Join Media Cymru and Creative Director Dan Efergan on the 13 and 14 May 2025 for the latest in our Innovators in Residence series.

With more than 25 years’ experience guiding entertainment companies through the complexities of a rapidly evolving industry, Dan Efergan is our first Innovator in Residence for 2025.

During this two-day event series, innovation experts from Aardman Animations and beyond will share their knowledge on stop-motion animation, game making and storytelling through a series of interactive workshops, project deep dives and Q&A sessions.

Alongside Dan, we’ll be joined by four special guests with their own expertise: David Gray, Eve Bolotova, Jon Quinn and Joshua Baldwin.

What to expect  

At Media Cymru, we like to cater to all levels of knowledge.  

The first day is for those more generally interested in storytelling, animation and innovation. 

The second day will consist of a more technical agenda specifically for those who have an understanding of game-making and using Unreal Engine.  

Programme

Day 1 | Playing in the Future | Teachings from a Storytelling Company

Date: 13 May 2025
Time: 9:30 am – 4:30 pm
Location: sbarc|spark, Maindy Rd, Cardiff CF24 4HQ

Project Deep Dive: The Grinning Man, a MyWorld Experiment 

Format: 40-minute talk with Daniel Efergan, 20-minute Q&A.   

A very early look at a piece of research that’s been created between Aardman, Tom Morris (director of plays such as War Horse, Touching the Void and The Grinning Man) and Andy Serkis (actor and founder of the Imaginarium).  The project was investigating whether previously captured footage from a staged performance could be adapted to a 1-to-1 experience in XR.  Daniel will talk through the hypothesis proposed, the challenges faced and conclusions drawn.  

Project Deep Dive: Virtual Production at a Model Scale, a MyWorld Experiment 

Format: 40-minute talk with Daniel Efergan, David Gray and Eve Bolotova, 20-minute Q&A. 

Over the last year Aardman has been looking at how virtual production may be used at ‘model scale’, within their stop-motion pipeline.  The project consisted of a collection of investigations designed around the needs of Aardman’s stop-motion crew. Experiments included use of digital doubles (utilising Gaussian Splats, photogrammetry and photometrics), the building of intersection of real and digital interfaces, and the suitability of large scale virtual production units in the slow process of stop-motion. 

Grinning Man Playthrough  

Format: The Grinning Man experiment will be available for people to play through if desired.  

Workshop: Game Making, Deeper Dive.  

Format: 1.5hour – 2hour workshop, led by Daniel Efergan.   

The group will be split up into teams, depending on numbers for ahands-on, slightly chaotic, session of game making, and teams will take a simple tale and drive it through stages of Extraction, Exploration, and Experimentation to end up with a playable(ish) paper prototype of a game idea.  Expect lots of doing involving paper, scribbling, Lego and clay.  

 

Book your place

 

Day 2 | Adventures in Games and Transmedia | Teachings from a Storytelling Company

Date: 14 May 2025
Time: 9:30 am – 4:30 pm
Location: sbarc|spark, Maindy Rd, Cardiff CF24 4HQ

Project Deep Dive: The Tate Movie Project 

Format: 40-minute talk, 20-minute Q&A.  

A talk with Daniel Efergan about an early Aardman ‘transmedia’ project, a moment of mass-participation storytelling where creative control was given over to thousands of kids across the UK.  He’ll unpack the project, look at how it was approached and what was learned from doing it. 

Interview with Joshua Baldwin, previously Game Director at Aardman Animations, currently Creative Director at The Chinese Room. 

Format: 45-minute interview, Daniel Efergan hosting, leading to questions from the audience.   

 How does play translate when driven by character and storytelling? Joshua spent five years at Aardman, working on a new transmedia IP from Aardman, then kicking off Aardman’s latest game (Chicken Run: Eggstraction) and is now working on his latest (secret) project with The Chinese Room, the multi-BAFTA winning game studio which continually keeps story at the heart of everything they do. 

Technical Deep Dive: Procedural Content Generation in Unreal 5 

Format: 40-minute talk with Jon Quinn, 20-minute Q&A.  

For people working with Unreal, or generally interested in game engines, this session gets into the nuts and bolts of Unreal Engine 5’s new Procedural Content Generation system, and how Aardman used to help allow level designers to quickly generate build levels automatically.   

Workshop: Game Making for Storytellers  

Format: 1.5hour – 2hour workshop, led by Daniel Efergan.  

A hands-on, slightly chaotic, session of game making, where teams will take a simple tale and drive it through stages of Extraction, Exploration, and Experimentation to end up with a playable(ish) paper prototype of a game idea.  

Expect lots of doing involving paper, scribbling, Lego and clay. 

 

Book your place

 

About the experts

Dan Efergan

An accomplished Executive Creative Director with over 25 years of experience guiding entertainment companies through the complexities of a rapidly evolving industry. Specialising in emerging platforms, Dan Efergan has consistently demonstrated strategic vision, innovative development, and flawless delivery across the creative spectrum.

