Getting to Know… Studio AKA

Studio AKA is a BAFTA and Emmy-winning animation studio based in London.

Led by a team of visionary artists, they specialise in crafting innovative TV series, films, and diverse commissioned projects for select clients, including Apple, Disney, BBC, Netflix, Guinness, TSB, BMW, and Ridley Scott Associates.

With a focus on meticulous craft and bold design, its acclaimed work includes ‘Lost and Found’, ‘Varmints’, and ‘Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth’.

The studio’s beloved preschool series, ‘Hey Duggee’, has won seven BAFTAs and two International Emmys, capturing hearts worldwide.

Recent projects span feature documentary sequences, main title design, and ongoing development for TV and long-form IPs.

LBB> Tell us a bit about Studio AKA – when did you form and why?

Studio AKA> Studio AKA is an independent animation studio based in London, known for its distinctive storytelling and design-led approach.

Since its founding in 2000, we’ve built a reputation for crafting work that is as intelligent and emotionally resonant as it is visually compelling, earning recognition along the way, including BAFTAs, Emmys, and an Oscar nomination.

Our studio was formed with a simple, clear ambition: to seek out creatively challenging commissioned work while fostering an environment where we could develop our own ideas and projects.

We evolved from a more traditional production studio model – in which clients commission the execution of fully formed projects – into a creative partner that collaborates from the ground up, helping shape a project’s vision from its inception through delivery.

Rather than applying a fixed house style, we respond to each project on its own terms, allowing design, storytelling, and technique to emerge organically. This adaptability has shaped our carefully-curated team of directors – storytellers and designers who thrive on exploration and reinvention.

The creative challenges presented by our commissioned work fuel our thinking, and that same flexibility underpins the development of our own original IP.

At its core, Studio AKA is built on a deep curiosity about storytelling through animation and design, always searching for fresh, unexpected ways to engage audiences… and ourselves.

LBB> What’s the story behind your name?

Studio AKA> The name Studio AKA was chosen to reflect our collaborative and multidisciplinary nature; ‘Also Known As’ is an initialism that speaks to our ability to adapt, reinvent, and shape-shift creatively.

That said, we didn’t anticipate that many would assume it stood for ‘All Kinds of Animation’, which, while not entirely wrong, wasn’t quite what we had in mind! But once you choose a name, you stick with it, and in the end, AKA has come to define exactly how we work: inventive, versatile, and always evolving, creating work that is also known as whatever the story needs it to be.

LBB> Tell us about three campaigns that epitomise what you do as a company.

Studio AKA> 1. ‘Hey Duggee’ – Preschool TV Show

Devised by director Grant Orchard, ‘Hey Duggee’ is a multi-BAFTA and international Emmy-winning preschool series created and produced entirely at Studio AKA for CBeebies and BBC Studios.

The show centres on Duggee, a big lovable dog who runs 'The Squirrel Club’, an activity club that inspires children to have fun, be energetic, and – most importantly – to do things! Each episode features the Squirrels engaging in activities or adventures to earn badges, teaching them about responsibility, teamwork, and the joy of exploration.

Our design-led approach and commitment to character-driven storytelling has made ‘Hey Duggee’ a beloved series among children and parents, broadcast in over 150 territories worldwide and with over 2.8 billion lifetime views on its official YouTube channel.

Additionally, ‘Squirrel Club’ is also a forthcoming spin off series of its own that we can’t wait to share!

2. ‘Raised by Wolves’ – Main Title Sequence

Collaborating with director and executive producer Ridley Scott, Studio AKA created the main title sequence for the HBO Max series ‘Raised by Wolves’.

The show centres on two androids tasked with raising human children on a mysterious virgin planet. Our director, Steve Small, designed intricately hand-rendered shots depicting the destruction of Earth, and the subsequent search for refuge elsewhere in the solar system.

Utilising a unique painterly process of painstakingly produced line and brushwork, we crafted captivating sequences that delicately portray a chilling chaos and destruction, reflecting our ability to handle complex narratives with a nuanced artistic approach.

3. ‘Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story’ – Main Title Sequence

In this lavish prequel to the wildly successful ‘Bridgerton’ series, writer and producer Shonda Rhimes tells the story of young Queen Charlotte's rise to prominence and her enduring love story with King George.

Studio AKA's Manddy Wyckens designed and directed the enchanting main title sequence, employing a minimalist yet elegant illustrative style. The sequence features a series of seductive vignettes following Queen Charlotte through the palace grounds, using shadows and reflections to subtly transition between the young and older queen, evoking her journey to becoming a monarch.

This project highlights our innovative design sensibilities and our ability to create visually stunning narratives that complement and enhance the stories they introduce – and together, the three projects exemplify our studio's dedication to distinctive storytelling, innovative design, and the seamless integration of narrative and visual artistry.

Each, in its own way, also exemplifies how visual restraint is an often overlooked discipline.

LBB> Give us a fun fact about your company.

Studio AKA> We’re not sure we have a fun fact in the traditional sense – we’ve always steered clear of spinning bow ties and the idea that all animators are wacky, over-the-top performers in clown shoes (I mean, have you met us?). But something that certainly defines us is our aversion to growing up.

Over the years, some of us (ahem) at Studio AKA have somehow managed to sidestep the reality of running a business like responsible grown-ups. (I say ‘some of us’ because, in reality, our CEO, CFO, production department, and technical artists are the ones who make sure the directors get everything done on schedule).

Yes, mortgages, children, and a few pets have crept into the mix, but we’ve held onto an informal creative space that shapes the hours we pour into our work.

