ADAM EASTBURN
Available for freelance
ak.eastburn@gmail.com
Role: Art Director, Brand Designer, Animator, Editor
Teammates: Summer Beltran and Vanessa Oakes of TRH
Tax Relief Helpers approached me with a focused challenge: turn its client lifecycle into a concise animation that potential clients could quickly understand and trust.
A brand and audience deep dive with the team at TRH provided data for three guiding principles: trust, approachability, and expertise. Their audience ranged from truck drivers and independent contractors to small business owners and families facing back taxes. These were people often arriving skeptical, overwhelmed, and unsure where to turn. The film needed to replace uncertainty with confidence and peace of mind.
I built the concept around a visual metaphor, tax debt as a shadowy presence that barges into a family’s life, and Tax Relief Helpers as the guide that helps push it back out. The film also introduced “Trusty the Tax Dog”, a warm supporting character designed to humanize the brand without competing with the practical message.
Working with the Tax Relief Helpers team, I shaped a concise script around the client journey: free consultation, case discovery, negotiation, collection protection, and a tailored resolution strategy. Moodboards and style studies established a handmade visual language built from bold silhouettes, limited detail, and graphic metaphors. From there, I storyboarded the film, coordinated voiceover and sound, and organized production scene by scene to support rapid reviews within a one month schedule.
Storyboard
Early “Trusty” Sketches
Working as a one-person animation team, I drew each sequence frame by frame in Procreate, sharing modular drafts as the film developed. Simplified faces and shape-based characters kept the story broadly relatable, while the Tax Relief Helpers identity and Trusty carried the personality. I assembled and timed the artwork in After Effects, added type animations and transitions, and integrated the final voiceover and sound mix. Deliverables included web and social formats, a Spanish-language adaptation, and an introductory mascot one-sheeter, giving Trusty a foundation for future use across the brand.
Production timelapses from Procreate:
The finished film gave Tax Relief Helpers a clear, approachable way to explain a complex service while establishing a more human visual voice. It also marked the debut of Trusty, creating a flexible foundation for the character to grow across future brand communications.
Illustration
Animation
Brand design
Available for freelance
ak.eastburn@gmail.com