The Right Questions with James Victore
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The Right Questions with James Victore
Episode 37: Gavin Strange
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Creativity thrives at the intersection of structure and freedom – something Gavin Strange has mastered beautifully in his dual life as Aardman Animations director by day and Jam Factory creator by night.
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Grummet. That's it Cheese. We'll go somewhere where there's cheese. Howdy and welcome to the Right Questions. By day, gavin Strange is a director and designer for the UK's beloved creative studio, aardman Animations. By night, he goes under the alias of Jam Factory, indulging in all manner of passion projects, from music to movies. He's a keynote speaker, giving creative talks around the world from Mexico to Manchester, berlin to Buckingham Palace, and he's the author behind the motivational mantra Do Fly, published by the inimitable Do Book Company. And Gavin is someone I love to call my friend. Here's our chat. Gavin, you talented hunk of man. It's so good to have you here. Thanks for showing up.
Speaker 2:Oh, what an intro. Thank you, mate. As always, it's a pleasure to hang out with you digitally, physically. Thank you for having me.
Speaker 1:Hey, I'm just going to cut right to it because I know you, you got a lot of juicy bits in you and I want to, I want to be able to cover it all, um, but I'm going to start this talking um, or with the question that I ask everybody. I begin everybody with the same question, which is gavin, what made you weird as a kid?
Speaker 2:that's such a good question. No one's ever asked me that. What made me weird? Do you know what I think, thinking back, I guess I kind of was a weird kid in that I had lots of different interests and lots of diverging interests and kind of. I think the thing that stands out when I tell people that they often don't believe. But between the ages of 9 and 19 I was a ballroom and Latin dancer and I did that for a decade and then quit and started skateboarding, meanwhile being quite a kind of like a rough school in England, and so I kind of all of those things didn't really kind of go together at the time but I just kind of went with it. Really, and you do, don't you? You go with things and and it's only looking back you're like maybe that was a bit weird, but I'm I'm so proud. So, yeah, maybe that was what that was when it first clicked, that maybe I do things differently and I'm really proud of that that's awesome.
Speaker 1:That's awesome. Um, do you do you have a? Um? I'm curious about this now Do you have I mean, you're a wildly visual guy Um, your, you know your work and your, your, your personal work, your, your, the fun that you make is is completely playful. Um, do you have any? Um? And I've seen you on stage with james right, uh, and and talking about talking about childhood and talking about the, the influences. Do you have any? Um? Very early visual memories yeah, I do.
Speaker 2:Actually, I think so much of it is for me sort of animation and cartoons and those things that are kind of burned into my brain that way. So it was a lot of things like teenage mutant ninja, turtles and brave star and kind of definitely a lot of of so sort of animated cartoons. And in the uk we kind of didn't quite get them like north america, so we would only have this sort of very specific drip fed sort of cartoons that would make it onto our tv. So actually if you saw something that was animated, it was. It was really exciting to catch that.
Speaker 2:But at the same time I had this utter fascination with video games because we couldn't afford them as a family. They're, like now, I guess, incredibly expensive and and and my, my folks didn't understand what they were or why I was lusting after them. So I would save up my pocket money and buy the magazines. I that was the only thing I could afford was save pocket money, buy the magazines and then like, live vicariously through these posters. And so I think now, looking back, like that's so special that I was like my gateway into this world of creativity was through the artwork and design and illustration of other artists you know, and often back then you know the posters and the artwork for the games absolutely didn't represent what the actual video game would look like. The game would probably look like just crap, just a bunch of pixels, and it was relatively primitive. But the world and the, the sort of excitement that these, this, this promo art, these posters, these magazines would contain were, was really enticing for me.
Speaker 2:And then, lastly, it was like the triple whammy then of um. You know the artwork on on set tapes, and so I was lucky that I had a older babysitter who, when I was sort of 10, 11 she was like 16, so she was into cool and interesting music and so she would give me these cassette tapes and they had, you know, this artwork that I'd never seen. So I think quite early on I was exposed to maybe stuff I probably shouldn't have seen. But of course, if you're 11, then what a 16 year old showing you is the coolest thing on the planet. I have this vivid memory of being given this cassette um.
