Meet Will Hughes - Talent Development Manager

Will Hughes (4th from right) with Escapees at BlueBolt VFX

Will Hughes is the Talent Development Manager at Escape Studios.  One of Will's key roles is to meet with our students, recent graduates and Escapees to help them to establish their careers in the animation, games and vfx industries. 

At a time of anxiety about opportunities in the creative industries, we asked Will to tell us about his work and what, exactly, he does to support our students and Escapees. 

"Prepare To Board" for the Animation Library

We've acquired new copies of the storyboarding classic Prepare to Board! by Nancy Beiman  - the main book we recommend to our students studying the art of storyboarding here at Escape Studios.  

Prepare to Board! is an excellent book from a master animator and Disney Animation veteran.  We now have several copies in the Animation and VFX Library at Escape Studios. 

Nancy Beiman was a supervising animator at Disney (most notably on Hercules) and (like many 2D animators) she does storyboards and character design as well as animation.

Storyboarding is the vital starting point for all our students' short films; without a solid story few films will enjoy a successful festival career.  

Young Cartoonists of the Year Awards

Young Cartoonists Awards at the Cartoon Museum

Thursday March 26th was awards night for the Young Cartoonists of the Year Awards, the annual competition hosted by the Cartoon Museum and the British Cartoonists' Association. 

This year the YCOTY Awards were presented by cartoonist and BCA Chair Nicola Jennings.  The awards were sponsored by Léonie Wykes-Mahood in memory of her late husband, the cartoonist Ken Mahood. 

"Night Terrors" Wins "Best VFX" in Makizhmithran

"Night Terrors" wins "Best VFX" in Makizhmithran  

Congratulations to the makers of the VFX short film "Night Terrors", which has won "Best VFX" at Makizhmithran Film Festival.  

Directed by Erminas Surgautas and produced by Xhoana Tola, "Night Terrors" was a collaboration between undergraduate animation students and VFX students at Escape Studios, working together to create an original story.  

The Art Director was Ruby Ebbs, Yusuf Saddique was the 2D VFX Lead, and Samuel Greer was the 3D VFX Lead.  This is its third festival award. 

Escape Studios 2027 Undergraduate Prospectus

Our brand-new Undergraduate Prospectus for 2027 is here.  Download your copy of interactive guide or grab a physical copy at our upcoming fairs and events. 

The Escape Studios Undergraduate Prospectus explores our courses, outlines careers in the creative industries, and shows the pathways into those careers. 

The Escape Studios Undergraduate Prospectus is free to download. You can find it here:  https://bit.ly/4ui1vw1

Escapee Giovanni Nuzzo Joins Outpost VFX

Giovanni Nuzzo joins Outpost VFX.

Many congratulations to Escapee Giovanni Nuzzo who has joined the London VFX house Outpost VFX.

Giovanni Nuzzo studied the Art of Visual Effects at Escape Studios, and worked on two award-winning short films: "Cursed Bond" and "AFK".

"Shapla" Finalist at The 2025 Rookies

Shapla was a finalist at the 2025 Rookies

Many congratulations to the makers of "Shapla", which was a Finalist at the 2025 Rookie Awards.

"Shapla" was created by our graduating class of animation students. "Shapla" was directed by Ruksar Rowza Aziz and produced by Charlie Seeviour.  Erica Sanches was the art director and Tom Price composed the original score.   Shapla has won many festival awards. 

"Night Terrors" wins "Best VFX" Award at the CEFF

Congratulations to the makers of the VFX short film "Night Terrors", which has won "Best VFX" at the Cinematic European Film Festival (CEFF).  

Directed by Erminas Surgautas and produced by Xhoana Tola, "Night Terrors" was a collaboration between undergraduate animation students and VFX students at Escape Studios, working together to create an original story.  The Art Director was Ruby Ebbs, Yusuf Saddique was the 2D VFX Lead, and Samuel Greer was the 3D VFX Lead.  This is its second festival award. 

Escape Studios' Jobs & Careers Playlist at YouTube

Jobs & Careers at our Animation & VFX YouTube Channel

Calling all Escapees: Don't forget our Our Jobs & Careers Playlist at our Animation & VFX YouTube Channel - a key resource for Escapees and graduates seeking their first job in the industry. 

