Animation Apprentice Visits Westminster Kingsway

Westminster Kingsway College 

Last week Animation Apprentice visited Westminster Kingsway College to talk to with students and young professionals about careers in animation. 

The event was hosted by Film London to provide aspiring artists with guidance on how to break into the creative industries  and, specifically, into the animation industry.  

Today the animation industry continues to grow, despite Covid and Brexit, boosted recently by expansion of the UK Govt Tax Credit. 

  

How to Be Job Ready

The students and graduates I spoke to wanted to know about the kinds of jobs available in the industry, and how to get them.  Animation is a big umbrella term, covering traditional keyframe animation (both 2D and 3D), technical animation, games animation, and motion graphics.  Old school 2D animation is also making a revival, although increasingly with new software tools such as Toonboom Harmony. 

600 Graduates per year

UK universities produce over 600 students annually with degrees in animation, yet the animation industry still complains that most UK graduates aren’t ready for work - the gap between academia and industry is too great.  And this is the "gap" that we seek to close here at Escape Studios. 

Finding Work in the Animation Industry

At Animation Apprentice we try to ensure that as many of our graduates as possible find work in their field - employability is at the heart of what we do.   

Polish Your Demo Reel

Successful graduates need to make sure they have a good well-cut demo reel, which is short, easy to find (not password protected) and embedded (and easy to find) online. 

Be at Linkedin

Today, students should have a well-curated Linkedin profile.  Animation recruiters tell us that they "live on Linkedin". Your profile should be attractive and well-organised, with your demo embedded.  Increasingly, Linkedin is your "shop window" to the industry, so it's important to make it appealing.  

Apply Online, and Network

Applying for jobs online can bring success - but students also need to network, by attending industry events (often by volunteering), posting their work at Linkedin, and building a network of industry professionals who can help them on the crucial first run of the ladder.  

For more on how to find work in the industry, see the resources below.

Jobs Resources at Animation Apprentice
We have many resources available at Animation Apprentice aimed at helping our students find work in the animation industry. To get started, see the blog posts below:

• How do graduates find work in the animation industry?
• Demo Reel Advice - at Skwigly
• Demo Reel Advice by Animal Logic
• Why Animators Need to be on LinkedIn
• Be the Rhino - remember that rejection is normal
• Six Rules to Create a Great CV
• How to Write a Cover Letter
• How to Find an Animation Internship
• Blue Zoo Recruitment Tips
• Escape Studios' Free Industry Survival Guide
• Escape Studios Free Careers Guide
• Michael Morgan: "From the Classroom to the Studio"
• Why Animators Need their Own Blog or Website
• How to be a Freelance Animator
• 12 Rules to Find Work in the Animation Industry
• Pixar Advice for Graduates

To find out more about Animation Apprentice, click here for a link to Frequently Asked Questions. To sign up for our next classroom at Animation Apprentice, follow this link.