Allison Dressler Kramer is a partner and executive producer at Hero4Hire Creative, a full-service animation studio. They specialize in 2D animation, motion graphics and mixed media for children’s television and brands/agencies. “But”, says Kramer, “we really do everything from scripts and storyboards to sound design and VFX. Outside of client work, we have a slate of original content in development right now.”

Let’s find out more from Kramer about her company and work practices…

You wear different hats. Can you talk about what that all entails?
Anything and everything. I will sometimes script projects or oversee creative. But the absolute favorite part of my job is coming up with concepts, especially for our original IP. I also spend a good portion of my time overseeing budgets and schedules and the business side of Hero4Hire.

What would surprise people the most about what falls under your various titles?
As an owner of the company, everything falls under my title. Although I don’t draw when it comes down to it, but if we need a designer or animator, it is my responsibility to make sure we find the best person for the project.

You said your favorite part of the job is creating original IP. What’s your least favorite?
Anything to do with insurance or taxes.

What is your most productive time of the day? Morning. I have three young children, so my day starts three hours before I turn on my computer. By late afternoon if the caffeine hasn’t kicked in, I’m fried.

How has the COVID shutdown affected the way your studio has been working?
Early in the pandemic, we made the decision to transition to a 100% work-from-anywhere studio. We still maintain an office, but our artists and producers are scattered across the country. We’ve found that the remote studio concept is a huge selling point, bringing top-quality talent that wants to make amazing things from wherever they already live.

Do you see some of these workflow changes remaining with us going forward?
There’s always a need for face-to-face collaboration, but we’ve found the most important thing is to have everyone using the same communication channels. We just did our first-ever company retreat so most of us could meet in person for the first time.

If you didn’t have this job, what would you be doing instead?
Journalist or talk show host. I have a natural curiosity and while I don’t love answering questions, I do enjoy asking them.

Why did you choose this profession?
I always loved television and theater. In college I wanted to be an actor, but after interning for the children’s series Zoom and Radio Disney and spending a semester in the Disney College Program, I realized I might be able to make a career out of children’s entertainment.

Can you name some recent projects your company has worked on?
We’ve been doing a lot of work for Sesame Workshop that has garnered over 30 million views online, including Magical Car Races and Abby’s Advice. We’ve also done spots for everything from student loans to the NFL. Hero4Hire’s next step is hopefully getting into the original content creation game, with multiple series and films in the works.

Name three pieces of technology you can’t live without.
My iPhone, my MacBook Air and my Zoom lipstick.

What social media channels do you follow?
Hero4Hire makes a point of following our clients; it’s always great to see our work out in the wild. We also follow our peers to keep up with the latest trends and congratulate our friends’ successes.

What do you do to de-stress from it all?
I walk and pet my dog, sometimes at the same time!

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