Today we’d like to introduce you to Greg Walter.
Greg, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I got into animation back in 1998 with a reading tool for kids called Headsprout. That’s where I started working with the guy who later became my partner at 2Tall – Ian Mork. We did kids’ media work together for about 10 years at Headsprout and then at 2Tall. Back in the day, we both did everything: animatics, illustration, character design, and animation. But over time, we started separating our roles. I really dug storytelling, writing, and putting things in motion. Ian was way better at illustration and character design. So, by the time I started 2Tall, we had become specialists. Since then, I’ve thrown myself 100% into the Creative Director role – a role where I’ve at different times been a writer, songwriter, storyboard artist, animatic, sound designer, voice-over artist – whatever I need to get a story told.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It hasn’t been smooth, but I don’t know if that should be the goal. Comfortably moving along a frictionless path can be really bad for the creative mind – not enough struggle. We need that.
I’m a big fan of experimentation and iteration. I’ve made a career out of trying stuff out to see what sticks, and that means a ton of fails, along with our big successes. We tried multiple style and business-model reinventions before settling on our current niche in sports. Each one of them was a great learning experience, and I don’t regret anything.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m a creative director, which means I create the overall creative vision for a project, pitch the concept, and decide on the visual flow and timing. From there, I hand off the visuals to my partner Ian Mork or a guest artist. Then, the art goes to an animation team. I take all of the finished animation and I combine it to make the finished product.
The projects I’m most proud of are the ones where we had a really clear communication goal, and we spent a lot of time crafting a style, message, and visual flow that nailed that goal. When we get a client who really wants to dig into their own identity, who their fans are, and the specific story we need to tell those fans, that’s a ton of fun and a great challenge.
We specialize in hype videos for sports, but some of the work I’m most proud of is the kid’s media we used to do. I love writing songs, and I still consider my work on our Sesame Street shows (Henriyeti and the New Neighbors) to be some of my greatest work.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
I’ve got a couple.
1) For a creative director, get pretty good at doing all of the roles – good enough that you understand how they work. Then, find someone who is great at them and hire those people. I love finding people who are more talented than I am. Every decision you make needs to serve the quality of the end product, even if it means you stepping back and letting other people cook.
2) Know and respect how YOU create best. Some people can just imagine something fully formed, plan it out, and execute it to the plan. I’m a big tinkerer. I don’t know if something is really going to work until I play with the pieces and see how they fit together. So, I need a lot of room to experiment when I’m creating, moving parts around, playing with music, and timing.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.2tall.tv
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/2tallanimation
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/2tall-animation-studio
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/2tallanimation
Image Credits
Ian Mork
