Creative Process and Development
The series was directed and creatively led by me through Tool of NA, in collaboration with Upwork's internal creative team. We began by identifying key topics that represented significant hurdles for freelancers. After conducting initial interviews with a diverse group of successful freelancers globally, we selected standout stories to develop further. These stories were crafted into three individual segments through remote interviews.
Character Illustration and Animation
To visually represent each freelancer, we enlisted illustrators found on the Upwork platform, each tasked with creating a unique character and setting for their assigned interviewee. These illustrations were then transformed into animatics and fully animated, replacing the original interview footage to produce engaging, visually dynamic stories.
Anthony O., San Jose, Costa Rica
Alina S., Warsaw, Poland
Jason W, Marin County, California
Lex V., The Hague, Netherlands
MUTI Studios, Cape Town, South Africa
Gabrielle P., Publicist, Chicago
Rob A., Photographer, Ontario
Farah P., Linguist, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Kaitlyn C., Strategic Growth Consultant, London
Ed B., Voice Over Artist, Seattle
Design and Sound
Upwork member Mikey Burton developed a cohesive set of art cards including main title cards, divider templates, and lower thirds, enhancing the visual flow of each segment. One Union provided music supervision and sound effects, focusing on a quirky and playful tone that complemented the series' engaging and informative content, steering clear of a corporate vibe.
This project not only demanded extensive effort and coordination but also stands out as one of my favorites. It perfectly combined my passions for design, art direction, and animation with the opportunity to direct narrative content. Each film was polished, well-crafted, and entertaining, providing invaluable advice to freelancers. The successful outcome of this pilot has led Upwork to continue employing this innovative process and much of the same talent for creating additional content, enriching the freelance community on their platform.