Some of the videos are long form but most are shorts - around one minute long - exploring themes like how to cut a great demo reel, how to manage a job interview, and how to apply for jobs at animation and vfx houses.  It's a useful resource and one that is constantly growing as the needs of industry shifts and changes over time.   

Aardman Workshop at the Cartoon Museum 1 April

Aardman model-making workshop 1st April

The Cartoon Museum in Fitzrovia is hosting an Aardman Animation model-making workshop on April 1st, demonstrating how to make your very own "Sean the Sheep" plasticene model.  

For animation students at Escape Studios this is a rare opportunity to engage with the stop-motion pipeline, learning to make a physical maquette suitable for animation. 

Get yourself a tripod and a smart phone - now you're ready to animate.  You can sign up for the workshop here - it costs just £18.86. 

New Copies of the Animator's Survival Kit

Animator's Survival Kit

We have three new copies of Animator's Survival Kit - our most popular book on animation - for the Animation & VFX Library on the 11th Floor at 6 Mitre Passage.

The Animator's Survival Kit is now the standard textbook for animators and the most comprehensive book available for learning animation.  

We have many copies of the Animator's Survival Kit in the 11th Floor Animation & VFX Library at 6 Mitre Passage.  The ASK can also be bought as an eBook download for the iPad.  

For all our students learning animation, we recommend this book as the principal animation textbook.  And don't forget to make use of our Tutorial Channel - with many hundreds of video tutorials on animation and VFX.

Cintiq: New Hardware for Our 2D Animators

Wacom Cintiq tablets

Escape Studios has recently acquired new Wacom Cintiq tablets for our 2D animation students, enabling them to draw directly onto the screen rather than onto a traditional tablet. 

The new Wacom Cintiq drawing pads are available to our 2D animation students in the main 2D animation studio, "PalletTown", on the 11th floor at 6 Mitre Passage.

The Wacom Cintiq tablets enable our students to draw directly onto the screen, as is now standard practice across the industry.  

Escapee Federico Guzzardo Joins ILM

Federico Guzzardo joins Industrial Light & Magic

Many congratulations to Escapee Federico Guzzardo who has joined Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) as a Senior Generalist (Environments).  

Federico Guzzardo studied the Art of Visual Effects at Escape Studios, specialising in 3D VFX.

Industrial Light & Magic is a global visual effects house, setting the standard for VFX internationally and responsible for multiple blockbuster movies.

Industry Feedback with George Caton-Coult 30 April

George Caton-Coult

Escape Studios is delighted to welcome back Love Love Films Studio Manager George Caton-Coult to review our second-year animation students' film projects on 30 April 2026.

George Caton-Coult is the Studio Manager at Love Love Films, responsible for the TV hit "Pop Paper City"  developed in partnership with Aardman Animation.  

Many Escapees worked on and helped to contribute to the success of "Pop Paper City". 

Escapee Laraib Shaikh Joins Milk FX

Escapee Laraib Shaikh Studio Assistant at Milk FX

Many congratulations to Escapee Laraib Shaikh who has joined London VFX house Milk FX as a Studio Assistant.

Laraib Shaikh studied the Art of Visual Effects at Escape Studios, specialising in roto/prep and 2D compositing in Nuke. 

Escape Studios' Motion Graphics Showcase

We're celebrating some of the latest motion graphics work completed at Escape Studios.  Above is the short film "Mochi World" - a Motion Graphics group project created by our MA MoGraph students at Escape Studios.  This was a collaborative studio project - with the contributions of Ayesha Said, Joel Lang, Kim Chi Nguyen, Oliver Auld, Sadaf Abd Ar-Rauf and Omar Ramadan.  "Mochi World" was supervised by Escape Studios' Motion Graphics tutor Daniel Amor.  Scroll down to see more excellent work completed by individual artists from our graduating class of MA students.

Introducing "Spark" by Nimisha Manjunathan

Introducing "Spark", a new animated short created at Escape Studios by MA animation student Nimisha Manjunathan.  "Spark" was written and animated by Nimisha Manjunathan who is studying for her MA in Animation with Escape Studios' animation tutor Lee Caller.  "Spark" tells the story of a girl who dreams of athletic success; the short film is currently being entered into animation film festivals. 

