A Productions are looking for an Animated Series Director to work on the hit CBeebies series Jo Jo and Gran Gran. The show will be produced in-house at our central Bristol studio.

JoJo and Gran Gran follows the life of a four-year-old girl called JoJo and her fun and wise grandmother Gran Gran, who looks after her while her parents are working. Mixing beautiful animation with inspiring live-action inserts, each episode follows the pair as they fill their day with fun activities and new experiences: from baking St Lucian Banana Bread to searching for Dinosaurs in the local Museum.

The show celebrates the role of modern Grandparents in many kids lives through core themes of family, community but most importantly, love.
Inspired by the real-life relationship between early years educator Laura Henry-Allain and her own grandmother, JoJo and Gran Gran has found a place in the hearts of the CBeebies audience; becoming an overnight classic and the channel's highest rating Series launch of 2020.

The show is an important milestone in children's programming as it is the first British animation that centres around a Black British family. This aspect of the show has resonated positively with the audience and following on from the success of series 1 (over 14 million views on iPlayer alone), we are looking for an experienced Series director to build on this and provide creative leadership across a further two series to be produced concurrently.

As director, you will need to demonstrate and be responsible for the creative leadership across all of the 88 episodes of animated content. You will lead the creative planning and design of the production and be responsible for the quality of the final delivered product. You will work closely with the client and Producer to meet the creative requirements of the schedule and budget with excellent creative solutions. Overseeing every aspect of animation from pre to post you will have a clear knowledge of 2D pipelines, be self-motivated and have a proven ability to lead a team in a production environment. Working closely with all the department heads you need to have excellent communication skills & a clear vision for storytelling.

A Productions ethos, established over numerous years and long-form series, is to tell stories authentically; our success is based on the creative teams we build.

General Duties:
• Provide creative leadership across the production
• Maintain the established overall visual style and authenticity of the series
• To work closely with the Producer to meet the requirements of the schedule.
• To comment on scripts, foresee any production issues and working closely with the clients to come up with creative solutions
• Brief the storyboard artists, in keeping with the style of the show, utilising existing assets when appropriate.
• Brief the editor to create the animatic, working with the client to discuss any feedback they have
• Working closely with layout team to ensure an efficient transition into design and animation
• To brief Art Director and design team to create any new backgrounds, props and character designs, in line with the established style of the show, client feedback and scheduling constraints
• Working with the animation director to review and approve shots. Ensure quality goals of animation and troubleshoot any issues.
• Working with editorial to create the online
• Attend any relevant meetings with the client and internal departments

Essential skills and experience
• Excellent animation knowledge of all aspect of the pipeline - ToonBoom ideally
• Pre-school animation series experience
• Industry experience working as a Director
• Strong leadership skills/experience leading a team
• Excellent communicator with clients and internal departments.
• Set an optimistic tone on the show and promote communication and teamwork
• Demonstrate excellent communication skills in giving constructive feedback to artists when discussing specific shots and sequences
• Be able to keep calm in the often challenging, high-pressured and political environment of producing a long-form series
• Diplomacy and professionalism
• Good Storyteller
• Experience working with clients
• Problem solver

A Productions are an equal opportunity employer and place a high value on diversity and inclusion within our company and actively encourage applications from underrepresented groups. We are committed to equality of opportunity and are open to discussing flexible working hours.

Please apply with your cover letter, CV and showreel link.
End date for applications 29th January 2021

To be based inhouse in our Bristol Studio - all applicants must be eligible to work in the UK.