Former Alliance Atlantis Communications post-production supervisor Gregor Hutchison, along with partners Peter Sander and Diana West, recently launched Upper Story, a new production entity aimed at commercial and long-form animated work. Sander, previously executive in charge of animation at aac, left the company in the wake of post-merger layoffs.

Upper Story recently completed its inaugural commercial assignments with a series of spots for Astral Yogurt through agency The Wolfe Group as well as a spot for Beatrice. The shop was responsible for production on the spots, bringing in Calibre Digital Pictures to animate the utensil characters in the Astro creative and enlisting Spin Productions on the Beatrice spot.

Hutchison says the new company will handle a broad spectrum of formats and styles of work. The Astro spots incorporate a realistic 3D animated look while the Beatrice effort is more along the lines of traditional animation, a kind of New Yorker look, he says.

The company will remain a compact unit initially, using freelance talent and gear on projects as needed. ‘The objective is not to have hardware, it’s to work with the people who have hardware,’ says Hutchison.

The company also has a number of long-form animated concepts in development.

Sander West, a company formed by Sander and West, also has projects in development which will fold into the Upper Story if they proceed to a production stage.

Hutchison and Sander had worked together at Alliance Communications on the pilot for animated series Rescue Heroes, a project which later went to Nelvana. West also worked on that project, as a writer.

Hutchison is also working on long-form projects as a post supervisor through his company Epilogue Pictures.