I’m humbled by the incredible amount of support I’ve received from friends, colleagues, and family over the past five years and especially this past 12 months. While I experienced many challenges in my first year as a freelance artist, I also became more confident than ever that stop-motion animation is the right industry for me.

Now that I’m doing what I love, I’ve started thinking about the future. More specifically, how I could channel my work into making a positive impact on the people around me. When I think about what I’d like to be doing in 20 years, there’s a part of me that imagines animating for feature films. But I know I’m not willing to relocate or sacrifice the quality time with my daughter to make it happen.

So I’ve made up my mind to create a broader positive impact where I already am — Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
That decision has led me to rethink my initial endeavors as a freelance artist and small business owner and ultimately led me to rebrand MTWC Animation Studio to better align with the mission and vision I’m committed to bringing to life over the next 10 years. I am now the proud Founder and Creative Director of Loud Cloud Animation Studio.

Through Loud Cloud Animation Studio I — along with a growing collection of artists — will create one-of-a-kind content that helps brands and business owners take center stage by telling unforgettable stories. Stop-motion animation is a mix of art and science. It’s most effective when artists from all types of mediums are involved. This presents a unique opportunity for Loud Cloud to spotlight Oklahoma’s thriving population of talented artists. We also want to give back by educating up-and-comers interested in the Oklahoma film industry, which will only continue to flourish. 

With plans for a dedicated space in downtown OKC, Loud Cloud will partner with local artists whenever we can, and provide opportunities to connect our community with the incredible work being done right here in our state. I also want to build on the success our state is already having in the film industry by developing an original stop-motion series produced entirely in Oklahoma. 

It’s a big dream, and there’s a lot of work to be done before we can get to that point. But with Oklahoma’s fantastic rebate program, state-of-the-art facilitates, and most importantly the incredibly talented creative folks that make up our community, I know it can be done. 

This is such an exciting time to be an artist. I thank everyone who’s come with me this far, and hope you’ll continue to support me at Loud Cloud as we build handcrafted stories and worlds.

-Mason | December 2022