About US

Animated For Impact was created by impact storytelling studio, RAN.

Driven by a love of nature and a desire to deepen our connection with it, the studio draws on over two decades of combined experience - crafting events, digital campaigns, film, and animation for world-leading brands - to tell stories that benefit people and the planet.

  • I’ve been making animation for TV series, commercials, and feature films for more than 15 years, working with start-ups, large studios, world leading brands, and everything in between. After graduating in Character Animation from Central St Martins (University of the Arts London), in 2011, I moved to Shanghai, where I played my part in the explosive growth of the Chinese animation industry, worked with DreamWorks, ran a production company, and won an array of industry awards for craft and creativity along the way.

    I’m passionate about supporting young people in their creative development by giving them access to educational opportunities that I’d have loved to have growing up, and I’ve enjoyed passing on knowledge to thousands of students at dozens of art schools, universities, training companies and high schools, in China and Europe. My mission is to guide young and older minds - and the talents of visual artists - towards telling stories that make a difference for people and planet.

CHRIS COLMAN

  • I was born in Germany to Malaysian and Vietnamese-Chinese immigrant parents, and grew up with a deep appreciation for resilience, adaptability, and the power of storytelling, shaped by the histories and traditions my family carried with them.

    I went on to amass over a decade of experience as an executive and creative producer in advertising and digital communication, leading multimedia campaigns for brands like Nike, Coca-Cola, Airbnb, and Adidas, spanning animation, digital, and experiential media.

    After many years helping brands tell their stories, I began to question how my work could create positive impact for people and the planet. That journey led me through ventures in sustainability and creative fundraising, and ultimately to founding RAN Collectives, Asia’s first impact-driven creative collective. I believe creativity and storytelling, with the power to shape how we see, feel, and act, are essential, and too often overlooked, means of driving real world change for good.

YANYIE TRAN

TEACHING & WORKSHOPS

We design lectures and masterclasses for participants at all stages of their creative journeys, from working professionals to postgraduate and undergraduate students, as well as high school learners. Our teaching encourages exploration, experimentation, and the discovery of individual creative voices, and is shaped by playfulness, humour, and imagination.

We have delivered lectures and workshops internationally across Europe and Asia, working with leading art schools, festivals, and cultural organisations

Animated For Impact at Green School Bali

Animated For Impact has been delivered at Green School Bali, and at both London and Bangkok Climate Weeks.

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

Chris has taught at dozens of educational institutions across China, Southeast Asia, and Europe. His lectures and masterclasses explore the intersection of storytelling, animation, the creator economy, and personal creative development, offering first-hand guidance on navigating both local and global animation industries. He also regularly reviews portfolios and provides one-to-one career guidance.

Schools & International Schools

Dulwich High School Suzhou
Beijing Huijia Private School Beijing
HD Beijing School Beijing
Kang Chiao International School East China Kunshan
RGS Guildford Nanjing
Wycombe Abbey School (WASNJ) Nanjing 
Wenzhou Foreign Language School Wenzhou
Tianjin Yinghua Cambridge International School Tianjin
Thomas School Jinan
Shandong Experimental High School Jinan
Jinan Xinhang Experimental Foreign Language School Jinan
Canadian International School Hefei
Kang Chiao International School Hefei
Shanghai United International School Hefei
Hefei No.1 Middle School International Department Hefei

Universities & Higher Education Institutions

Central St Martins, University of the Arts London
GOBELINS Paris
Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA) Beijing
Beijing Film Academy Beijing
Beijing Technology and Business University Beijing
Shandong University of the Arts Jinan
Soochow University Suzhou
Southwestern University Chengdu
Shanghai Institute of Visual Art (SIVA) Shanghai
Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology Nanjing
Northwest University Xi’An
ACG Arts Exhibitions Xi’An, Hefei, Beijing, Nanjing, Suzhou, Shanghai

“Chris’ lecture created a bridge for students to engage with the animation industry. As a seasoned master in the field, he drew on his personal journey and representative works to guide the session, explaining the core challenges of animation creation, introducing fundamental industry knowledge, and skilfully inspiring students to reflect deeply on their own growth. The entire lecture was both educational and enjoyable, and it was widely praised.”

