Human-crafted ideas. AI-accelerated execution. Creative learning, culture and communication solutions that move people, since 2012.
Six things we do, ridiculously well
01
AI Powered eLearning
Consulting, instructional design, eLearning, games, VR/AR
- driven by responsible AI.
40–70% faster delivery.
02
Neurodiverse Learning
FLEX Framework. Adaptive pathways for every kind of brain.
Multi-format summaries,
WCAG 2.2 AA.
03
Security Culture
Think First. Click Later.
Behaviour-first security culture.
Mapped to ISO/IEC 27001,
NIST AI RMF, EU AI Act.
04
Human Powered Facilitation
Real humans, real rooms. Workshops, offsites and leadership sessions - including our flagship Draw The Future vision workshop.
05
Live Graphic Recording /Corporate Artists draw key learning points in real time.
Live, virtual, or hybrid.
Outputs as a Digital Playbook.
06
Corporate Art, Interactive Comics & Animations
Murals, comic strips, Handimation, Lofi Animation, Tech Made Simple - art that travels through the org.
Learning, driven by responsible AI usage. From raw content to localised rollout, our pipeline puts AI to work where it earns its keep and keeps humans where they matter.
A research-led, multi-modal eLearning model built on our proprietary FLEX Framework. Learners choose how they enter the course, how they continue, and how they're assessed - celebrating cognitive diversity, learner autonomy and equitable access.
Multiple pathways and formats so every learner enters on their own terms. Choose a Video summary for imagery and motion, a Podcast for storytelling and discussion, an Infographic for visual structure and hierarchy, or a Sign Language summary with captions and visual cues. Playback speed, contrast, font size and an English Accessible mode are all adjustable at will.
Content broken into small, progressive layers - never a wall of text. Section Summaries and a Key Facts button reinforce at every step, available across Video, Podcast and Infographic formats, so learners can revisit a concept in whichever mode suits them.
Designed for emotional safety, predictability and learner autonomy. Non-judgemental feedback, consistent layouts, three core versions - Interactive, Podcast or English Accessible - with a Sign Language track for hearing-impaired learners. Each person progresses at their own pace, with no penalty for needing more time.
Strengthen retention through interaction, reflection and multi-format review. Transcripts, Key Facts PDFs and a post-test mastery check - across all four summary formats: Video, Podcast, Infographic and Sign Language. Pre-test for placement, post-test for mastery at 80%.
Mapped to eight commonly recognised neurodiverse conditions and their core learning considerations.
A pre-test routes each learner: pass and go straight to certification, or enter the core module with three versions to choose from - Interactive, Podcast, or English Accessible (with customisable font, colour theme and background contrast). A post-test at 80% earns the completion certificate. Placement plus mastery, redundancy reduced.
Think First. Click Later. A behaviour-first programme for the one layer technology can't replace - human judgement.
Firewalls have never been better. Breaches keep rising. 82% involve human error. Attacks no longer target systems - they target behaviour, at AI scale.
A three-layer foundation: live threat intelligence, validated by SOC and incident-response practitioners, mapped to ISO/IEC 27001, NIST AI RMF, and the EU AI Act.
We design and facilitate human-led workshops that help people think clearly, work differently and move from conversation to action. From leadership, sales and professional skills to strategy, culture, innovation and team alignment, our sessions are designed to inspire people and deliver real business outcomes. We facilitate globally in multiple languages, with content and delivery localised for different markets, cultures and business requirements.
Our flagship facilitation experience - not a drawing class, but a mindset shift disguised as a playful, visual session. Drawing becomes the cognitive tool that sparks creativity, clarity and collaboration. Designed and presented by Gene "Danger" Whitlock.
Warm-ups that loosen creative muscles. Personal expression through smileys, houses, symbols. Individual visioning, group visualisations, and a final synthesis where teams combine the best ideas into one shared picture. Closes with "How are we going to be?"
Half-day or full-day sessions to crystallize the "what could be" before it gets killed by spreadsheets.
For teams that already think outside it. We bring the markers, the structure, and the visual scribes.
Outputs become a hand-illustrated mural - physical or digital - your team owns long after the session ends.
