Office With a View: David Burke chose Travis Knight’s Laika because the stop-motion animation house is ”going into places nobody thought was possible for the medium“
Ireland native David Burke, Laika Studios chief marketing officer and SVP of business operations, came to the Oregon-based animation house in 2019 from a longtime role as Universal Pictures general manager for the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Now he’s overseeing the growth of Laika, best known for its stop-motion feature films “Coraline,” “ParaNorman,” “The Boxtrolls,” “Kubo and the Two Strings” “Missing Link” — as well as the upcoming fantasy adventure “Wildwood,”The voice cast includes major stars such as Carey Mulligan and Mahershala Ali. It is directed by Travis Knight, company president.
The executive declined to divulge the details. “Wildwood” budget but called it the studio’s most ambitious project to date. (Laika’s most expensive film to date is 2019’s “Missing Link”With A reported budget of $102.3 Million.
Burke said he joined Laika because of Knight’s singular vision.
“There isn’t anyone, to my mind, who is delivering stories on this scale in this medium,”He said. “[Laika is] taking the medium forward and pushing it forward, going places that nobody thought was possible for the medium.”
He spoke with about how the behind-the-scenes process of Laika’s stop-motion innovations has become as much a part of the marketing process as the stories and characters onscreen.
“We are looking at ways we can tell great stories via our behind-the-scenes content,”The executive stated.
Laika is making its mark on Los Angeles in a big way in October with a screening series of Laika’s entire filmography in new 4K remastered versions at the Academy Museum of Motion PicturesThis culminates in a 10th anniversary screening on Oct. 30 “ParaNorman”(Plus, you can cosplay in a dress from “Coraline” “ParaNorman”They will be invited to screenings, panels, and family activities. Laika also has partnerships with New York’s Museum of the Moving Imageand other cultural institutions. Why is it that museums are a great place to connect with Laika fans?
In 2017, we did an exhibition with the Portland Art Museum, which was the museum’s most successful exhibition in its history. We also have a really exciting partnership in the works with the British Film Institute, that we’ll be announcing more details on soon, and there’s a big exhibition going live for us in February of ’23, which will tour globally after its year-long run in a major American city. These artifacts can be seen, as well as these sets and these handcrafted puppets. [The exhibition]It attempts to give a complete overview of all aspects involved in creating a stop-motion film. [Visitors]You should feel energized and able to leave with an enhanced sense of satisfaction.
Laika’s Hillsboro campus, Oregon, is 350,000 square feet. It is located just outside Portland. It is possible to turn this into a tourist attraction.
Tours are often requested by our staff. [but] we don’t have the infrastructure to do that. Instead, we’re focusing our time and energy and effort on working with big cultural institutions that have experience in executing exhibitions. They have the right skill set.
Resin 3D printed faces. LAIKA has created a database with millions of facial expressions. Courtesy Laika Studios
Laika is also very successful in social media. Not because of celebrity voices but because of her insider view of stop motion.
A compelling story is what makes a North Star. But platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Pinterest are experiencing a boom in this type of creator economics. Young viewers at home and viewers at home are taking control of their creativity and creating their content. As a result, they’re really interested in finding out: What is the story behind the scenes? Laika is ideally placed to benefit from that, I believe.
How can this be?
[We have]Our five films contain thousands of hours worth of behind-the scene footage that is just as valuable as the treasures they yield every day. When our editors’ work debuts on our platforms, I mean, people go wild. In the early days of TikTok, we were averaging 3 or 4 million views on that video showcasing the work that went into creating Norman’s hair, or making Coraline’s cardigan. The Laika hashtag has reached over 590 million views … It gives us a chance to showcase what we do in the studio.
How to create Mr. Link “The Missing Link”/Courtesy Laika Studios
Through its Laika by Makers Program, Laika connects with creatively inclined fans (#LAIKAbyMakersYou are a talented artist who is able to create drawings, jewelry, and other products. Tell us about your experience.
We are very much cognizant that we are a community of creatives, that’s a core aspect of our DNA. We were looking for an opportunity to do so. [independent]Our platform allows creators to use our IP and showcase their work. And it’s been really successful, because they’ve reported significant increase in their followers and their follower growth, and they’ve been able to improve sales [of items inspired by Laika films]. We want to build relationships with the creative community outside the studio. This will allow our movies to facilitate that connection and inspire them to greatness.