Speaker 2:That was like she taped it and and printed out the kind of covers like bootleg covers, and one half was snoop doggies uh, snoop dogs, doggy style album in 93 and the others were cypress hills, black sunday, and they both have very different artwork style. Snoop dogs is like a quite crude cartoon, and then Cypress Hills is like this dark, gloomy photography collage, and again those things are burned in my brain as well. So, yeah, I was really lucky to have this sort of triple whammy of like animation, film, video games and music sort of seep into my conscious a little bit earlier than usual and music sort of seep into my conscious a little bit earlier than usual.
Speaker 1:Awesome, yeah, it's funny. You remind me that um, um, for me it was a um. It was a cousin, an older cousin, and he was into um, this music. That scared the shit out of me. Yeah, it was like ozzy osbourne, right and uh, the grateful dead. Like I couldn't even get over that name.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I know, like that's still like a gnarly name. And if you're young, you're like what does that mean? Like I think that's the thing right. Like if you just get your sort of like music, particularly when you're young, it's like those older band names and band visuals come in and you don't know what to do with it. That's what makes it so exciting, isn't it yeah, yeah, I mean I think I spent.
Speaker 1:I spent a huge chunk of my life redrawing um um elton john's yellow brick road and uh kiss destroyer album yes right, yes, again and again and again, um, um. Tell me about your parents. Did they support you creatively?
Speaker 2:yeah, they did actually. That's a great question. I love this, james. Um, yeah, they did actually. Yeah, they were.
Speaker 2:My dad in particular, was always a great sort of artist, but he was an engineer and I think he could have, he could have gone to sort of art school but you know, back then when he was growing up that that really wasn't a viable thing and that wasn't seen as a viable thing. So he just sort of did his art for fun and I've got a vivid memory of me asking him to draw me things all the time, like I love watching him draw and watching him draw animals. In particular, I would always ask him to draw different birds and stuff. Kind of got that logged as a core memory. But overall they were really supportive, even though at the time kind of graphic design, they didn't really I didn't understand. You know I got my first job age 17 in uh 90, no 99, 99, turn of 2000, you know. So for them they weren't quite sure what that meant. And then, particularly at that time, internet design. So web design was growing and they really were unsure as to what that means.
Speaker 2:I've got this story. I've always told that me coming home from my very first job because I still lived at home. I was only sort of 17, 18 um, telling my mum, oh I, that the workplace has offered me a chance to kind of pivot more to web design, designing for the internet. That's really interesting, and my mom sort of looked really hesitant and went are you sure this internet thing's going to stick around though? And I still love to remind her of that that, yep, the internet is still around, mom, it's still still kicking. Um, so yeah, so they were. They were supportive and they've always been very loving and supportive and and full credit to them. And now you know both of us as parents. We can appreciate that actually, that takes guts when you don't fully understand what that thing is, but you actively encourage and support your children to pursue it regardless of you not knowing what it is. So you know, the older I get, the more appreciative I am of that and that encouragement um, I am, uh, I mean, we've met.
Speaker 1:We met a number of years ago at a conference in barcelona and we've, and we've, we've, you know, bumped into each other around the world. Um, so I'm a huge fan of you personally, as well as creatively. But, um, you know so, and I love what you do with, um, with, you know, arvin studios, your day job, basically right, but but also you on your own are so wildly creative with, with, with music and animation. Um, it seems like you're pretty unbridled. Is there anything that you can't do creatively? Is there anything that, like, do you ever come up with anything that's just like impossible, or are you just like making it up and keep going?
Speaker 2:I mean definitely making up and keep going. But first of all, mate, that is so very kind of you to say you're the Victoria that that really means a great, great, great deal to me. So thank you, and I've got a vivid memory again of seeing you on stage. You know, I saw your talk before I met and I was sitting. I've made two new friends in Barcelona and they were like you've got to watch James, you've got to watch James, and I remember sitting in the front row and you had your wonderful gold stickers. So I, you had your wonderful gold stickers. Um, so I vividly remember how much of a powerhouse you were. So, first of all, massive love and support and thank you to you. It's very kind of you.
