From graduates to guest speakers: Alumni return for Animex festival

From speakers to designers, Teesside alumni play a leading role in this year’s celebration of animation, games, and VFX at Animex Festival.

Time is ticking as we gear up for Teesside University’s annual Animex Festival, and this year’s speaker line-up is nothing short of inspiring. Among the impressive roster of creatives are seven talented alumni, each generously giving their time to share insights, experiences, and expertise with current Teesside students.

It’s fantastic to see so many alumni staying connected to Teesside and continuing to support the next generation of creatives. Their involvement leaves a lasting impact, not only on our students but across the wider creative industries.

Meet our Alumni that are involved:

• Jack Chapman (BA (Hons) Computer Games Design, 2016) – Principal Level Designer at Auroch Digital

• Oliver Walker (BA (Hons) Indie Games Development, 2018) – Director at Oliver Makes Games Ltd and Course Leader at Met Studio Brighton.

• Matt Houghton (BA (Hons) Computer Games Design, 2018) – Narrative Director & Level Designer at Observer Interactive.

• David Paget (BA (Hons) Digital Character Animation, 2010) – Expert Character Concept Artist at That’s No Moon

• Anton Juntunen (BA (Hons) Concept Art, 2021) – Concept Artist at Rebellion

• Grace Ruyin (BA (Hons) Concept Art, 2023) – 2D Artist and Animator at Myth Studio

• Nicholas Patrick Kelana (MA Concept Art, 2021) – Concept Artist at Brainbug Design

This year’s mascot design was also created by alumnus Dennis van Kessel (BA (Hons) Concept Art, 2020), who shared: “From sitting in the audience at Animex as a student to running workshops and offering portfolio reviews as an industry professional, I’ve participated in Animex in multiple ways over the years.” Dennis’s journey is a powerful example of the ongoing connection and support that defines our alumni community.

Save the Date: Animex Festival 2025 will take place from 16-21 November in the newly opened Digital Life Building at our Middlesbrough Campus. For all information and tickets, click below.

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