2 years of Magpie Motion: what nobody tells you about going independent (and why I'd do it all again)

Two years ago I handed in my notice, left full-time employment and started Magpie Motion. I had one child and another on the way.

Terrifying? Yes. Exciting? Absolutely. Rational? Debatable.

Two years on, I'm still here, still animating, and still able to afford nappies. So I thought it was worth marking the occasion with something more useful than a generic "reflecting on the journey" post. Here's what I've actually learned about animation, about clients, and about running a business that didn't exist two years ago.

The bit that surprised me most

I knew I could animate. I've got a degree in it and spent close to a decade working in house across agencies and edtech companies. What I didn't know was whether I could find clients, write proposals, manage invoices, handle difficult feedback, and somehow do all of that while also, you know, animating.

Turns out I could. That's probably the thing I'm most quietly proud of from the last two years. Not a specific project, but the realisation that the business side of this wasn't going to break me. That I was actually decent at it.

Nobody tells you that when you go freelance. You assume the craft is the hard part. The craft is the easy part. It's the generating invoicing at 11pm that really tests your character.

The classic freelance trap (I fell straight into it)

Here's my day one advice to myself, delivered two years too late: you are going to say yes to absolutely everything, and it is going to catch up with you.

I took on work across the board. Explainer videos, educational content, editing projects, social content, sizzle reels, talking heads. Variety has always been one of the things I love most about this job, and I'm genuinely proud of the range of work Magpie Motion delivers. But there's a difference between embracing variety and just being unable to say no.

Last month was my busiest ever. I was working until 2am most nights. Classic freelance problem, and I'm not going to pretend I've cracked it because I haven't. But it happens because people want to work with me, which, when I surface from the laptop long enough to think about it, is a pretty good problem to have.

The standard I set for my work isn't something I'm willing to compromise on. Every project gets delivered on time and to the quality I'd be happy to put my name to. The 2am sessions are the price of that commitment. Worth it, just occasionally a lot.

What making an explainer video actually feels like from the client's side

This took me a while to appreciate, and it's changed how I work.

Most clients who come to me have never had an animation made before. The process is completely unknown to them. And when I start asking for reference videos, detailed briefs, and a thorough explanation of their product, service, or subject, I can tell some of them are surprised by how much I'm asking for.

But here's the thing: they are the experts in their subject. I'm the expert in animation. Making a great explainer video is a collaboration, not a transaction. I need to understand their world before I can translate it into something visual and compelling.

The clients who get the best results are the ones who lean into that process. Who share generously, trust it, and understand that the more I know about what they're trying to say, the better the final video will be.

The numbers (because two years deserves a proper tally)

Since launching Magpie Motion in 2024:

• 4,000,000+ views generated on YouTube through client content

• 300+ bespoke educational videos created

• 35+ explainer videos produced

• 66% reduction in cost-per-acquisition for a global bank through animated paid ad creative

• Sizzle reels, social content, talking heads, and more edited and delivered

• Local charities supported with content they couldn't otherwise afford

  
  

The YouTube number is the one that still catches me off guard. When you're making animation for someone else's channel, you don't always see the reach. Seeing those numbers stack up has been quietly astonishing.

The bank stat is the one I'm most professionally proud of. A 66% reduction in cost-per-acquisition through creative alone. That isn't a vanity metric, that's animation doing genuine commercial work.

The bit I'm most irrationally proud of

Working with the Simon Squibb team over the last year. For those who don't know, Simon is an entrepreneur and influencer with an enormous audience. I've worked on 20-plus YouTube videos with his team, creating intro animations and custom bespoke elements throughout, and the engagement those videos get is staggering.

Views are a vanity metric, I know. But when your work is being watched by hundreds of thousands of people, it's hard not to feel quietly smug about it. Just to yourself. While pretending you're very relaxed about the whole thing.

Honestly? I adore it

If someone asked me right now whether going independent was the right call, with one kid, another on the way, a mortgage and absolutely no guarantee it would work, I'd say yes immediately.

I adore this job. It's the best career decision I've ever made. The flexibility, the satisfaction of landing a project, the feeling of delivering something brilliant and knowing that was entirely me. There's nothing quite like it.

Year three starts now. The ambitions are bigger and Magpie Motion is just getting started.

If you've got something that needs explaining, a product, a service, a concept, a curriculum, I'd love to hear about it.

Drop me a line at james@magpiemotion.com and let's have a chat.