Part of the trick of getting hired is knowing
where to be seen by the recruiters. We asked several studios, ranging
from many different areas of animation, to reveal where they are most
likely to find a new hire. Get networking because across the board...it
looks like word of mouth wins by a landslide. First and foremost when searching for talent I ask around among my
colleagues for people they have either worked with before or know
of from other studios -- that gives me a great starting point. When
recruiting from schools I rely on alumni or faculty to give me pointers
about the latest crop. I check industry Websites mainly to see where
the competition is regarding current recruiting efforts. If a candidate
sends me some material but also asks me to check their Website I do
try, but I find it rather time-consuming. A CD of their work is preferable. Shelley Page The two recruitment strategies that work best for us are: We hear about people from other people who work here. People hear about us from other people who work here. It really is that simple! Word of mouth and personal recommendations are the best way for us
to find people. Not only does it open doors faster, but when you are
hiring on a recommendation of someone you know and respect, then you
have more information about the new person's work (i.e. strengths
and weaknesses, etc.). We do accept resumes cold, and we keep an active resume file, but
for the most part it is personal recommendations that are the best
for us. Without the personal connection, then we need to see a reel
of work that lets us gage the level of the person and we would use
that reel to inform our hiring decision. Ashley Postlewaite 1) Employee referrals. The Recruiting Department 1. By word of mouth -- from current employees, former employees and
colleagues in the animation business. Jonas Odell
Feature Animation European Representative, DreamWorks, SKG
Renegade Animation
2) Response to job listings we have on our company's Website.
3) Response to job listings we have placed on other Internet sites.
Pixar Animation Studios
2. From the show reels that are sent in.
3. By meeting people at animation events, like festivals.
Filmtecknarna
As for recruitment results, we find festivals and job fairs the best
for attracting experienced animation artists. The exposure is great,
as we seem to have been a well-kept secret up until the release of
Simba's Pride.
The other side is identifying local talent through newspaper advertisements,
where we recruit talented artists with no animation experience and
train them in-house.
Debbie Cramb
Recruitment and Training Manager, Walt Disney Animation, Australia
We really try to cultivate relationships with not only the student
services and placement heads at great art schools in the U.S. and
Canada, but we also try to get to know some of the teachers personally.
When we first began the company in 1996, we would teach "Acting
for Animators" workshops at the studio, where we would find a
lot of great and talented animators. As we grow, we always try to be creative and fresh in our search
for talent -- we send our animators to life drawing classes, where
they will meet other potential candidates or we will guest lecture
on Flash animation at various schools and get to spend some quality
time with some potential candidates. And lastly, outside of buying advertising, we go to a lot of film
festivals, conferences and surf to see who is creating fresh and original
content. Andrea Drougas 1. Job fairs at major animation events. Word of mouth is the best method though! Julie Shevach The primary way we find talent is from our current staff recommendations.
Without exception, every key position has been filled from referrals.
We also run ads in regional newspapers for entry level to mid-level
talent. Bill Dennis Essentially, we hire staff for our LA studio through word of mouth.
Although we don't solicit resumes, we sure do receive tons
on a regular basis. Also, the digital side of the business is relatively
small and there really are only a handful of places where digital
artists can hope to find work. I have developed a friendly rapport
with the digital heads of other studios and we often trade info on
performance and availability. As for the studio in the Philippines, our first attempt at hiring
was through paid ads. The animation community is small in Manila and
soon everyone knew that there was a new studio in town. Also, we resigned
ourselves to the fact that there were not going to be many "trained"
digital artists and that we would have to pick people based on work
ethic and attitude and simply train them. These methods have worked out well for both studios. Andrea Romero How Humongous Entertainment would go about hiring an animator... 1. Job listing on AIGA's Website (American Institute of Graphic Artists). Jen Martin Heather Kenyon in editor in chief of Animation World Network.
President, Unbound Studios
2. Advertising in the local animation Union newsletter.
3. Recommendations from the current staff, i.e. word of mouth.
4. Internships (non-paying).
Managing Director, Click 3X
Toonz Animation
Virtual Magic
2. Posting through GAG (Graphic Artists Guild).
3. Word of mouth and networking within the design community.
Humongous Entertainment
Links:
[1] http://www.awn.com/imagepicker/image/967