Up 2 Speed visual scribers draw key learning points in real time - workshops, conferences, leadership offsites - in person or virtually.
Conversation becomes content. We turn the room's thinking into a Digital Playbook - a highly effective visual artifact teams keep coming back to long after the session ends. It's how leading organisations (including the Big-5 consultancies, Tier-1 multi-national bank and many of the Big Tech Firms) have anchored their leadership moments.
Brand-adjacent content that makes your workspace, decks and comms come alive - and three animation formats we've made our own.
Sped-up, pre-filmed live drawings with narration and music. Best for concise, "dry" topics that need a jolt.
Handimation, but digital. Organic illustration meets precision animation workflows.
People
Directors, designers, illustrators and instructional designers across Singapore, Europe and APAC - a full-service, integrated 60-person studio working as one team.
Managing Director
Director,
Customer Advocacy and Operations
Vice President Sales
Director, India Operations
Digital Learning Team Manager
Creative Director / Illustration Lead
Senior Corporate Artist /
Animation Lead
Chief Content Officer
Meet the Team
Tom has worked in the learning industry since his days working at ASK Learning in Sydney. In 2003, Tom relocated to Singapore to start ASK Learning's Asia business. In 2012, with long-time accomplice Nick Dorney, Tom founded Up 2 Speed, where today he acts as Managing Director and is focused on driving the sales side of the business globally. In 2019, Tom agreed to become a shareholder in Explore Performance and acts in a consulting capacity for the business.
Tom keeps busy looking after his family which includes 4 kids and 2 dogs. He does not get much sleep.
Meet the Team
Nick started his career with ASK Learning in Sydney in 2005, and in 2007 relocated to Singapore to help drive the Asia business. Along with Tom King, Nick left ASK Learning to start Up 2 Speed where today he is the Director of Sales & Operations. In 2019 Nick also agreed to become a shareholder in Explore Performance where he helps drive both the sales & operational efficiency.
Nick is a keen Cricketer and played for Singapore Cricket Club in the past. In 2019 he was selected to play Internationally for Singapore!
Meet the Team
Michael started his career at ASK Learning in Sydney in the 1990s, as a learning coordinator before moving to Beijing to start the company's China operations. After leaving ASK, Michael started the very successful learning consultancy People to Perform in Beijing. In 2016 Michael moved to Munich, Germany, where he agreed to start and run Up 2 Speed Europe.
Michael is fluent in Mandarin, and went to university in Beijing in 1990 - one of the first foreign students to study in China. Michael is also in the process of learning German.
Meet the Team
Ajay runs the Up 2 Speed India office, based in Pune, India. Having worked with Tom & Nick for almost 20 years, Ajay was an early supporter of Up 2 Speed, before agreeing to an Indian joint venture in 2016. A top instructional designer in his own right, Ajay leads the most talented team of instructional designers, graphic designers, and programmers in India.
Ajay is a huge cricket fan and dog lover. If you ever visit Ajay in Pune, ask him for a tour of the Osho Ashram.
Meet the Team
Known as the Kaiser for the strict adherence to our clients' processes & timelines, Lillian leads the Up 2 Speed Digital Design team, of which there are 35 members. Alongside leading this team, Lillian is also hands-on as Asia's most experienced eLearning / Digital Asset Instructional Designer. The modules that Lillian designs would win multiple awards globally if only we weren't so dam busy and had time to go through the nominations processes.
Lillian engages in lots of charity work through her church and is in the process of raising two daughters who are achieving some seriously good results at school - future Up 2 Speed recruits?
Meet the Team
Gene has worked with both Tom King & Nick Dorney for over 20 years and today is recognised as Asia's number 1 Corporate Artist. Gene leads Up 2 Speed's vaunted corporate art / heART team. Gene also remains hands-on in his role and is an outstanding illustrator, animator, and video producer/director.
Gene is also a published author of many comics (including Space Cat!) and had a leading role in Singaporean Kung Fu short movie "Bounty" (rated R).
Meet the Team
Award-winning animator - LASALLE BA(Hons) top of cohort, silver at the 2018 Crowbar Awards. Animation, graphic design and live recording for global tech, finance and Big-5 consultancy clients.
