Due to the positive response we've received, we're reprinting this article from an earlier issue of the aNYmator

What Next?

By Linda Beck

I had to quit my job in December, and, despite a lovely extended holiday, the cold reality that I’d just willingly quit a job that provided me with the opportunity for group health benefits and a means to take care of my mortgage and pet care needs, hit me hard in the face shortly after 1:00 am on January 1st.

As a number of NY-based projects have recently come to an end, the inevitable exchange of emails, IM’s, and phone calls begging for any current job opportunities has commenced. So whether you find yourself needing to leave an unhealthy work environment or your contract’s up on a project, let me assure you: You’re going to be fine. If you are open-minded, you will find a way to pay your bills. And since I’ve done the legwork anyway, here is a handful of things I found out.

Unemployment
First of all, you may be eligible for unemployment. Go to this link to find out more:
http://www.labor.state.ny.us/

Health Insurance
By law, if you are covered under a company-provided health benefit system and then leave under any circumstance, that company must provide you with a Cobra information package. Cobra allows you to continue your health benefits on your own dime for a portion of time after you’ve left your job. A word of warning; the rates can be ridiculously high. If you chose to go your own way, the following companies offer relatively affordable health insurance for artists:
www.fracturedatlas.org
www.freelancersunion.com

Reel/Portfolio
Don’t wait until the joy of freedom is suddenly replaced by the terror of an unknown future to send out your samples.

A reel should really stay under four minutes and show a range of work. For animators, if you have motion graphics work and character animation and modeling, etc., you want to show them all off because you never know what a studio is looking for at any point in time. If you collaborated on something, indicate which parts you were specifically responsible for. For editing reels, show cuts to avoid too many long shots. Along with your reel, always include a shot list detailing what it is that you did to create a shot and what software you used.

These days most places prefer a dvd reel/paper portfolio or a weblink reel/webfolio. Some people, myself included, actually find the dvd reel easier than digging through hundreds of emails to find a weblink. Especially if the name label of your email address is something weird like your initials or just a first name and it’s hard to find even if you sort alphabetically. You want to make it as easy as possible for the employer you’re wooing.

In your cover letter, it’s a great idea to list your software knowledge. Keep it short, though. And SPELLCHECK. You’d be surprised how many resumes come in that have grammatical and spelling errors all over them.

Where to send your stuff
Here is a handful of studios I’ve talked to lately who are currently accepting samples: Don’t you dare write that cover letter without at least trying to find out a little about the company.

Aaron Augenblick
48 Main St., #521
Brooklyn, NY 11201
info@augenblickstudios.com
www.augenblickstudios.com

Animation Collective
Sarah Worden
148 37th St., 10th Floor
NY, NY 10011
jobs@animationcollective.com

Asterisk
Richard O’Connor
20 W. 20th St.
NY, NY 10011
212.255.8880
asterisk@asteriskpix.com

Blue Sky
HR Department
44 South Broadway
White Plains, NY 10601
www.blueskystudios.com

Creative Group, Inc./ANImagic
Natalie Sperrazza
Projects Manager
1372 Broadway, 2nd FL
NY, NY 10018
natalie@creativegroup.tv

Curious Pictures
Dominie Mahl
Curator of Art and Design
440 Lafayette Street, 6th Floor
NY, NY 10003
www.curiouspictures.com

Dancing Diablo Studio
Beatriz Ramos or Jackie Brown
45 Main Street, Studio 524
Brooklyn, NY 11201
jbrown@dancingdiablo.com

DMA Animation
Tony Caio
89 Fifth AvenueNY, NY 10003
dma@dma-animation.com
www.dma-animation.com

Flickerlab
Becky MacGregor
7 West 18th Street, 4th Floor
NY, NY 10011
Becky@flickerlab.com
www.flickerlab.com
They prefer CDS, DVDS, or weblinks.

