Horrible Horris
aka Alyssa Smedley (she/her)
Animator, illustrator, teacher and all-round dabbler, I wear a lot of hats.
I have embraced me first nickname, Horrible Horris, as my alias. The name was coined by my loving parents well before I was born, back when I was a dancy, bouncy little fetus, wiggling away to the Fine Young Cannibals and jumping at the sound of dustbin lids hitting the floor.
I am co-founder, co-director and creative at Pirate Size Productions where we develop and create content for kids, young people and families. Here, I lead the design on a whole range of different projects and am currently illustrating a graphic novel trilogy, Alpen Haüs, for Hardie Grant.
My freelance work has had me designing and animating for advertising, TV, short films and I even had a very small role in a big Hollywood blockbuster.
Apart from all this, I also do a spot of motion design for ABC News, and teach.
A bit of backstory, focusing on fine art throughout my schooling years I stomped on through my fancy pants design/animation degree, with honors. I worked at a motion design studio called Jumbla in South Melbourne for about three years. There, I worked my way up from Intern to Motion Designer, then on to become one of two Tutor/Lecturers in Jumbla Academy. From here I started teaching at both RMIT and Swinburne in animation, motion graphics and character design.
Always with a project or seven on the go, I love experimenting and making new things in all realms of art, design and craft. From crochet viking helmets, cardboard cat forts and teapot terrariums to infographic picture books, teeny tiny moles games and mini animated musicals about wearing your heart on your sleeve and your undies on the outside, you'll always find me making something.
Pirate Size Productions
I also co-direct a young company called Pirate Size Productions along with Dan Nixon and Bryony McLachlan. Together with our extended team, we develop and produce high quality entertainment for children, young people and families.
As a narrative driven studio we pride ourselves on telling innovative stories built around dynamic characters and rich worlds. We are a small, tight-knit team making big waves thanks to our unique combination of skills and talents, which we continue to hone whilst working alongside some of the best broadcasters and production companies in the world. Our vision is to tell stories that are bold, adventurous, and that audiences adore.
To find out more, have a squiz at the website or check out our socials.
