London-based animation and VFX studio Jellyfish Pictures has promoted executive producer Will Newis to global head of production for animation as it starts work on several new films and series. 

Promoting Newis is part of a broader expansion plan playing out at the company right now. Well-known for its service work on titles such as Dennis & Gnasher: Unlashed (Beano/CBBC), Floogals (Nevision/Universal Kids), Spirit Untamed and How to Train Your Dragon: Homecoming), the company has also been building out its slate of originals over the last few years. 

These proprietary projects include the animated series Wereworld for Netflix EMEA and Lime Pictures, as well as CG-animated series Stan & Gran (52 x 11 minutes), which Milkshake! ordered in July. And Jellyfish Pictures is also producing a 2025 Netflix film called The Twits, based on the same-name Roald Dahl book. 

Newis joined the studio in March as an animation executive producer. Before that, he worked at London-based VFX company MPC for more than eight years, managing effects on big-budget films such as Paramount’s Transformers: Rise of the Beasts and Disney’s Disenchanted. 

In his new role, Newis is tasked with overseeing production teams at Jellyfish Pictures’ studios in London and Mumbai, the latter of which just opened last November. He’s working with animation creative director Archie Donato to keep quality up, manage the overall production strategy and develop talent.