Animation Alumnus Flourishes As Freelancer

27% of Falmouth University students go on to set up their own business or work freelance after graduation. Their creative skills and entrepreneurial outlook are sought after not only in the creative industries, but across all sectors of the economy.

Alex Papanicola, 2014 alumnus from the BA(Hons) Animation & Visual Effects course, is one of those people. His freelance animation business, ScribbleStache, is growing every day.

He told us: “I work with clients worldwide throughout the year, creating an exciting variety of content; from sleek animated explainer videos to whimsical hand-illustrated tabletop games. One of my favourite projects was animating a music video for the talented, comedic song-writer Chris Tavener, which was featured on TV in 2017.”

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BA(Hons) Animation & Visual Effects

The structure of the Animation degree prepared Alex for the life of a freelancer. 

Alex said: “Falmouth helped me refine and develop my animation skills and gave me the important experience of working towards industry style briefs with set deadlines. As a freelancer, being able to manage your time and fulfil a brief is essential.” 

When asked what his advice for aspiring freelancers would be, Alex said: “I believe anyone with enough drive can work towards a successful business. When starting out, an often overlooked but extremely important element of freelance, is your presentation. Keep your store-front professional, whether it’s a social media page or a website. Your presentation represents you and your business, so make it shine!” 

You can have a look at Alex’s showreel here.