Global Mechanic feels at home mixing techniques in its work, as in this image from Wrong Number Phone Message, an independent film by Bruce Alcock, which recently screened at Sundance. All images courtesy of Global Mechanic.

“We make art work” is not just a catchy slogan but represents the intrinsic core value that separates Global Mechanic from the typical commercial producer. In this age of specialization, where companies attempt to excel in one particular area of commercial production, be it animation or live-action, Global Mechanic stands apart as a production entity that can do it all — and apparently do it very well. By working in various media, they are able to blend techniques and styles with the goal of creating an emotional connection with their audience. Not tied down to one particular style of production, they feel comfortable using a range of techniques, including cel-drawn animation, 3D, CGI mixed-media, stop-motion/motion-control and live-action. Furthermore, commercial producers rarely venture into long-form or independent production. But, here again, Global Mechanic excels at both.

Bucking this trend toward specialization has served the Vancouver-based firm especially well, and the blending of the two forms has set them apart from run-of-the-mill commercial producers. Nothing points this out better than Global Mechanic’s recent expansion, setting up a new U.S. office in Boston. The firm has experienced such dramatic growth in all aspects of its business — commercials, television programming and independent film — that it has become imperative to expand both their capacity and talent base. Matthew Charde, Global Mechanic’s exec producer, who heads up the new Boston office, believes the expansion will give the firm easier access to both talent and clients. “Our presence in the U.S. will be a tremendous asset to the studio, since we will be more fully able to service our clients with an East Coast presence while at the same time broadening creative and production opportunities for our teams in Vancouver.”

Canadian natives Ann Marie Fleming (left) and Bruce Alcock (center) founded Global Mechanic in 2000. Matthew Charde serves as the company’s exec producer.

The founders of Global Mechanic, Bruce Alcock and Ann Marie Fleming, are both Canadians. Ann Marie is a native of Vancouver while Bruce hails from Newfoundland. Ann Marie, who has worked mainly in independent film, first met Bruce, a commercial animator, while using the Toronto facilities of Cuppa Coffee, an animation studio that Bruce founded. They met again some years later when Ann Marie visited another studio that Bruce ran in Chicago, Tricky Pictures. The pair decided at that point to blend their talents and their lives by getting married and returning to Vancouver where they established Global Mechanic in 2000.

“We really didn’t know how things were going to go when we came up here,” Fleming says. “I’m surprised at how much work followed us up. We started off very small as a boutique shop, and we feel now that we’re ready to expand into a larger market and bring on more directors, more producers. That’s why we teamed with Matthew, hoping that his experience on the agency side and his many years of production with Olive Jar will help us be able to do this.”