Speaker 2:But, yeah, I mean, there's a trillion things I can't do, but I think I think in my own time I've just absolutely found the joy in just trying it regardless and and sort of really feeling free of the shackles of anything. I think I really like my personal position of the security of a day job and then that ultimately meaning I'm not worried about sort of well, we're all worried about money, but I'm not, I'm not doing anything in my own time for financial gain. You know the day job is is something I love at odd man. It's a dream job and I've been there a long time now. But I really like just just the sort of pure childlike wonder of trying stuff and doing stuff in my own time and actually that I feel like that's got stronger, I've got better at ignoring everything else is, you know, really focusing in on see what I can do in my own time, because I've really found mass benefit in then trying to apply those learnings and those lessons into the day job and vice versa.
Speaker 2:Sometimes I'll try a new technique at Aardman and I want to go home and experiment and grow and develop it more. Other times it's the opposite and I'll find a new something at home and I'm like, right, how can I bring that into my work? And you know that that variety I think is is key for me and I feel very, very fortunate to have found a rhythm. You know I that that variety I think is key for me and I feel very, very fortunate to have found a rhythm. You know, I guess that's what it feels like to me, it's a rhythm that works for me.
Speaker 1:So yeah, hopefully long may it continue and just see where it can go so so.
Speaker 2:So the play is the thing. Yeah, absolutely yeah, I think it is. It's and that's what massively attracted me to Artman as well. You know, growing up in the uk I'm just just that their work is part of my dna. I think it's part of most british people's dna, to be totally honest. So to sort of be in the gravitational pull of that anyway is exciting.
Speaker 2:Being in bristol, where, um, where art man is based in the southwest of england, is special, living in that city, but then to sort of find my way into that company and be a part of it, I, I really love it and I think it is it's playfulness and it's, it's silly and it's, it's strange and it's, it's charming and and as I've got older, you know that is definitely the kind of work I want to make. And actually I, I I'm a real big scaredy cat. I don't like horror, I don't like anything graphical, I don't like anything. I mean we were saying this when we're out in Merida in Mexico. You know, I don't, I don't, I, I really don't enjoy any of that and actually, again it, as the older I've got and the more experience I've got, it's really made me double down into. I want to make joyous things and silly things and charming things, because I need it, you know, and hopefully I think maybe the world needs some of that as well. So it's it's like reinforce my love of just making silly stuff.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's awesome and it's funny because I, if I think about it, the, the, the outside voices besides my own that I'm inviting onto this podcast, often have that childlike sense of play. Right, and there is something extremely important to that. I don't know if you know the work of Brad Montague. Yeah, he's going to be. He's going to be on the show as well. A lot of my audience has they have day jobs, you know, and I was. I was asked this question recently in a podcast and I didn't have a. I didn't have a a very good answer for it because, I mean, I've been extremely lucky in my, in my job. I don't have as many commercial clients these days, um, and it might not be apt for you, but you know you have basically an in-house gig, um, but you're bringing in this creativity and you're bringing in this spirit and this play. Do you have to go through any process of um, of vetting or convincing to uh, to get ideas across like what the way it would be termed in the business would be, you know, convincing clients?
Speaker 2:yeah, yeah, I mean, I definitely do. Yeah, I mean, I think it totally depends on. This is what I love about the variety and what I'm very fortunate to do in that, um, sometimes at odd man, I'm working on things for odd man, so I might be working on a wallace and gromit project or a sean the sheep project. So that's, you know our existing characters and our existing worlds that I know well and get to work with an amazing crew and team of people that also know it well. But then sometimes you know, oddman makes lots of work with other partners and for other clients, and so you know, often, if they do know Oddman, that's, that's one thing, that's lovely, but then there's a lot of convincing of them to go down your route. You know, if I'm directing, then of course and I love that actually, I think I think, because I came to you know, my actual title at Aardman is director and designer.
