Tenant Spotlight – Meet Greg Walter of 2Tall Animation

Written by Innovate New Albany@InnovateNA8 years ago

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Greg Walter is the founder and “bossman” of 2Tall Animation, a creative communications studio that opened its doors in 2012. They write and produce short animations that teach, promote brands, and get great ideas into the world that people will actually watch and remember.

An art major in college, Greg learned animation on the job at a kids’ educational media company in Seattle called Headsprout. There he put his creative talents to work writing songs, art directing, and doing voice work. When Headsprout got bought out and laid off their internal art team, he took that as a sign that it was time to go out on his own.

What are you good at or known for?

Our specialty is custom musical animations – like a modern day School House Rock, but a School House Rock that’s not just for kids. Our super-power is blending messaging with catchy tunes and fresh animation.

What is the smartest move you’ve made so far as a business owner?

Being good at every part of doing what I do (writing, character design, creative directing, sound effects, music, animation) and then systematically finding people who are better than I am at each of those things and making them part of the team.

What is your biggest mistake?

Trying to grow the company without really asking myself “why?” – a blind step forward that I tried to take because I thought it was what I was supposed to do. It actually made us worse at what we do, and it’s a mistake I learned a lot from.

If you had one piece of advice to give a new business owner, what would it be?

Be strategic. Know where you want to go and systematically pivot off of every opportunity that gets you closer to that goal. Build the skills you need to get to that goal. Be patient but relentlessly moving forward – if only by inches at a time.

How has your business grown and changed since it first started?

We’ve grown from me as basically a solo freelancer, to a team of three. We’ve grown from being just an animation studio that does visuals for other agencies’ projects, to a creative studio that specializes in a full creative package for clients. We’ve gone from relatively unknown clients to big brands like NASA, the US Forest Service, and Sesame Street.

How long have you been a tenant at Innovate New Albany?

About 3 months.

What made you decide to become a tenant at Innovate New Albany?

We are a virtual company. My other two partners are in Seattle and Brisbane. So it’s just me here in the Columbus area. I really wanted to be in a hub of activity where people are doing interesting things.

What do you love most about working/living in New Albany?

It’s a great environment with really cool people. It’s also a community that is really pushing forward and constantly looking to improve and grow. I’m all for that 

Innovate New Albany, the city’s incubator for technology startups, entrepreneurs and small businesses, features 16,000 square feet of space within the New Albany Business Park’s Signature Office Building, 8000 Walton Parkway.