Thought I should share.

Why is NETWORKING so important?

Networking. This word is a powerful one. Networking can mean the difference between interning for a year or more before landing a job and landing one straight out of school. By far networking is one of the greatest skills you will learn in life and should try to learn before you leave school.

Director from Nelvana, a large animation studio in Toronto, Ontario, says in his launching lectures at Sheridan College, "Look to the left of you, now look to the right. Be nice to these people. One day you will either be working with or for them." Here he introduces students to the reality that they have to present themselves professionally and practice that with their peers. When you get into the real world, you might be working right next to the person you might have made fun of in school. Or, worse in that case, working under them.

Networking is also about getting yourself out there. Being shy is not really an option anymore. If you want the jobs you have to get yourself known. Especially in this industry. If people have no personal connection to you in anyway but they do with another candidate, who do you think they will choose? Try to attend as many networking events as possible to meet people and start getting yourself known.

Last summer I attended the Pixar Animation and Story Masterclasses in Toronto hosted by VanArts. During the breaks before and after these classes I introduced myself to as many people as I could. I became close with a few and most importantly, I kept in touch with them over the past year. Now we are coordinating going to another network event together, we give each other advice or opinions on each other's posted work and we encourage one another. I would hire these people in a moment if they were applying somewhere I worked.

In another instance, my 3rd year internship at GUS VFX was obtained from a connection I had as a student that I kept in contact with. She was in third year when I was in first but someone I was dating was in the same year as her. I made many connections with the third years in there and, again very important, kept in touch with all of them throughout the years. When a position came up for a graduate to become an intern, I was first in line.

These connections are crucial and you need to start making them now. The perfect opportunity to do that soon is at the Welcome To The Industry Party hosted by TAAFI. This is a networking event that will allow people in the industry or just entering to connect with one another. You meet people there, keep in touch with them, and who knows... one day they might just have a position for you! I have hooked up a few friends from back at school with great internships and I would be more than happy to do that again.

So get out there and NETWORK! You never know what amazing opportunities will follow.

Get in touch with me! Introduce yourself! We may be working together in the future.

E-mail me at karenwonderswhy[at]gmail[dot]com.

If you want to be added to the mailing list for future networking events just send me an e-mail stating so and I will be more than happy to add you to the list.

What Your Internship REALLY Teaches You

As I enter in to my last week of my 3rd year internship I am taking time to process what I have learned not about the software but of the industry.

Turns out I was wrong.

I went through school with the presumption that if I did really well in school and got myself a good internship that it would be easy to find a job after school. In this sense I was wrong. There is so much more to it.

I am learning very quickly that this is a very small industry. The people you go to school with will be your coworkers. Networking with your peers on all levels will help you get a job after graduating.

The harsh reality is: you are not guaranteed a job after graduating. You are not guaranteed a job within six months, even. The only way you can keep yourself in the game is to constantly be aware of what is happening and where.

Some suggestions:

Look on job boards regularly, find new job boards, apply even if there is no posting, attend networking events, keep in touch with your peers, and try to make yourself known on the web. Be active with twitter and keep your linked in updated. These things will help keep you connected.

Don't ever think that anything in life is guaranteed. I have been on top of the class for all three years and worked my butt off. Luckily for me I am also good at networking. When you get into the industry you are going to need to be.

For those who make excuses about being busy or already having a job or being busy with internships...too busy to attend the networking events... I implore you. Attend anyways. The connections that you make may just get you a job one day.

There are some that I now know in the industry who may not be the best animators or lighters or modellers but they are really good at meeting people and making themselves known. This is a crucial skill in life.

So try your best at networking and always remain professional with your peers. You never know what the future may bring.

As Nevada director Jason Groh says "Talent will get you in the door, networking will get you the job"

TAAFI Animation Ambassador Special Induction Night

The TAAFI Animation Ambassador Special Induction Night happened this evening at the Corus/Nelvana building on the Corus Quay in downtown Toronto. It was an opportunity for the ambassadors of the different colleges' Animation programs surrounding the Toronto area to be introduced to the organizing members of TAAFI (Toronto Animation Arts Festival International) and be treated to a great evening of swag bags, pizza, a tour of Corus, and most importantly, networking.

Mrs. Helen Lebeau, Vice President of Production, Nelvana, led the ambassadors and their coordinators through an extensive tour of the Corus building. They went through studios, saw the atrium, and, after being broken off into groups, even got to speak with Nelvana Animator Daniel Clermont who gladly showed some of the animation tricks of a kids cartoon that they produce right in the studio.