We’ve also deliberately kept our team small and carefully cast, which means that instead of expanding into a sprawling, multi-time zone operation, we’ve stayed agile, constantly adapting and remaining deeply embedded in the creative process. Our directors don’t sit in competitive silos; they collaborate, take on unexpected projects, and treat each challenge as a chance to reinvent rather than repeat.

Staying playful has been key to that. It always feels like one day, we’ll get found out and have to start doing things properly, but until then, we’re getting away with it.

One thing that underscores how difficult it is to articulate our creative process: If you spend long enough in the studio, you’ll inevitably overhear a debate about whether a drawing, design, or animation feels right. It’s an unquantifiable instinct we all share – something that accumulates over time, shaped by experience and taste. It’s not about rules or formulas; it’s about knowing when something just works.

LBB> What are your strongest opinions relating to your specific field?

Studio AKA> Ah yes, the question that brings us to the existential elephant in the room: AI. It’s the topic that sucks all the oxygen out of the room wherever I go and frames the question I keep being asked (especially by students), ’Why bother with what you do when it’s all getting replaced anyway?’.

Where to even begin? Maybe it’s because there’s an irresistible joy in what we do, and because what we do so beautifully expresses that innate human impulse to create – to see life in marks, shapes, and movement.

Dr. Julie Carpenter, a US researcher in human-robot interaction, suggests that we “identify with inanimate objects, and project our empathy into them.” It’s why we see faces in random things, why two dots and a line can become a character, and why we form emotional bonds with animated figures. It’s also at the core of animation – an art form that relies on tricking our persistence of vision into perceiving life in motion.

The most compelling application of this process isn’t about realism or technical mastery; it’s about creating emotional connections to drawings, characters, and movement itself. Maybe it’s simply because our expression in art, dance, performance, and music is what it means to be human.

We are all storytellers, but we are also tool users. A pencil extends the hand, a keyboard extends the mind; a paintbrush, an instrument, a stylus – each of these is an extension of creative intent.

Anthropology describes this as distributed cognition – the way we embed thought and intention into objects.

Novelist Naomi Alderman frames it beautifully, “We can put our minds into objects – we can imagine a twig as an extension of us.” This really resonated with me because it’s clear that an artist does this daily, and likewise, every animator extends their thinking into a medium that breathes life into the intangible.

But here we are, seemingly on the edge of creative redundancy. Technology is evolving at an overwhelming pace, with tools designed to assist, augment, and, in some cases, it seems, replace human creativity. This has triggered a core objection, neatly summed up by the wry observation from author Joanna Maciejewska, "I want AI to do my laundry and dishes so that I can do art and writing, not for AI to do my art and writing so that I can do my laundry and dishes."

I think the distinction is clear. We can learn to embrace AI-enabled tools that assist us within our own boundaries, just as we use any digital or mechanical tool that helps bring thoughts and ideas to life. But we are under no obligation to hand off our process and concede our creativity to generative AI, because that removes the very soul of creation.

Director Richard Kenworthy (Shynola) recently put it to me succinctly, "The best course of action is to steer away from whatever AI is good at because you won't ever be able to compete in terms of speed and cost. However, as luck would have it, AI is brilliant at making really polished, bland, derivative junk with no charm, wit, or invention. For those of us who lean towards the slightly offbeat, creative work, our jobs are safe. (For now)."

That point is both reassuring and inspiring. The way forward isn’t to chase efficiency, but to embrace what makes us human: originality, intuition, emotional depth – the things AI can’t truly mimic because they come from lived experience, instinct, and an intangible sense of rightness that can’t be reduced to an algorithm.

I don’t think that’s a strong opinion. It’s a fact.

LBB> What are you proudest of as a company?

Studio AKA> Beyond our body of work, we cherish the creative culture we’ve built at Studio AKA. Our team thrives on shared curiosity and a collective drive to create meaningful, well-crafted work. Whether it’s an independent short film or a global campaign, we bring the same level of passion and commitment to every project.

If a defining aspect of the studio is how our commissioned work constantly stretches and challenges us – often leading to results that surprise even ourselves – then the real dividend is the open curiosity it instils – an enthusiasm for exploring our own ideas and projects without ever feeling like we’re going over old ground. That sense of discovery – of not standing still – is what gets us up in the morning.

But ultimately, Studio AKA is defined by the people who have made it their creative home over the years. Many of our artists and collaborators have been with us for a long time, shaping the studio’s identity and evolution.

Equally, we take quiet pride in those who have passed through our doors, honing their craft with us before going on to start their own studios and leave their creative mark. Being part of that journey – both within our team and beyond – is something that we value.

LBB> What are some upcoming projects our readers need to keep an eye out for?

Studio AKA> We’ve got some exciting projects in the works… Which, of course, we can’t tell you about. (We collect more projects under NDA than we thought possible).

But what we can say is that we’ve been working on a fascinating feature documentary about PTSD, a couple of beautifully crafted title sequences that are still waiting to drop, and we are currently creating a truly joyous campaign designed to inspire young people to get moving and exercise. But I’ve already said too much.

On the IP front, our development slate is brimming with projects that excite us: two new children’s series, alongside two longer-form projects that sit in absolute contrast to them and each other.

Each project stays true to our guiding principles of pushing creative boundaries in new and unexpected ways. We’d tell you all about them now, but that would ruin the surprise.

LBB> Looking beyond LBB, what socials can we check Studio AKA out on?

Studio AKA> Follow us on:
Instagram: [@studioaka]
TikTok: [STUDIOAKA]
YouTube [STUDIOAKALONDON]

For more of our work, visit www.studioaka.co.uk