Academy Award-nominated director and animator Troy Quane discusses his collaboration with A.R.C, his upcoming career endeavours, and the continued evolution of his creative vision in an exclusive interview with Little Black Book. Read the full article on LBB 

Troy reflects on his remarkable career journey, his personal artistic growth and his creative tendencies. "I would say that I’m always looking for something that has a little bite to it, a little bit of edge, a little darkness to balance the light - but still have it be accessible".

"Making ‘Nimona’ was a bumpy ride to say the least. To go from a situation where the movie isn't going to get made, right through to the heights of what our industry can honour a film with is the comeback story of the decade!" shares Troy regarding the Oscar Nomination. "I also hope it sends a message to the studios that audiences are not only ready for, but demanding unique, original, diverse and inclusive stories."

He also discusses the forthcoming stages of his career and reflects on the changes ahead. "I’m hoping that my experience in high-end long-form film will bring a sense of scale and narrative to my short-form work. To be able to boil down the bigger idea to its most condensed form."

Nimona was originated by N.D Stevenson, EP on A.R.C's recent musical short 

, and premiered at Annecy Film Festival 2023. Nimona is available to stream on Netflix. For more of Troy's work, head over to his directors page 

Troy Quane: Resilience, the Making of ‘Nimona’ and Returning to Commercials

The directing collective, Volstok, shares insights with LBB about their creative partnership with A.R.C and delves into their animation techniques and creative process. Read the full article on Little Black Book 

The duo discusses the process of capturing valuable ideas, dedicating themselves fully to bringing those ideas to fruition, and fostering their development to ensure they flourish.

Volstok: "Animation is extremely powerful to tell stories about experiences that people carry close to their own hearts. You can tell a love story with only two dots that will make you cry."

Observations regarding the current landscape and breadth of animation, including emerging trends gaining momentum are also shared:

"It’s a relief to see more quirky and inspiring work in advertising, as it’s an authentic way of standing out of the constant stream of content. To me it feels like animation itself has matured, is more widely accepted as a medium, and finally is accepted as a truly unique and impactful storytelling tool." 

For more of Volstok's work spanning 2D, 3D and mixed media, for brands such as Mitsubishi, Philips, Coca Cola and Mercedes, check it out 

Animate! Pick Up Your Pencil with Volstok

The A.R.C team speaks to LBB about bringing to life Mailchimp's new stop-motion animation series 'All in a Day's Work' - Series Two. Read the full article on Little Black Book 

The comedic series chronicles the highs, lows, and "sometimes-painful realities of life as an entrepreneur or small business owner." The resonance of these narratives is attributed to the relentless dedication and hard work of acclaimed live-action and animation director Effie Pappa, alongside the production team at A.R.C.

"Stop motion imitates imaginary worlds with materials and textures borrowed from our real world. When we as human beings create worlds in our imagination, we think in colours, shapes, textures, and objects’ physical properties and light – similar to our real world., Effie says, "that’s why I believe stop motion is so close to that, and yet so real."

A.R.C: "Initially, our instinct was to streamline storytelling setups to quickly dive into the narrative. However, upon reviewing our initial animatics and appreciating the tactile richness of our world, we realized the importance of slowing down the pace, allowing the story to unfold more organically."Each character was created upon inspiration from real-life individuals, and each narrative has its own specific charm. The films touch the hearts of audience members with their authentic representation complex human emotions and seemingly mundane real life events. 

To see the full suite of films, head over to 

, and for more of Effie Pappa's stop frame, 2D animated and live action work, her directors page can be seen 

Behind the Felt-Crafted Cuteness of Mailchimp’s ‘All in a Day’s Work’ Series

A.R.C reunite with London B2B agency The Croc to produce another ground-breaking cinematic film for the Sohonet product portfolio. This is the second chapter in the multi-awarded 2021 campaign Realise Your Vision series. 

Speaking directly to the industry-wide obsession with craft, its objective is to deliver powerful, branded content capable of capturing the imagination of the ones who’ve seen, done and made it all. For Sohonet to break through in a market flooded with technical jargon we needed to engage filmmakers on their terms, reflecting the kind of high-end production values this audience respects. Opening on a desolate, post-apocalyptic wasteland that wouldn’t look out of place at the movies, the shot instantly draws you into the story. The intriguing character strikes a bond of empathy with the viewer. Placing Sohonet firmly at the heart of the production industry, the film explores how Sohonet’s holistic offering helps filmmakers at every stage of the production process. The action goes from on-set location to postproduction, and back again, showing how Sohonet makes every stage of a production seamless.

“To plan and shoot a scene as if extrapolated from a longer Sci-fi movie has been a thrilling ride. At the same time, filming the “behind the scenes” and the “post-production workflow” as part of the same narrative has created this almost metaphysical loop in which we couldn’t help but feel part of the essence of what we were trying to capture. Thanks to Sohonet and The Croc for the trust and letting us bring our sci-fi vision to screen!”

A.R.C co-founder and EP Ben Parkin had this to add:

“A.R.C are proud to align with forward-thinking B2B agencies such as The Croc to deliver memorable, entertaining films with craft and grit. On the back of the award-winning “Realise Your Vision” campaign in 2021, we jumped in with The Croc and Sohonet once again and, just like our sci-fi hero this time around, emerged with the goods in the nick of time. We’re now on a hattrick and ready for more! Hats off to our stellar team for digging in and pulling this one off – and for D I • A L for their creative problem-solving & continued radiance (even in sci-fi dystopia)”

Nick Watmough creative director of The Croc said:

“Thanks to the support of audacious clients like Sohonet, The Croc has been fighting against the humdrum of B2B for a while now. Featuring a flora-loving parkour master facing off against the end of the world, I think it’s safe to say with this film, the legacy continues.”