— Zhang Renjie
Deputy Principal, International Division
Wenzhou Foreign Language School

“Chris delivered an insightful lecture on the animation industry, showcasing several high-profile projects he has worked on. His professionalism and inspiring approach left a lasting impression on our students.”

— Shaun Clark
Course Leader, MA Character Animation
Central St Martins, University of the Arts London

“Chris came to CAFA to give a lecture with his itabag that is full of sparkling ideas, witty animations, precious experiences and a lot of passion. Our students all enjoyed it and left inspired.”

— Qi
Associate Professor
Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA), Beijing

MASTERCLASS DESIGN & FACILITATION

RAN develops bespoke workshops and masterclasses for charities, conferences, and cultural organisations. We have also facilitated workshops for brands we believe in, including Yanyie becoming the first licensed facilitator in China of the now-iconic Climate Fresk workshops.

ON THE EDGE - INDONESIA

  • RAN is currently collaborating with UK charity and media production studio On the Edge.  Working on the ground in Flores, Indonesia with fishing communities over more than a year, we’re training and mentoring a cohort of local young storytellers in storytelling and content creation skills.

    Partnering with marine conservation NGO Thresher Shark Indonesia, starting with a comprehensive workshop and continuing with ongoing professional guidance and content co-creation, the project seeks to unleash participants’ creativity and bring their stories to life through film and animation, with the ultimate goal of shining a light on endangered mobula rays, and tackling unsustainable fishing practices by steering fishers to alternative methods and livelihoods.

  • We created and facilitated a professional masterclass in collaboration with VOGUE China for creatives, directors and producers at one of Asia’s leading advertising industry festivals, ADFEST in Thailand. The masterclass introduced participants to the concept of CG metahumans, provided cutting-edge case studies, and supported them as they created their own virtual avatar and metaverse application.

ADFEST - THAILAND

CLIMATE FRESK - CHINA

  • Through her self-founded climate communication start-up, Yanyie and her partner became the first Climate Fresk representatives in Mainland China, delivering the now-iconic sustainability workshop to leading brands, schools, and institutions nationwide.

    Participants included:

    > L’Oréal, Shanghai
    > AmCham Shanghai (American Chamber of Commerce)
    > CCI France Chine (Chambre de Commerce et d’Industrie)
    > Club Med, Shanghai
    > United World College Changshu
    > Shenzhen University
    > Sino-European School of Technology of Shanghai (UTSEUS)

CONFERENCES, FESTIVALS, TELEVISION

Chris is an active international speaker across Asia, Europe, and the US, contributing to industry discourse through publications such as Variety, television appearances, panel discussions, and invited lectures and keynotes for governments, institutions and festivals.

CREATIVE INDUsTRY

Animation / Film / Social Content / Illustration / Digital Campaigns / Experiential / Augmented Reality (AR) / Virtual Reality (VR) / Gaming Applications / Projection Mapping

Between us, we bring more than 20 years of top tier digital media production experience.

From 2018 to 2024, Chris was executive producer of start-up animation production company, Final Frontier, in Shanghai, collaborating with top tier directors and artists to craft exceptional content in all techniques for the world’s biggest brands.

Yanyie specialises in working with leading agencies and media production companies including Unit9, Pixomondo/The Hype, Wieden + Kennedy, Jam3 and Wonderlabs on marketing and advertising projects across multiple mediums and applications, including animation, digital, experiential, and social media content.

Airbnb - Fù
3D Animation

Coca Cola - CNY 2022
Game, Social, Mobile

Adidas - Love Unites
Film

Lego - May the 4th be with you
AR, Mobile

BMW - Bilibili Launch FiIm
Mixed Media Animation

Nike - Sneaker Slam
Interactive

Chris worked with DreamWorks’ China venture, the studio behind Over the Moon, Abominable, and parts of Kung Fu Panda 3 to build their global network, taking him across Europe and North America to find and mentor artists, engage with leading studios and schools, and curate outstanding new work from around the world.

“I worked closely with Yanyie and Chris on some groundbreaking projects in China that were only able to succeed due to their professional nature and their high level of aptitude for navigating complex commercial and social relationships. Their support has repeatedly played a major part in my personal successes over the years. Not only are they are proficient at any project they do, but they are also lovely people. It’s always an absolute pleasure to work with them.”

— Ray Fu, Creative Producer
Vice / Airbnb / Vogue