Culture & Studio
How we work at Sunrise, from our Cape Town headquarters to our global remote team.
Inspire Through Story
Our passion is to create stories that inspire the world — “Arc de Triomphes” of the film world, built with a vision for scale and a drive for attention to detail and quality. Stories that stand out and ignite the imagination.
We believe the process is even more important than the product. The way we work as a team matters more than the films we make. Each person brings a valuable personal story, and as those stories connect and flow together, the whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts — a beautiful tapestry of different colours and threads woven together.
Who Are We
We love people, adventure, fun, creativity, pushing boundaries, and daring greatly.
The acronym HBD — Here Be Dragons — was added to old maps to mark the unchartered waters where sailors believed dragons inhabited. We want to bravely sail beyond those signs and navigate new waters and horizons.
“Certainty of death, small chance of success. What are we waiting for?”
— Gimli, The Lord of the Rings
How We Work
Sunrise is a hybrid studio. Our headquarters are based in Cape Town, South Africa, and our team works across multiple continents and time zones. We’ve designed our workflows around trust, clarity, and remote collaboration so people can do their best work wherever they are.
We care more about ownership, integrity, and doing the work well than about where or how it gets done. Clear communication, well-defined ownership, and respect for deep work are central to how we operate, whether a team member is in the studio or working remotely.
For those based in Cape Town, our Noordhoek studio is a creative home base. It includes animation workstations, a sound recording studio, music composition facilities, and a screening room, everything we need to develop, make, and share stories together.
A Studio Built on Trust
Creative work requires vulnerability. People do their best work when they feel safe to explore ideas, make mistakes, and learn in the open.
At Sunrise, we start from a place of trust. We maintain it through consistency, integrity, and care for one another. We aim to be a place where people are respected for both their craft and their character, and where collaboration matters more than credit.
LET’S GO: Our Values
These five values guide how we work together. They are not slogans — they are expectations we hold ourselves to, especially when the work is demanding.
Live Courageously
We take creative risks, make thoughtful decisions under uncertainty, and face challenges with honesty rather than avoidance.
Explore Creativity
We give people the freedom to experiment, contribute from their own perspective, and pursue better ideas wherever they come from.
Turn up the Fun
We take the work seriously, not ourselves. We value play, curiosity, and joy as essential parts of the creative process.
Seek out Humility
We celebrate each other’s contributions, share credit generously, and put the success of the team ahead of individual ego.
Generous HEART of Family
We act with integrity, care for one another, and bring our whole selves to work.
Humility · Effort · Attitude · Respect · Teamwork
Growing People, Not Just Projects
We believe great films are made by people who are continually learning. Growth at Sunrise happens through mentorship, feedback, and shared responsibility, not competition.
We encourage people to deepen their craft, broaden their perspective, and take ownership of their work. Progress is measured not only by technical skill, but by collaboration, reliability, and the way people contribute to the team around them.
Working With Care
Animation is demanding work. We take sustainability seriously, for the studio and for the people who make the work possible.
We aim to plan well, communicate early, and avoid unnecessary crunch. While there are seasons of intensity, we believe long-term creative excellence depends on balance, honesty, and care for personal lives beyond the screen.
A Global Team, A Shared Culture
Our team spans cultures, backgrounds, and disciplines. What unites us is not geography, but a shared commitment to story, craft, and mutual respect.
Whether someone joins us for a single project or builds a long-term career here, we want their time at Sunrise to be marked by meaningful work, strong relationships, and pride in what we make together.