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The Happy Makers is a creative studio shaped by a shared love of storytelling, illustration, and carefully built worlds. It’s where ideas are drawn, stories take form, and characters are given space to breathe—guided by curiosity, humour, and heart.

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We work as a writer–illustrator partnership, developing story and image side by side from first concept through final pages. This close collaboration brings clarity of vision, consistency of tone, and a seamless integration of narrative and visual storytelling.

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With over three decades of combined experience across animation, story editing, illustration, and visual narrative, our work is informed by a deep understanding of pacing, character, and production realities. Our stories blend warmth, mystery, and expressive visuals with a cinematic sensibility, creating work that is playful, thoughtful, and emotionally grounded for young readers.

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Vincent: The Mystery of the Golden Pot is a current middle-grade graphic novel project that reflects this approach—character-driven, visually led, and designed with long-term growth in mind.

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We value clear communication, thoughtful collaboration, and a professional working process, and aim to be reliable, responsive partners throughout every stage of development.

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About the Creators

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Annellie Samuel is a veteran animation editor, writer, and storyteller with decades of experience creating stories for children and families across television and feature animation. Her work is grounded in story structure, pacing, and emotional clarity, shaped through collaboration and care.

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Dimitri Kostic is an illustrator and storyboard artist whose career spans editorial illustration, publishing, and animation. His drawings are expressive and character-driven, rich with movement and warmth, blending strong design with playful, human detail.

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Together, Annie and Di work in close creative dialogue, allowing ideas to move fluidly from conversation to sketchbook to finished page. Story and image evolve together, each strengthening the other through shared trust and long-standing collaboration.

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Get in Touch

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If you’re a publisher, agent, or collaborator interested in learning more about our work, we’d be happy to hear from you. Please use the form below for professional enquiries, rights questions, or requests for additional materials.