Motion Folks sold-out meet at Brunswick Square

With a thriving community within Bristol and across the South West, motion design agency Yatta knew there was huge potential for an animation and motion meet-up. Little did they know that such was the demand for a space to connect, their first two Motion Folks events would sell-out in five minutes.

Motion Folks began with a simple mantra in mind;

‘If it doesn’t exist, build it’.

They aim to offer a creative space for the local Bristol motion and animation community to gather, grab a beer and get inspired. These unique meet-ups invite inspirational speakers to share thoughts and expertise on projects, best practices and industry-specific news with anyone working within animation or motion in Bristol.

With such a similar ethos of creativity and community at their core, we were so excited to welcome them to Gather Round at Brunswick Square. We caught up with producer Alice Florrie of Yatta and Motion Folks, to find out all about their first sold-out meet with us.

The Gather Round space is beautiful and gave us the room we needed.

Alice Florrie

Tell us about this Motion Folks event

We welcomed global creative studio WA17 (We Are Seventeen) and epic agency Found, alongside graphic and motion designers Dan Woodger and Shirley Wang, to talk to a packed-out audience. Everyone had a chance to grab drinks from the bar and settle in before some really inspiring talks.

How important is a community in the animation and motion industry?

I don’t think any of us realised how big the Bristol community was, and it’s been great seeing everyone come together. With so many of us in the community, it is great to be able to connect to share knowledge, commiserate over the challenges and celebrate the wins for us all. Like most industries, it’s who you know! So it’s good to get to know as many people as possible.

What were the highlights of this event?

The speakers! So much to learn and absorb. WA17 talked about whether AI could hack it as an intern. We discussed how to use your past experience as your superpower. We discovered how GTA Vice City inspired Dan Woodger’s world-building. And finally, Found showed us that if you can inject personality into a pair of tweezers, you can inject personality into anything!

Why did Brunswick Square work as a space for the event?

We’ve always wanted to keep Motion Folks cosy, wholesome and welcoming. Our last two events have sold-out within 5 minutes and the ask for more has been clear. We knew we’d need a larger space to offer more tickets to the community. Gather Round at Brunswick Square is gorgeous and gave us the room we needed. It’s a beautifully curated space, having a bar on site was great and a mixture of seating and standing meant we could fit lots of people in but everyone was still comfortable.