Nicole Stafford is a 2D animator and designer currently based in Los Angeles. She works primarily for commercial studios in the city, combining this activity with the creation of independent music videos and animated short films, where she explores a more author-driven and experimental approach.

She trained at the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) and later at Gobelins, l’école de l’image (Paris), two of the most prestigious animation schools in the world. During this period, she became part of the creative collective Souviens Ten-Zan, made up of twelve international artists and currently represented by Passion Pictures Paris, from where they develop both commercial projects and their own films.

Throughout her career, Stafford has worked as a director, co-director, lead animator, or creative director on projects screened at major festivals such as Sundance, Berlinale, and Annecy. Among her most notable works is the short film The Hork (2022), selected for the Sundance Film Festival, where it competed for the Short Film Grand Jury Prize, and also nominated for Best Short Film at the Denver Film Festival and CineFest – Miskolc International Film Festival, confirming her international presence on the festival circuit.
She has also collaborated on acclaimed productions such as Solar Walk (dir. Réka Bucsi), LOVE, and Hang On to the Night, and has contributed to series and projects with major cultural impact such as Adventure Time (Cartoon Network) and Scavengers Reign (Max / HBO Max). In 2021, she created the opening film for TEDx Sydney and developed animated segments for Rihanna’s Savage x Fenty fashion show on Amazon Prime.

Her work is characterized by expressive animation, a highly defined graphic identity, and a remarkable ability to move between industry work and independent creation without losing a distinctive voice, establishing her as one of the most compelling figures in contemporary international animation.