The Mighty Nice Creative Leads “Throw Spaghetti At The Wall Until It Sticks”

Sydney animation studio Mighty Nice is known for exploring drastically different approaches and techniques, depending on what will suit the project best.

That’s because at the studio’s heart is a multi-disciplinary team – senior artist and director Gary Fouchy, 2D artist and director Bonnie Forsyth, and multimedia designer and creative director Mike Lomas.

Gary and Bonnie were the first of the trio to meet back in 2020.

“Bonnie was already part of Mighty Nice, and we hit it off straight away,” Gary said. “Our humour connected -- we were on the same page, at work and outside.”

For her part, Bonnie remembers Gary’s infectious energy, which was obvious from the get-go.

“His enthusiasm for animation, character design, and expressive work is typical of French artists, but due to his time in the US and UK, he had grown beyond that,” Bonnie said. “Gary is always the most enthusiastic person in the room, and that energy goes a long way to keeping momentum up.”

When Mike came onto the scene, he was struck by the pair’s confidence.

“They used to sit in the glass box at the top of the studio like it was their own little office,” Mike said.

“By the time I properly moved up to Sydney, Bonnie had moved to Tasmania, and Gary was directing our Insurance Line job. I didn’t get to work with Bonnie for a little while until projects aligned.”

Gary said of that first project, “He was all over it from the minute he jumped in.

“You can just trust him, and it's awesome when you have that working relationship straight off the bat.”

When Mike and Bonnie did finally collaborate, Bonnie found his experience running studios intimidating at first. His holistic view of the production pipeline made it easy to bring him in on a wide range of projects.

“I rely a lot on Mike now to help solve complex compositing problems, as my skillset lies in traditional hand-drawn animation,” Bonnie said.

“The great irony about Mike is he comes off quiet, but he's actually hilarious. Gary runs his mouth, but Mike's the quiet one who will sit and observe. There’s never an awkward silence with Gary around, and when Mike does speak up, he's usually pretty direct and succinct with what he has to say.

“I think those two balance each other out.”

While the team all bounce between each other’s projects, none can do another's job.

“If you’re on the same job, you don't overstep,” Gary explained. “But you try to catch the little things and elevate everything you can. Whereas, if you’re directing different jobs, you can have a critical eye and raise questions as an external viewer.”

Their strong working relationships mean the trio can be honest with each other when sharing feedback -- something Mike credits with one simple fact: “We all just get along.”

“Gary likes to see options, makes me throw spaghetti at the wall until it sticks,” Mike said. “He’s really good at shaking out all the ideas, so you make sure you’re going forward with the right one.

“He knows how things will come together at the end, which is a great help in refining the workflow. Since I usually manage 3D and lighting, it’s great to have that experience in post.”

On the flip side, Bonnie “loves handmade stuff”, often making every frame by hand.

“She’s always going to go for the most difficult style she can think of in the time frame, to keep everyone on their toes,” Mike said. “It can make for some headaches working out how to make things happen, but we all love the challenge, and the end products are very much worthwhile.”

Between the three creatives, there is a shared love of craft that brings with it a willingness to make things better. They all have different ideas and perspectives, allowing for multi-angular problem-solving.

Their “comfort in fluidity,” as Bonnie calls it, means they can adapt to the evolution of the industry.

“The more diverse voices we have, the more valuable and different the work will be,” she said.

“The team embraces the fact I’m a woman and queer. I think that's important because, as a studio, we put effort into chasing meaningful and impactful jobs. When you find jobs with sensitive subject matter, we have different perspectives and can give input authentically.”

Creative work is often a balancing act between creative vision and client expectations. But even as clients and budgets vary, the Mighty Nice leads always look to push the limits for the best result possible.

“There are some clients who are looking for this connection and to have this dialogue with a creative team,” Gary explained. “When you have a client looking to solve problems together, it always makes the project better.”

The studio’s most recent project, a brand platform for Lemonade Insurance produced by Nexus Studios, saw them work together with Nexus Studios director, Fx Goby. The mixed-media campaign comprises a suite of three 30-second films, with Gary, Bonnie, and Mike each leading a different one.

The stop-motion work was a challenge for Gary, having not worked in the format for nearly a decade. However, he recalled the experience of “meeting new people and working in new environments” positively.

“Each step came with its challenges,” Gary explained. “Technical limitations, scale, the final look.”

Without a definite style frame, the artistic direction was solved ad-hoc as they went through the job.

“It took quite a few iterations to get to something that was 75% the way there, and from there it was all about refining,” Gary said.

Bonnie was also working outside of her comfort zone. As a 2D artist, she was not as accustomed to working in 3D. Having Gary and Mike around her meant she could translate 2D understanding and perspective to a 3D team.

“I'm grateful to be the only 2D lead because I get to touch most of the projects that come through the studio door. Mike just brought a level of expertise around the technical things that needed to be achieved that freed me up to focus on visuals,” she said.

“The good thing about how we work together is that if feedback is given, it's given out of care for the project and to make the other a better director. Which is really fucking nice.

“I don't know many spaces where you could have three creative leads in a room who didn't take offence if you did or didn't take their advice, and also openly requested help from each other.”

It’s a level of collaboration Mike will never take for granted.

“It’s a real treat to have two other experienced animators to share the load with,” Mike said.

“At the end of the day… it’s the perfect complement. We’ve got that trust and knowledge that the other won’t fuck it up, which helps us all get our work over the line.”