Mark being interviewed.

When my series of animated shorts, Timmy’s Lessons In Nature (here’s another shameless self-promotion of one of my projects), started winning festivals, I called the local morning news shows. They got to show great animation (remember, this is all about promotion) and they had a story they could have fun with.

How about lecturing? Talking to large groups of people promotes your name and what you know and what you do. Is it right for you? Do you feel comfortable talking in front of large groups of people? Maybe even dressing like a cheerleader to get their attention? Nah. Who would do that?

Animators have opportunities to enter their work into festivals. Going to festivals is a great time to meet people and winning festivals gives you great promotional opportunities, not to mention a great addition to your résumé.

Charity work is often overlooked as a promotional opportunity. Charities need more than money. They need resources too. Some may need logos, others may need art, layouts, signage or even commercials. I produced an animated commercial for the American Cancer Society at no cost to them to promote their annual Cattle Baron’s Ball. In exchange for our charitable contribution, my company and the other companies who helped make the spot were given large banners at the event, ad space in the event booklet and the MC mentioned our companies during the Ball. It was a win-win situation for everyone involved.

Now some of these promotions take time to prepare. There is one type of promotion that works great and takes no extra time. Make sure your contact information is on all the work you produce. Also make sure that your name and contact information is on every crew contact sheet for every project you work on. You want it to be easy for people you work with to find you and hire you on other projects.

Facial Expressions: A Visual Reference for Artists.

Freelancers and business owners should never have free time. Any time not working on a project should be spent promoting. Whether it’s meeting new people, touching base with old friends, getting in newspapers, appearing on TV or cheering in a skirt, good promotion will help you land more work.

Mark Simon is an award-winning animation producer, storyboard artist and lecturer who is also the author of what could be considered promotional items, Facial Expressions: A Visual Reference for Artists, Producing Independent 2D Character Animation and Storyboards: Motion In Art. He can be found lurking around at www.FunnyToons.tv and may be reached at MarkSimonBooks@yahoo.com. Mark’s books may be found and purchased online at www.MarkSimonBooks.com.