Making Characters Work

Wednesday 11 Nov 2026 - 13:15
Bridgewater Hall - Barbirolli Room
Runtime: 60 mins (approx.)

Characters have always been powerful. Creating connections, building recognition and giving audiences something to care about. As audiences move across social, apps and new digital spaces, the opportunities for characters to work are expanding.

From platforms creating their own characters and animation to established IP finding new audiences in new places, character is a powerful tool for engagement, brand building and commercial growth. Understanding how to make characters work across these spaces is what our panel is here to do as we assemble experts to explore the evolving role of character in entertainment and advertising as well as apps, platforms and social media.

How do we make characters work harder? How far can we take them? And what does this new landscape mean for the future of character, animation and audience engagement?

Guests

Tom Judd

Tom is an Associate Creative Director at Duolingo. Previously co-founder and ECD of Animade, a London animation studio that made the world more characterful. Before that came Illustration at Manchester Met and Animation at the RCA. A long-standing love of code and interactive work runs through it all. Early claims to fame: an eyebrow hat, and a project that inspired Beeple.

Kenny England

Kenny England is an award-winning digital strategist with 15 years’ experience leading campaigns for top broadcasters and brands. He’s worked with ITV, BBC Studios, and Lifted Entertainment on major titles like Love Island, I’m A Celebrity, Top Gear, and Saturday Night Takeaway. Now as Director of Digital, Social and Communities at Aardman, he oversees digital strategy for brands including Wallace & Gromit and Shaun the Sheep.