An independent London animation studio, behind Hey Duggee and award-winning title sequences, that has no single house style and works on children's series, films and adverts.
Studio AKA is an independent animation studio in London. It is best known for Hey Duggee, the BAFTA- and Emmy-winning CBeebies series about a dog who runs a club for young children. The studio also made the title sequences for Raised by Wolves with Ridley Scott and for Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, and the short film Lost and Found, based on Oliver Jeffers's picture book. Other work includes Varmints and Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth, plus projects for clients such as Apple, Disney, the BBC and Netflix. Its own site says it has won BAFTAs and Emmys and received an Oscar nomination.
The name stands for Also Known As, and the studio explains it reflects its versatility. It has no single house style, and says it responds to each project on its own terms. Wikipedia says it began on 20 January 1989 as Pizzaz Pictures, was known as AKA Pizazz around 2000 and took its current name soon afterwards; its own site says it was founded in 2000. Wikipedia lists Marc Craste, Philip Hunt and Sue Goffe as partners, with Grant Orchard directing Hey Duggee. We found no formal mission statement beyond that description.
Studio AKA is based in London. Wikipedia names London as its headquarters, and its website and social accounts use studioaka.co.uk and the name STUDIOAKALONDON. Hey Duggee is made for CBeebies and BBC Studios, which means its audience is UK families, though the studio also works on global projects such as HBO Max and Netflix title sequences.
The studio describes its culture as playful and informal, with an "aversion to growing up". It says its team is deliberately small and carefully selected, directors collaborate rather than working in silos, and many people have stayed for years while others have gone on to start their own studios. Named directors on its site include Grant Orchard, Steve Small and Manddy Wyckens. Those are the studio's own claims about itself. It says it takes on unexpected projects as chances to reinvent, not repeat, and is working on a Squirrel Club spin-off from Hey Duggee and other children's series.
In a small studio, people often do several jobs. Typical roles include directors, designers and illustrators, animators, technical artists, producers and production managers, editors and sound designers, plus the finance and business team. Drawing, character design, animation, film-making and storytelling all lead here. If you like making things for young children, a short film, a title sequence and an advert are all possible kinds of work at the same studio.
Website: studioaka.co.uk
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