Currently working as a Freelance Executive Creative Director and serving as the Innovator in Residence for this event, Dan was previously the Executive Creative Director of Gaming, Interactive, and Innovation at Aardman Animations. While on the executive board, he led the company through transformative initiatives—from establishing early social spaces attracting millions of subscribers to founding Aardman’s interactive department and in-house game studio, achieving significant growth and innovation along the way. Most recently, he spearheaded the establishment of Aardman’s first R&D team and programme.

Dan’s impressive portfolio includes BAFTA-winning interactive projects such as the Tate Movie Project and World of Invention, as well as leadership on the twice BAFTA-nominated console game, 11-11 Memories Retold. His creative journey is rooted in a deep understanding of the latest technological advancements and a passion for shaping their impact on the world through beautifully crafted, meaningful projects.

Prior to his tenure at Aardman, Dan’s entrepreneurial spirit led to the creation of multiple companies, including Submerge, a festival celebrating the emerging digital creative industries, and various production companies and a specialist recruitment agency. This diverse background underpins his comprehensive perspective on creative innovation.

Key Achievements:

• 26 Years of Experience in Creative Leadership.
• 20+ Awards, including D&AD, Royal Television Society, TIGA, Broadcast, BIMA, Webby, and Design Week.
• 5 BAFTA Nominations, 2 BAFTA Wins.
• 100+ Delivered Projects.
• 30+ Talks at prominent venues such as TedX, CMC, MIPCOM, TIFF Kids, BAFTA Guru.
• 10+ Mentees.
• Judged 10+ Awards, including BAFTA, Kidscreen, and Emmys.

Driven by a relentless curiosity for technical innovation and a creative flair for building captivating experiences, Dan Efergan continues to shape the future of entertainment by turning visionary concepts into award-winning realities.

Dr. Jonathan Quinn

Dr. Jonathan Quinn is Founder & CEO of Breaking Change, a new gaming startup based in Wales. Previously Technical Director of Games at Academy Award-winning Aardman Animations, Jonathan has also held senior leadership roles at Dovetail Games and Reach Robotics, shipping numerous titles across PC, console, and mobile platforms. As a founding employee at Reach Robotics, he helped raise over $12M in funding and launch an innovative gaming robot, sold in Apple Stores globally.

Jonathan holds a PhD in Visual Computing, completed two postdoctoral research roles, held a lectureship at Cardiff University, and has led research projects in machine learning, procedural generation, and simulation across academic and industry settings. 

He has received two awards from the Royal Academy of Engineering—one supporting the founding of Breaking Change—and a grant to attend Oxford University’s High Performance Leadership Programme. Jonathan regularly speaks at industry events, mentors emerging talent, and contributes to national STEM initiatives.

David Gray

David believes that real-time technology has the power to transform creativity by allowing creators to ideate more freely, fail faster, and achieve better results across the entire production pipeline. He has contributed to in-camera virtual production solutions for major clients, including Amazon, Apple, Sony, Netflix, and Warner Brothers. Currently, he is collaborating with Aardman Animation to explore how virtual production can extend beyond the set to support creatives from development through delivery.

Playing a pivotal role in establishing the U.K. presence of virtual production pioneers Lux Machina, David contributed to groundbreaking productions such as Barbie, Hijack and Silo. As an independent voice in virtual production he is committed to empowering creatives, enabling them to harness the full potential of the technology.

His career spans the diverse technologies that now comprise Virtual Production. Originally a camera operator, he moved into the events industry after a brief stint in VFX. He delivered content for a variety of shows before moving on to work in concert touring, corporate, Film & TV. Because of his knowledge of event technologies and film, he was a natural bridge between technology and productions, explaining the nuances of the technology when viewed on camera.

Eve Bolotova

Eve Bolotova is at the forefront of research and development at Aardman Animations, blending traditional stop-frame techniques with innovative technologies. Her work with Aardman began with 3D scanning of physical assets on Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget, laying the foundation for deeper R&D into digital twins. She is now focused on advancing this field by investigating Gaussian splatting to expand the creative potential of stop-frame animation. 

Eve now co-leads Aardman’s Virtual Production at Model Scale project, while also heading Digital Twins R&D, driving the adoption of emerging technologies to push the boundaries of creativity. 

Previously, she worked on shows for Netflix, Nickelodeon, NBC Universal Kids, and the BBC, bringing her expertise to productions across live action, stop-frame animation, live attractions, and factual entertainment. This rich and diverse experience has shaped her holistic approach to visual storytelling and technical innovation. 

Eve is passionate about using technology to create better stories and streamline workflows, freeing up time for creatives to focus on what they do best: being creative.

Joshua Baldwin 

Joshua has over a decade of experience as a game designer, director and creative director. Having worked at Creative Assembly, Coldwood Interactive, and as a Creative Consultant for EA Originals. 

He was one of Aardman’s first dedicated games hires and over the years he’s build and led a team of 20+ people working on multiple projects, including directing a new transmedia IP, and conceiving their latest game, Chicken Run: Eggstraction. 

Now at The Chinese Room, he’s directing their next original IP after Still Wakes the Deep, their last release which was nominated for 8 BAFTAs (and won 3).