Expert contributors

TIM ARGALL
Others Experts


Jeani Varty
Jeani Varty is a young director and visual development artist who has been active in the industry since 2016. Having worked as a freelancer turned trainer for the past 4 years at Mollo animation academy, she has gained an appreciation for the developing artist and community at large. Jeani has since struck out on her own as a freelancer, working on multiple shows and developing her own IP. Her main focus now is shifting to building digital communities, networks, and spaces for freelancers and young animators looking to learn - this is done through her discord server, SADAC - the South African Digital Arts Community.


Daniela Del Castello
Daniela Del Castello is currently an animation and visual development trainer at the Tshimologong Precinct in Johannesburg South Africa, where she directs short films and upskills local artists to help them gain a footing in the industry and help further develop their artistic journey. Prior to becoming a trainer she worked for Minds Eye Creative for 4 years as an animator and character designer. Some of the clients she worked for included Netflix, Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon. She Co-directed, character designed and animated for the CTIAF 2023 trailer. She has an honours degree in Fine Arts and a Masters Degree in Digital Art from Wits University. Her Masters involved studying the 3D animation pipeline and a research and creative project where she used stop frame, painting on glass animation to explore the relationship between animation and Queer aesthetic. She presented her paper and series of animated works at the Queer/ing animation Symposium 2017 and at the 2016 Turbine Art Fair.


ARCHIE BIRCH
For over twenty years now Archie has made pictures for exhibition, children’s books, comics and many other reasons as well as drawing storyboards for live-action film and animation, from commercials and shorts to features and series. He has supervised storyboard and animation departments as well as completing a wide variety of animated and illustration projects for clients and as an independent artist. Archie has also been an animation, drawing and design lecturer at places like AFDA, City Varsity, False Bay College and SAE and continues to practice, learn and teach visual storytelling.