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H.E. Luca Gori, the new Ambassador of Italy to Serbia, together with Fabiana Urbani, Head of the Economic and Commercial Office of the Italian Embassy in Belgrade, visited Iervolino Studio for the first time! We were more than happy to welcome our esteemed guests who came to meet our team, see what we do, and witness the expanding potential that our studio has.

The Italian Embassy in Serbia has been supporting our projects and co-productions since our very beginnings, and now, after two years of existence, our achievements are clear for everyone to see. As a company with Italian heritage, being a subsidiary of Iervolino & Lady Bacardi Entertainment (ILBE Group), Iervolino Studios is the perfect result of good practices and relations in the cooperation between Italy and Serbia and our long-term friendship.

During the visit, our guests were introduced to our team of creatives, artists and innovators, and got a tour of our studio in-detail, which was crowned by an exciting talk about future projects and events, and a discussion about the bilateral film co-production agreement between Italy and Serbia, which will boost our cooperation in the cinema industry.

One of our major missions, and that of H.E. Luca Gori, is to contribute to the partnership between Italy and Serbia and to invest in the development of animation, not just through cooperation with the Serbian local community, but with the Italian academic community as well. Through the support of initiatives and projects in the field of animation, we are creating new opportunities for Serbian and Italian artists and creatives and bringing about innovation in our industry which is a key part of our vision.

“I’m very happy with what you are doing here in Serbia. I was sure that your work would be really interesting to me and this visit has confirmed it. Thank you so much.“

(H.E. Luca Gori, Ambassador of Italy to Serbia)

From the desire to further strengthen the partnership and collaboration between our two countries, the Italian-Serbian Film Festival in Belgrade emerged, and will take place again this year in late October. This year’s edition of the Italian-Serbian Film Festival will be a major event as it will showcase an important upcoming biographical film portraying Italian culture, with ILBE Group, our parent company, as the movie’s producers.

Our dear friend Gabriella Carlucci is the founder and director of the festival, which promotes young Italian and Serbian talents, and is a meeting place for authors, producers, actors and distributors. It represents a unique opportunity for the audience to enjoy contemporary works of Italian and Serbian cinema, as well as for professionals in the film sector to learn about available funding opportunities. 

We look forward to future projects and collaborations with our friends and partners from Italy which will promote Italy in a creative and contemporary way while also promoting Serbian culture through the work of our artists; and we eagerly await the Italian-Serbian film festival which is only a month away.

Iervolino Studios celebrates its 2nd birthday! Just 2 years after the founding of our studio, we have managed to achieve something that was difficult to imagine: thanks to the talent, imagination and passion of our team and to the growth and progress of the largest animation studio in the region, the work of Serbian artists and creatives is now reaching millions of people around the world. What was once a dream is now reality.  

Our Studio  

After just two incredible and successful years, we operate in two cities, Belgrade and Novi Sad. One studio, two locations, measuring over 1,500 square meters. Today, almost 150 artists, talents and experts from Serbia are working on original projects watched by millions around the world in a uniquely designed studio, equipped with the latest technology, a safe virtual environment, with a state-of-the-art production pipeline – enabling us to create great stories for the young and young at heart.  

Many exciting memories and occasions were marked within our studio’s walls in these two years – from Johnny Depp’s first visit to IES and the official opening of our Belgrade branch, to the welcoming of new employees and colleagues, as well as the expansion of our offices and departments. We have opened our Internal Training Center, organized numerous internal educations, visited universities and presented our story to students who were eager to learn more about us. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg! We were partners of some amazing events, and we never forgot to have fun and celebrate all the good things in life – together

Maja Gojković, the Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia and Minister of Culture and Information, accompanied by the representatives of the Novak Đoković Foundation, Maja Kremić, National Director of the Foundation and Miljan Lazetić, Project Team Director, visited our studio in Belgrade yesterday. 

Our distinguished guests talked to us about future projects, potential collaborations, discussed our achievements, plans and goals, and met the artists and creatives in our studio who create magic for screens around the world.

On behalf of our studio, this visit was attended by Peter Nalli, Head of Animation and VFX at ILBE, our parent company, as well as Mileta Poštić, Storyboard Director and ITC Manager at Iervolino Studios, and Anđelka Janković, Head of Marketing and Communications at Iervolino Studios. They introduced our guests to our employees, the technology that the studio possesses, its unique design and the pipeline process that allows our artists to create original stories every day.

