation studio in Brooklyn. She tells us how she has grown her freelance practice as a motion designer and how she scales it up and down based on the projects she gets.

Kyle Hamrick is a motion designer and educator based in Kansas City. He hosts a weekly live show on YouTube with Evan Abrams, Motion Design Hotline. As a freelancer, Kyle creates everything from animated explainer videos to live event visuals; from IMAX documentaries to full graphics packages for professional sports franchises.

Annie Wong, aka Headexplodie, is the creator of some really awesome work. She creates short form videos, GIFs, stop motion, and other fun content for the digital world. Her creations have landed her work with some pretty big brands, such as Vans, Facebook, and the Washington Post. She even has over 2 billion views on Giphy. She tells us how making animated gifs has lead her to lots of opportunities and funny stories but has also helped her to get client work.

Want to know how to get big motion design clients by doing personal work? We spoke to Nick DenBoer AKA Smearballz about how his weird and incredible personal work led him to work with major brands.

Social media is a powerful tool for getting your animations out there and finding more work as a freelancer. However, actually connecting with the right people is not a straightforward task. To clear up any confusion, We’ve brought on a freelance motion designer who has 25k followers on Instagram to share how to use Instagram as a motion graphic designer.

Most of us got into motion design because we like to create. But to stay in business, we need to know how to sell what we do and how to price your work as a motion designer. Selling can feel like a dirty word, but I’ve brought in a guest who explains how its actually a creative tool for offering great value to your clients.

With the worldwide coronavirus pandemic, life is full of uncertainty. This causes a lot of anxiety which is a real mental health burden. Being a freelancer right now adds another layer of unpredictability. To assist in navigating these unprecedented times, I’ve brought on a special guest to help us make sense of our concerns.

Today I want to talk to you about the number one thing that changed my business and career. It’s masterminds! In case you don’t know what a mastermind is or aren’t clear how they work, I’m here to tell you all about it.

Tech companies are creating more and more opportunities for motion designers to work in UX design. Instead of the traditional studio work, this means working with one company on a specific product. But what does it mean to do this work and how is it different from other types of motion design?

As motion designers, our primary goal is often centered on delivering our animations to clients. However, that’s not always enough to stay in business. Increasingly, there are more opportunities to work with clients beyond motion design and get involved in the design side of brand strategy. We also talk about how to use partnerships and content to get more clients.

Creating tutorials is a great way to get your name out there and promote your work. Social media channels like YouTube are wonderful platforms for making this happen, but figuring out where to start can be a challenge. Today’s guest started his tutorial channel just under a year ago and he’s already amassed an incredible following.

It seems that every year or so something major changes in the world of motion design and freelancing in general. Keeping up with the changes means staying flexible as well as resolute in the way you work and find clients. Today’s guest has not only weathered these changes but continues to thrive.