At just 24 years old, he’s an award winner with an international reputation. Stephen Watkins truly personifies today’s ‘young achiever’.

Proof that creativity certainly doesn’t come with age, Stephen Watkins graduated from Melbourne’s RMIT University in 2006 with a degree in communication design. His honours work was featured on motionographer.com and immediately gained him international attention. He then joined the motion design studio Gunshop in San Francisco as an art director and animation lead: overseas experience for a student straight out of university could not be a better way to start a career.

After a year in the US, the founder of highly acclaimed XYZ Studios, Tim Kentley, signed Watkins as an animation director. Joining the studio turned out to be the perfect environment for Watkins to show his creative vision.

He swept up accolades with a mesmerising two-minute television and cinema spot for World Wildlife Fund, working with Leo Burnett Sydney. The spot won Watkins a Clio, Art Directors Club New York Cube, MADC Award and AWARD Award, as well as being featured in CREATIVE's annual issue showcase. If that wasn’t enough of a career highlight, last year the young animation director went to New York as a finalist for the Best Young Animation Director in the World, and was awarded with a First Boards Award for Motion Graphics and Broadcast Designer of the Year.

The director's international recognition grew even further from there, and he was approached by Saatchi & Saatchi Beirut to direct a spot for Zain Telecommunications.

Utilising not only his animation direction skills, Watkins was flown to Lebanon to direct live action. Integrating both elements seamlessly, the result was a real success. It highlighted the ability to direct both animation and live action as an invaluable strength for any director, and one that Watkins is fast mastering.

His diversity has continued, being booked non-stop since signing with XYZ Studios to work on projects across different platforms. This includes television commercials and sponsoring the Australian film and design community by directing the agIdeas 2009 International Design Forum event graphics.

It’s obvious that Watkins is not only a skilled director but also a great storyteller, and a creator of content that engages and captivates audiences. It’s also the fluid quality and ability to roll effortlessly from one scene to the next that sets his work apart. To say that his career has had a strong start would be an understatement. Original creative flair, a constantly innovative and surprising style and simply superb work makes him a great asset to XYZ Studios and any future clients.

Finalists:

Sarah Collier

Summer Agnew