Art Bakmanidis Celebrates 10 Years at GIG Health
August 5, 2024

What initially drew you to the world of healthcare creative animation/editing, and how has your passion evolved over the past decade?
While I initially wanted to be a scientist, I found that science moves quite slowly and it was not as fulfilling to someone with a short attention span like myself. So I transitioned into the world of healthcare PR as a communication consultant. Along the way I discovered my passion for creativity and specifically video production, which I eventually turned into a full-time career. Now what I do perfectly combines my love for science, healthcare, video production, creativity and psychology…the perfect balance between right brain and left brain thinking. It no longer feels like ‘work’ to me, it’s who I am.
Reflecting on your journey, what have been some of the most memorable projects you’ve worked on, and why do they stand out to you?
My favourite projects are always the ones where we try something new and different to what has been done before. Like when we created a patient-facing mode-of-action animation using claymation, and had to learn how to manipulate clay models frame by frame. Or like this minimal and conceptual animation for breast cancer, which while simple on the surface is deceptively complex and required me to leverage my background in music to create a custom music track to match every key moment in the animation. But what I mostly enjoy are the fun side projects, which are not limited by client/medical/regulatory restrictions, like the HIV rap song that I created in my spare time, or when I rallied the video team to create our last instalment for Movember called ‘The Last Ride’ collaborating with a rock band who were launching their new album.
In what ways has the healthcare industry transformed since you first started, and how have these changes influenced your approach to animation/editing?
When I started (17 years ago), social media was still called ‘new media’ and clients were still very hesitant to do anything online. While now organic online reach is always a key goal, which ultimately changes the way we design and animate/edit for modern audiences with short attention spans. We now focus on unique, thumb-stopping content that has instant visual appeal. Grabbing attention is also not enough, we have to find effective ways of maintaining attention with good storytelling, dynamic framing and transitions, unique perspectives, etc. The hardest challenge is to persuade and inspire action, in 90 seconds or less. I have also really enjoyed seeing healthcare clients become more open to creative ideas, and have the courage to challenge their medical teams to defend cool healthcare video concepts.
Can you share a particular moment or achievement from your career that you’re especially proud of?
I would say that one of the most rewarding moments in my career was the creation of a docu-drama style short film on a type of acquired hospital infection. Creating any kind of hospital drama in healthcare is challenging and rare, because hospitals are notoriously difficult places to get permission to film in, particularly if working with immunocompromised patients. So for this particular project we worked with a specialist hospital studio (A&E room, wards, waiting rooms, etc), we hired and briefed real doctors and nurses to play the treating team, we worked with actors and expert make-up artist to create realistic cancer-patient make, and created an extremely impactful and rewarding film that made the CEO of the pharma company shed a tear and give a standing ovation. The level of detail that the A&E room sequence required was monumental, as it needed to be medically correct, using the right machines, equipment, in the right order, while also looking cinematic. To create an authentic real-time patient experience, as if the audience was there just as it all happened. Frustratingly we never got permission to use the project in the public domain or submit it for awards, but it will remain one of the most challengingly rewarding projects I have ever led.
How have your colleagues and mentors contributed to your growth and success over the past 10 years?
One of the things I enjoy about my career is the opportunity to develop my team. I take a lot of pride building personal development plans for everyone, championing discovery time and inspiring the team to adapt a strong creative culture. We hire slow and it’s great to see every single team member to be on the same page. I understand that the only way that I can be successful and achieve my goals, is to help enough people around me to achieve THEIR goals. The great work we do today, our growth as a company and the success we experience are the result of the culture and processes we have built together. I am also extremely grateful to our GIG managing director (Tim Gomersall) for taking a chance on me when I was still a young account manager, and giving me the space and freedom to be myself.
What advice would you give to aspiring animators/editors looking to make their mark in the healthcare creative field?
Be infinitely curious and never stop learning. Ask questions, challenge the brief, never accept mediocrity. Make it Better.
Beyond the projects and deadlines, what do you value most about being part of this industry and your role within it?
I value the fact that everything we create makes a difference to someone. Whether it’s a patient speaking to their doctor sooner, identifying their symptoms, getting an earlier diagnosis, prescribing a better treatment and getting better outcomes. It makes all the extra effort we put in, the hard work, the late nights, all worthwhile. I could never see myself working in the consumer field, selling shoes or fizzy drinks, it’s just not me.
Looking ahead, what excites you most about the future of healthcare creative animation/editing, and what aspirations do you hold for the next chapter of your career?
GIG Health is about to turn a corner and evolve from a white label content house, to a full healthcare creative agency. Which means bigger clients, better budgets, full ownership of creative campaigns, and more opportunity to innovate and make an impact.