Jennifer is a GM for Dungeons & Dragons! (What is your favorite class to play?) She also has a dog that would never approve of anyone, this message too.
Meet the Team
John is Up 2 Speed's CCO, and oversees our North American interests. He is founder of Up 2 Speed's sister company, Mastering Technical Sales (MTS) and author of "Mastering Technical Sales: The Sales Engineers Handbook". John has also been published in InfoWorld, CIO Magazine and the Wall Street Journal. Throughout his career, John has built world-class sales engineering organizations at a multitude of companies.
John has lived in the United States for over 30 years (Philadelphia & Florida) but is originally from the United Kingdom. He retains his love of Tea and Scones, the King, and of course Cricket!
The Insurance Company
HR Campaign Conduct Cartoons
"Communicating culture change to an audience focused only on selling"
The Tech Company
Tech Made Simple
"Product updates in 5 minutes or less"
The Bank
The Talk Show
"Our Code of Conduct, with a live* studio audience"
Case Study 1
"Communicating culture change to an audience focused only on selling"
Shifting focus helped drive conduct and cultural change.
In an organisation where the primary push is to close sales, there is a risk that negative behaviour becomes accepted, or even normal. That meant a lot of the soft skills - the things that make workplaces work - were falling through the gaps. The HR team needed to make sure the workspace remains fair, equitable and most of all pleasant, while also achieving sales targets.
To enable this cultural shift, where employees were encouraged to focus on their conduct at work and outside, the HR team commissioned Up 2 Speed to create and deploy a pilot 'season' of lo-fi cartoon 'Moments that Matter'.
Each animated video featured a character in crisis and a series of remedial actions that help guide the character toward success. For example, the story of a transferred specialist who is unsure of himself, but tries to compensate by overworking rather than asking for help. The videos would then encourage the viewers to discuss their perceived outcomes, rather than offer a pat 'solution'.
The client team provided high-level case studies for the Up 2 Speed team to rework into scripts. These were reviewed and then storyboarded for final review, prior to animating. This gave the client team a clear view of the video at every stage of production.
The finished clips ran 7-10 min each, delivering unique, human stories. The Up 2 Speed team developed a cast of characters and a streamlined animation production workflow that allowed for the creation of genuinely engaging clips in less than 20 work days, providing the client with ample space for input and feedback.
The videos were received so well that a second series was commissioned less than halfway into Season 1.
Case Study 2
"Product updates in 5 minutes or less"
Reframing complicated release manuals into short, animated videos helped sales engineers stay ahead.
Tech development is a constant flow of new releases and updates, meaning sales agents need to divide time between client handling and document studies. Even for the most up-to-date agent, retaining all that information - and knowing it will update again - becomes a challenge.
To help with that mental load, the client engaged Up 2 Speed to create a series of highly engaging tech videos, showcasing a new product release in just 5 minutes. The animated clips presented the product, what it does, and why it's beneficial to the market in simple clear terms, meaning agents can work faster and with more confidence.
For each clip, the client team provided the features and benefits of a product (for example 'CWWAP'), to be crafted into a 5-minute video for a non-technical sales audience to watch once and use that information in the same day.
The intent was to release each clip in tandem with its product, so the Up 2 Speed team scripted and storyboarded the material for review, giving the client team space to update or correct the content. This process was heavily templatised to reduce build time, while intentionally allowing room for some creative flourish. This plan meant videos could be delivered in less than 10 days, so the client could activate the development process towards the end of their product cycle with the knowledge the video would be ready in time for release.
This regular release of 'Tech Made Simple' videos provided an easy-to-digest resource for sales teams to update themselves before a call, or in a taxi. After the initial release of 5 videos, the client reported significant, measurable increases in sales team engagement. The client team then elevated the project and requested a minor reformat so that the videos could release publicly on YouTube.
Case Study 3
"Our Code of Conduct, with a live* studio audience"
Mandatory compliance learning supported by an episodic talk show to drive understanding and context.
A bank's Code of Conduct is critical for maintaining compliance. This means learning the code is a mandatory piece of learning for every employee. However, the code of conduct is often a heavy and dry process, adding complexity for learners when articulating how to adhere to the code.