Motion Graphics Evening Class Starts 24 March 2026

Motion Graphics Evening Class returns on 20 Jan 2026

Our Motion Graphics 12 Week Evening Class returns on 24 March 2026.  The course is taught by experienced industry professionals, and aims to prepare students for careers in the motion graphic and motion design industries.

The market for skilled motion designers has never been bigger, and London is host to the world’s largest motion design community.   To find out more, visit the official course page here.

"Sea Of Madness" wins "Best Short" in Florence

Sea Of Madness wins "Best Super Short Film" in Florence 

Congratulations to the makers of Sea Of Madness, which has won "Best Super Short Film" at the Florence Film Awards. 

Sea Of Madness was directed by Maria Freitas  and produced by Ivy Wang.  

Jake Hines was the editor and 2D Lead, and Sebastian McKernan was the 3D Lead.  Ian Chavez Zarate stars as The Pirate.   This is the latest of many festival awards.

Film Soc is Back: "Glorious Failures" 12 March

Film Soc is back

Escape Studios' Film Society is back. Film Soc has unveiled a new line up of films starting tomorrow Thursday 12th March and continuing every Thursday until the 23rd of April.  

Escape Studios' Film Society is a student society that screens films that will inspire students for their future projects.  

The "Glorious Failures" season is a season of films dedicated to telling the stories of great artists who failed to gain the recognition they deserved. 

"Unknown" Wins "Best Animation" in Makizhmithran

Congratulations to Escape Studios' animation student Alessia Gori whose short film "Unknown" has won the award for "Best Animated Short Film" at the Makizhmithran Film Festival. 

Alessia Gori is studying for her master's degree in the Art of 3D Animation at Escape Studios.  

This is Alessia Gori's first film, and her first film award. 

"Void" Wins Best Short Award in NYC

"Void" wins Best Super Short Film in NYC

Congratulations to the makers of "Void", which has won Best Super Short Film at the New York Movie Awards.

Void is a short films made by our third year undergraduate animation students at Escape Studios.  

"Void" was directed by Kaya Akinci, edited and produced by Luis Yarroll. This is the latest of many festival awards.

MoGraph MA Returns September 2026

Master's Degree in Motion Graphics Returns 23 Feb 2026

Our new Short Course and Master's Degree in Motion Graphics returns on 14 September 2026.

Motion Graphics is a key part of the animation industry, an expanding area of jobs and creativity.

We have been teaching Motion Graphics  at Escape Studios for many years - now for the first time we can offer a fully accredited masters-level post-graduate course.

"Theseus" Wins "Best Trailer" at VIZ Film Fest

Theseus & The Minotaur wins "Best Trailer" at VIZ Fest

Congratulations to the makers of the VFX short Theseus and The Minotaur which has won "Best Trailer" at the VIZ Film Festival.

Theseus and The Minotaur tells the story of the Greek hero's entry into the Labyrinth, and was directed by Mitchell Wright and produced by Ayesha-Ria Jina. The 3D lead was Xavier Barker, and the 2D Lead was Ethan Mainwaring-Taylor.  Industry feedback was provided by Industrial Light & Magic.  

This the latest of many festival awards. 

Evening Class in Storyboarding: 24 March 2026

Our Evening Class in

Giles & Rupert's Prehistoric Predicament - Storyboards

Storyboarding returns on 24 March 2026.  This evening class in storyboarding is an online class, taught from 7-10pm, and runs for ten weeks.

Storyboarding is a growing area of the animation industry; one which has recorded significant skills shortages in recent years.

Our storyboard students have gone on to successful careers at studios such as Walt Disney, Brown Bag Films and Blue Zoo Animation.

Vine FX and "The Challenges of Alternate Worlds"

Simon Carr  and Jessica Lennox from Vine FX

At last week's EscapeVerse Live Festival, Vine FX's Simon Carr (Creative Director) and Jessica Lennox (CG Lead) presented "The Challenges of Visible vs Fantasy FX". 