On Thursday, 19 May 2022, the University of Arts in Belgrade hosted a presentation on Iervolino Studios, the largest animation studio in the region, soon to celebrate its second birthday! Mirjana Nikolić, rector of the University of Arts, welcomed Peter Nalli, Head of Animation & VFX at ILBE and IES, Anđelka Janković, Head of Marketing and Communications at IES, and Nikola Purić, Production Director & Senior Animation Picture Editor at IES, and introduced them to 40 students from different departments. Students of animation, game design, graphic design, film and television directing, sound recording and design were just some of the audience gathered to listen to our team.

They listened to the presentation and journey of IES as Peter Nalli, Anđelka Janković and Nikola Purić talked about animation, our work, our plans, and all the possibilities that our studio offers to the University of Arts students and other talented and passionate animation enthusiasts. They also talked about their roles at Iervolino Studios, our history, our training programs and courses within our Internal Training Center (ITC), the path to success in animation and what it means for them personally to be part of the IES community. 

Peter Nalli introduced himself to the audience and shared numerous lessons and game-changing experiences which he has gathered throughout his prolific career. 

“If you’re surrounded by people who are good at what they do, you only get better.”

As someone who has worked on over 20 international feature films, taught courses at the most prestigious colleges in Canada, and spearheaded the development of animation studios around the world, he encouraged his audience to work hard, be patient, and stay true to themselves. As he said, anything worth doing needs time. 

“How do you succeed in this industry? By doing more of the stuff you love and less of the stuff you don’t.”

Anđelka Janković talked about our studio’s inception, our vision, culture, and the values that define us. A couple of years ago, many people would have thought it impossible to create an animation studio of this size in Serbia in the midst of the pandemic. This ‘mission impossible’, has resulted in a fantastic community of talented and passionate individuals, with an Internal Training Center (ITC), specialized training courses and workshops, internships and collaborations, and most notably, resulted in the first animated series to be created and produced in Serbia – “Puffins Impossible”. In less than two years, we have opened two studios in Belgrade and Novi Sad, our IES team has grown from 0 to 100, we have produced 54 episodes of Puffins Impossible with more to come.

“What are the superpowers of the IES team? Community. Equality. Diversity. Teamwork. Passion. Innovation. Support.”

From the fascinating story of our founders and our parent company, Iervolino & Lady Bacardi Entertainment, the development of our own IP, a pipeline of the highest order, to the expertise and top-notch technology available at our studio, and services in the field of 2d & 3d animation, CGI, Iervolino Studios keeps growing by the day. 

Nikola Purić talked to the students about his perspective and the road he undertook to get to where he is today. Coming from a freelance background, he was astonished and excited by the differences he encountered at our studio. 

“You know that feeling of excitement when you’re a kid, not knowing what game you’ll play tomorrow? At Iervolino Studios, I still get to be that kid.”

He introduced the students to the creative process behind the production of an animated movie or series at our studio, the differences between working on live-action and animation and elaborated on his IES role in the grand scheme of things. 

“As a freelancer, you’re all alone. Here, at Iervolino Studios, if I have an idea, or need something to be done, I’ll just go into the next office and talk to my colleague about it. Suddenly, everything’s possible.”

Nikola talked about an incredibly important aspect in the animation industry, and the creative industry in general, that people tend to forget as they start focusing on their career. As kids, he said, we’d always be excited to find out what tomorrow will bring. This feeling of joy and excitement, and limitless possibilities, would make us happy because every day was different. 

Being part of Iervolino Studios and working together with so many people, who come from different backgrounds, have their unique styles and ideas, all contributing to one team, has made him remember that feeling of wonder.  

“There’s always something new going on. We don’t just work on the technical side of things. We CREATE and TELL our own stories.”  

The reception of the presentation was truly inspiring. The students were engaged, interested in learning more, asking questions and staying on for additional interviews. 

Lastly, here is one of the wonderful student feedback that our IES team received after their presentation:

“This was honestly one of the best present presentations I have ever been to. You have thoroughly presented what it is that you do at your studio and spread so much positivity! My friend Rajko Čučak (2d Storyboard Artist at IES) told me how cool you were, and now, I have seen it for myself!” (Meri Ivanovska Zorić)