Speaker 2:I joined as a graphic designer but over time transitioned to also being a animation director is from the world of graphic design as we know it. You know, graphic design is about communicating ideas, and so I I really like that challenge. Actually, of right, let's make a banging pitch deck. Let's make something that is convincing and full of heart. And and again, I try and be as like personal as possible and just to really try and convince people to to, you know, pick my idea or to go with this route. So I'm I really like now looking back realizing oh, my route is is kind of created. My way of doing things and sort of graphic design and image making and communicating is a big part of that and that's a real thrill to be able to sort of employ those techniques.
Speaker 2:And, of course, like all of us, you then look at other people doing the same thing you do in a totally different way and you're hugely jealous and you want to do it. You wish you were them, you know, all the time, but you we're not. Are we? We are who we are and you've kind of got to work within the constraints that you've been given. Whether that's the dna you have or that's the, that's the situation you have. You kind of can't fight it too much. You've got to make it work within what, what you can. And so I'm really enjoying that, actually trying to be the best human. I could be the best director, the best designer, the best parent, the best husband, the best. Whatever you know, and and figure it out, it feels like I'm in a really exciting place yeah, what a great segue for this next question too.
Speaker 1:um, often when I'm teaching, I try to get people to understand a few what I would consider basic ideas for us, and it's and it's, they are the. They are the gateway to being able to share, you know, and to share of ourselves, and you're a great example of this idea of. In the particular lies the universal, this thing that I wrote about in my book, effect Perfection, which is, if it has meaning to you, it'll have meaning to other people. You know the things that you love and the things that you fear are the things that other people love and other people will fear. But when you're teaching this, this brings self-doubt, this brings fear. This brings this idea of who's going to like this, this idea of well, I only have this, I only have this small gift. Who's going to? You know who's going to like that, who's going to pay for it? Do you? Do you deal with doubt and fear?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I do massively. And actually that was the first time I'd ever heard that quote in the particular Liza Universal in your talk, and it stuck with me ever since, because that is something. If I'm talking to students, I recite that too, because I think it's such a powerful statement. It's one of those beautifully eloquent statements actually, that you say it and you're like, yeah, great, great, and it sticks in your brain, doesn't it? And you're like, oh, oh, it's like this. It's actually a really hugely profound. Profound sentence, isn't it? Because it does. It does mean a lot and there is a power in like, actually, no, if I like it, if this is my voice, maybe there are other humans on the other planet, but then who? Who would enjoy it? But yeah, then sort of the gulf, the gap between saying it and believing it thing and putting it out, yeah yeah, and also that is kind of like a lifetime's work.
Speaker 2:You know, we, you know, hopefully we do this work and on our deathbed we finally accept it maybe. So it's not going to be an immediate thing, but I do. I, I really, you know, sort of have self-doubt and self-loathing and self-criticism and and all of that stuff. But I think I try my hardest, if I am really in that headspace, to just allow it, allow it for a bit, have a little mope, have a little moan, go through the process and then snap myself out of it as quickly as I can. And I think I've learned to just do that with like small little ideas, really silly things. You know, just do something that will take me an hour. Or just have a noodle, and I think noodle with a totally different medium or technique, or just.
Speaker 2:I think I'm really trying to be as introspective as possible, to highlight those things and to recognize those patterns and to realize God, why am I being a bit of a downer? Why am I really not feeling it? It well, it's probably a bunch of different factors and if I can identify what those factors are, then I've got a better chance of sort of dealing with it and moving on. But I think, like you know, we there's, there's no one that's immune to that. I think you wouldn't be human if you didn't, if you didn't do that and you know I've spoke to some brilliant, you know, hugely wonderfully creative, both at the talks that we've been lucky enough to both be at and people we've managed to meet along the way.
Speaker 2:But also, you know, the amazing humans are odd man like Peter Lord and Nick Park and many you know legendary creatives, and they all deal with it too. They all look to others and think, oh man, I wish I was that person. So that's really nice to know that everyone deals with it, but in the same way, I wish I was that person. So that's really nice to know that everyone deals with it, but in the same way, only I can get through it. I've just got to sort of put in the work and try and push past it a little bit, still be a human and still not be a robot. But be aware of okay, you've wallowed for four nights. Now it's time to move. Come on, move on.
