We're based in Manchester. We don't work like it.
"Can a studio your size actually handle this?" Here's the honest answer: not every time, but mostly yes, and here's exactly how.
Founder
© 2025 MightyGiant
© 2025 MightyGiant
Thoughts
Thoughts
We don’t hide from our size. Mighty in name, nimble and boutique in nature. However, to some (not many thankfully), the address (not London) and size doesn't sound like a studio built for a brief that needs to land in six markets at once. Or scale from a single explainer to a full campaign system in days.
But studio size and production capacity aren't the same thing. What actually determines whether a studio can carry a multi-market brief is whether it has a stable, multi-skilled core that owns the thinking, and a trusted way of flexing production capacity around that core team without losing quality control. We built both (and our processes) deliberately, rather than growing headcount to look bigger.
We don’t hide from our size. Mighty in name, nimble and boutique in nature. However, to some (not many thankfully), the address (not London) and size doesn't sound like a studio built for a brief that needs to land in six markets at once. Or scale from a single explainer to a full campaign system in days.
But studio size and production capacity aren't the same thing. What actually determines whether a studio can carry a multi-market brief is whether it has a stable, multi-skilled core that owns the thinking, and a trusted way of flexing production capacity around that core team without losing quality control. We built both (and our processes) deliberately, rather than growing headcount to look bigger.
A freelance network that doubles (or triples) our capacity on demand
Our in-house team works across design, strategy, character animation, 3D/CGI, VFX, and motion design under one roof. Our size means these are not separate departments that pass a brief down a chain. That matters more on a multi-market brief than it does on a single film. Even if the team is double, or three times the size, there will always be the same oversight from the core team. They sit above everything, from the storyboard through to building the assets, a market-specific/language edit, or that last-minute brand guideline change.
Behind the in-house team sits our bench of trusted freelance specialists who we've worked with repeatedly. A lot is done in-house, but due to capacity or specialisms, we also bring in character animators, VFX artists, sound designers, illustrators and more.
The reason this works without diluting quality is the same reason the in-house team works: it’s the same core team that stays on as creative and production leads throughout. Briefing and reviewing every freelancer against the same process and the same bar. Scaling up for a multi-market brief means adding hands to execute a plan that's already been thought through properly, not handing the thinking itself to whoever's available.
Our in-house team works across design, strategy, character animation, 3D/CGI, VFX, and motion design under one roof. Our size means these are not separate departments that pass a brief down a chain. That matters more on a multi-market brief than it does on a single film. Even if the team is double, or three times the size, there will always be the same oversight from the core team. They sit above everything, from the storyboard through to building the assets, a market-specific/language edit, or that last-minute brand guideline change.
Behind the in-house team sits our bench of trusted freelance specialists who we've worked with repeatedly. A lot is done in-house, but due to capacity or specialisms, we also bring in character animators, VFX artists, sound designers, illustrators and more.
The reason this works without diluting quality is the same reason the in-house team works: it’s the same core team that stays on as creative and production leads throughout. Briefing and reviewing every freelancer against the same process and the same bar. Scaling up for a multi-market brief means adding hands to execute a plan that's already been thought through properly, not handing the thinking itself to whoever's available.
A community network most studios our size don't have
There's a resource most Manchester studios our size can't claim: Motion North. The animation and motion design festival Jonny runs is now in its 15th year. A lucky benefit of this has been direct relationships with specialist animators, studios, and collaborators well beyond our own freelance pool; people we know the actual working style of, not just a portfolio.
On a brief that needs a specific skill fast, a particular animation style, a niche technical specialism, capacity in a hurry, that network is a genuine advantage a lot of small/medium studios without it don't have, and one larger agencies with more generic freelance rosters can't easily replicate either. We appreciate how fortunate we are to have this.
There's a resource most Manchester studios our size can't claim: Motion North. The animation and motion design festival Jonny runs is now in its 15th year. A lucky benefit of this has been direct relationships with specialist animators, studios, and collaborators well beyond our own freelance pool; people we know the actual working style of, not just a portfolio.
On a brief that needs a specific skill fast, a particular animation style, a niche technical specialism, capacity in a hurry, that network is a genuine advantage a lot of small/medium studios without it don't have, and one larger agencies with more generic freelance rosters can't easily replicate either. We appreciate how fortunate we are to have this.
Being based in Manchester tells you where our studio is. It doesn't tell you how big a brief we can carry. That's a function of how we've built the team, who we can call on, and how tightly we hold the process together while we scale — and on all three, we've deliberately built for briefs bigger than our footprint and our postcode suggests
Being based in Manchester tells you where our studio is. It doesn't tell you how big a brief we can carry. That's a function of how we've built the team, who we can call on, and how tightly we hold the process together while we scale — and on all three, we've deliberately built for briefs bigger than our footprint and our postcode suggests
Can we help?
Could your product be helped by some of the design here. We'd love to hear more about your brand and help you give it some motion and animation.
Could your product be helped by some of the design here. We'd love to hear more about your brand and help you give it some motion and animation.