As always, creative projects begin with a conversation with the client.  What does the client want, and how can a VFX house like Vine FX serve their vision?  

Anand Sembhi Animator at King Bee Animation

Anand Sembhi joins King Bee Animation 

Many congratulations to Escapee Anand Sembhi - who has joined King Bee Animation as an animator.

Anand Sembhi studied the Art of Computer Animation at Escape Studios.  

While at Escape Studios, Anand Sembhi contributed to a number of award-wnning short films, including Freefall, Spitfire, Tech Troubles and Good Soup. 

Jake Lee: Short Films, Awards & Festival Success

At last week's EscapeVerse Live event, Jake Lee explained how he achieved short film festival success with his short film "Am I Dreaming?".

Jake explained the need to build a team, in this case a producer, composer, singer and songwriter. Film-makers rarely work alone - you need to build a team of enthusiastic partners to collaborate and deliver the vision.

HaZ Dulull: "How to Set Up and Run an Indie Studio"

HaZ Dulull "How to Set Up and Run an Indie Studio"

At last week's EscapeVerse Live event, HaZ Dulull - founder and director at "Beyond The Pixels" - explained "How to Set Up and Run an Indie Studio with Your First Game".  

HaZ's journey into the games industry has been one of an independent entrepreneur, setting up his own company, his first game "AstroBurn" and figuring out the nuts and bolts of running a business. 

"Immersive Media & Live Events" at EscapeVerse Live

Escape Studios' tutor Dan Shutt hosted a panel on Wednesday on "Immersive Media and Live Events" at EscapeVerse Live.  Dan Shutt teaches VFX at Escape Studios and creates live installations at venues such Glastonbury and, in 2022, a live installation at the Science Museum.  

The panel explored the challenges and pitfalls of curating live events, creating imagery and ensuring that all the elements work together on the night.  They also discussed the all-important question of how students and graduates can break into the business. 

Get Ready For The Rookies - 2026

The Rookie Awards 2026

Time to get ready for The Rookies 2026.  The Rookies is an international competition for young creatives; part contest and part showcase for rising talent - all our students are strongly encouraged to enter. 

For our students and Escapees, showcasing your work in a competitive, professional environment is a crucial step toward launching a successful career.  

It helps you to build confidence in your work, and also serves as an online portfolio.   Entry for the 2026 The Rookies opens on 7 April 2026 and closes at the end of June. 

Comics Industry Panel at Escape Studios

At last night's Comics Panel at Escape Studios, part of 2026 "EscapeVerse Live", Comic Book UK's Mark Fuller hosted a panel on "Comic Industry Careers". 

Mark Fuller was joined by comic artist Lyndon White, comics publisher Andrew Mark Sewell, head of B7 Media Ltd, and manga artist Elena Vitagliano.  The panel explored the challenges and opportunities around working in the comics industry, focusing on how to earn a living in a highly competitive landscape.

"EscapeVerse Live" - Thursday 26 Feb 2026

EscapeVerse Live: Thursday 26 Feb 2026

EscapeVerse Live, the in-person and online event hosted by Escape Studios, celebrating VFX, animation, games and tech art, concludes today. 

We're sharing behind-the-scenes insights from the best of the screen industries, including which parts of the industry are growing, and where the opportunities lie for graduates.  

Today's lineup starts at 10.30am with Bluebolt, presenting "Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale". 

At 12.30pm Outpost VFX presents the fantasy world of "The Wheel of Time". 

At 2.30pm Jake Lee presents "How to Direct an Animated Short for Festival Success".  Jake Lee's short film "Am I Dreaming?" has won many festival awards.  

"Escapeverse Live" Continues Today

Escapeverse Live, the in-person and online event hosted by Escape Studios, celebrating VFX, animation, games and tech art, continues today. 

We're sharing behind-the-scenes insights from the best of the screen industries, including which parts of the industry are growing, and where the opportunities lie for graduates.  

Today's lineup starts with Haz Dulull on "How to Set Up an Indie Game Studio". Then, at 12.30pm Simon Carr introduces "Invisible VFX". 

At 2.30pm Dan Shutt explains "How to Create Live Events".

