AICP Digital: Going Deeper

Photo by Mark Sebastian

When the Association of Independent Commercial Producers (AICP) announced the formation of a new chapter, AICP Digital, we wondered what impact that might have on motion graphics, animation and visual effects studios and freelancers.

Thanks to Motionographer’s Bran Dougherty-Johnson, we set up an interview with AICP President and CEO Matt Miller and President, Commercials Division and Executive Producer of Digital Domain, Ed Ulbrich, who has helped make AICP Digital a reality.

If you’re not sure whether or not this is relevant to you, don’t worry: it is. As Ulbrich says in our interview, “This should be of really critical importance to the individual, because their quality of life and their livelihood and their pay indirectly is determined by that relationship between these design companies, these animation shops, these visual effects studios, these web development houses—and the relationship with their clients.”

Many of our questions about AICP Digital revolved around rising issues regarding labor practices. “Labor is one of the great ticking time bombs of the motion graphics and design world,” says Ulbrich. “And it’s [about] getting the companies to have awareness of their obligations under the law and employees understanding what’s appropriate.”

Check out the interview here. It’s also available through iTunes, along with our other podcasts.