Eliška Soffer Podzimek
The Brain Behind Baldies

Eliška, the series creator, director and a cancer survivor, was sixteen when diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma.

While in treatment, she began drawing into photographs on a graphic tablet — a creative outlet that would bring her international recognition. Applying her art to numerous projects, Eliška makes award-winning short films, music videos, collaborative photography projects and marketing campaigns.

Her unique technique of blending photography and live-action videos with 2D animation has attracted clients such as Jamie Oliver, Vogue Magazine, the New York Film Academy, the City of Prague, LEGO, Erste Bank, Adidas, Google and many others. Eliška's interactive exhibition Little Prince, based on her illustrations of the book, is currently touring the Czech Republic.

At present, she is devoting much of her time to creating the animated series Baldies, using her upbeat art style to bring a fresh perspective on the fight against cancer.

Eliška with Baldies characters Eliška Soffer Podzimek
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Team

Baldies are made possible by a small army of talented, committed people across the whole pipeline – the director, writers, story editors, visual artists, animators, technicians, producers, coordinators, and outreach specialists; child actors and voice cast; the voice, sound, and music team; editors and compositors – all working together to create a meaningful project, emotionally honest, visually vibrant, and narratively engaging.

This is Baldies: crafted and made with care – turning something hard to say into something you can watch, understand, and share.

The team at the Baldies Ball
The team at the Baldies Ball
Jindřich Trčka
Jindřich Trčka Institute Director, Producer & Fundraiser
Jiří Sádek
Jiří Sádek Creative Producer
Monika Hasan
Monika Hasan Animation Director & Editor
Kateřina Máčel Děkanová
Kateřina Máčel Děkanová PR, Marketing & Fundraising
Georgyi
Georgy Barklaya Animation Director & Editor
Agáta Kalvachová
Agáta Kalvachová Project Manager

Animation

BBP Studio

BareBear Production, s.r.o. is the animation studio that builds the world of Baldies and brings it to life. From rigs and environments to the groundbreaking collage of multiple animation techniques, the BareBear team – under the direction of Eliška Soffer Podzimek – sets the magical world of Baldies into motion.

Producer

Old & Rich

The series is produced by the Czech film and television company OLD&RICH, which produces documentary, feature, and animated films and series for children and adults. The company was founded in 2018 and is a member of the Association of Audiovisual Producers and the Association of Animated Film.

Eliška Soffer Podzimek is the creator and director of the series. Producer and director Jiří Sádek leads the project’s creative development, with Jindřich Trčka as executive producer.

Baldies:
Brave Project About Brave People

The Backstory

Eliška came up with Baldies over a cup of coffee with her former oncology doctor Lucie. The series was first meant to be a tool for kids with cancer and their families – helping to explain and navigate their treatment options, and to soften the psychological impact of the diagnosis. And it is still all that – but also so much more!


As Eliška and her team researched, brainstormed, wrote, drew, and talked to people, they realized that the topic resonated with a much wider audience than originally anticipated. Nearly everyone knows of someone who has had cancer. Many have fought it themselves or witnessed their loved ones go through it. Because, unfortunately, cancer is part of the world we live in.

Our ambition is to secure the resources needed to produce Baldies, share the series widely, and make it accessible around the world to everyone who needs it. For now, Baldies are being developed in Czech and English. Over time, we aim to create additional language versions, so the story can reach even more people – and offer comfort and hope during difficult times.

Eliška with MUDr. Lucie Hrdličková
Eliška with MUDr. Lucie Hrdličková