We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Maddie Wagg. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Maddie below.

Maddie, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Owning a business isn’t always glamorous and so most business owners we’ve connected with have shared that on tough days they sometimes wonder what it would have been like to have just had a regular job instead of all the responsibility of running a business. Have you ever felt that way?

Yes, the stakes are higher, the challenges greater, and the skill set required continually expanding. However, I take pride in being an artist and a versatile leader across the entire business. Of course I do sometimes daydream about my early days as an employee. I cherished the ability to immerse myself in a single creative task for days on end, entering flow state easily. However, as I progressed into roles like creative director and manager, that luxury of tuning out and honing into one thing was no longer feasible.

Actually the effort, stress, long hours, and pressure are not significantly different from what I experienced as a creative director in a salary role, but the added joy of building something from the ground up, creating a brand, cultivating a unique culture – all align with my vision of a fulfilling and happy life.

In a nutshell, while I enjoyed my time in salary roles, the challenges and responsibilities of running my own company bring a sense of fulfillment. Building and shaping something of my own is immensely rewarding, and it resonates more with my passion and idea of a good life.

Maddie, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Sure! I’m from a sheep farm in rural Australia, where my childhood was a mix of farm adventures—running amok, riding motorbikes, fishing, and helping. In the midst of this, I discovered my passion for drawing and painting. Growing up in an isolated environment, creativity was a companion during the quiet times. Later university was a choice between painting or design. Despite my dream of becoming an artist, I opted for design, at the time foreseeing a potentially more stable career path.

Equipped with a degree, I entered the world of motion design & visual effects, initially working at TV Networks and later post production facilities. Twelve years later, I am fortunate to own a studio in LA, Moonwalkers Motion. Our specialization is crafting motion design and visual effects for TV shows, documentaries, features and branded content. For entertainment, our work encompasses opening title sequences, logos, graphics and visual effects, along with branded content. To try and describe our services simply, we handle the visuals for anything not shot in camera. Some work I’m proud of would be the opening title sequence for What Happened Brittany Murphy on HBO and the visual effects for The Thing About Pam where we painted snow into over a thousand outdoor shots for Renée Zellweger’s latest TV show on HBO.

What sets Moonwalkers Motion apart is our commitment to delivering premium content for our clients. We work to foster genuine relationships with clients and artists, enjoying the process of creating premium quality art with a great balance of focus and fun all while relishing the creative process.

Our success so far is a testament to the exceptional work produced by the Moonwalkers team and the vibrant relationships we maintain. I take pride in the balance we’ve struck between delivering top-notch results and creating an environment where clients are happy and artists thrive. I want the world to know that at Moonwalkers Motion, we don’t just create visuals; we build experiences, and we’re passionate about making every project a collaborative and enjoyable journey.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

At Moonwalkers, our mission is to entertain and make an impact through visual storytelling. Beyond providing an escape, we seek collaborations with clients who share our dedication to educating through entertainment, with docuseries being a prime example. The name ‘Moonwalkers’ is close to my heart, inspired by the little astronaut icon on my favorite surfboard. This fun little symbol encapsulates for me the exhilaration of surfing which also charges my creative process.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

One significant pivot in my journey was transitioning from the Australian industry to the dynamic landscape of Los Angeles. I was happy in Australia, working on creative projects for large TV networks. The projects were fulfilling, the teams had a fantastic culture, and I had a network of friends among my co-workers and from home. Life felt good. However, my desire for new experiences and challenges led me to Hollywood. The decision to move to LA was not an easy one, especially considering I had no existing connections here, neither in my career nor socially. At the time, I had just completed the graphics package for Survivor Australia, produced by Endemol Shine. I reached out to the Australian head of post-production at Shine, with whom I had developed a close working relationship. Aware that Shine had a presence in Los Angeles, I asked if she could recommend me to any contacts in the States.
This simple question turned out to be a pivotal moment. It led to my appointment as the Creative Director and Head of Department for Burnish Creative, a post-production company across the pond. The catch was that the department didn’t exist yet, and I was entrusted with the task of moving to LA, starting the department and building a team from scratch, establishing clients and a brand new social network.
Despite the enormity of the undertaking, I was excited at the time and am incredibly grateful for the opportunity now. That decision not only led to the successful establishment of my career as a creative director but also laid the foundation for Moonwalkers Motion.

I’ve now got a  wonderful group of friends and colleagues which is a testament to the power of embracing change and trusting in the unknown.

Contact Info:

• Website: [email protected]
• Instagram: @maddiewagg
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/maddie-wagg-1a39555a/
• Other: www.maddiewagg.com