The night was organized by Mr. Barnabas Wornoff whom acts as the liaison of all the ambassadors with the TAAFI organizers as well as being on the Board of Directors. Mr. Wornoff introduced us to the rest of the TAAFI team as we ate pizza and looked through our swag bags.

Volunteer coordinator, Natali, explained the benefits and opportunities as volunteers at the TAAFI festival.

Ms. Alex Moorshead, Event Producer, spoke about a pivotal event being organized this year called the "Welcome to the Industry Party". This event is an amazing opportunity for graduating students, as well as those looking forward to graduation, to network with their peers, showcase their work, and have fun celebrating their entrance into the Animation industry.

The ambassadors and their coordinators were additionally treated to a special talk by award-winning Nelvana director Jason Groh who stressed the importance of networking and creating jobs within the industry in Toronto. "It may be nice with all those palm trees down in California but there is plenty of work right up here." Urging us to understand that we do not need to travel away from Toronto in order to find employment.

Mr. Groh also presented the first episode of an upcoming show produced inside Nelvana. It was a delightful experience for all in attendance.

The entire night was a complete success. All the ambassadors in attendance had a great time and enjoyed the opportunity to connect and be a part of the outreach of the festival.

Celebrate, Connect, Support, Showcase, and Inspire. This is the mandate of the TAAFI STAAFI (see what they did there?) and it is now the mandate of the ambassadors. The ambassadors will be seen at the upcoming TAAFI events and their profiles can be found (soon) on the TAAFI website at www.taafi.ca

The end of 3rd Year Animation is just the beginning.

I remember, long ago, as a little girl of five years of age sitting down on the floor in front of the couch in the living room and watching cartoons. The very first logo I ever remember seeing was the Nelvana polar bear. From that moment onwards I was fascinated with animation and some years later, when deciding what I wanted to be when I grew up, I decided to be an animator.

Now, as I am geared up to graduate from the three year advanced diploma Animation and New Media Production program at Loyalist College in Belleville, Ontario, I am filled with an overwhelming sense of pride and honour to be entering in to an industry I had dreamed of being a part of since I was a little girl.

Graduating in three months will be such an accomplishment for me and I know that I have worked my hardest to get to where I am today. I entered in to Loyalist knowing that there was no where else I wanted to be and nothing else I would rather be doing and set out to accomplish great things.

Over my three years at Loyalist I gained so many amazing friends and met so many amazing artists. I also involved myself with my peers making lasting connections with them, organizing a mixer for all years of Animation students at Loyalist that will be passed on to other generations of students to continue, talking to first year students about finding internships and what to expect in future years including what to prepare themselves for, being a part of the Animation Advisory Committee for the program, writing proposals and attending meetings for a much needed art room and overflow space to ensure that Animation students always have a place to go to do their work, attending networking events and parties and conferences, attending extra classes such as Life Drawing and the Pixar Animation and Story Masterclasses (worth every penny)... I was always trying to be a positive influence in those events and tried my hardest to make lasting connections with people.

One thing that really hit home for me tonight was hearing Mr. Jason Groh of Nelvana say: "Talent will get you in to the door, but it is networking that will get you far".

When I left for my internship three weeks ago I was so proud of myself for everything I have accomplished. I have finally made some real progress in my career path. Being an Ambassador for TAAFI and representing Loyalist on that front has made me even more proud of taking full advantage of the education I received. I will keep working in the future towards my goal and am positive that I will get there one day soon. This is just the beginning.

Still Life Assignment

We recieved a project to create a still life in 3D and model, texture, light it, and composite it. Marks are solely based on how pretty it is.

I had a number of ideas and kept bouncing around until I came across a simple photograph of a teacup and a daisy on a saucer. If you know me you'd know that I absolutely love all kinds of teas and thought there would nothing better than to model some teacups and hand that in as my still life.

I hand painted the texture on the teacups in Photoshop.. not that you can really see it but I was quite proud of it.

Anyways, here is the final result:

I love it. I hope you do too! I have been focussing on my lighting and compositing skills lately.. hoping to do that as a career when I graduate.

Architectural Assignment

Hey there!

I know this is a late post, but I wanted to post a picture of my architectural assignment. Just because I like it. I will be rendering out an animation at a far more interesting angle sometime in the future.

 

So basically this assignment was designed to allow us to show off our lighting skills in an architectural piece. I fell in love with the fan vaulted ceilings in some cathedrals and decided to make one. I modelled this after the Christ Church Cathedral in Oxford, England and relied on my research of cathedrals, Google search, and surprisingly, Google street view. It took me inside the cathedral and I got details that I couldn't find on the regular Google search.

 

This was modelled, lit, and composited in Softimage.

 

Cheers!