About me

I am an illustrator, animator and director currently living and working on the West Coast of Canada. In 2019 I launched Beginners animation studio.

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Projects

• 4

  Rimowa - Gifts for the Journey AheadWhen you gift a Rimowa you open up a world of possibilities. In these four films for Rimowa’s 2022 holiday campaign we directed and animated the very journeys these gifts might take you on. Team: Beginners Animation: Emma Ehrling, Samantha Jones, Priyanka Pullha, Michael Lester Storyboarding, direction & ribbon illustration Michael Lester / Gica Tam SFX & mix: Oliver Muto Dutch Uncle Illustration: Klaus Kremmerz Production Anomaly Berlin Track: KOM Creative direction, script, VO & production
• 2

  Netflix Illustration SystemWorking with Koto’s London & LA offices we created a new set of illustration principles to be used across the Netflix product ecosystem. Team: Beginners Illustration Gica Tam / Michael Lester Animation: Michael Lester Sound: Oliver Muto Koto Creative direction Dave Raxworthy Production Michelle Ha / Lauren Fogelström
• 38

  Lecture in Progress - FailureAnimations for an article I wrote for Lecture in Progress about failing, with the help of Marianne Hanoun.

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Projects credited in

• 13

  Beginners Logotype DesignI was commissioned to create the logotype for beginners.work — a tiny animation studio based on the North Norfolk Coast of England. The brief was to create a wordmark to sit alongside and complement an existing logo in the form of a lowercase 'b' taking the first step.
• 33

  The LadderThe Ladder is a new podcast from Intern seeking to empower young creative people by investigating the world of work that they aspire to succeed in. The programme is hosted by Alec Dudson and produced by Ben Ovington, Fuchsia Summerfield and Calvin Lanz, students and recent graduates from Salford University's audio for media BA.
• 41

  Intern Issue Three: The Education IssueThe Education Issue. Cover photograph 'Making the Jump' by Luke Evans symbolises the soft landing that higher education is supposed to provide graduates with when entering the job market. Pick up your copy here.

Work history

Animator / DirectorBeginners
May 2019United KingdomFull Time
Since 2019 I have ran animation studio Beginners as a director, animator and illustrator. Collaborating with a small network of incredible creatives I have been able to offer a flexible production output, ranging from completing small one-person jobs to managing full production projects with five-person teams. I have grown a client base that includes Netflix, Mars Inc., Hermès, LMVH, Rimowa, Nike, Etsy, Spotify, UberEats, Venmo, Xero and Moncler. I've worked with agencies and studios like RPA Los Angeles, Pentagram New York, Ogilvy Paris, Koto and AMV BBDO London.
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Freelance IllustratorMichael William Lester
Aug 2014 - May 2019London, United KingdomFreelance
From 2014-2018 I worked as a freelance illustrator, building a broad international client base consisting of both agency work and direct relationships with companies. Some of the highlights during these four years: Creating a self-promotional portfolio that was written about in Fast Company & Adweek. Getting editorial illustrations into top publications like Monocle, T3 & Computer Arts. Creating the campaign for Newton Faulkner's album Hit The Ground Running. Creating weekly illustrations for IBM's People For Smarter Cities blog.

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Skills

• Illustration
• Illustrator
• Photoshop
• Graphic Desgin
• Ideas Generation
• Creative Writing
• Animation Production
• Advertisement
• Adobe After Effects
• Character Animation

Education

BA Illustration and Visual CommunicationUniversity of Westminster
Aug 2010 - May 2013London, United Kingdom

Awards

D&AD New Blood Awards 2015 Graphite PencilD&AD New Blood
Hire (The Future) Me - WeTransfer Brief - Envision the person you'll be in 10 years through illustration.
D&AD New Blood Awards 2014 Graphite PencilD&AD New Blood
The XL Stories - XL Recordings Brief - Illustrate Label History

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