EscapeVerse Live Starts Today

Escapeverse Live, the in-person and online event hosted by Escape Studios, celebrating VFX, animation, games and tech art, starts today. 

Escapeverse Live  runs from today. Tuesday 24th February to Thursday 26th February 2026.  

We'll be sharing behind-the-scenes insights from the best of the screen industries, including which parts of the industry are growing, and where the opportunities lie for graduates.  

Today starts at 10.30am with "My Journey to a Career in Animation" with Rebecca Meilak.  

Later, at 12.30pm Charmaine Chan from Industrial Light & Magic will present "Jurassic World: Rebirth". 

BA/MArt In Immersive Media Launches Sept 2027

BA(Hons) / MArt in Immersive Media.  

Escape Studios is announcing a new BA(Hons) / MArt in Immersive Media for September 2027 entry.  

Designed to nature creative and technical skills, students will learn to design and create experiences for engaging spaces, such as festivals, museums, XR and branded events and themed attractions.

This new course has been created through consultation with industry professionals, including members of the Immersive Team at Framestore – a world leading innovator and one of our longest standing studio partners.

Daniel Shutt, Escape Studios academic since 2009  brings 32 years of industry experience across the visual effects and immersive sectors.

Escapeverse Live 24-26 February 2026

Escapeverse Live 24-26 February 2026

The countdown begins for Escapeverse Live, the in-person and online event hosted by Escape Studios, celebrating VFX, animation, games and tech art.

Escapeverse Live  starts next week and runs from Tuesday 24th February to Thursday 26th February 2026.  We'll be sharing behind-the-scenes insights from the best of the screen industries, including which parts of the industry are growing, and where the opportunities lie for graduates.  

"Cursed Bond" Wins "Best Student Film" in Jalgaon

"Cursed Bond" wins "Best Student Film" at Jalgaon Fest .

Congratulations to the makers of "Cursed Bond", which has won "Best Student Film" at the Jalgaon Film Festival. 

"Cursed Bond" was written and directed by Ted Walker, and produced by Mahak Chowdhary.  Cinematography was by Irene Gomez Emilsson and the VFX Supervisor was Oliver Eveson.  Art direction was by Quimey Dasso.  Ted Walker stars as the Hermit.  This is the latest of many festival awards. 

"Little Pirates" Wins "Best Super Short" Award

"Little Pirates" wins "Best Super Short Film"

Congratulations to the makers of the animated short film "Little Pirates" which has won "Best Super Short Film" at the International Gold Film Festival.

Little Pirates was completed as part of Studio Module PR5001, a collaborative module in which second-year animation students work together on short film projects.  

Little Pirates was written and directed by Anna Reyes Ramirez and produced by Angharad Mathias.  This is the latest of many awards for Little Pirates. 

Undergraduate Open Days April 9 & 18 2026

Join us on 9 April and in-person on Saturday 18 April 2026.

Escape Studios is hosting two new Undergraduate Open Days in April:  An Online "Open Evening" on Thursday 9th April (online via Zoom) and an in-person Undergraduate Open Day on Saturday 18 April 2026. There are two sessions available: Morning: 10:00am - 1:00pm, Afternoon: 1:30pm - 4:00pm. 

Escape Studios' Open Days are a chance to find out about our undergraduate degrees.

"Void" Wins Best Animation Award in London

"Void" wins Best Animation at the London Movie Awards

Congratulations to the makers of "Void", which has won Best Animation at the London Movie Awards.

Void is one of the latest short films from our third year undergraduate animation students at Escape Studios.  

"Void" was directed by Kaya Akinci, edited and produced by Luis Yarroll.   

This is the latest of many festival awards.

Introducing "Unknown" by Alessia Gori

Introducing "Unknown", a new short film written and animated by Alessia Gori.  Alessia is studying for a master's degree in the Art of 3D Animation at Escape Studios.  This is Alessia's first film. 

Tech, Hardware & Software at Escape Studios

Escape Studios VPN

What Hardware & Software do we use at Escape Studios? To get started, take a look at our official "What Hardware Do You Need" page, which you can find here.  We also have a handy page on tips for buying a laptop for home use.  

There is also a page on hardware in our classrooms, which you can find here.  You can also find out how to use the Escape Studios VPN (Virtual Private Network), which allows enrolled students to connect to our computers from home. 

