Distant Future: an animation team of versatile 2D and 3D specialists, collaborating with a network of freelance performers and digital creators around the world.
We have been helping companies inform and educate their audiences since 2011 — and this is the core team!
Bill / Managing Director
Bill started producing digital art in 1985 on an Amstrad CPC6128 with a light pen and a screen that showed green pixels on a black background. He spent a bit of time waylaid in customer service jobs and a Computer Studies degree, but his passion for digital creativity was reignited watching Monsters Inc with his daughter.
Bill is still a hands-on animator, but as Managing Director he also supports the rest of the animation team. His days are spent improving our processes, pushing the quality of our work and helping our clients achieve their goals.
Outside work he enjoys spending time with his family and pets, playing board games and computer games, and is learning Chinese on the side.
Lauren / Animation Designer
Lauren: animator by day, gamer and craftsperson by night. She enjoys gritty animé and anything with a Tim Burton vibe.
Lauren grew up with game consoles. Inspired by the limitless storytelling possibilities of computer-generated imagery, it was no surprise that she chose a career in animation.
After graduating in 2013, Lauren started an internship with Distant Future while doing a cleaning job at a gym. Once the internship finished, we were happy to offer her a permanent position on the team.
Lauren is now Senior Animator and enjoys project management for the animation team, keeping everything well organised and running smoothly for clients.
Tom / Blender Artist
Tom joined Distant Future directly after graduating from his degree in Visual Communications at Leeds Arts University in 2021.
He volunteered in Zanzibar as a maths teacher for six months, but yearned for a more artistic path. He is a keen photographer, but wanted to expand his horizons beyond the physical restrictions of the lens. A professional career in animation, and working in 3D, offered much more opportunity for creative fulfilment.
In his down-time, he loves playing D&D and computer games. He confesses to having a bit of a sweet tooth, buying way too many sweets and doing a bit of home baking, but offsets any over-indulgence by being a keen walker.