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A.R.C & The Croc reunite for sci-fi themed Sohonet film: “We Connect Storytellers”

Capterra announces their services to a global audience in a recently released online animated film campaign “Don’t Search, Find”.

“Short List” and “Buyers Remorse” are the two hero 30s films with a clear message: choose Capterra to help accelerate business productivity, and avoid wasting valuable time and financial resource searching for software online. Through polished 3D animation, the campaign visually and fluidly illustrates how Capterra provides valuable solutions for individuals and businesses alike, drawing on data and insights generated from millions of current users.

LA-based directing duo Brian Vincent Rhodes and Izzy Alemu collaborated with Dirty Films’ London and NYC design, animation and production team across a 6 week turnaround from concept to delivery.

It was a wonderful experience bringing the Capterra story to life. With such a rich history and usefulness in the industry, we took on the task of relaying the frustration of searching for software with some of the key features Capterra presents. From our narrative training, we thought of the spots in three acts and wanted to make it as cinematic as possible. With A.R.C's incredible and flexible collaboration we built two hero 30s spots plus cutdowns (six spots in total) on a tight timeline of a little over a month.We all feel very proud of what we came up with.

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Brian Vincent Rhodes and Izzy Alemu collab direct 3D animated campaign for Capterra: “Don’t Search, Find”

Twelve explorers go gonzo on the Harley Davidson Pan America in breathtaking rides through six countries. Their mission: stomping terra…and chasing thrills.

 shares his 60s director’s cut of the 6-part online series shot in France, Germany, UK, Japan, USA and Australia.

The original series for Harley Davidson promotes the launch of the Pan America tour bike and was produced in partnership with GQ (Condé Nast). The series was released online, supported by printed editorial containing photography from the shoots.

Inspired by the gonzo adventures of Hunter. S. Thompson, we are led by two different bikers traversing tales from the beaten track in each episodes. The series is comprised of a diverse set of adventurous professionals from art directors and editors to software engineers, product designers and creative collaborators. The Pan America riders view biking as a passion that lies outside of their day jobs.

A.R.C served as the European producing partner, following six riders travelling across the hills of Bavaria, Germany, the mountains of France and the moors of the Yorkshire Dales, UK.

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"Buy the ticket, take the ride..."

Directing duo NoCowboys direct an in-camera galore performance music video for the latest track ‘54321’ from London-based Irish artist: April. 


From NoCowboys:

“NoCowboys has been looking for an opportunity to experiment with light, installations and in-camera effects for a while, so were delighted when this brief landed from April. The whole process was a big, playful experimentation, as we found and tried different objects and textures to pass light through and bounce off of. 

Massive thanks for Art Director Jessamy Hadfield for bringing to life and creating the mirror installation based on some terrible sketches we sent. And of course the dream duo of DOP James Chegwyn and gaffer Luca Piercey, producer Brooke Lagana, and Rose Esme Lucas, who we teamed up with again after our 

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April – 54321

A.R.C presents a travel docuseries directed by the creative powerhouse Youth Hymns following YouTuber 

 around four different cities (Barcelona, Berlin, Amsterdam & London) building peculiar musical instruments out of junk within a 48-hour challenge.

The show follows LMNC (Sam Battle) searching each city for: junk shops, recycling centres, car boot sales, scrap yards, skips, flea markets, dumpsters and whatever else can be found on the street. Various musical and YouTuber guests appear in interviews and music-making sessions in their studios, hackspaces and community organisations giving us local and educational insights into the region and helping Sam reach his lightbulb moment when thinking about what instrument to make.

With environmental responsibility and the importance of recycling being a central theme throughout, the show combines Sam’s genuine love for junk with the thrill of rescuing bygone items destined for the landfill. The results: self-playing-audience-led acoustic guitars, a synth made of actual pork sausage keyboard keys, a tap dancing clog machine and a theremin made out of an old bog.

The mixed-media show itself retains the zany, DIY and punk rock tone Sam has established for his brand, but frames it within a fun docuseries format, complete with 2D animation, plenty of pranks and mishaps and learnings from the road. For existing fans of Look Mum No Computer, we see the return of Sam’s trusty animatronic mate Kosmo, who is called upon when the going gets tough and provides comical local knowledge or some wacky inspiration.

The challenge angle to the show sees Sam building the instruments comprised of scrap from each city in 48hours, visually explained by way of fun animations that break down the construction stages of his Junk Rock TV master plan, nodding to shows of the past like Scrap Heap Challenge (with tongue in cheek humour).

Contributors from across the series include Berlin-based cult synth artist Hainbach, Barcelona-based flamenco hero Pedro Javier Gonzalez, theremin specialist (and Granddaughter to the theremin inventor, Leon Theramin) Lydia Kavina, Amsterdam-based sound artist inventor, Fedde ten Berge, not forgetting our chorizo champion “The Sausage Man Never Sleeps” in Berlin… as well as local institutions such as Befaco (Barcelona), Common Ground (Berlin) and Red Bull Studios (London).

Each of the four episodes were released weekly to Look Mum No Computer’s 

 starting from Wednesday 7th September, with new episodes released every subsequent Wednesday evening, wracking up 180k+ views.

The “ROBOTO GUITARO” Barcelona episode is 

The “WURST KEYBOARD IN THE WORLD” Berlin episode is 

The “CLEVER CLOGS” Amsterdam episode is 