Speaker 1:There's two things that come up when you were talking, and one is that you used one of my favorite words uh, that it gets that's applied to creatives, uh, that creatives need to understand all the time, and it's allow yeah right to allow that within ourselves.
Speaker 1:it's so hard for people just to just just to allow it. We're all capable of it, we know what we're capable of, but to allow that out into the world is a is is big Um and the other thing is um. Here I'm going to, I'm going to make that, I'm going to, I'm going to make that line in the particular lies the universal better for you. So I first read that um years ago. I was reading, I was reading an intro in an old copy of James Joyce's Dubliners and he said that if he can describe his hometown in all of its details and all of the people accurately, the places that he loved and the people that he loved and the people that he hated, he says then I am describing everywhere, because in the particular lies the universal.
Speaker 1:So he was trying to make it, you know, in his hometown, trying to make it vivid for everyone to experience. Later, and only maybe four years ago, I read in my own copy of the Essential Rumi, one of my favorite books to carry on airplanes with me. Roomie wrote, and I hadn't, I had never seen this, I'd skipped over it. Roomie wrote in the particular glows the universal.
Speaker 2:Oh, that's nice.
Speaker 1:Isn't that rich.
Speaker 2:Yeah, like that like emanating sort of powerful, attractive, like yeah, that's really, that's really added a nice little spin on that, that's made it visual.
Speaker 1:It doesn't just lie there. It doesn't just lie there. It has impacted meaning hey, I've got some people who want to say hello to you. Hang on here.
Speaker 2:Can we say hi, yes, hello, hello, hello both.
Speaker 1:That's Gavin, this is Wyatt and this is Nova.
Speaker 2:Hello, wyatt and Nova, nice to meet you. I know a lot about you. Your dad talks very highly of you both. He says you're both awesome kids. Is that true? Yes, both. He says you're both awesome kids. Is that true? Yes, yes it is.
Speaker 1:Does he? Does he sound like um, um, wallace or gromit? Yeah, do I have most of your characters are are uh are silent characters yeah, that's true.
Speaker 2:Yeah, there we go. Yeah, I'm a lot more noisy than that, actually, sean, I'm more noisy than sean sheep. More noisy than gromit yeah good. Noisy than Gromit yeah good point actually.
Speaker 1:Hey guys, let me finish up here and then I will come out. Yes, you may.
Speaker 2:Bye kids.
Speaker 1:Now they're going to go destroy my fucking room.
Speaker 2:Yes, you can.
Speaker 1:Of course you can. Of course you can. I'm that kind of dad. Okay, back to work. I don't know if I'm going to edit that or not uh, keep it in it's lush okay, um, okay, we're going to move into some deeper stuff.
Speaker 1:And it's so funny allowing, allowing, because sometimes when I've you know, I sat up early this morning and I was thinking about you and writing about you and these questions just come to me and I'm like, ooh, that's great, and now I have to allow myself to put it out into the world. It's so funny. Can art save lives?
Speaker 1:Right now, you're thinking oh man, I wish James Victoria could be my mentor, my guru. Hell, I wish he was my coach. Well, you can make that happen. Go to yourworkisagiftcom. There's a questionnaire that will probably help you out, but it'll also give you access to a free call. So let's talk. Let's free you from overwhelm and creative frustration. Let's build your business and help you get paid to do what you love. Again, go to yourworkisagiftcom, let's talk.
Speaker 2:Yes, hands down resolutely. Yes, yeah, it's, yes, I do believe it. Can I mean whether it's literally going to save a life? No, it is, because it's. That is that brilliant.
Speaker 2:It was doing the rounds recently, I think it was. It was Ethan Hawke talking about talking about the arts, and he was talking about that. It's, it's, it's like nourishment for the soul and it's totally true. And, of course, as soon as you get a bunch of artists talking about that, we sound incredibly pretentious and out of touch with the world. But but you imagine, imagine this planet without music and art and design and paintings and and beautiful textures and fabrics, and it would just be mechanical, it would be, it would be transactional, it wouldn't be worth living. So so if we buy everything that we, as you know, collectively, the creative industries puts into it, I, I do believe, you know, you save lives.
