We Are Better Than This was formed by five children’s book illustrators and authors; Chris Haughton, Simona Ciraolo, Ged Adamson, Benji Davies and Momoko Abe.
Alarmed at the rise and proliferation of generative AI across the cultural landscape they came together to stand up to Big Tech. Our collective human creativity – art, photos, films, songs, poems and more – have been stolen by unaccountable tech companies without our consent and fed into LLMs, with no sign of our governments supporting us. The UK’s long-held gold standard copyright law is being eroded before our eyes at the behest of Big Tech.
WABTT don’t believe in the inevitability of this AI future.
WABTT believe that if we all come together we can force change.
Join them at WeAreBetterThanThis.co.uk
Studio Chat(On-site registration required)
Join a group session with We Are Better Than This and fellow industry peers. Sign up at the Industry Garden Info Desk, take a seat and chat about the latest developments, share experiences and connect.
Industry Walk-In(No registration required)
Prefer a more casual catch-up? Simply drop by when there’s a spot available – no registration needed.
GLEN KEANE & CLAIRE KEANE
exclusive interview with two animation legends
interview
LAIKA STUDIOS
stop-motion legends behind Wildwood, Coraline, Kubo and Missing Link
artist talk
FRAMESTORE
AMAZE.AMAZE.AMAZE: animating project Hail Mary's Rocky
artist talk
LUCAS ZANOTTO
designer, artist
artist talk
REMUS & KIKI
animation directors
artist talk
ALEXIS WANNEROY
head of character animation Fortiche
artist talk
ANA RAMÍREZ GONZÁLEZ
visual development artist
artist talk
EMANUELE COLOMBO
motion designer
artist talk
LAURIE ROWAN
director, animator
artist talk
BUCK
global creative company
artist talk
JOANNA QUINN
animator
artist talk
STUDIO AKA
animation studio
artist talk
THE LINE & JONATHAN DJOB NKONDO
animation studio
artist talk
STATE DESIGN
with founder & executive creative director Marcel Ziul
artist talk
ROSIE TONKIN
art director, modelmaker
interview
MANON LOUART
illustrator & motion designer
artist talk
VINCENT SCHWENK
3D artist
artist talk
YONK
VR sculpting 3D animation studio
artist talk
BLUE ZOO
animation studio
artist talk
LOEK VUGS
designer, animator, teacher
artist talk
MOTION HATCH: WHAT’S ACTUALLY WORKING RIGHT NOW TO GET CLIENTS
interview
interview
THONIK
design studio
artist talk
CLIP STUDIO PAINT DEMO BY DEXTER ISAAC
illustrator
demo
WACOM DEMO BY AMY ADCOCK
join this dneg animation character modeller for a wacom demo
demo
STUDIO AKA EXPO: PICARAMA
unique piece from their graphic novel Picatopia
expo
CRAFT SESSION: WONKY MONSTER BY CAT JOHNSTON & NEIL SIMPSON
create your own posable paper puppet
Atelier
CRAFT SESSION: CREATE A MIXED-MEDIA SEQUENCE WITH ALICE ISAAC
animate your collage!
Atelier
EAT MY SHORTS
animated short film night
film screening, Q&A
BEST OF STASH 2026 (SO FAR)
curated screenings by Stash
film screening
3DTOTAL SHOP
pop-up bookshop with signing sessions from Gretel Lusky, Ramon Nuñez & Loish!
books
INDUSTRY GARDEN
chats, panels, talent scouting and more!
industry garden
INDUSTRY PANEL: HOW STUDIOS REALLY FIND AND HIRE FREELANCERS
with Steve Waugh, Tom Allen, Susie Joseph, hosted by Motion Hatch
panel
INDUSTRY PANEL: NEW TECHNOLOGY AND MOTION DESIGN: RATES, PIPELINES AND WHAT CLIENTS ARE ASKING FOR
with Franco Ballester, Vincent Schwenk hosted by Motion Hatch
panel
INDUSTRY PANEL: WHERE CREATIVE WORK IS COMING FROM IN 2026
with Santiago Avila, Kieran Argo and Bart Yates, hosted by Motion Hatch
panel
INDUSTRY PANEL: USING CRAFT AS YOUR COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE
with Justin Jegat, Cat Johnston, Erwin van de IJssel, Izzy Barszcz, hosted by Motion Hatch
panel
PORTFOLIO REVIEWS
brush up your portfolios!
portfolio reviews
MEET & GREETS
meet the artists!
meet & greet
FACE 2 FACE
hosted by Oana Nechifor and Sonia Vivo Sarria from Creative Brunch
chat and doodles
CALLIPEG BOOTH
try out the 2D animation software
partner
WACOM BOOTH
try out new products, join demos and aks your questions
partner
AFTERPARTY 16+
afterparty
GET TO KNOW OUR VENUE: BARBICAN CENTRE
a world-renowed arts and learning hub in London
venue
THE CREATIVE MEET-UP OF THE YEAR
right at the heart of London
WORKSHOP & MASTERCLASS: HOW TO SMASH YOUR PITCH (SOLD OUT)
by My SMASH Media
masterclass
WORKSHOP: PRODUCTION DESIGN THINKING WITH NELSON LOWRY (SOLD OUT)
from sketch to cardboard model
workshop
WORKSHOP: RETHINKING MOTION DESIGN WITH EMANUELE COLOMBO (SOLD OUT)
interactive by design
workshop
CRAFT SESSION: CREATE A MIXED-MEDIA SEQUENCE WITH ALICE ISAAC
animate your collage!
Atelier
CRAFT SESSION: WONKY MONSTER BY CAT JOHNSTON & NEIL SIMPSON
create your own posable paper puppet
Atelier
INDUSTRY GARDEN
chats, panels, talent scouting and more!
industry garden
PORTFOLIO REVIEWS
brush up your portfolios!
portfolio reviews
KOTO
creative company
industry garden, industry walk-in, studio chat
COFFEE & TV
creative studio
industry garden, industry walk-in, studio chat
TVPAINT
frame by frame, idea by idea - connect with the team from TVPaint
industry garden, industry walk-in, studio chat
BLINKINK
production company
industry garden, industry walk-in, studio chat
THE FILM AND TV CHARITY
independent charity for everyone behind the scenes in film, TV and cinema
industry garden, industry walk-in, studio chat
SCREENSKILLS
industry-led skills body for the UK screen industry
industry garden, industry walk-in, studio chat
ESTÚPIDO ESTUDIO
creative studio
industry garden, industry walk-in, studio chat
BBC CREATIVE
agency
portfolio reviews, industry garden
BFI NETWORK
cultural charity, National Lottery funding distributor
industry garden, industry walk-in, studio chat
AARDMAN ACADEMY
animation training program
industry garden, industry walk-in, studio chat
DNEG
creates visual effects, animation and creative technologies for film, TV and immersive content
industry garden, industry walk-in, studio chat
BUFF MOTION
motion-first creative studio in Brighton
industry garden, industry walk-in, studio chat
UAL: LONDON COLLEGE OF COMMUNICATION
educational institution
industry garden, industry walk-in, studio chat
STUDIO AKA
animation studio
industry garden, industry walk-in, studio chat
COVERT
creative studio
industry garden, industry walk-in
NOT TO SCALE
industry garden, industry walk-in, studio chat
TOM FISHER
Compositor & VFX Supervisor
portfolio reviews, industry garden
WE ARE BETTER THAN THIS
industry garden, industry walk-in, studio chat
VINCENT SCHWENK
3D artist
portfolio reviews, industry garden
DYLAN WHITE
animation director
portfolio reviews, industry garden
