EPISODE · Mar 19, 2026 · 55 MIN
Play Your Way: Identity Creation with Mary Hawkins | Mar 16, 2026
from Monday Meeting · host Monday Meeting
This episode continues March's focus on branding and marketing strategy, with host Lee Smalt chats with Mary Hawkins about her journey as a NYC-based art director and animator.This episode covers:Career evolution and intentional pivoting: After decades of broadcast and network work for clients including MTV and Food Network, a deliberate shift toward nonprofit and non-fiction documentary animation reflected a desire for more meaningful, durable work over high-volume commercial projects.The "art director" title debate: The group explored how titles like art director, creative director, and generalist often fail to capture what motion designers actually do, and how the right title can open or close doors depending on the client.Process as strategy: Thorough pre-production — including mood boards, decks, and research — isn't just organization; it enables the right creative conversations with clients and keeps complex projects coherent from brief to delivery.Unconventional research methods: For a documentary project tied to Back to the Future, digging through physical record crates for period-accurate visual artifacts produced more authentic reference material than standard Pinterest or stock-image research.Personal work as a portfolio strategy: Passion projects like Love Letters for the Subway — a short film about NYC's subway lines — consistently generated inbound client interest, reinforcing that showing the work you want to do attracts the projects you actually want.Animation's role in documentary filmmaking: When archival footage doesn't exist, animation provides narrative coverage that's both flexible and stylistically distinctive, as demonstrated across multiple documentary projects.Real-world impact of design work: A water safety campaign for Rising Tide Effect — including subway, ferry, and bus ads — contributed to zero drowning deaths at New York City beaches in its first year.Personality as a differentiator: At a senior career stage, leading with who you are — not just what you can do — increasingly drives meaningful project inquiries, especially for clients seeking a long-term creative collaborator.Upcoming Events:Next Monday, March 23rd: Open Discussion episodeGame Night: Gartic Phone on Wednesday, March 25thNo episode Monday, March 30thVisit MondayMeeting.org for this episode and other conversations from the motion design community!SHOW NOTES:Monday Meeting PatreonMonday Meeting DiscordMondayMeeting LinkedInMondayMeeting InstagramMondayMeeting BlueskyMondayMeeting NewsletterMary's LinkedInPortfolioCompanyLove Letters From The Subway
What this episode covers
This episode continues March's focus on branding and marketing strategy, with host Lee Smalt chats with Mary Hawkins about her journey as a NYC-based art director and animator.This episode covers:Career evolution and intentional pivoting: After decades of broadcast and network work for clients including MTV and Food Network, a deliberate shift toward nonprofit and non-fiction documentary animation reflected a desire for more meaningful, durable work over high-volume commercial projects.The "art director" title debate: The group explored how titles like art director, creative director, and generalist often fail to capture what motion designers actually do, and how the right title can open or close doors depending on the client.Process as strategy: Thorough pre-production — including mood boards, decks, and research — isn't just organization; it enables the right creative conversations with clients and keeps complex projects coherent from brief to delivery.Unconventional research methods: For a documentary project tied to Back to the Future, digging through physical record crates for period-accurate visual artifacts produced more authentic reference material than standard Pinterest or stock-image research.Personal work as a portfolio strategy: Passion projects like Love Letters for the Subway — a short film about NYC's subway lines — consistently generated inbound client interest, reinforcing that showing the work you want to do attracts the projects you actually want.Animation's role in documentary filmmaking: When archival footage doesn't exist, animation provides narrative coverage that's both flexible and stylistically distinctive, as demonstrated across multiple documentary projects.Real-world impact of design work: A water safety campaign for Rising Tide Effect — including subway, ferry, and bus ads — contributed to zero drowning deaths at New York City beaches in its first year.Personality as a differentiator: At a senior career stage, leading with who you are — not just what you can do — increasingly drives meaningful project inquiries, especially for clients seeking a long-term creative collaborator.Upcoming Events:Next Monday, March 23rd: Open Discussion episodeGame Night: Gartic Phone on Wednesday, March 25thNo episode Monday, March 30thVisit MondayMeeting.org for this episode and other conversations from the motion design community!SHOW NOTES:Monday Meeting PatreonMonday Meeting DiscordMondayMeeting LinkedInMondayMeeting InstagramMondayMeeting BlueskyMondayMeeting NewsletterMary's LinkedInPortfolioCompanyLove Letters From The Subway
NOW PLAYING
Play Your Way: Identity Creation with Mary Hawkins | Mar 16, 2026
No transcript for this episode yet
Similar Episodes
No similar episodes found.
Similar Podcasts
No similar podcasts found.