Speaker 2:You only actually need to go on to any blimey, just even youtube, which is full of horrific things. But you go on to any song or video or film clip and people will actively pour their heart out and say this song saved my life. It it pushed me through my cancer diagnosis. This scene made me connect with my family again. You know that's powerful, powerful stuff and that's just the stuff we're seeing where people are choosing to share that randomly on YouTube comments. You know there's going to be billions of people who are touched by art and design and creativity. So, yeah, I choose to believe that we can.
Speaker 1:I'm going to be as bold and over the top and egotistical to say, yes, james, we saved lives I have a, I have a dear friend who is going through colon cancer right now and he he wrote me, he texts, he texts me a lot, he something had happened and he hadn't spoken to his doctor and he was freaking out and I sent him from um, from dune, I sent him the frank herbert line about fear is the mind killer. Oh, my god, it changed his life, changed his life. He was just like you know he he's practically got it, you know, tattooed on his body now because it was just like that line that you know, um, that line is now, you know, his savior, that fear is the killer. You know, don't, don't believe it, just don't fucking believe it what it is.
Speaker 2:It's so, you know, we all really know all humans know what it takes to be a good, kind human. You know what you got to do, what you should not do, but actually it takes sometimes it takes, you know, people like us to hop on stage and remind people of the stuff they already know. Sometimes it's a quote in a movie, other times it's a song lyric. You know you people like us to hop on stage and remind people of the stuff they already know. Sometimes it's a quote in a movie, other times it's a song lyric. You know you kind of actually need those total strangers who have created this, this thing to to connect with you to tell you what you already know. You know. So yeah, that's it. It is powerful, it is really powerful stuff, especially what a special thing to be involved in.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's cool. In particular lies the universal right.
Speaker 2:Yeah, man.
Speaker 1:So, yeah, you chatted with my kids a little bit and you have your own as well. I sometimes feel what's the word? I'm of two minds about my kids and creativity and screens. You know their lives, their education. I think they have too many screens in school. I think they're you know, they have access to way too much stuff. They have access to way too much stuff. I don't allow them screens in the home. We have a TV away in a room where we watch movies and we watch. It's curated and we're all together. I was watching a creator, popular creator on YouTube recently and he was with his kid and he said what do you want to draw? Oh, let's draw a tiger. And pulled up an app or pulled up AI and he said, you know, and starts going into it and he gets this, gets this image of a tiger, and I wanted to.
Speaker 1:I wanted to scream in all caps like right, exactly like you know, like, like what is in your child's head, just when you say tiger is so much more interesting than vis-a-vis our kids. What are your thoughts about the future of AI? We can skip the big drone. Hey, you know, my, my opinion is isn't there a plug somewhere? Can we unplug that shit?
Speaker 2:Oh, if we could plug, yeah, I would pull the plug, no mercy. I'd smother it with a pillow, yeah, and not think twice about it. To be honest, yeah, maybe that's it. Maybe that groan tells you everything you need to know about it, because otherwise I'll spend the next two hours ranting about it. But no, I'll leave it at this.
Speaker 2:I got into creativity and love creativity because I love every single part of it. I love the not knowing and the big question marks at the beginning. I love the noodling and the messing it up and getting frustrated and get really cross. And then I love the bit where you're feeling it and you're like, maybe I'm not terrible, maybe this could go somewhere, and then then falling into that heaven again and going, no, actually, no, this is terrible and I'm terrible. Oh my god, what am I ever going to do? And then pulling yourself out of it and then finishing it and then going, great, finish, let's make something else. I love that whole process. I got into it and continue to do it, because every part of that is joyous and terrible and wonderful and hurtful and full of love and full of hate, and it's all the emotions. You can experience the full spectrum of human emotion by just trying to flip and make something. I have no idea why you will want to type something in a box and let a machine do it for you. I really don't have no, no clue. So no, let's, let's pull the plug. And my kids, yeah, like um, yeah, what's in their brain is, is, is, is is the best bit and it's interesting.
