Welcome to Artist Spotlight #002.

Get up close and personal with the Golden Wolf crew. From the projects that defined them to the chaos that inspires them, we’re diving into the minds behind the magic to see what makes ‘em tick.

Next up, we have our Associate Creative Director, Mathieu Durand.

Mathieu is a seasoned Creative and Motion Graphics artist with a successful freelance career spanning many years, becoming an integral part of the Golden Wolf team in 2022. His expertise in Motion Graphics, Design, and Developing Technologies continues to be an invaluable asset to our team and clients. Mathieu's recent projects include work for high-profile clients such as Fortnite, FanDuel, and Lunar Crush, showcasing his ability to deliver exceptional results across a diverse range of industries and applications.

Describe Your Style

My directing style changes with every project, but my golden rule is always to tell a story. Animation lets you shape every frame, so the storytelling possibilities are endless. For Coke Frozen, we spent so much time figuring out how to visually capture a brain freeze and ended up creating seven mini worlds, each with its own logic. It was insanely cool. What makes directing so rewarding is working with a team of talented people, all pushing in the same direction to create the best commercial animation out there. That’s what makes every day so enjoyable.

Inspo & Ideas

I’m a huge fan of Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s approach to storytelling. They use "But... Therefore" to link events, making everything feel reactive and connected. I try to bring that into my shorts and commercials. I love the idea of escalation: starting with a simple concept and letting it spiral into something wild. My theatre background taught me that comedy and drama both thrive on taking one idea and pushing it further and further. Since commercials are usually under a minute, you’ve got to pack a lot in, so keeping the core idea simple and building on that is everything.

Where It All Began

I’m a '90s French kid so I grew up with the best TV program ever, Le Club Dorothée, if you know you know! Watching Dragon Ball Z, Ranma 1/2, Saint Seya and Captain Tsubasa after school was the best moment of my day! I never thought of animation as a job, it was just a really cool thing with the best stories. I’m really happy that I get to be part of that cool thing now!

Favourite Project

Directing Dead By Daylight: Sinister Grace was hands-down the best project of my life, no contest! Our client gave us total creative freedom to go wild with a gore-packed 2D short, which, let’s be honest, is every filmmaker’s dream. We took the original designs and reimagined them with a bold, 2D-driven aesthetic that would pop in animation while staying true to the artwork's spirit. The goal was to keep the core of their vision but give it a fresh, cinematic identity. I loved diving into the Krasue’s story and the eerie Thai folklore behind it. And to bring that vision to life with an insanely talented team? Absolute bucket-list stuff. Tick!

Personal Work VS Commercial Work

My personal and studio work are like two sides of the same coin, each fuels the other! I love mixing 3D, 2D, live-action, typography, anything really. The best part is thinking of a cool frame or animation and building it from scratch. I create these little worlds with their own hidden backstories, filled with weird characters. Personal projects let me take my time. Painting textures, designing characters, crafting backgrounds, that’s where I get lost, no rush. And all of that directly inspires my commercial work at Golden Wolf.

The Future of Craft in Animation

Honestly, it’s hard to predict the future of craft in animation. New tech emerges every second, and the pace is both exciting and overwhelming. But what keeps me hopeful is the collaboration. The animation industry thrives on teamwork. Nothing happens without the talent of storyboard artists, designers, animators, compositors, and everyone else involved. Bouncing ideas off the team at Golden Wolf, seeing how everyone’s skills come together, that’s what makes the future so exciting. Tools come and go, but it’s the people who bring the stories to life.

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Contributors:
Mathieu Durand, Associate Creative Director
⁠Pixie Barnes, Marketing Manager

Contact Us:
⁠Golden Wolf | hello@goldenwolf.tv