Founder, Creative Director
James Finlay
James Finlay is the founder and creative director of Myth Studio, a London animation and motion design studio. He started the studio to build a place where considered craft, striking ideas, and a generous creative culture could sit alongside the demands of broadcast and brand work.
James leads creative direction across most Myth Studio projects, working with senior art directors and animators to take a brief from initial concept through to final delivery. His work spans 2D and 3D animation, motion design, title sequences, brand films, and hybrid AI animation pipelines.
Experience
James trained as an animator before moving into directing and creative direction. He founded Myth Studio (legal name The Animation Station London LTD) to bring together a small senior team that could lead big creative projects without losing the warmth and personality of a hand-crafted studio.
Over the past decade he has directed and creatively led animation work for broadcast, advertising, and brand campaigns, including the ITV Sport opening titles for Euro 2024 and the Sky Originals series Grow. His treatments and pitches sit behind most Myth Studio projects, often co-written with the studio's art directors.
He is also an active writer and speaker on the future of animation, with a particular focus on hybrid AI animation: pairing traditional craft with generative video models in a single production pipeline. The studio's wing for that work, Myth Labs, was built around this practice.
Areas of expertise
- Creative direction for animation and brand films
- Title sequence design for film, sport and streaming
- Hybrid AI animation pipelines that pair craft with generative video
- Treatment writing and pitching
- Building and leading multi-disciplinary animation teams
- Expedited production for broadcast deadlines
Selected credits
- ITV Sport (Euro 2024 opening titles)
- Sky Originals (Grow title sequence)
- PepsiCo and 7UP
- Uniqlo
- Nestle
- BritBox
See the full work portfolio or the Myth Studio facts page.
Have a project in mind?
James and the Myth Studio team are always happy to talk through a brief, even at the early-idea stage.
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