Animation Pipeline Engineering That Actually Understands Production
After 20 years building Mercury Filmworks’ production pipeline—working on shows like Hilda, Kid Cosmic, and The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse—I know the difference between IT consultants who optimize servers and engineers who understand what happens when a director requests revisions at 4 PM on a Friday.
We help animation studios eliminate bottlenecks, automate repetitive workflows, and build tools that production teams actually want to use.
The Problem We Solve
Your studio is growing. Your pipeline isn’t keeping up.
Sounds familiar?
- Asset handoffs between departments take hours instead of minutes
- Artists spend more time managing files than creating animation
- You’re scaling up for a new project, but your tools weren’t built for this size
- Remote teams are struggling with VPN performance and file access
- Your IT team is excellent at infrastructure, but doesn’t speak “production”
- You’re evaluating Toon Boom Harmony, ShotGrid, Ftrack, or other tools—but not sure how they’ll integrate
You need someone who’s been in the trenches of production and knows how to build systems that actually work under deadline pressure.
What We Bring to Your Studio
20 Years of Production Pipeline Experience
Not theoretical consulting. Real-world experience optimizing workflows for episodic TV animation at scale:
- Managed pipeline for 300+ artists across multiple simultaneous productions
- Built custom Harmony tools used daily by production teams
- Optimized render farms, asset management, and cross-department workflows
- Supported remote production long before COVID made it necessary
- Worked directly with Directors, Production Managers, and TDs to solve real production challenges
We don’t just optimize your infrastructure. We understand your production.
We start by talking to the people who actually use your pipeline.
- Directors and supervisors (What slows down creative decisions?)
- Production coordinators (Where are the scheduling bottlenecks?)
- Artists (What tools are frustrating vs. helpful?)
- IT/TDs (What’s breaking under load?)
Output: Comprehensive assessment identifying your top 3-5 bottlenecks, ranked by production impact
Based on 20 years of seeing what actually works:
- Quick wins (automation that saves hours immediately)
- Medium-term improvements (tool development, workflow redesign)
- Long-term strategy (infrastructure upgrades, platform migrations)
We prioritize based on production value, not technical elegance.
Output: Detailed implementation roadmap with timeline and expected efficiency gains
Depending on your needs:
- Custom tool development (Harmony scripts, pipeline automation, asset management integration)
- Workflow optimization (redesigning handoffs between departments)
- Infrastructure upgrades (render farm optimization, storage strategy, remote access)
- Training and documentation (so your team owns the improvements)
We don’t just deliver solutions and disappear. We ensure production teams actually adopt them.
Output: Working tools, optimized workflows, documentation, and trained staff
Studios run on tight deadlines. We offer:
- Regular check-ins during implementation
- Responsive support when issues arise
- Ongoing optimization as your production scales
- Strategic planning for future projects
We’re not your IT department—we complement your existing team by bringing deep animation production expertise.
Our Core Services
Pipeline Optimization & Workflow Design
- Asset management system implementation (ShotGrid, Ftrack, or custom solutions)
- Cross-department handoff automation (Storyboard → Layout → Animation → Compositing)
- Scene planning and shot tracking optimization
- Render farm configuration and optimization
- Remote production workflow design
Custom Tool Development
We build our own products, so we understand the full software development lifecycle:
- Toon Boom Harmony scripting (automating repetitive tasks, custom import/export, batch processing)
- Pipeline automation (file organization, naming conventions, version control)
- Integration tools (connecting Harmony with asset management, render farms, or other software)
- Workflow automation via n8n (automating notifications, file movements, status updates)
Infrastructure & Performance
- Toon Boom Harmony performance optimization (hardware specs, settings, best practices)
- Network and storage strategy (NAS, cloud storage, hybrid approaches)
- Remote access solutions (VPN alternatives, secure file sharing)
- Hardware purchasing guidance (workstation specs, render nodes, storage)
- Performance benchmarking (identifying bottlenecks before they impact production)
Security & Compliance
- Pipeline security audits
- Access control and permission strategies
- Data backup and disaster recovery planning
- Compliance with client security requirements (Disney, Netflix, etc.)
Why Studios Choose Us
Production-First Thinking We don’t optimize for technical perfection—we optimize for getting episodes delivered on time.
Deep Harmony Expertise 20 years working with Toon Boom Harmony means we know its quirks, limitations, and how to make it sing.
We Actually Build Software We’re not just consultants who write reports. We write code, build tools, and ship products.
No Vendor Lock-In We recommend the best solutions for your studio—whether that’s commercial software, open-source tools, or custom development. We’re not reselling products.
Available When You Need Us Project-based engagements, ongoing retainers, or emergency troubleshooting—we work how studios actually operate.
Who We Work With
Ideal Studio profilesNot theoretical consulting. Real-world experience optimizing workflows for episodic TV animation at scale:
- Mid-size to large studios (30-300 artists)
- Toon Boom Harmony-centric pipelines (our specialty)
- Studios scaling up or starting new productions
- Studios with remote or distributed teams
- Studios evaluating new pipeline tools or workflows
Let’s Talk About Your Pipeline
No pressure. No sales pitch. Just a conversation about your production challenges.
We’ll discuss:
- What’s working well in your current pipeline
- Where the bottlenecks are
- What quick wins might be possible
- Whether we’re a good fit for your needs
Schedule a 30-minute consultation:
Or email directly at: inquiries@cleverthinkingsoftware.com
About Dexter
20 years at Mercury Filmworks building production pipelines for Disney, Netflix, and other major clients. Now helping other studios benefit from those hard-won lessons.
When not consulting, I design and develop apps and games. That’s right: I can’t help but code on my spare time too. It keeps me sharp, and forces me to dabble in the art side of things. My proudest achievement would have to be Paper Trade (a mobile game teaching stock trading mechanics). However, as a first side-project, Maps Address Book (location-based contact management) turned out to be the perfect training wheels for producing a mobile app from start to finish. Our co-founder did the coding, I did the design – and that turned out really well indeed.
You can also contact me on LinkedIn.
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