Motion Hatch helps freelance motion designers and animators to run successful companies

International designer Hailey Akins produced animation for nine years. She worked as a motion designer at Google's video agency, Across the pond, for four years, before jumping into a risky life as a freelancer. She has been running her own business for three years, with one of her personal projects including Bingomation, and she has just started an online learning center for independent animation designers to teach motion graphic and animation.

With strong goals to facilitate the community in her field while providing useful and helpful business and hosting her own podcast twice a week, Hayley created Motion Hatch. 

Instead of focusing on the creative process of motion graphics, Motion Hatch offers training materials, resources and "ins and outs from the business side of motion design". 

There is a lack of business advice and resources available to motion designers and animators, said Hailey, who hopes Motion Hatch can open talks on pricing, contracts and brands. On Facebook she also started an online community. 

The Hatch website has launched with these goals as a starting point, and she felt it has been the most valuable for motion graphics designers.

“I wish I had learned to be more confident in my abilities," Haily says. "It’s easy to feel like an you aren’t good enough or don’t belong and I think that stopped me going freelance for a long time. When I went freelance I wish I had access to a larger community of people who could help me with any questions I had." 

The Hatch is currently designed for motion designers and animators. As it is the best part in Hayley's experience, but a number of painters and sound designers also have an advantage over this website and they talked about it and also found their business in it. "I also interviewed accountants and lawyers about best practices that are certainly beneficial to the entire creative industry. We are not just talking about freelancers but talking about all aspects of professional life," she says. 

Hayley's submission to Bingomation – an online collaborative project

Expect to know what customers should be charged, whether you must have a contract and if you must be a freelance brand or studio on a semi-weekly podcast, featuring Joey Cornman of the Movement School, Liliane Darmono to face inequality as a woman and minority And Magos for being an illustrator.

It took eight months to produce the Motion Hatch website, and then three months for registration and launch it.

"For the time being I will be running my animation business as normal working on commercial projects. I do hope in the future that Motion Hatch will be my full time job so that I can really help the industry move forward with the problems we face at the moment," Hailey says.