Independent Welsh design studio earns second Emmy nomination

Jules Millward

Roughcollie, an independent design, animation and visual effects studio is heading to Los Angeles this weekend for the 78th Emmy awards, after receiving its second nomination for Outstanding Title Design.

The bilingual studio, which is based in Cardiff, has been recognised for its work on Apple TV+ show Murderbot, two years after receiving its first Emmy nomination for the title sequence of Lessons in Chemistry.

Founded in 2002, Roughcollie is made up of Ben Jones, Rob Cawdery and Phil Davies, and has worked on productions for broadcasters and studios in Wales and internationally, with credits including American Horror Story and work for S4C.

Rob, who was creative director for Murderbot title sequence said their first nomination in 2024 came out of the blue and that this second nomination was just as unexpected.

“It wasn’t something we were thinking about, so it was a surprise and pretty mind-blowing.

“We’ve become aware of how hard it is to win a nomination and there’s a huge amount of great work from around the world that didn’t make the shortlist so it’s just as unexpected and satisfying this time around.”

For Murderbot, Rob, Ben and Phil worked alongside LA based studio MakeMake (formerly Elastic), who have previously created title sequences for Game of Thrones, The Crown, and Westworld.

Their relationship with MakeMake came through Hazel Baird, the creative director on both Lessons in Chemistry and Murderbot, whom the Roughcollie team know from London,

Rob said that Roughcollie can work across the whole process from initial concept through to design, animation and visual effects.

He added that the growth of remote working has also opened more opportunities for the Cardiff studio to collaborate on productions around the world.

“We recently worked on a project where people were based in Australia, the USA, Turkey, Greece and us in Cardiff. This means work can be happening 24hrs a day and by the time you wake up the client has fed back on the work you did the previous day, so there are advantages for the production company.”

The concept for the Murderbot title sequence grew out of the show’s central themes of sentience, identity, and freedom, with the team also drawing on its portrayal of autistic experiences.

Rob Said: “Another challenge was to prelude a series which is action packed but enthused with colour and sardonic humour. We wanted the sequence to explore profound themes whilst not taking itself too seriously.”

“There was a very small team on Lessons in Chemistry, mostly just us working with Hazel and our regular producer Mitchell Fraser. On Murderbot the team was a little bigger and we worked with some great people who helped with tasks like storyboarding, additional design and modelling.”

Rob believes that their work on Lessons in Chemistry also helped establish trust with Apple TV+ which led to them securing Murderbot.

Roughcollie is producing work in Cardiff that ends up on some of the biggest television shows in the world, but there was a time when working at that level meant having to leave Wales.

Rob said decades ago, those in the industry would have to work and study in London to learn the necessary skills but that remote working has helped to change the opportunities available from Wales.

He added: “When we started out you had to live where the work was which meant cities like London. Even when we started Roughcollie in Cardiff, we were still doing a lot of travelling whilst building up a client base. Remote working and social media have changed that.

“There are great companies here, producing outstanding work. We benefit from the foundational presence of S4C and the presence of many TV, film and animation production companies, some with a truly global presence such as Bad Wolf.”

He added: “We feel incredibly fortunate to work in Welsh one day and with people from all around the world the next.

“Whether we win or not, it’s special experiencing it with Hazel, they’re a great Creative director and person who inspires confidence and brings people with them. They’re so consistent, they really deserve the win.

“We feel immensely proud to be representing Wales on the global stage. Our partners accompany us to LA and it’s nice to all share in the Hollywood experience as friends.

“I think we’re glad we’re winning nominations in the Autumn of our careers; it definitely keeps things interesting over a long career and might keep us a bit warmer through the AI winter.”

The 78th Emmy’s happens over two weekends, with Roughcollie’s category being announced on September 6. You can watch the Murderbot title sequence here, or watch the full series on Apple TV+.

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