Meet The Team: Giovanna Utichi

How would you describe what you do in a few sentences? What’s at the heart?

I'm the connector and conductor of the project. I make sure that everyone has what they need to succeed. That the budget is on point, the right questions have been asked and things are heading in the right direction. At the heart of it is collaboration, a can-do attitude, patience and organisation.

What experiences led you to where you are now?

I grew up in a working-class family where my dad ran a greengrocer’s shop on the outskirts of town. At the back, he had a small art studio next to the sacks of potatoes and boxes of cauliflowers where he would paint when it wasn't so busy. My first job was serving customers bananas while my dad tried to sell his art on the side. I've always been around people and creativity.

My parents always encouraged me to see the world as being wide open and full of opportunity and I've carried that through my career. I’ve had loads of different experiences to date and I’m always up for trying something new.

While I was working at Cartoon Network I was asked to pitch an original short film. I’d had this idea about plastic waste and the environment bubbling for a while and now I had the opportunity to develop A Whale’s Tale into something really special. That film was a huge success, it went on to win a British Animation Award and a BAFTA nomination as well as playing on every stage at Glastonbury in 2019! My mind is still blown by that.

I moved into short form series animation after that, and for the last few years I’ve had the opportunity to work on some really cool projects. Most recently, I’ve just finished a highly ambitious 20 episode series for a new cake brand.

What are some of your favourite projects you’ve worked on over your career?

Obviously A Whale’s Tale is a project that I am hugely proud of, people still message me about it seven years on. In the last few years I’ve helped independent studios explore motion capture pipelines within game engines and I’ve also been a very small part of producing some things for The Sphere in Las Vegas - I’d love to see our talent’s work projected on the biggest screen in the world! How amazing would that be!

Is there something outside of work - a hobby, a habit etc - that feeds into how you produce?

I absolutely love making things with my hands, anything that gets me away from the screen and allows me to quiet my brain. I love making pottery, the wonkier and imperfect the better. I love experimenting with decoration and embracing the unpredictable. It allows me to let go of the control I sometimes find myself holding onto in life.

What kinds of misconceptions do clients have about animation - and how do you challenge those?

That animation is for kids and that it's expensive. Animation is a super fun and imaginative way to connect with your audience. What can be achieved can be infinite and the results are so rewarding.

What does craft mean to you?

Craft for me is slowing down, thinking, mastering a way of working. It’s also making something with care that lasts and is remembered. When you make something with feeling it does tend to radiate and take on a life of its own.

During your time in the creative industries, what are the biggest changes you’ve witnessed and what are your hopes for the future?

Things are moving faster than they ever have. Everyone wants instant results and they want it to be perfect. I think eventually we will begin to see, and in some ways we already are, a mass rejection of ai shortcuts and mediocrity. People will hunt out authentic and thoughtful art and animation. There are also smaller budgets and less funding which is a big challenge. Hopefully we will see governments taking the arts seriously again and they will pump money into the sector.

Where are you at with AI?

IT’S COMING FOR US! Quick run! AI can be a great tool for problem solving, for processes and aiding pipelines but when it comes to the idea and the craft, it SUCCKKS. Great stories come from human living not machine learning and because of this we can shape our craft to be unpredictable, tactile, tender and joyful. As sentient beings we want to feel something and be connected to reality somehow. I believe we have started to see this happen, we are going backwards in order to move forwards. And let’s never forget the environmental impacts!

What role does production play in making effective creative content that actually connects with audiences?

I love making Ikea furniture - stay with me - honestly, I love it. I lay out all the bits and follow the process, it's kind of like producing. Finding the best people for the job, pulling them altogether to see the vision and guiding them through to the end. When you have all the right things in place and the passion and ambition you can produce the wardrobe of wardrobes, sorry, I mean award winning creative.

If you weren't producing animation, what would you be doing instead?

Having an apperitivo by a lake in Italy.

Contact Gio here.