>> My advice would be if this is what you want
to do, know that this is what you want to do.
You're going to have to commit yourself to
it 110%, especially if you're not coming
from an animation or art background where
you might have a bit of a head start on some
of the kinds of things that
you would need to know.
So there's definitely-- Even in that case,
it's not like having the art
background like gets you in.
So your dedication level as far as being
willing to knock on doors, take rejection,
it's going to happen like more
times than I could even count.
You're going to give a reel to somebody
and you may not even hear back from them.
And it doesn't even mean that
you're not a good animator.
It just means that they probably got 500
other reels because you gave it to them at GDC
or at Siggraph or something, you know.
They're getting hundreds of reels during
those festivals and conferences and whatnot
and they just don't have time
to get back to everybody, but,
in your mind, you don't know that.
You just know that you gave your reel to
the recruiter and they never said anything.
And so, you're like oh, my
god, I must be terrible.
That's not true.
It's not true at all.
You just need to have the
dedication to push past all that.
Keep working on your stuff while you're
looking for a job, because chance are also good
that they may not have called you back
because you weren't quite ready to be hired
on there yet, but it's that
constant working at it,
animating more on your own, sending reels out.
You got rejected by DreamWorks, send it to them
again in six months after you've put, you know,
three new pieces on your reel or wherever you
want to work, whether it's, you know, DreamWorks
or Pixar or Disney or Sony or Naughty
Dog or Blizzard, whoever, you know.
You may not hear anything the
first couple times you send it.
So the dedication is like key.
It's paramount.
And I'd say almost equally so is
making connections with people.
You have to be comfortable getting out
and just introducing yourself to somebody
at whether it's a conference or
even if it's just a chance meeting,
just being able to just start
the conversation with somebody
at a studio is almost even maybe more
important than the reel sometimes.
It sounds funny to say that, but really it's
like the relationship is what can
really get your foot in the door.
And I would say, studios are probably more
likely to go with somebody that they know
and they know is a good fit personality wise
who maybe not be as the strongest animator
in the bunch but, you know,
of all the demo reels got in,
but if they know that your personality
is going to mesh, it goes a long way.
And so, you know, just blindly sending
reels into places, it can work.
You can get a job that way.
People do it all the time, but for a,
you know, for the more lasting connection
or for the more lasting job, the personal
connections are going to be like vital.