From 0 to 10: Panic Speeds through a Decade of Loud Storytelling

The ever-evolving Latvian animation studio, recognised for daring creativity and visual versatility, rose from humble beginnings to the international stage by their 10th anniversary. How did they do it?

"We began with virtually no clients, international connections, or industry experience - hence, the name Panic. It was about wild leaps into the unknown,” says Panic CEO Rita Alika Šteimane. “Now it’s about a feeling you never forget - just like working with us and the stories we create. Our success is a testament to our passion, talent, and unwavering ambition. We started from ground zero but were determined to make our mark." 

As they raise a glass to this meaningful moment, Panic has created a hot new sizzle reel with a taste of all they've cooked up over the years. Of course, the undeniably offbeat humour that defines them gets woven into everything they do. See for yourself.

In 2014, founder Gints Gutmanis put a promising role at an established agency into the rear-view mirror. With two computers and a coworking desk, he set out to pursue his passion. Fast-forward to a four-person team of bootstrappers and a dedicated office space one year later. Panic attributes accelerated growth to a start-up culture mentality: move, learn, and fail FAST, then do it all again.

Strength in building solid relationships with clients and creatives has allowed Panic to stretch past their horizon, developing impactful work with global brands, like Netflix, Spotify, Google, Indeed, Walmart, Uber, and more, for projects in 30 countries worldwide. 

An array of playful, witty, serious, and impactful animations demonstrates Panic’s ability to adapt their style to fit any narrative. Putting each brand's visual language and tone of voice first ensures that every animation tells a distinctively compelling story. This intuitive take on different audiences has helped them travel beyond their backyard, touching down in places like the USA, Ireland, Switzerland, and Canada. They landed a gig with TBWA New Zealand for the biggest vitamin producer, Healtheries, and finished it with a kiwi-feel that fit right in. In another testament to their flexibility, they used an engaging, colorful, 2D illustrative approach for a Netflix workplace health and safety video project, while a Virtue by Vice campaign for Indeed's 'Smart & Small' series featured charming, puppet-like characters.  

The studio hit another major milestone in 2023, taking the stage at OFFF Barcelona in a keynote speech sharing more about their story, complete with twists, turns, and triumphs.

In 2023, Panic unleashed an overdue passion project, 'Berthold Gone Wild', to explain their creative process. In an unexpected blaze of glory, it made its mark, being acclaimed at prestigious awards such as LIA, LADC, Ciclope, Clios Award, The Shots, The One Show, and ADC. Its most recent triumph is receiving three Golds and four Silvers at the Collision Awards.

Peering into the future, Panic’s sights are set on a spot among the top animation studios globally. One key factor in their forward momentum is a refusal to pigeonhole themselves into a single style. "We push ourselves creatively every day," says founder Gints Gutmanis, who also works as Creative Lead. “There are just too many styles, techniques, and visual expressions to explore. Why copy ourselves?"