Introducing Yellow Lab
Some time ago I decided that I was stuck. I had hit my limit as a solopreneur animator and needed a new way to evolve. I wanted to be more than a name or a style.
I wanted to be part of something bigger than just me. I just didn’t know what shape it might take. In the depths of my ‘stuckness’, my greatest source of happiness, love and support was my dog, Ollie. He is my rock, my fuel, my impetus to make and craft a better world around me.
Now, I have worked with a core team of artists for several years. We do great work together and complement each other’s capabilities. I have such respect for these people. Recently we decided to formalize our union, realizing what I believe is the collective dream of many artists.
It’s with great pleasure that I’d like to introduce Yellow Lab. We are a small team of innovators with a presence in Canada, Brazil, Australia and London, UK. Our name tips its hat to my dog, Oliver, but more importantly, it reflects our approach: science and process infused with art.
At the moment that I made my first move towards building Yellow Lab, I realized that this had in fact been my dream since I took my first animation job in 2004. That such a realization hadn’t made its way into my consciousness is curious, but suddenly it became obvious and apparent: this is who I wanted to be. I was suddenly grateful for the journey that took me here. My failures. My wins. My family and friends.
We are the team that you’ve worked with for years, now freshly branded. The brand will help break preconceived notions of what I’m capable of, what we are capable of. It gives me a creative place to be able to grow. It also gives me a chance to welcome others into the fold.
I want to stress that Yellow Lab is a space for collaboration. We welcome talented artists and hope to mentor the next generation of animators as they grow. The market has been shifting from brick-and-mortar shops to independents for some time now… but for solo artists, that independence brings uncertainty. Our model doesn’t involve brick and mortar, but it does involve critical mass and stability. We’re hoping to share that stability with independents, studios and clients alike. It’s a place we’ve envisioned for bigger challenges and the ability to handle greater risks.
(As a homage to the creatives that have shared their time and energy, we created a custom anisotropy material using the fingerprints of each of the creatives that have had such a huge impact on the creation/formation of Yellow Lab. Their fingerprints will live forever on, just as they have touched our souls — so too our work. Special big thank you to Patrick Letourneau + Helder Real on his help crafting our new Yellow Lab 2019 intro)
I am sharing this evolution so publicly because it benefits us all: artists, collaborators, clients, the studios that we have relationships with — and the work itself.
It’s a home for creatives, it’s a home for seekers, it’s a home for the future. Co-creating with a great team like ours does several things. It helps us to do more. To embark on new relationships. To take on bigger risks for bigger rewards, to collaborate with different and bigger brands.
Together we share one voice. We now have a place to show our work, our abilities, our creative juices — the sum total of our labours. May we grow more talented as we grow old, learn from our struggles and push into the unknown.
We encourage studios, big, small, international or local, to join us and embrace this new chapter of growth alongside us. We are all part of an incredible industry. With unique voices from all around the world, we can find new styles and new modes of communication, all while maintaining what we each have built with power and love.
I encourage you to come and grow with us.
Andrew Embury
*Special thank you to Cory Fanjoy for his Illustrations you can find here, and on our new website. Thank you.