Speaker 2:Like screen time, I guess, because I predominantly work at a studio and make things for screens. We are, we do have quite a lot of screen time, but actually, your word, there curation is really powerful. So there's no youtube in this house. They I've actually taken it off the tv. I can't watch it on youtube, if, if, even if I wanted to, because I, there's no curation there and I want to be sure, especially because mine are eight and four.
Speaker 2:You know I, I'm such a scared kid. I'm still. I'm still terrified by accidentally watching Nightmare on Elm Street the first one and accidentally being loaned a copy of Robocop and Ed 209, blasting that person's torso in half. I'm still burnt and emotionally scarred by those visuals that I didn't have a choice in seeing. So, yeah, I'm going to hold on to curation as long as possible and I think, because I like technology and sort of like light. Um, uh, you know, I like apple's um parental controls and screen time protection. So, you know, when the time comes, when they do have their own devices, whenever that may be, I will be really hot on it. So so, yes, I'm with you there. Total curation and protection. Really, it's not because you don't want to let them have a fun time, it's because there is there is a god, a sea of things that they are not ready to see.
Speaker 1:Uh, to to view, yeah, yeah um, I take it so seriously that I actually think I'm raising the next John Connor.
Speaker 2:Yes, I like that yes.
Speaker 1:So, having spoken about that, here's a goofball question out of my own curiosity, your own, is it your own company? What is, what is jam factory?
Speaker 2:it is kind of just the name that I've gone under for the last. It'll be celebrating 25 years next year, um, because I'm trying to do some stuff for it. Yeah, I just long story short. When I first got my first job sort of 17 18 my boss um was kind of wondering who this kid was that had been given, who was just didn't have a clue about anything but just was excited, was basically like dude, you need to be so much better and you are not going to get better within the hours that you are here at work. You need to put in more time. You know you've got to love this stuff. You've got to really enjoy it. So you know you should have your own website, website. You should have your own place to call your own and you can experiment and you can grow.
Speaker 2:And you know this was the, the beginnings of the web. This was the year 2000. It was like, oh okay, that sounds interesting and exciting. And so, yeah. So he was like pick, pick a domain, pick a domain name.
Speaker 2:And I was a big fan of designers republic one, two, three clan. Um, you know everyone had a cool alter ego and an alias in the and I was a big fan of Designers Republic 123 Clan. You know, everyone had a cool alter ego and an alias in the 2000s, didn't they? And I wanted one too, but I couldn't think of one, I couldn't think of a good one, and so I just randomly picked Jam Factory and it stuck, and so I basically used it as the name that I put out everything that no one asks for. So, you know, aardman is the studio I work at and I do my absolute best to make the most professional, lovely stuff. Jam Factory is all the things that no one asks for, no one wants, and I don't care if they want it or not, because I want to make it and it's nice, it's felt like quite a nice sort of. You know, it means everything and nothing. Jam Factory only means is a name for me, and I just put stuff out, and long may it continue, hopefully.
Speaker 1:Excellent, excellent. Last question I'll leave you on this Give me your beautiful future give me your beautiful future.
Speaker 2:Oh, oh, what a gorgeous question. Oh, do you know what? What's so interesting is, the moment you said that beautiful future, my brain just pictured my kids and my wife and that nice thing that that's like the, the natural thought. A beautiful future for me is my children and my wife and my family, happy, healthy, um, being good humans. Particularly you know my, my wife is a gorgeous human. She's such a positive, lovely individual. I want my children to hopefully feel safe and loved and respectful and I want them to pursue what they want to pursue and then hopefully, at the same time that I'm being a parent, that hopefully my beautiful future is personally continuing to make silly things, joyous things, and to work with good, lovely, kind people and put things out into the universe that hopefully delight other people. Beautiful.
Speaker 1:Beautiful, gavin, you're a beautiful man. Thank you for thank you for your time. I really Beautiful, Gavin, you're a beautiful man. Thank you for your time. I really appreciate it.
Speaker 2:James, you're an absolute hero and a legend amongst all humans and I'm honored to be on your lovely podcast. Thank you, my brother, okay.