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Issue #69 | October 12th, 2025

Hey Reader 👋
​
​I’m writing this on a quiet Sunday morning. Later than usual. Normally, I try to have this wrapped up before the weekend even begins—but this week? Life had other plans.

Coming back from Bali, I was filled with energy. September was shaping up to be the month where everything clicked into place for Animator Now. The vision was clear. The excitement was real.

And then… things got messy. Not in a bad way. Just in a very human, very ambitious, very overloaded kind of way.

Somewhere between client calls, content drafts, and a pile of unfinished ideas, I lost track of what I was building. Just for a moment. But enough to feel that fog roll in—that moment where the to-do list drowns out the why.

If you’ve ever tried to build something from scratch—be it a business, a course, or even just a habit—you’ve probably been there. It’s easy to get lost. That’s why it helps to have someone else hold the compass for a while.

Luckily, I had that. A good friend and accountability partner from my mastermind group sat down with me. We didn’t talk strategy. We talked clarity. What came out of that chat was simple but powerful: You already have enough. Start from there.

So here we are.

The Animator Now Community is officially launching on October 24th.

Fun fact? That’s also my birthday. 🎉

We’re starting small, but strong. Two live sessions every week. Feedback, reviews, themed discussions, exclusive podcast episodes, and a community of animators who care deeply about this craft and about carving their own paths.

It’s not perfect. It’s not “ready.”
But that’s kind of the point.

You don’t build something great by waiting until it’s done.
You build it by beginning.
Together.

💥 Early Bird Discount: If you join in the first week, you’ll get 60% off the founding tier — just $29/month (instead of $79), and that price is locked in for life. That means no matter how the community grows or prices change in the future, your rate stays the same.
​​
​Want to make sure you don’t miss that first-week 60% discount? Just sign up for a quick launch reminder — I’ll send you a heads-up the moment doors open. 😊

Get the 60% OFF reminder!

If you’ve been thinking about stepping out of the studio treadmill and into something more aligned with your creative goals… this is your moment.

Let’s begin.🥳

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The Spotlight

I’m literally writing this as I’m watching the film for a second time — because, honestly, it’s just that good. 🤯
​“Second to None” is a brilliantly executed, award-winning stop-motion short with something you rarely see in stop-motion: actual laugh-out-loud comedy.

​

The story is delightfully twisted: when Frederick’s twin brother is declared the world’s oldest man — by a single minute — Frederick decides he’s not going to settle for second place. So he sets out to reclaim the top spot… through increasingly ridiculous murder attempts. 🩸
And the best part? None of them work.
​But each one is more absurd (and more hilarious) than the last.

Before we even get to the chaos, though — the intro is just perfect. Instead of using a voiceover or plain exposition, the film opens with a beautifully crafted visual sequence: a wall of framed newspaper clippings, medals, and certificates. All mechanical, methodical, and just slightly obsessive. It sets the tone immediately and gives you just enough context: the rivalry, the eccentricity, the fact that Frederick is clearly some kind of inventor… all of that, conveyed in under a minute. 👌

The animation is flawless. The timing, the facial expressions, the physical gags — everything lands. And it leans into its dark humor without hesitation. A bit of blood here, a lot of sibling rivalry there… it’s like Wallace & Gromit meets Final Destination, and somehow it totally works.😅

From the character design to the pacing to the storytelling, everything is just tight. You can tell this was crafted with love and a lot of guts (literally and figuratively).
​
If you need a laugh — or if you’re in the mood for something that feels perfectly timed for spooky season — don’t miss this one.

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The Job Fair

• ​3D Animator - Triband
  ​Do you love bringing quirky ideas to life, like giving a toaster a personality — the kind that make people laugh, tilt their head, or go “wait, what?” Do you thrive when you’re collaborating, bouncing around funny concepts, and helping a team tell visual stories that are dumb in the smartest way possible?
  ​
• ​Long Form Video Editor - Family Friendly​
  "Family Friendly" is a Yoututbe channel that juxtaposes a playful title with a not-so-family-friendly approach, drawing in viewers with its comedic but edgy content. The channel showcases a blend of prank videos, social experiments, and lifestyle content, often with a “not safe for work” twist. Titles like "Presenting Offensive Companies To Strangers" and "We Exposed The World's Most Haunted Ship" signal a penchant for shock value and humor. This combination creates engaging, shareable content that resonates with a wide audience, appealing particularly to younger viewers eager for entertainment that pushes boundaries.
  ​
• ​3D Animator & Rigger - ANANZIY DEFENSE LABS​
  ​ANANZIY Defense Labs is a defense technology research and Development think tank with a mission to transform African and allied military capabilities with advanced technology at the local level. By bringing the expertise, technology, and business model of the 21st century's most innovative companies to the defense industry, ANANZIY is changing how military systems are designed, built and sold. ANANZIY's family of systems is powered by an advanced operating system, an Al-powered operating system that turns thousands of data streams into a realtime, 3D command and control center. As the world enters an era of strategic competition, Ananziy is committed to bringing cutting-edge cyber security, autonomy, Al, computer vision, sensor fusion, Biotech, networking technology, and advanced weaponry to the militaries in Sub-Saharan Africa within months, not years.​
  ​
• ​2D Animators - Five Ducks​
  ​Requirements: Solid experience with 2D animation productionStrong knowledge of Animate and/or HarmonyCreativity, attention to detail, and ability to work collaboratively with the teamIf you’re passionate about animation and would like to join an exciting project, we’d love to hear from you! Please send your CV, portfolio, and showreel to accademia@fiveducks.it
• ​

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The Random Stuff

• I’ve been exploring Dia, a slick new AI-powered browser in the same spirit as Comet (for Perplexity) but designed as an Arc-native experience. Think of it as ChatGPT baked right into your browser, but beautifully minimalist and clean — even better looking than Comet. I got early access before Comet but couldn’t quite figure out what it was doing… until now. I’m probably still only using 10% of it, but it’s promising — especially if you love Arc like I do. Definitely one to watch.
• I use a calculator every day, and let’s be honest… the default ones on Mac or PC get the job done, but not much else. Enter Numi — a smart, notepad-style calculator I’ve used for years. You can type things like “20% of 1550”, or mix notes and math in the same line, and it just works. It’s searchable, keeps your history, and feels more like a thinking tool than a math app. Super lightweight and genuinely useful.
• I’ve been using my iPad a lot lately to work on Animator Now — note-taking, sketching, planning. But I’m starting to crave something even more minimal: no distractions, no colors, no apps. Just writing and thinking. The Remarkable 2 has been on my wishlist for a while now. It’s basically the anti-iPad: an e-ink tablet made for notes, reading, and deep work. There’s a color version now (the Paper Pro), but honestly? The simplicity of the original is part of the appeal. Might be time to finally grab one…

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Philippe Duvin​
Founder, Animator NOW

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