Ethics Over Opportunity, Part 1: Public Figures We’ve Had To Turn Down

"We see whiteboard animation as a way of democratising knowledge and sharing the ideas that help us all understand and build a better, fairer world." - Andrew Park

We’ve loved working on everything from the rules of golf to the physics of black holes. We've illustrated the ideas of amazing minds and attended frankly ... unusual voiceover sessions. We do our best to work with everyone who reaches out to us, but while we're open to a lot, we do occasionally say no. This happened the other day, and it got us thinking about some of the more memorable times we’ve had to say no. Some of these we look back on with a tinge of regret, and others we stand by. So, join us for a minute as we go down memory lane and revisit some whiteboard animations that never quite made it.?

First stop: a rejection we have no regrets making. The results of Brexit have spoken for themselves, and it’s not that we were against explaining it. In fact, we did so for BBC News, when we created a neutral video that simply laid out the facts about the EU ahead of the referendum. But when Teresa May, then UK prime minister, asked us to make a whiteboard animation explaining her Brexit deal that put it in a positive light, we had to say no. We had no problem explaining the Brexit deal May was putting forward, but we couldn’t create an explainer animation that said something we couldn’t support. Whatever May’s deal included, it would never have been as good as simply being a part of the EU.

One time we’ve said no and later had to question ourselves just a little is when Tony Robbins approached us. At the time, we weren’t quite sure what Robbins wanted to share with the world, and we were perhaps over-cautious. But looking at Robbins' mission and his work since then, it’s clear that he has helped many people to shift their perspective and think bigger, drawing on knowledge from far and wide to produce his books and work. So, maybe we were a little hasty, and we hope there is an opportunity to work together in the future.

We were less sad about turning down “Weird Al” Yankovic. He essentially asked us to make a whiteboard animation music video for a song which represented whiteboard animation negatively. Now, as whiteboard animation pioneers who believe strongly in its power to share great ideas and help people learn, Yankovic's brief was one we simply couldn’t get on board with. We’re proud of whiteboard animation and the millions of people it has informed and inspired.

We were honoured to be approached by Deepak Chopra. Chopra continues to raise interesting questions about the world we live in from his perspective as a practitioner of meditation and a prolific author who has covered topics such as AI, consciousness and well-being. We love illustrating insights like these and the light they can shed on bigger issues. It would have been great to collaborate with Chopra, but our animation studio schedule at the time was just too full. Maybe next time, Deepak?

"We’ve loved working on everything from the rules of golf to the physics of black holes. We’ve illustrated the ideas of amazing minds and attended frankly ... unusual voiceover sessions." - Andrew Park

We see whiteboard animation as a way of democratising knowledge and sharing the ideas that help us all understand and build a better, fairer world. It is packed with educational and visual storytelling tools that allow us to connect with viewers as we make even the biggest ideas accessible and understandable. So, of course, we’re guided by our code of ethics when it comes to how we use whiteboard animation and who we work with. This can mean saying the occasional ‘no’, but as this list shows, it’s not always an easy decision.

Whenever we can, though, we like saying ‘yes’ and if you have an idea or service you’d like to explain, or a message you’d like to share, it would be great to hear from you. Simply book a free strategy call today, my team and I look forward to meeting you!