J.J. Sedelmaier
199 Main Street, 10th Fl.
White Plains, NY 10601
www.jjsedelmaier.com

Mechanism Digital
Linda Beck (c’est moi!)
514 W. 24th St., Suite 3E
NY, NY 10011
Linda@mechanismdigital.com
www.mechanismdigital.com

Michael Sporn Animation, Inc.
Michael Sporn
35 Bedford St - Lower Level
NY, NY 10014
studio@michaelspornanimation.com
www.michaelspornanimation.com

MTV
Emily.Williamson@mtvnmix.com

Nickelodeon
Irene Sherman or Jason Patton
1633 Broadway, 4th Floor
NY, NY 10019

Noodlesoup Productions
Jeremy Rosenberg
489 Fifth Ave., 26th Fl.
NY, NY 10017
www.noodlesoup.net

Stretch Films
Kasey Frasier
6 West 18th St., 11th Fl.
NY, NY 10011
www.stretchfilms.com

Treehouse Animation
Royce Graham
45 E. 34th St.
NY, NY 10016
info@treehouseanimation.com
www.treehouseanimation.com

Wachtenheim & Marianetti
studio@wmanimation.com
www.wmanimation.com

Where else to look for a job
(To name a few…)
www.awn.com
www.designinmotion.com
www.mandy.com
www.wheresspot.com

A Word About Follow Up
I don’t know who is telling teachers and professors to preach to their students about the importance of hounding employers with follow up, but I’m telling you: follow up drives me crazy. If you send me your stuff once, I PROMISE you, I don’t lose it. Think of it this way: Many studios (especially small, NY studios) have people doing the hiring under the umbrella of another job title. That means that these people are usually very busy doing their “real” job on top of the Human Resources racket. And often times, these people are trying to get new work so that they have budgets to hire someone like you. If they’re on the phone with you giving you no new news, they’re not talking to a client.

If you must follow up, my advice is to do it by email. And if you happen to know me personally, I beg you: please don’t follow up at all, or it will make me want to avoid you socially.

Meanwhile...
Keep up with your industry news by subscribing to free email newsletters:
www.cynopsis.com
www.worldscreen.com
www.awn.com/flash/ (Animation Flash Newsletter)

Kidscreen Magazine also has terrific articles about the going’s on of your beloved industry.

Also, don’t have a website? Shame on you. Use this time to remedy that.

And there’s always that idea for an independent project or pitch that you’ve kept around for a rainy day. Maybe it’s time to give that a little attention.

Supplemental Income - Temping
A really good way to pay for those budget macaroni and cheese or ramen noodle dinners, is to temp. This is a little secret coveted by theatre people in the city. You can get paid anywhere from $12-25 an hour providing temp support for a company. All you have to do is call the agency, send your resume, and then go in for an interview and assessment tests in typing, MS word, Excel, and Powerpoint. If you don’t do particularly well in one area, they just won’t send you out for those jobs. Some companies may simply need someone to cover the reception desk while someone’s on vacation. Almost always, when you land an "assignment" the person you’re covering will provide a detailed temp guide and someone will be there to show you around and make sure you’re comfortable with what you’re doing.

And consider this, too: if you’re temping on Wall Street for an investment firm, it’s an entirely new community. The people you’re working with don’t know the hundreds of artists you know. Don’t be afraid to tell them that that’s what you do. Then cross your fingers and hope that someday, they’ll call you to help their son create his website, for the sole reason that you’re the only person they know who knows how to do that. I got a pretty sweet gig painting a mural in someone’s apartment that way.

Forrest Solutions
(I’ve temped for them for years andthey’re great. They also offer 401K if you work enough hours through them.)
212.986.3600 (phone)
212.557.2753 (fax)
www.forrestsolutions.com

Canine Creative Staffing
(I don’t know anything about them, just found them on google.)
212.699.6450
212.699.6453
www.caninecreative.com

Don’t Use This Time Stressing Out
See? None of this seems so terrifying anymore does it? There’s no need to panic. If you quit your job, you most definitely needed to. If your project ended, that’s the way things go. Try to use this unintentional time off as free time to be creatively productive! It won’t last long!