News & Updates
04th December 2025
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Cadherent Joins Aberdeen Animates as a Sponsor
We’re delighted to welcome Cadherent as a sponsor for Aberdeen Animates.
Based in Aberdeen, Cadherent provides engineering design and visualisation services across a wide range of sectors. With a multidisciplinary team supported by in-house survey and visualisation departments, they bring a strong blend of technical skill and creativity to the region.
Cadherent’s support comes from a shared passion for nurturing local talent and strengthening collaboration between creative and technical industries. They recognise the importance of retaining skilled animators in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire and are particularly interested in supporting 3D animation students, even exploring future graduate opportunities, as their team works with the same 3D software taught at NESCol.
We’re incredibly grateful for their partnership and excited to work together in championing local creators.
Learn more about Cadherent:
25th November 2025
Aberdeen Animates Gains Support from Animation Scotland!
We’re thrilled to announce that Animation Scotland, the national body championing animation and VFX across Scotland, is now supporting Aberdeen Animates!
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Animation Scotland exists to represent and develop the Scottish animation industry, offering resources, advocacy, networking and opportunities for studios, creators, training providers, and animators across the country.
What This Means for Aberdeen Animates
Having Animation Scotland’s support strengthens our mission to shine a spotlight on local animators and build a thriving creative community here in the North-East. With their backing, we’re better positioned to:
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Reach a wider network of Scottish animators and VFX artists
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Connect with industry professionals and organisations across the country
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Offer participants and entrants proper visibility within the national animation landscape
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Show that Aberdeen Animates is part of Scotland’s broader animation movement, not just a local event
Why It Matters
Scotland’s animation community is growing fast, with Animation Scotland acting as a hub to unite studios, training institutions, creatives and employers under one banner. By joining forces with them, Aberdeen Animates gains legitimacy and support, and our participants benefit from being part of that network.
Whether you’re an emerging animator, a student, or a seasoned creator, this connection helps open doors beyond Aberdeen. It offers a pathway into the wider Scottish animation industry and all the opportunities that come with it.
We’re incredibly proud to have Animation Scotland on board and grateful for their confidence in what we’re building here. Keep an eye on this space, we can’t wait to see what we create together!
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Check out Animation Scotland here:
24th November 2025
Aberdeen Animates featured in Zest Mag!
We’re delighted to share that Aberdeen Animates has been featured in an in-depth article on Zest Mag, highlighting the story behind the project, our goals for the creative community, and why we believe this initiative matters for Aberdeen.
Written by journalist Chrissy Simms, the piece explores the inspiration behind Aberdeen Animates and how the idea grew from a simple conversation to a dedicated platform for local animation talent. Chrissy met with co-founders Aleksandra Clunas and Zara (Zee) Weston at Gaelic Lane café, the perfect backdrop for a conversation about creativity, connection, and community.
The article shines a spotlight on:
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Why Aberdeen Animates was created and the gap it aims to fill in the North-East’s creative landscape
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How local graduates often feel they need to leave the city to find opportunities, and why we want to change that
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The community-driven spirit behind the project, from collaboration with NESCol students to support from other animation festivals
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The bigger mission: bringing people together, encouraging cross-discipline creativity, and showing what’s possible when local talent is given space to shine
Chrissy captures the heart of what Aberdeen Animates is all about: a welcoming, non-competitive space where animators, illustrators, designers, musicians, and creatives of all kinds can meet, share their work, and build something meaningful together.
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We’re incredibly grateful to Zest Mag for sharing our story and helping spread the word about this first-of-its-kind animation event in Aberdeen.
You can read the full article on Zest Mag here:
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17th November 2025
Aberdeen Animates Featured on the Seasonal Discussions Podcast!
We're excited to share that Aberdeen Animates has been featured on the latest episode of the Seasonal Discussions podcast, hosted by Chris McDonald of SZN Media.
In this special launch-day episode, Chris is joined by co-creators of Aberdeen Animates, Zara Weston and Aleksandra Clunas. Together, they talk about how Aberdeen Animates came to life and what the project hopes to bring to the North-East.
The conversation touches on:
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how Zara and Aleksandra first met during Zara’s college days
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the shared spark that led them to create something new for local animators
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how a small idea grew into a dedicated platform for micro-animation
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their hopes for the future of animation in Aberdeen and beyond
It’s a relaxed, energising chat that gives a real behind-the-scenes look at why Aberdeen Animates exists and who it’s for.
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