He emailed us one day and said, “G’day”.

We were all, “Hi. Let’s collaborate.”

Then he was all, “Sweet as.”

We’ve been working with Lucas on all kinds of fun things ever since while battling [well, not really] the man [well, the Canadian government] to get all of the paperwork in order for him to move to our fine Vancouver.

And the rest is history. Except that it hasn’t happened yet. Unless you’re from the future. Which you’re probably not. 

Last week we saw all of these beliefs come together in a social media experiment gone right: Shane Koyczan’s To This Day Project. 

In the week since the video went live, it has seen over 5 million views, has had extensive media coverage, and has inspired a TED talk invitation for Shane [exactly 1 hour from now!].

Here’s how it all happened:

We worked with Shane and his lovely voice for a recent project with the NRDC (illustrated by the also talented Dan Matutina). While he was in the studio, he offered to voice a video about emotional education in the school system for the Dalai Lama Centre. In gratitude, we offered to help him on a future project. 

Shane came to us with To This Day, a spoken word poem about his experience with bullying, and the idea to turn it into an animated piece to launch in conjunction with Pink Shirt Day.

We got inspired to use this as an opportunity to let the animation and motion design community flex their creative muscles. We developed an identity for the project, created an animated call out-video and a simple microsite which we pushed out through our networks, to Wine After Coffee and to Motionographer.

To This Day from To This Day on Vimeo.

We broke the poem into 22 segments, which we distributed at random to over 400 respondents. Storyboards, style frames, concepts and animation tests followed before 86 finished pieces of animation — more than the final piece could even accommodate. We are absolutely floored by the love and creativity that went into each piece.

The official To This Day video is made up portions of our selection of 40 pieces of submitted animation. Each submission can be watched in full on the To This Day Vimeo channel.

In our latest video, we collaborated with the Whitecaps to bring their print campaign to life and really show their fans (and the beautiful city of Vancouver) just how much they mean to the team.

We love you too, Jay DeMerit. Really a lot.

GIANT ANT is looking for a dynamic, organized and clever Producer / Project Manager to lead clients through our process to successful videos. We make short, high quality videos using live-action and animation (and a mix of the two) for a growing list of forward-thinking local and international clients.

ABOUT THE ROLE:
The Producer / Project Manager is our primary point of contact on a handful of client projects at any given time. Tasked with leading clients through our animated video process–from concept development to approval cut–this person is accountable for keeping clients informed and comfortable with their project progress, responsive and timely on their feedback and approvals, and ultimately happy with their Giant Ant experience. It’s truly a key role in our delivery of great videos.

The successful Producer / Project Manager leads with grace–knowing when to push, when to pull and when to reassure. They can confidently drive the project ahead solo but are adept at calling for help and looping-in teammates at the right time to keep it all on track and use time wisely. They are comfortable talking numbers and wrangling meetings but also able to jump into a creative discussion when prompted. They are a juggler of many tasks, always keenly aware that they represent the voice and face of Giant Ant for a list of clients dear to us.

Requirements of the role include: meticulously organized, intensely detail-oriented, delightfully self-aware, and blessed with the ability to communicate clearly and concisely with people of all stripes. A working knowledge of the animation world is an asset but not a requirement (if you’re clever we can teach).

In addition to the client leadership responsibilities, the Producer / Project Manager is expected to play a lead role in developing and improving systems and processes that continue to enhance our offering to clients. And like all small studios, a willingness to jump into a number of different roles throughout the day is required.

This is a full-time position starting immediately and working in our Vancouver Chinatown studio. Compensation is fair (based on the experience you bring) and includes benefits.

ABOUT GIANT ANT:
We’re a small (11 people) creative studio delivering high-touch animation and live-action videos to a very select group of clients. Our team is young and talented, creative and innovative, and in the process of building a studio that gets noticed. We work hard (sometimes long), put love in all of our work and value our open, friendly and creative studio culture.

Have a deeper look at who we are and what we do at GiantAnt.ca [you are here].

HOW TO APPLY:
First, have a good look at our site to ensure you’re a fit with what we do and who we work with. From there, compile a relevant resume and a cover letter that tells us why you’re a fit at Giant Ant. Make it specific if you want us to notice; we can smell a one-size-fits-all application. Send your letter, resume and references to href=”mailto:jobs@giantant.ca”>jobs@giantant.ca</a> - Subject: Producer / Project Manager (for Animation).

Application Deadline: November 16, 2012 – We may be in touch with interesting candidates before the closing date.

Regretfully we are not able to respond personally to all applicants. And please no phone calls, we’re a busy studio.

Brant Cheetham, formerly a partner at Biro Creative and General Manager at Ad Busters, has joined us to head up new biz, operations, and other money-making activities. He has really great hair, a cute daughter and rides his bike to work like a champ.

Nicholas Ferreira, a recent Vancouver Film School grad has joined us before he could sneak away back to Brazil. If you follow motionographer.com you may have seen MOVA (above), a promotional trailer he and Dominik Grejc made for a fictitious motion design festival.

We’ve also been lucky to be working with a network of really amazing freelance artists lately: Tom Froese, Dan Matutina, Sander Van Dijk, Lucas Brooking, Phil Borst, Thomas Buchan and Ira Hardy.

We’re excited to share all of the work with you soon!

We called it Giant Ant Spring Break. The purpose was to spend some time thinking about our… purpose. We spent 5 days together eating good food and talking a lot about what makes us us, why we make what we make and who we (the collective) want to be when we grow up.

We didn’t *finish* anything in that week, but we planted many seeds for a new look and attitude — and better defined a purpose for the studio. We’re pretty excited to re-launch as Giant Ant (bye bye “Media”) and are proud to be repping Canada with our new .ca domain.

Curiously, Mister Spex, a German online glasses retailer just launched this ad:

We’re pretty happy to welcome our newest Ant, Matt James. He’s cool. And he looks like someone photoshopped Jay and Shawn together.

The issue landed at HQ this morning, where we’re featured in two articles: Rising In The West, a profile of 10 agencies in Western Canada, and The 2011 Agency Tree.

Thanks to Eve at Marketing Mag, and Laura at Rethink for the nice words!