Julia Smuts Louw of Animation South Africa brings you Interviews with animation professionals from South Africa and beyond. Subscribe on iTunes - search Animation SA
DRESSMAKER, Free Lives, and the dangers of AI Brain Rot - with Jonathan Hau-Yoon - Animation SA Podcast
Free Lives Senior Tech Artist Jonathan Hau-Yoon talks to Julia Smuts Louw about the studio's new Cozy Lives sub-brand, and their first title, DRESSMAKER, available now on Steam!
Jonathan also discusses
- His views on pitfalls on AI for creative industries and schools adopting it, especially with reference to The Animation School's decision to incorporate AI in their syllabus
- The commercial sustainability of the VFX and animation industries
- Why the games industry has been more robust
- The backlash against games using AI workflows from Steam customers.
Enjoy!
21 Aug 2026
The Animation School: Integrating AI into the curriculum - with Nuno Martins and Tim Argall - Animation SA Podcast
The Animation School, South Africa's leading tertiary institution for animation studies, recently faced some criticism when they announced they would be integrating AI tools into their curriculum. In this podcast, founder Nuno Martins and advisor Tim Argall had a chance to air the school's position and thinking in depth. Listen in to discover
- why TAS feels students need to get to grips with these tools
- how they are keeping artistic principles central to the educational outcome
- the distinction between node-based and prompt-based tools, and why they've gone with Comfy UI
- how the school approaches issues of ethics and authorship
- how TAS will approach sustainability
- what they are doing to support students psychologically through this paradigm shift
- TAS's position on public policy and legislation
www.theanimationschool.co.za
https://www.youtube.com/@TheAnimationSchool
8 Jul 2026
Thriving in Animation While Female: Pixar Veteran Esther Pearl on Changing the Industry
Pixar vet Esther Pearl, wrangler of Story and Art on titles including Monsters Inc, The Incredibles and Wall-E, talks to Julia Smuts Louw about the tumultuous state of the animation industry and offers advice for those breaking in. We delved into the upbringing that forged her can-do attitude towards changing the media landscape, her passion for empowering women and championing diversity on and off screen through initiatives like Reel Stories, and the challenges and opportunities of disruptors like AI.
Links:
Nell Productions
The Annenberg Institute, affiliated with Brown University, seeks to address educational inequality.
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