The Book of Toad
“When tired at last, he sat on the bank, while the river still chattered on to him, a babbling procession of the best stories in the world, sent from the heart of the earth to be told at last to the insatiable sea.”
“I'm such a clever Toad.”
Director Joanna Susskind alongside theatre director and writer, Matt Addicott and Rhona Mathieson of Starcatchers, during the wrap party of “This Sucks: The Movie” at our studio in Ruthann Lane in Glasgow.
Well I couldn’t have put it better myself, Toad. My muse, my inspiration, the one I’ve looked to in times of doubt - Mr Toad led by example. His words, but more-so, his actions, have served me well. Mr Toad had it all, the house, the car, the money, but one day, he decided that it wasn’t enough, and that stuff was just stuff. He wanted to see real things and meet real people — to live life to the fullest! He ditched the lot and hit the road in his canary yellow gypsy caravan. He had never travelled alone and was all but streetwise.
Inspired by the slimy, wee, green fella, I took a giant leap of faith and ditched my well-paid-yet-uninspiring first job. I set my sights on YOU. Creative people, stories, ambition, lust, music and a want for connections and communication,
We’ve been through a lot at TC but we’ve never looked back. Every day is a school day, as they say. We spent 10 years with open doors, welcoming in creatives to work with us, all under one roof. Power in numbers! Inspiration and motivation were par for the course. Running our coworking space was an amazing time and I met some of the most best people you can hope to meet, some of whom I’m now lucky enough to call close friends. Together we created over 100 films and animations for different companies, clients and individuals.
When lockdown began, I knew that TC would need to take a turn…
The coworking space is now closed, but Toad’s mission is still crystal clear. Our coworkers, colleagues and friends are still here. Creating special content and imagery, stuff that really speaks to you and leaves a lasting impression is what we’re here to do.
As of late 2022 Toad’s Caravan has taken up new residence at The Hidden Lane in Finnieston. A beautiful amalgamation of small businesses, artists and musicians, we’re delighted to be part of the community here. Our focus is on story-telling (perhaps with a bit of education tucked in there too), always depicted in new and interesting ways. The studio is fully equipped with a green-screen, stop motion stages and recording/filming kit for animation.
We will be hosting stop-motion and special effects workshops for kids and adults in the coming months so keep an eye out, or subscribe to our newsletter to stay in the know. We are currently working on an independent animated film project, but will happily consider new commissions if the project is right, so drop us a line, if you want to chat…