Nelvana: My dream job.

Nelvana's newest employee? ME!

I am thrilled to be joining such an amazing team of people in the industry.

For those of you that don't know about Nelvana I suggest you do some research. Here is a snapshot: Nelvana is one of the largest studios for children's entertainment in the world. Housing over 300 artists, Nelvana has set the industry standard for quality children's entertainment. The company was founded in 1971 and continues to house some of Canada's best and brightest. They have a proven track record for success and I feel privileged to be a member of the team.

Remember what I said in a prior article about the importance of networking? I obtained this position through a series of events. First, i did my homework on the company. I knew that there was a chance that I would be running in to at least one Nelvana employee one day so I made sure I knew all about the company. Secondly, I attended a networking event called Digital Marketplace in Nathan Phillips Square hosted by DMIO.

There I was lucky enough to meet one of the recruiters for Nelvana and had a wonderful chat with her. It was shortly -lived however because there were thousands of other students trying to do the same thing but I did something different. I stayed for the entire event duration and after everyone had left I went to the Nelvana booth and offered to help deconstruct their set up. They didn't need my help but it offered me the chance to speak with the recruiter again as well as someone else that I had know from Nelvana. He gave me the strong advice "Be confident in your abilities, don't be nervous. You are selling yourself in an interview."

From that moment I was determined. Luckily enough I was contacted by the recruiter a few short days later to do a lighting test. I didn't even know they were hiring a lighter! This was my dream job! The position wasn't posted anywhere that I had seen.

After completion of the test I got through to the interview. When I went for my interview I was so nervous. I dressed very professionally in a pant suit with a blazer. When waiting in he lobby I had a full on panic attack. I was short of breath and shaking like a leaf! In that moment I remembered what the Nelvana employee told me. I calmed myself down and gave myself some confidence before walking in and I was fine. Still nervous of course but relatively fine. The interview went well and I was contacted after that for my references. Two days later I was offered the job. It was a generous offer.

The point of this is that you never know who you will meet and what will come from those meetings. Always put your best foot forward.

Others went to DMIO's Digital Marketplace with resumes and demo reels in hand. I went with just my business cards. Never feel disheartened and always try your best with what you have at your disposal.

Note: After being hired I finally got to see the job posting. It wasn't a junior position and I wasn't fully qualified for the job but they chose me anyways. Why? Could have been the networking? The offer for help? Meeting with prior employees? The research I did? I think it was a combination of all of the above that did it for me. So don't lose hope if the only jobs you find are for people with major amounts of experience and software you have never heard of. Just be open minded and willing to learn. You will do great!