The client collaborated with Up 2 Speed on a massive project developing a mandatory eLearning course for the code of conduct, and a non-mandatory TV series around the softer aspects of the code. The client team provided content for the mandatory course that was then developed into eLearning storyboards by Up 2 Speed's Instructional Design team. These storyboards were then reworked by Up 2 Speed's internal production team to create the outline of the talk show.
An audition call went out within the Bank to find a host and a variety of talent to present the scripted material naturally and informally, so that audiences would feel they were watching something fun, rather than learning something complex. The talent were all Bank Employees, upskilled by Up 2 Speed to become actors in their own right, conveying not just information, but a whole gamut of emotions.
Up 2 Speed's creative director, Gene Whitlock, then ran a series of rehearsals where the actors crafted their characters, plotted their movements and emotions, and scripts were tweaked to match the actors' personas.
The filming days were often weeks apart, so shooting was done in a greenscreen studio. This meant no excess from fabricating sets, and full control over the backdrops and lighting.
Up 2 Speed leaned heavily into the tropes of late-night talk shows. To carry this off, each episode began with a monologue from the host on that episode's topic (for example, 'Sustainability'). This topic was then threaded through the show from the monologue, into a short animated story, and then the introduction of the guest for 'tonight's' episode.
The guest was presented as an expert in the topic, and as often as not was a genuine expert in their field, specifically Responsible AI and Risk Mitigation. The 'live studio audience' existed almost entirely through a laugh track, designed to parody the tone of a network-produced talk show.
Once filming was complete, the Up 2 Speed team would edit a rough draft of the episode for client review. The animation and live-action segments were then packaged up with opening and closing credits to complete the appearance of a 'real' talk show.
The videos were deployed onto the client intranet, twice a month for 6 months. The client's learning team reported that the videos had the highest audience engagement to date, compared to prior non-mandatory videos in the bank.
In their words
I thought you may be interested to know that the recent Digital Learning series has been received very well with my sales staff across the region.
Overall, I have been really happy with how fast things have been customized and delivered for our requirements, and I am pleased with the adoption of our new Products and Processes so far, coming as a result of these new Learning solutions.
Please pass this feedback on to the Up 2 Speed Design Teams' in Singapore, as well as Pune - for their understanding of our requirements, speed, creativity, and efficiency to deliver.
Looking forward to catching up soon to talk about the next phases of the project.
Many thanks again.
Our global team has partnered with Up 2 Speed, since 2021.
Of particular note during this time have been the customisation and delivery of a selection of Mandatory Learning programs (rolled out to the bank globally - to over 85,000 staff - in a variety of languages, and on several different platforms).
On this front, we were delighted to receive four Brandon Hall Awards for our work, in recent times.
The Up 2 Speed team have always been easy to work with, and an excellent partner overall as we look to continually stay at the forefront of learning solutions, on an international level (some of their recent advancements involving AI, as well as Neurodiverse Learning, have certainly assisted on this front.)
Please feel free to reach out if I could provide any further information.
Friends
It depends on the format. Tech Made Simple explainers and Handimation pieces typically ship in 1–3 weeks. Full eLearning modules built with our AI pipeline now run 40–70% faster than traditional production - a 1-hour module that used to take 3–4 days can land in 1–2.
Yes. Our security and privacy content maps to ISO/IEC 27001, NIST and NIST AI RMF, the EU AI Act, and major data protection regulations. Financial services, Big-5 consultancies, telecoms and global banks are core to our portfolio.
AI accelerates production where it doesn't compromise judgement: scripting, storyboarding, graphics, animation pre-vis, voice-over and localisation. SME review on every document is non-negotiable.
Yes. Production teams sit in Singapore and India, with directors in APAC and Europe. We've delivered in 27+ written languages and 30+ voice-over languages.
The FLEX Framework underpins our inclusive learning work and is currently being adopted as the neurodiversity baseline for a global bank's learning vendors. Talk to us about a build-out for your organisation.
A single PowerPoint polish, a one-hour graphic recording, or a single comic strip. We scale up from there.
