Happy new year Newgrounds! 2025 was busy, but there was one project that really defined the year for me: Smiling Friends Season 3. I spent most of the year working for Adult Swim supervising the background department. The new season started airing in October.

Smiling Friends also got renewed for a season 4 and 5 and we were referenced on the Simpsons!

Another big show I worked on also premiered later in the year, Hazbin Hotel season 2! In 2024 I worked as the background layout lead for episodes 3 to 8. The whole background department worked hard and really pushed the quality and I’m pretty lucky to work on such a beautiful season of a show.

Studio Showoff have been making some animated shorts for Saturday Night Live last year. I got to lend a helping hand on a few backgrounds for God (starring Timothée Chalamet)

Later last year I jumped on to help out Hooligan Animation with background quality checking. I’ve been another pair of eyes, looking over backgrounds with a fine tooth comb and flagging all the potential issues I’ve found.

I’ve also been helping out a little bit with background layout at Princess Bento Studio. Looking forward to doing a little bit more of this early in the new year, including getting some time to jump in with layout lead duties.

2025 was not a year where everything went smoothly though. I had a new years resolution to train for and run my first marathon. I started strong by running a half marathon personal best, but started having issues with my leg. It’s gotten to the point I can’t even walk a kilometre without possibly ending up in pain afterwards and setting back any progress on rehab. Really hoping 2026 I can gain my mobility back since walking and running was a cornerstone habit in my day to day life.

2026 is already shaping up to be a big year! Despite being overdue for a much needed holiday break, I can’t wait to get back into it and see what’s in store for the projects coming up.

Hope you all had a happy new year! If you see more of what I do in 2026, Follow me on Instagram where I share a weekly update on my stories. Or, follow me on Bluesky

You can check out all my previous yearly recaps here: 2024, 2023, 2022 and 2021