Ric Comline joins as executive creative director, Thierry Levy as executive producer and Sean Cooper as creative director; the London-based trio to focus on expanding advertising and brand work while supporting global episodic, immersive and film projects.
Multi Academy Award-winning creative studio Framestore has just appointed Ric Comline as executive creative director, Thierry Levy as executive producer and Sean Cooper as creative director in its Design Studio. The hires reunite Comline, Levy and Cooper, who previously collaborated on the Cannes Lions-winning campaign “The Old Piccadilly Lights” for Anomaly and Ocean Outdoor.
The London-based trio will help expand and strengthen the studio’s design offering across advertising and brand while continuing to support global episodic, immersive and film work.
Comline founded animation and motion design studio Blind Pig in 2009 and brings more than two decades of experience across animation, VFX, motion design and emerging technologies. Known for blending traditional artistry with cutting-edge AI-assisted workflows, he has led multidisciplinary teams on campaigns for Issey Miyake, Disney, Adidas and the UK Government. His internationally recognized work includes projects awarded at Cannes Lions.
Levy has built a career spanning more than 20 years across production, post-production and animation, with experience at studios including Nexus, Feed Me Light and Spring Studios. Known for combining strategic thinking with hands-on creative execution, he recently led the integration of AI in animation and VFX at Absolute. His recent work includes Disney’s collaboration with F1 for the Las Vegas Sphere, Coca-Cola’s immersive Piccadilly Circus takeover and The Glass Hermit, a short film directed by Oscar-winning art director Shona Heath.
Cooper’s experience includes pivotal roles at Blind Pig, Unit TV and Sony Computer Entertainment. His expertise spans 3D, motion, out-of-home, film and TV, and experiential design. His projects include PlayStation franchises LittleBigPlanet, SingStar and DanceStar, as well as broadcast and streaming content including Stephen Hawking: Expedition New Earth and the opening titles for Netflix’s Maniac.
“I’m thrilled to welcome Ric, Thierry, and Sean to the Framestore Design team,” David Lochhead, head of design at Framestore, said. “Each brings a powerful blend of creative vision and strategic leadership that will strengthen our ability to deliver high-impact results competitively across projects of every scale. As the media and creative landscape evolves, their appointments reflect our continued investment in world-class talent, and I’m excited to see how their shared ambition will help shape our next chapter of innovation and design excellence.”
Framestore’s Design Studio partners with brands, agencies and directors to solve creative challenges and shape culturally relevant ideas by combining design, emerging technology and cinematic craft. Its award-winning work includes Disney+’s Ms Marvel, Libresse’s “#WombStories” and Columbia’s “Engineered for Whatever.”
Founded in the UK in 1986, the company has a team of more than 3,000 artists and innovators and offices in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Montreal, London, Melbourne and Mumbai.
Source: Framestore
Dan Sarto is Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network.
