Cultivate a Feeling of Togetherness Whenever Possible
This is where I get back to the “coddling” of artists. A few snacks and drinks, an extra few minutes to hang out together and bond without any stress over rushing back to work can go a really long way to boosting moral and therefore productivity. I think a lot of managers underestimate this powerful tool. Artists, in particular, respond extremely well to a bit of R&R, of course, within reason. This can be organized around your weekly update or screening of the work in progress, an impromptu surprise gathering, or it can be a breakfast treat now and then. The possibilities are endless. It might be a great idea to get a pool table, or a ping pong table around which the crew can socialize. Some studios have weekly social evenings complete with live music, which are an enormous part of creating an atmosphere of creative warmth and connectivity.

It is no accident that the great studios out there often practice these principles effortlessly. It is a smart way to do business. Animation artists are not steelworkers (and steelworkers are not animals either, in case any steel working foremen are reading this). Animation artists are unique characters.

Learn How to Listen
This is truly a fine art, and much easier said than done. I have worked through some workshops, which focused on listening, and it is staggering how bad we are at really listening to people when they talk to us. (I am still working on it, believe me!) It is one thing to stand or sit there pretending to listen while someone brings up issues they are having with work, and quite another to truly listen to that individual, and let them know that you are listening. Whether or not you can do something to help them or change the situation, they have a sounding board, an ally they can count on. They feel good! It works!

It is important to note, that it doesn’t take a big budget to accomplish what I am talking about here. The big studios like DreamWorks, Disney, Pixar, Sony, etc. can well afford to offer their employees wonderful perks, social events, workshops, screenings, free food and drinks from time to time — all that wonderful teambuilding stuff. But even if you are running a much smaller studio, the same ideas can be applied, just on a much smaller, financially feasible scale. This is a really, really important idea to embrace.

In all my years working in animation studios, I have too often found myself surrounded by artists who feel disenfranchised and used. There is often an overriding, general feeling of dis-ease and discontent, and a culture of incessant complaining evolves, even in a great studio that is working on a great show. But I have seen a great director, a compassionate supervisor or producer, completely change that culture around in no time at all with a little creative management, which can empower the creative spirit to emerge and wipe out the negativity.

If you have risen up through the ranks through the years, remember back when you were struggling, and think about what would have made you feel better day to day, in the work place. Animation is a grueling chore, and there are a lot of countless hours of drudgery that need to be counter-acted. There are exceptions to any rule, and we have seen great films come out studios where the director was widely considered to be an egomaniacal brute… but is that how we want to be remembered? And is that what working on cartoons should be like?

If there is any one thing I could change in the animation studio world as we know it today, it would be to give every single unsung hero of the animation industry a reason to smile and be proud of what he or she is doing every day, rather than have them toiling in painful obscurity.

I like to remember that everything I really need to know, I learned back in kindergarten, and the most important of those things was, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you!” Let’s all pitch in and make this animation industry sparkle with life!

In his 30-year animation career, Joseph has worked with studios as diverse Walt Disney Feature Animation, and the National Film Board of Canada. Joe has worked on all styles of animation, experimental films, television series, commercials, theatrical feature films, stop motion, title sequences, live-action films and documentaries. He is currently writing a passionate book about the art of animation.