Animation studio Axis to add 20 jobs with grant funding

A Glasgow animation studio that has worked on some of the world's biggest video game franchises is to create 20 jobs after securing a £250,000 grant from Scottish Enterprise.

Culture secretary Fiona Hyslop with Richard Scott, chief of Glasgow-based Axis. Picture: Contributed

The regional selective assistance (RSA) funding, announced today by culture secretary Fiona Hyslop, will also help Axis break into new overseas markets as it aims to grow its turnover to more than £15 million by next year – treble its takings for 2015.

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Axis, which also owns sister studios Flaunt and axisVFX, has additional offices in Bristol and London to support its Glasgow headquarters at Skypark, where it is doubling the size of its offices to accommodate a headcount in the city of more than 180.

The roles being created will span comprise computer graphics artists, research and development and production managers.

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Managing director Richard Scott said: “This is an incredibly exciting time for Axis – all three of our studios and locations are growing. We’ve always had a ‘get out there and get it done’ attitude and the support we’ve received from Scottish Enterprise has helped us achieve even more.”

Hyslop added: “Scotland’s animation sector is an innovative industry with an extremely talented workforce and enormous potential for growth.

“Visiting Axis today and meeting the people working here, I can see this place is bursting with creative enthusiasm and ambition. I look forward to seeing more of their work on the big screen.”

As well as creating visuals for top-selling games including Assassin’s Creed, Call of Duty and Halo – along with the Shaun the Sheep movie – Axis has worked with the likes of the BBC, Netflix, Warner Bros and Universal Studios. Its television credits include Dr Who, Our Girl and Shetland.

David Smith, sector director at Scottish Enterprise, said: “Scotland is home to a wealth of creative and digital companies that are making a global impact.

“Axis is a great example of this as it embarks on its next phase of scaling up, which we can support with mechanisms like RSA funding. Investing in growth and competitive advantage is critical for the long-term future of Scotland’s creative industries.”

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