In a typical animation career, you wear a lot of hats. You may have specific experience, but it’s likely that, just as often, you juggle many skills and titles from job to job. Animation artists find most of their work through word of mouth. No offense to agents, reps, and recruiters, but being successful at finding work in the animation business is all about building and maintaining relationships. We are, as Barbra Streisand sang it, “people who need people.”
The simple truth:
The key to finding work in animation is accepting that this is a people-driven industry. People who know people who recommend people who hire people. Those who have a negative view of the importance of relationships to the job search boil it down to “it’s all based on who you know.” This makes “who you know” sound like a random act of luck. In reality, you are responsible for “who you know”, for the relationships you create and maintain. Relationships require energy and effort.
The animation business in North America is small enough that even in a few years you might meet someone connected to every studio on the continent. We are all six degrees of our animation Kevin Bacons. Pretty simple, right? But these truths are not self-evident, and if they are, we certainly don’t behave all the time as if we have this to be true. This simple truth will appear again and again in this book.
While there is no guaranteed way to find work in the animation industry, there are many things we can do to create the best possible odds of success. Fortunately, finding work in the animation industry is something that gets easier over time, as you expand your network and your reputation opens doors for you.
Maintaining relationships can lead to work:
In the animation industry, sometimes the most effective job search happens in the most roundabout way. Often, even when we make a good connection in a studio, the time is not right for immediate work. So what can we do to “stick around” until something opens up without risking a restraining order? My favorite solution is to keep in touch with people through occasional emails.
Recently, he was in a producer’s office when he received an email from a mutual friend. “I guess he’s out of a job again,” said the producer. I asked him how he knew that without reading the email. The producer responded, “This guy only emails me when he needs work.”
People don’t stay in touch with their contacts enough while they work. We need to nurture our contacts. Periodically send updates to your contacts. Let them know where you’re working and why it’s a great experience. Either way, your contacts will love that you thought of them. Over the years, I have received a few job offers as a result of sending a congratulatory message. While I wouldn’t say sending emails and updates should be anyone’s primary focus for job hunting, they are part of what builds a career over time.