Don't forget that a lot of theSoftware we use at Escape Studios can be downloaded at home for free.  For example, Autodesk Maya offers free licenses to enrolled students.  The open source software Blender is also free to download, and extremely versatile. 

Our 2D animation students can use Toonboom Harmony and TV Paint at Escape Studios, and also have access to discounted rates for home use. 

London Animation Club 23 February 2026

London Animation Club meetup on 23 February 2026

Calling all animators at Escape Studios! Why not come to the next London Animation Club meetup on Monday 23 February 2026 at The Green Man pub, 36 Riding House St at 7.30pm.

To find out more, visit the London Animation Club Facebook page here. 

Short Course & Post-Graduate Open Evening 29 April

Wednesday 29 April 2026 at 6pm

Join us on Wednesday 29 April 2026 at 6pm both in-person and online (via Zoom) for our next Short Course and Post-Graduate Open Evening at Escape Studios, hosted both on campus and online at Zoom. 

The event offers prospective students a chance to find out what it's like to study with us.  Meet our tutors, find out about our courses, and have your questions answered. To see more events at Escape Studios, follow this link.

Animal & Creature Animation Reel

We're delighted to share the latest edit of Animal & Creature Animation from Escape Studios. This animation reel includes a selection of shots from Module AN5002 - a second year undergraduate module in which students tackle animal and creature animation. The module is supervised by Escape Studios' tutor Kevin Richards. To see more about what happens in the Second Year of Animation at Escape Studios, follow this link. 

Judging The "Young Cartoonists of The Year"

The Cartoon Museum hosts Young Cartoonists of the Year Awards

Last night was the judging for The Young Cartoonists of the Year Awards, the annual competition hosted by the Cartoon Museum and the British Cartoonists' Association. 

This year the deadline for submissions was 31 January 2026; the winners will be announced at the Cartoon Museum on Thursday 26th March.

Festivus Interview with Alex Williams

Festivus has released a podcast interview with Alex Williams, Dean of Animation & VFX at Escape Studios, recorded at the end of last year. Julian Scott from Film London did the interview, which you can listen to above. The interview is part of a series in which Festivus explores the careers of people working in the animation industry, and how they forged their own unique career path in an industry in which careers can be very non-linear. 

Mechamorphosis Wins Best Animation in Milan

"Mechamorphosis" wins "Best Animation" in Milan. 

Congratulations to the makers of "Mechamorphosis", which has won "Best Animation" in Milan. 

Mechamorphosis was written and produced by Alberto Scotti and directed by Ilaria Colavito.   

Animation was completed by Steven Lall.  Hélios Lyons did the sound design and composed the original music.  This is the latest of many awards for Mechamorphosis. 

Efthymios Bairaktaris Pipeline TD at One Of Us

Many congratulations to Escapee Efthymios Bairaktaris who has joined the VFX Studio One of Us as a Senior Pipeline Technical Director 

Since graduating from The Art of VFX in 2022, Efthymios has worked on major projects, including the Oscar and Golden Globe nominated film Bugonia. 

While at Escape Studios, Efthymios Bairaktaris worked as 3D Lead on the VFX short film Ambush which has won many festival awards. 

Ambush was completed as part of the VFX Project, the final film-making module in the third year of studies at Escape Studios, in which students work together to create a short film. 

Box Lift Animation by Annabella Espiritu

Here is some great 3D animation in Maya by Escape Studios' animation student Annabella Espiritu.  Animating weight is an especially challenging task for junior animators; unlike stop-motion animation, our character rigs have no intrinsic weight, so the weight must be simulated.  To see more great work created by our students, check out our Animation & VFX YouTube Channel. 

Escape Studios' European Tour

Escape Studios is "escaping to Europe" on a new European recruitment tour.

We'll be appearing at a number of undergraduate and postgraduate events across Poland, Portugal and Spain. 

Places can be booked at this link https://bit.ly/3LGTjni. 

In September 2024 Escape studios welcomed our first new international students since Brexit. 

Escape Studios now has a UKVI Licence, meaning that we are now able to sponsor international students to study with us on student visas.